So you want to lose your gut, hips, thighs, and wiggly area’s, eh? Your belly fat is getting to be an nuisance, not just because of looks, but because you just feel low about yourself. I understand that, been there myself; still struggle with it. But let me tell you something that if you understand it, take it to heart, and apply it, you will never have to struggle with weight again, because you can use your body, that perfect engine, against itself.

Although this science that I am about to bring to you doesn’t seem to be very pertinent to your weight loss goals right now, trust me, it’s the nuts and bolts of how your body works. And if you can grasp it, you’ll be able to eat what you want, when you want, and still lose weight.

This isn’t a diet, this isn’t a workout plan, this is me informing you about how your body works.

I understand that there are some out there who want to just have their body work, lose weight, and never have to worry about “how” it does it. Sure, this is alright, but when you understand how something works, why it works, you can use that information for you, instead of putting ignorant effort into something you don’t understand, getting discouraged, and possibly gaining even more weight.

Weight loss is not just an empty action that your body goes though to shed a few pounds here and there. Weight loss, namely fat reduction, is the burning of stored energy in your body. Fat is energy that you consumed an excess, so your body wants to keep for later. Your body works perfectly to conserve, and burn this extra bit of energy, taking that knowledge right there could shed you, say 5 pounds by the end of the week.

Understanding that your body stores every bit of extra energy that you give it tells you that you should give it what the body needs, and leave it at that, and you will lose weight or at least quit gaining.

One of the biggest helpers in the area of fat loss (I’ll call it “energy metabolism” from this point on) is the mitochondria in each living cell that your body has. Each cell in your body needs energy to live, and each bite of food you eat contains that energy. These mitochondria are designated energy metabolizing units that take that energy, and convert it to ATP: your body’s quick burning energy source.

ATP is like a universal adapter that the mitochondria takes; it then plugs in carbohydrates, fats, and protein into so that your body can run smoothly, or at least in the way it was designed to run.

This is why your mitochondria are so important. Because without these little “powerhouses”, as they are called, your body would not be able to fully burn the energy you store as fat. Nor would you be able to burn carbohydrates and sugars, or metabolize proteins. So the mitochondria, these small little organelles (see definition on my blog) are extremely important.

So what are they? A mitochondrion is a small organelle inside each living cell of your body. The majority of mitochondria are found in your living cells. Those cells would be the ones that use more energy to use, such as muscles and organ tissue. Since these tissues need a lot of energy to survive, each of these cells contain more mitochondria than normal cells.

And how do these mitochondria work? Well, mitochondria work by taking the energy in your body and generating what is called ATP, as I said earlier.

I won’t go into the scientific method of conversion, but I will tell you a little about what goes on in your body when each cell needs energy:

When each living cell in your body needs to exert any energy, the first fuel source they turn to is ATP (generated, or converted by mitochondria). When they get this ATP, in short, they break it apart and use it as energy. Much like splitting an atom creates energy. Thus, energy is metabolized, and your cells can function. All this takes energy, and fat, if stored, is your body’s main energy source.

Since muscle is one of the most mitochondria-rich celled tissue, when you lift weights, or build muscle, your metabolism sky rockets. This is why so many health officials try and urge people to lift weights, strength train, or do some sort of muscle building workout so that they can lose weight healthier, and faster.

So in summary, the more mitochondria your body has, the more efficient this energy producing and burning process is. The more living tissue you have in your body, the more mitochondria you have, and the more energy you will potentially burn. This is one of the many processes of metabolism that your body goes through to expel old energy stores (fat).

For more information on how to bellyfatology.com eliminate fat close to the belly go to bellyfatology.com bellyfatology.com.

Okay. You’ve discovered you need to lose a few pounds, you’re next mission is to discover how to lose that weight. This is where planning comes in. To be successful in losing weight you need to create a diet plan that is healthy and doable. It needs to be one that you can live with for the rest of your life and that will help you maintain your weight loss. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind for your Perfect Diet Plan.

