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Having a smaller abdomen and waistline is important aesthetically, making you feel good about looking your best. However, there’s another reason why your waistline size is important. It’s a measure of your overall health. Abdominal fat is called visceral fat and it’s worse than other types of fat. The more you have, the more potential there is of heart disease and diabetes. It’s even more important than BMI—body mass index.

Different types of fat.

The fat around your abdomen is called visceral fat and it’s the hardest to lose. It’s also the most dangerous. While excess fat is seldom welcomed, you do need some type of fat. It’s fuel. It cushions you—sitting with no fat on your backside would hurt after a while when there’s no cushion. It also helps protect the body if you fall. But visceral fat is totally different. It accumulates around the organs, inside the body. Men tend to have it as a pot belly, women gain it in the hips and bottom, cushioning the female organs to protect potential babies.

It’s tough to lose belly fat.

When you burn fat, it’s a process that has two parts. First there’s the lipolysis process that’s triggered by catecholamines, a chemical in the body. The catecholamine attaches to the receptors on fat cells and that causes them to release the fatty acids—stored energy—into the blood. Second is the oxidation process where the cells take the cells from the blood and use the energy. In stage one, there are two different types of receptors for the catecholamine to attach—alpha and beta. The more beta-receptors, the easier it is for the catecholamine to attach and lipolysis to take place. The more alpha-receptors, the harder it is. Visceral fat tends to have more alpha-receptors, so they don’t release energy—fat—as easily. That’s why some areas for weight loss are more stubborn than others are.

The more weight you gain, the bigger the fat cells become.

As they become bigger, these cells tend to leak, both fatty acids and other molecules, into the liver. That’s one of the areas that help control blood sugar levels. The leaking fat cells also mess with your metabolism, too. You’ll end up with insulin spikes and valleys that can cause even more weight gain, ultimately ending in heart disease and diabetes.

• In order to lose visceral fat around the belly, hips and buttocks, you have to lose weight all over your body.
• Training on an empty stomach—called fasted training—helps shed bellly fat.
• Make your cardio HIIT training. You can run, bicycle or whatever you choose, just alternate between high intensity and low to moderate intensity.
• One study showed that coconut oil helped to shrink the waistline of obese women. There were two groups each walking 50 minutes daily, eating lower calorie diets and taking one supplement, either two tablespoons of soy or two tablespoons of coconut oil. The group that took the coconut oil supplement showed a reduction in the waistline circumference.

More and more physicians and health care providers are reluctant to prescribe antibiotics. There’s good reason for that. It’s the fear of creating super bugs that are antibiotic resistant. However, there are other issues that need to be addressed when it comes to antibiotics. The comparison of data based on health and antibiotic use throughout the United States shows that areas with high antibiotic use coincide with areas that have high obesity levels. Is it just a coincidence or do antibiotics make it harder to lose weight?

The good and the bad of antibiotics.

The good part of having antibiotics available is that it kills off bacterial infections and helps you get well. That’s pretty obvious. However, antibiotic use has a dark side. One of the biggest problems is that it kills bacteria indiscriminately and not all bacteria is bad. You need the right balance of beneficial bacteria in you digestive system to keep your body functioning properly. If there’s a disruption in the balance, it can lead to chronic disease over time, such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity. In areas with high antibiotic use there were also higher incidence of these conditions.

Farmers use antibiotics to promote weight gain of livestock.

I want to say, “Hmmmm.” Most the antibiotics produced in our country, about 70 percent, are actually used by farmers to help livestock gain weight. It’s given to healthy livestock in smaller doses, changing the gut flora, which then makes the livestock grow larger and heavier. One researcher, Dr. Martin Blaser from New York University Langone Medical Center, said that the antibiotics may cause a permanent change in the bacteria in the gut, while also disrupting the hormones related to hunger. That leads to an increased appetite and weight gain.

Studies show that friendly bacteria may help weight loss.

