Summer has arrived which means sunny days, warm temperatures, and ample opportunity to show off your hard-earned bathing suit-ready body. If you’re still trying to work off the winter weight, healthy eating and exercise will do the trick in getting your body summer ready. Healthy eating focuses on including whole grains, lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and plenty of water daily. In addition, a combination of cardio and strength training exercises will help tone your body overall, including the dreaded belly fat. You cannot “spot reduce” so if you want to lose the muffin top or the pot belly, try some of these fat burning exercise tips to burn overall body fat from head to toe.

Pump Up the Cardio

–          A good overall cardiovascular conditioning exercise program is crucial to burn fat

–          Walking is excellent, but most people have to pump it up a bit from their routine pace, especially if they’ve been exercising for a while and flab is not budging

–          Increase the days or length of workout time. If you work out two days, increase to three. If you’re jogging for half an hour, increase to 45 minutes or an hour

–          Interval training, alternating bursts of intense activity with bursts of lighter activity, is a good way to burn more fat. For example, walk for five minutes, and then jog for five. This strategy will burn overall more calories and more fat. If you are already jogging, jog then sprint to mix it up

–          Increasing intensity for a short period within your regular workout will burn more total calories and therefore more fat

Pump Iron or Do Other Strength Training

–          Weight training 3x a week for a half hour each session is ideal for beginners

–          Once flab is under control, two weight training sessions a week will help maintain tone

–          Work the full body. Work all the major muscle groups, (not just the flabby ones), but incorporate full-body weight training exercises that also focus on your flabby areas

–          For muffin top, focus on abdominal, oblique muscles by doing bicycle kicks, or do oblique twists with the cable weight machine

–          Can’t make it to the gym? Try home exercises to burn fat. For example, get a broom, hold it straight up over your head, then lean to the right and left. You should feel effort in your love handles

–          For flabby upper arms, do dumbbell kickbacks with hand weights (with upper arm parallel to the floor and bent at the elbow, lean over a weight bench or other low bench with your other arm supporting your body. Extend the lower arm holding the weight until it is straight. Repeat and switch the weight to the other hand.)

–          To maximize the fat burning during weight training, women should aim for 12-15 repetitions per exercise and focus on a higher number of reps rather than constantly boosting the weight

–          Men should aim for 8-12 reps and increase weight periodically

Crunch Your Flab

–          If a muffin top is due to abdominal muscles not being exercised a long time, toning up those muscles may help

–          In addition to cardio and healthy eating, belly fat can be toned up with crunches and reverse crunches (lie flat and raise your hips and legs to work the lower abdominals)

–          Get more from your core. You’ll get more from your Pilates, Yoga, or core-focused moves that will lead to a slimmer, flatter belly. Move from your waist. When you twist, make sure movement happens from your bottom rib up while keeping hips still

–          Add small weights for more fat burning potential. Start with a 5lb medicine ball or hand weight between both hands and swivel left to right and back, bringing the weight across your body while maintaining your torso above the ground (in a V shape)

 For other tips on slimming down for summer and for life, please also check out…Belly Fat Burning Tips for the Summer

Are you bathing suit ready?

That’s the question I ask myself at the start of every summer, and of course, I rarely say yes.  That’s because I do admit to having a little “muffin top,” which is a nice way of saying I have belly fat.  It is a continuous effort to shrink and/or maintain the belly fat I have, which is very much dependent on how much food is consumed, in relation to how much physical activity is expended.  However, a person having too much fat in the abdomen area poses various health risks.

Fat accumulates everywhere in the body.  But in regards to belly fat, the risks are associated with where the fat is located in the belly.  There are two easy ways to think about belly fat.  Imagine the shape of a body as if they were a pear or an apple.  Therefore, for people who are pear shaped, there is more fat accumulated towards the lower body.  Fat in this area is subcutaneous, which just lies between the skin and muscle; this is the fat we can pinch.  People who are apple shaped, fat is accumulated in the abdomen area, with an increased amount surrounding the internal organs; this is called visceral fat.  Subcutaneous fat is more cosmetic, whereas visceral fat surrounding the organs is linked to an increased risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, breast cancer and colorectal cancer.  But not to worry; these risks can be minimized simply by being mindful of the calories taken in, and being physically active to burn those calories.

To beat the belly fat bulge, keep active, portion food, and make healthy food choices.  The general recommendation for physical activity is a minimum of 30 minutes per day of moderate intensity, such as walking or light jogging.  If you are just starting out, spread the 30 minutes throughout the day, and do burst of 10 or 15 minutes, then gradually go up to do the entire 30 minutes, then up to 60 minutes per day, which would be ideal to control weight.  Adding strength exercises by including light weights has also been shown to be helpful in reducing belly fat, especially the visceral kind.  Just remember, it’s heating up, and it is very important to keep hydrated when doing any type of physical activity; drink plenty of water.