1.Get out of the “3 Square Meals a Day” Rut.

Let’s face it; some of us are just not able to wait till meal time before we eat. Oh sure, we try to be good, and not eat between meals, but then our hunger gets the better of us, and we find ourselves in the kitchen or in front of the vending machine and our good diet intentions are blown to heck.

If you this sounds like you, there is an answer! Instead of eating just 3 big meals a day, break your meals up into smaller meals, eaten 3 to 4 hours apart through the day. Use the US Dept. of Agriculture’s food pyramid to help you determine what you should be eating and the correct portion sizes.

Many dieters following this plan find that they are less hungry through the day, less prone to binging on junk food,and are able to stick to their healthy diet plan much better.

2. Set Smaller Weight Loss Goals

If you have a lot of weight to lose, break up your weight loss goals into smaller, easily reached benchmarks. Start off with a goal to lose 10% of your body weight, first. Why 10%? According to studies, when a person has lost 10% of their excess weight, they have already improved their blood pressure, cholesterol levels and overall health. Plus, losing just 10% of your extra weight can put you in a smaller clothing size(always a great boost to your confidence).

3. Let Yourself “Cheat”

Staying on a diet is hard. Some days it seems like you will never just sit down and “enjoy” a meal ever again. It’s days like this when we are most prone to the desire to cheat. My suggestion–go ahead and “cheat”, but cheat with a plan. Instead of just grabbing a candy bar and gobbling it down, get yourself some truly good,expensive dark chocolate. Take one of the chocolates and eat it, slowly. Savor the flavor and textures as you eat your treat. You’ll find that you will be very satisfied with the one piece because you truly enjoyed it and your diet will still be “on track”. Remember, if you must cheat, cheat with the truly good stuff.

4. Make Your Calories Truly Count

Your calories should mainly come from the food you eat. They’re meant to give your body energy throughout the day, so don’t waste your calories on sugary drinks or alcohol. These can cost you a ton in calories but give your body nothing in return. Limit these drinks to one or two a day at the most. Choose water to quench your thirst, instead.

5. Get Moving.

Dieting alone isn’t enough to lose weight. You need to add exercise to your daily routine. Daily physical exercise helps you raise your metabolism and tones your muscles. You don’t need to join a gym or buy expensive workout equipment, either. You can gain the benefits of exercise by adding a routine of brisk walking to your day.

6. Eat Slowly.

Have you ever really watched a thin person eat? I recommend it, if you can. It’s a real eye opener. You will notice that it takes them a long time to finish their meal. They eat slowly. They chew their food thoroughly and thoroughly enjoy their food. The put their forks down from time to time and talk to their friends. They take time to sip from their drink. Most astoundingly–they rarely clean their plates. They find that they are full long before they have finished their food.

You see, it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it’s full and no more food is required. People who eat too fast will overeat because their stomach never gets the chance to tell the brain to “stop”. Eat slowly and you’ll find that you will eat less and feel just as satisfied.

7. Identify Your “Kryptonite” Foods.

Superman was the man of steel until faced with the infamous Kryptonite. Under it’s power, he became powerless and weak. Guess what? We’ve all got our own version of that Kryptonite, it’s that one certain food that we are powerless to resist and we end up overeating because of it. For me, it’s french fries. I cannot have even one french fry, because I know I will inhale the whole batch in no time flat. So, I simply do not eat these at all, and my diet (and my willpower) remains strong. Find out what your “Kryptonite” food is, and resolve to banish it from your life.

There you have it. The Perfect Diet Plan just for you. You’ll find that planning your diet and exercise routines will put you firmly on the road to success for your weight loss journey.

To learn more about losing weight, visit:

www.losetheweightfast.net

Mary Clevenger is a Los Angeles based writer who is currently winning her battle with the bulge. While writing weight loss columns, she is working on the next great american novel.