One animal study followed rats that were given lactic acid bacteria all the way from fetus to adulthood. They put on far less weight that the control group. Babies with higher amounts of bifidobacteria (good bacteria) had more protection against weight gain, according to another study. Another study showed that people who were obese could reduce belly fat by almost five percent and subcutaneous fat by three percent by just adding a type of fermented milk that’s rich in probiotics, to their diet for 12 weeks.

One study showed that boosting good bacteria by taking probiotics can help people with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is linked to obesity.

You can boost your healthy gut bacteria with live bacteria yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables. Kimchi is also super good and good for gut bacteria.

If you have to take an antibiotic, avoid consuming sugar products and wait at least two hours after taking the antibiotic before eating or taking the probiotic.

Adding more fiber to your diet can also help good bacteria by providing them with nourishment. Vegetables, fruit, nuts and beans are good sources of fiber.

Sure, all you need to workout is a plan, comfortable clothes and good shoes, but all the bells and whistles can make it more fun, more effective or more efficient. Here’s some of the latest new fitness gear you can’t live without, or at least ones that will motivate you more to stay focused and achieve your goals. There are innovations in fitness continually occurring, beyond the latest new styles in clothes. You might consider making one of these innovations a special treat for yourself when you reach a fitness goal. It just makes it more fun and can be super motivating.

The Nike Run X2 sunglasses are the best personalized glasses for outside exercise.

You can have these sunglasses made for your prescription if you want. If you’re a runner, these were made especially for you, but they’re also good for golf, tennis and cycling. They adapt to any light conditions and have interchangeable lenses. They provide for coverage for all areas and are extremely comfortable and stable. These are lightweight and fit snuggly with secure temple wrap arms and a ventilated nosepiece. You’ll have 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. You’ll have 100 percent UVA and UVB protection and look fabulous when you wear these sunglasses.

iHealth Core Scale will help you track your weight loss.

Maybe scales aren’t exactly what you had in mind when it comes to rewarding yourself, but this one is different. It not only shows your weight, it also measures eight other factors in your fitness. Those include your BMO—body mass index, body fat, bone mass, lean mass, water weight, muscle mass, daily calories and visceral fat—belly fat, the most dangerous and stubborn type— rating. Some come with a indoor temperature and humidity reading to help maintain the healthiest atmosphere for your home. This device holds you accountable and offers so much more information than the traditional scales. It’s actually fun to use too, especially when you combine it with the app that tracks your weight loss goals and monitors your progress.

Fooducate is an app you’ll appreciate if you’re learning to eat healthier.

Get help with your grocery shopping and plans to eat healthier with Fooducate. It analyzes the nutritional value and gives each food a grade. While it offers a free version, the free version only tells you how many calories to eat. To get the good stuff, like the ability to scan food at the grocery to see the nutritional value and alterernative options, you have to pay a small monthly amount.

• If you need a little pampering, Moji Mini foot massager can provide it. It gives a great foot massage and is both small and portable to take along on fitcations.
• Choose from the variety of heart rate monitors you wear like a wristwatch, with some less than thirty dollars. Some provide sleep monitoring and more.
• Hyperice Venom is a portable heat and vibration back device that you can wear. It lets you bask in comfort after a tough workout or soothe sore muscles when you spend too much time at the desk.
• Stay cool and look fabulous without having to bare your legs. If you prefer to keep your legs covered, but also want to stay cool, Climcacool Knit Workout Pants by Adidas are perfect for you.

If you’re trying to shed pounds and eat healthier, planning and creating meals ahead could be your best weapon against unhealthy eating and those extra pounds. In fact, meal prep could be the key. At the end of a long day, the last thing you want to do is think. If you’re like most people, your mind goes on rote and you automatically grab the quickest thing to fix—which isn’t always the healthiest. When you plan meals and prepare them ahead, the quickest thing available will be good for you.

There’s no worry about portion size when you make meals ahead.