The battle with belly fat does not end with just physical activity.  In addition, it is important to be mindful of portion size and making healthy food choices when eating in our out.  MyPlate (click on MyPlate for more information on portion size) is a great reference point.  Remember to make half your plate veggies and fruit, and the other half whole grains and a lean protein, with a side of dairy.  Limit foods high in saturated and trans fat, such as a marbled steak, butter, pre-packaged cookies or cake, as well as limiting simple carbohydrates, such as white breads and pastas.  Lastly, limit sugary drinks, and replace with more water.

Additionally, check out the list of belly fat fighting foods to incorporate into your next meal or snack.

• Avocadoes:  Avocadoes contain the healthy kind of fat, poly- and mono-unsaturated fat, and some protein.  Add them to your salad for that additional health benefit.
• Berries:  Fresh berries are high in fiber, and are good for us.  Some studies have shown an element is raspberries called ketones that prevent the buildup of fat in the belly and around the liver.
• Nuts:  Walnuts and almonds are especially good because they are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce belly fat, and with hunger pangs.  Only a small handful is needed per day.
• Fish:  Try salmon, halibut, albacore tuna.  Though these are fatty fish, they contain the fat burning omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy kind.
• Oils:  Healthy oils like olive and canola oils.  Use canola oil for a quick vegetable stir-fry, and drizzle olive oil over a small toasted whole wheat roll topped with avocado slices.
• Dairy:  Calcium in dairy helps burn belly fat by decreasing the body’s ability to store belly fat.  Make a yogurt parfait with low-fat greek yogurt, and add some berries for the added benefit of reducing belly fat.

1. WEIGHT – Yes, your weight plays a major role in your heart health. If your BMI is over 25 kg/m2 (that is the

photo: eatingright.org

overweight/obesity range) and/or if you have extra love around your midsection, you are at a higher risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.  The good news is that you can improve your heart health by losing weight.   To achieve weight loss, try to focus on exercise, food selections, and portion sizes.

2. FAT – Of course fat plays another major role in heart health! Be alarmed if your diet is loaded with higher fat foods, specifically foods high in saturated fat from animals including beef, pork, poultry fat and whole or 2% dairy.

Guidelines: Saturated fat should be limited to 7% of your total calories, due to its contribution to increasing your blood cholesterol. Following the American Heart Association’s guidelines, a heart healthy 2,000 calorie diet should be limited to 65 grams of total fat and 15 grams of saturated fat.

3.  SODIUM– Our bodies need a little bit of sodium (a.k.a. salt), though too much sodium can raise your blood pressure – not in the heart throbbing, good loving type of way – and increase your risk of heart disease including, heart attack and stroke.

Guidelines: The average American takes in 3,800 mg of sodium per day, which is nearly 2 times the recommended intake of ~2,000 mg per day for a heart healthy diet.

Helpful Tips: To lower your sodium intake, be sure to read the labels of any food in a package, jar, or can.  These processed foods have a lot of sodium to help preserve them to sit on the shelf.  Look for foods with reduced sodium label claims, such as “Sodium-free”, “Very Low Sodium”, or “Low Sodium”.  Another route is to go for the foods without packaging, especially the lovely colorful fresh fruits and vegetables!

4. CHOLESTEROL – Increased circulating cholesterol in your bloodstream can slowly make its home on the walls of your blood vessels, narrowing those important passage ways from your heart to your brain, lungs and other important parts of your body.  Our bodies naturally make cholesterol; therefore, it is important to limit the cholesterol in our foods to keep our blood flown properly!

Helpful Tips: One of the most important foods to be aware of when limiting your cholesterol is eggs!  One egg has 213 mg Cholesterol which is enough for your entire day!  Try to substitute those eggs with a cholesterol free egg substitute, just as it claims 0 mg of cholesterol and no fat!  Double heart loving bonus!

 5. FIBER – Fabulous, functional fiber can also help keep that lovable fiber heart of yours healthy.  Specifically soluble fiber, which binds with cholesterol and then takes a lovely ride out of the body, in turn reducing your blood LDL cholesterol (that’s the “bad” one).

Helpful Tips: To maximize the benefits of soluble fiber, include fruits, such as apples, bananas, pears, plums, peaches and citrus fruits, vegetables, such as carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and chick peas, whole grains, such as barley, oats, psylium, and beans in your diet.

Renew your love for your heart and commit to making these heart healthy changes!

Have questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact us, we’re here to help!

By Emily Barr, MS, RD, CNSC

 By Emily Barr, MS,RD,CNSC –

Life is too short to waste time and money on fad dieting!