Having the right serving size in each container makes it easy to eat exactly what your body needs to meet its goal. You don’t have to be on a diet to benefit from this. In fact, I know a client that takes her mother preprepared meals. The mother is older and was losing weight because she wasn’t eating enough. This stopped the shrinking mom syndrome and turned it around to healthier mom. The client helped herself too. She made enough for her mom and herself, so everyone benefited.

Precooking foods saves time.

You can make two or three meals at the same time, doing double duty in the kitchen. Some people prepare larger portions and freeze the extras for the next week or two. I have two clients who are good friends and decided to double it up. Each prepared three meals that included four servings. They kept two and gave their friend two. That meant that for the time and effort of cooking one day, they had twelve healthy meals ready to heat and eat.

You’ll keep more money in your pocket.

You’ll still spend money on food prep, but not as much as purchasing ready made food, whether from a takeout or in the freezer section of the grocery. To make it more fun, calculate what you spend in food before you started meal prep ahead and then track what it costs doing it yourself. You can save even more by planning around grocery sales, couponing and even swapping meals with friends. Keep score of your savings and tuck it away until you have enough to buy something to treat yourself, like new clothes in a smaller size.

• You might find that meal prep is fun when you’re not rushed and starved. In fact, it could spur the inner healthy cook in you to come out and visit.
• With the extra time you save on premaking your food, you create time to go to the gym and workout without making huge adjustments to your schedule.
• Prepping meals ahead keeps you on track. You may feel like splurging one night, but if the meals already made, you normally opt for that.
• Meal prep includes meal planning. When you have a plan, you can create a grocery list and save time and money at the store.

No matter who you are, the principle of weight loss is the same. It’s all about calories. When you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. When you eat fewer than you burn, you lose it. Some people have a higher metabolism, so they burn more calories than others do. Sometimes, it’s not how much we eat, but what we eat that makes a difference. You can lose fat by changing what you eat if you choose that have a high nutritional value, but lower calories. It’s simple, but there are a few extra rules to remember.

Sometimes you eat out of habit rather than hunger.

If you stop for coffee every morning and pick up a Danish each time, you may be adding pounds every year and really not want the Danish in the first place. There are between 250 and 500 calories in that little snack that you may be buying and eating out of habit rather than hunger. For every 14 you eat, if you’re eating the lower calorie one, you’ll gain one pound. It only takes seven for the higher calorie Danish. Prepare ahead of time with a lower calorie, more nutritious option you make the night previously. In fact, have your coffee ready to make if you don’t have a timer on it and start it when you start to get ready for work and avoid the stop entirely. It will save you hundreds of dollars every year and help you lose weight faster.

Eating healthier can help control your appetite and make weight loss faster.

Not only will high sugar consumption boost your cravings for sugar, it leaves you dragged out and tired, so you won’t burn as many calories. Adding arginine to your diet, which is an amino acid, is a super fat burner. One study showed that it helped lead to higher inch and weight loss. You’ll find it in lean grass-fed beef and almonds, for example. Magnesium, also found in almonds, boosts fat burning. Grab a banana and a hard boiled egg for breakfast and you’ll add B-vitamins and potassium to turn off fat storing genes and reduce the bloat.

Eat more whole foods, especially vegetables.

While foods are foods that aren’t processed or lightly processed. One important group is fresh vegetables. While celery may not be your favorite food, or even a substantial base for a healthy diet, it’s great to use as a comparison. You’d have to eat 94 stalks of celery to equal the calories of one Big Mac. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables means that you’ll get more nutrition, filling fiber and have lower your caloric intake.

• There’s so many nutrients that are important to both your health and weight loss, but you won’t find them in junk food. Get with a healthy food habit to make weight loss easier.
• Don’t exclude fat from your diet. Healthy fat, such as that from salmon or avocados, are necessary for weight loss and body functions.
• Learn to make small changes to save calories. Brown rice is lower in calories and higher in nutrition. The saving is small but it all adds up.
• Exercise is important to losing weight and can make the process easier, but it won’t help if you stop for a high calorie meal or snack after each workout session.