The truth hurts.  The honest truth is, as a whole, we (Americans) have weight to lose, and losing weight is time intensive, hard work.  That’s where the fad diets come sweeping to our rescue, like a knight in shining armor, giving us hope to drop 7-11 pounds in one  week!

They proceed to sweet talk us with some trendy words to convince us that we need to detox our body, or melt our belly fat, to help us drop those stubborn pounds.  Then they give us hope, telling us why this is the solution that is going to be the one diet that works for us.

It sounds like a sneaky business ploy, but let’s face it…we seem to fall for it every time!

Fad diets get a bunch of things majorly wrong!

They promising rapid weight loss over the course of a few days or weeks.  It is a well known fact that rapid weight loss of this kind is not true weight loss, but actually more of the dehydrating kind.  We also know that rapid weight loss is not sustainable; the weight is often regained as quickly as it is lost.

Another blunder of fad diets is the elimination of entire food groups.  Again, it is also well known that different types of foods provide us with a variety of key nutrients that our body needs to keep our metabolism functioning properly.   A third common problem with fad diets is that they are often so strict that we are unable to follow them for more than a few days or weeks.

Fad diets are often so strict that we are unable to follow them for more than a few days or weeks.

The consensus among the experts on how to achieve successful weight loss is to make lifestyle modifications that you can follow for the long term.

Surprisingly, fad diets occasionally get a few things right!

We can use a few of the fad diet strategies to set our lifestyle modification into action.

1.) COMMITMENT

Fad diets require extreme, dramatic changes to your usual food routine.  By signing up to do each of these regimens, you are affirming your commitment to change.  The idea of rapid weight loss is motivating and may push you to do things you had never done before, like go an entire day eating only chicken and vegetables.  At the end of the day, you realize that when you put your mind to something, you can accomplish things you never thought possible.

Action Plan:  Assert your commitment to success by writing down your specific goals and motivation for weight loss.  For example, you may be motivated to lose weight in order to keep up with your busy toddler.  Now that you have your motivation, try setting an easily obtainable, specific goal that you can expand upon.  Maybe you start off with the goal to avoid snacking on your child’s leftovers when cleaning their plate. Then once you’ve accomplished that goal, you expand it to stop mindless snacking throughout the day when bored, working, or doing household chores.

2.) PREPARATION

  Fad diets usually give you a list of “allowable” foods, and then you proceed to the grocery store to stock up on these items.  Why can’t we do the same thing when not following a fad diet?

Action Plan:  Set some goals for the week, and then outline how you are going to achieve them.  For example if your goal is to boost your metabolism by eating breakfast every morning,  you should first plan out what your healthiest breakfast options are, then place them on your shopping  list. Finally, try scheduling breakfast time into the day, so you have time to eat it.

3.)  FOCUSING ON FOOD CHOICES

By starting a strict fad diet regimen, the  not so healthy stuff you are eating goes straight out the window and is quickly replaced by x, y, z, which is specifically designed by the fad diet to reduce your calorie intake (usually so many servings of fruits and vegetables,  go figure).

Eliminating our favorite cravings, cold turkey, can often times backfire on us, ending in a splurge, and then guilt.  Another approach would be to focus on your fruits and vegetables, and by default, you replace your not so healthy stuff with nutritious stuff! Doing this gives you opportunity (calorie wise) to indulge in the occasional splurge.  Plan your splurges carefully (i.e. once a week or once a month), that way you don’t completely abandon your healthy lifestyle.

Action Plan:  Make a list of all of your favorite fruits and vegetables, and then stock up!  But don’t stock up on foods that tempt you.  Focus on filling your home with healthy foods. In other words, make your home your “safety zone”.  Save those willpower smashing foods for special outings where the serving size is controlled and there aren’t any leftovers (e.g. going out for a scoop of ice cream vs. buying ice cream for the house)!

4.) SET MEALS AND SNACKS

  Fad diets would prefer you to eat smaller portions frequently throughout the day.  Well, they may not get the food choices correct, but the grazing type meals and snacks are right on the money.

Action Plan:  Make a daily meal plan including 3 meals and 1-2 snacks to ensure you eat every 3 hours during the daytime hours.  If you don’t plan ahead, you may find that you have gone hours without eating, which slows down your metabolism!

5.) WATER

Fad diets usually will emphasize water, requiring you to drink a certain amount of water every day.  Again, genius!  Most of us do not drink nearly enough water; therefore increasing our water intake will allow us to enjoy a sense of fullness, thereby reducing our calorie intake.

Action Plan:  Set your daily water goal and stick to it!  One suggestion is to divide your water up into 3 portions – drink 1/3 before noon, 1/3 before 4 PM, and the remainder before 8 PM.  Whether you prefer to count ounces or actual glasses of water, just make sure you drink enough water each day to stay hydrated. Drink. Refill. Repeat.

Considering trying a fad diet to achieve weight loss? We urge you to reconsider it! Fad diets may begin with initial weight loss, but they generally end with added weight gain and frustration. Whether you are interested in weight loss to improve your health or self esteem, please know that learning how to live a healthy lifestyle is the best way.

Need a little guidance? We are here to help!  We offer FREE nutrition advice and guidance. Please click here to learn more!

Having a flat belly or so-called “six-pack abs” is a dream of most adults. If you’re middle-aged, have ever been pregnant, or sometimes indulge in too much food or one too many beers, you probably have a spare tire you’d like to get rid of. So what’s the best strategy for banishing belly fat? Is it as simple as adding certain foods to your diet, or doing particular exercises?

WebMD turned to the experts for answers on belly fat — and the best ways to lose it.

The Answer to Flatter Abs

Don’t despair; you can lose that spare tire, experts say. But there’s no secret formula.

“There is no magic bullet, diet plan, specific food, or type of exercise that specifically targets belly fat. But the good news is belly fat is the first kind of fat you tend to lose when you lose weight,” says Michael Jensen, MD, a Mayo Clinic endocrinology specialist and obesity researcher.

Whether you’re an “apple” shape with excess belly fat, or a “pear” with wide hips and thighs, when you lose weight, you’ll most likely lose proportionately more from the abdominal region than elsewhere.

“Ninety-nine percent of people who lose weight will lose it in the abdominal region before anywhere else — and will lose proportionately more weight from the upper body,” says Jensen, also a professor of medicine.

And why is that? “Visceral fat, the kind tucked deep inside your waistline, is more metabolically active and easier to lose than subcutaneous fat under the skin, especially if you have plenty of it,” explains Penn State researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD.

And the more weight you have to lose, the more quickly you’re likely to start losing your belly fat, experts say.

“People who are significantly overweight may see quicker results in their belly than someone who has less to lose in that area, such as a postmenopausal pouch,” says Georgia State University nutrition professor, Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RD.

Can Whole Grains Help You Lose Belly Fat?

A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains trimmed extra fat from the waistline of obese subjects.

Study participants who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more weight from the abdominal area than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains.

“Eating a diet rich in whole grains while reducing refined carbohydrates changes the glucose and insulin response and makes it easier to mobilize fat stores,” says study researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, a distinguished professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University.

“Visceral fat is more metabolically active and easier to lose than subcutaneous fat, especially if you have plenty of it and the right conditions are met, such as the ones in our study.”

When you eat refined foods like white bread, it triggers a series of events, starting with elevated blood sugar levels followed by an increased insulin response, which can cause fat to be deposited more readily. But eating a diet rich in whole grains (which also tend to be higher in fiber) helps improve insulin sensitivity. This, in turn helps the body more efficiently use blood glucose, lowers blood glucose levels, and reduces fat deposition.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommends that half of your grain servings come from whole grains.

“Eating whole grains exclusively may be difficult and unrealistic for many people,” says Rosenbloom. Instead, she recommends, “work toward consuming more whole grains, as they tend to be high in fiber, which satisfies hunger for longer periods and helps you eat less than refined grains.”

Can Monounsaturated Fats Banish Belly Fat?

A recent diet book called The Flat Belly Diet posits the idea that you can lose belly fat by eating a 1,600-calorie diet rich in monounsaturated fats.

Most people will lose weight on a 1,600-calorie diet. And there is little question that when it comes to choosing fats, the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAS) found in avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, soybeans, chocolate, olive and canola oils are among the best choices, with proven health benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease.

But these are not magic foods capable of targeting belly fat, experts note. While the MUFAS are healthy fats, they are still fats, with nine calories per gram — more than twice that of carbohydrates and proteins, which have four calories per gram.

“Fats have to be controlled, because it is easy to overeat nuts or guacamole — which can undo the health benefits by packing on the pounds,” cautions Rosenbloom.

Can Exercise Flatten Your Abs?

Hundreds of crunches each day won’t flatten your belly if you need to lose weight. If your abdominal muscles aren’t covered with excess fat, strengthening them can help you look tighter and thinner. But spot exercises won’t banish belly fat.

“If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you must eat a healthy, controlled-calorie diet and get regular exercise — around 60 minutes a day of moderate activity, like brisk walking,” says Rosenbloom.

And the harder you exercise, the more belly fat you may lose. Jensen suggests that people who engage in high-intensity aerobic exercise tend to be leaner around the abdomen.

The Risks of Excess Belly Fat

Why is it important to lose belly fat? Carrying around extra pounds in your midsection is serious business. Extra weight in your midsection is more dangerous than fat around your hips and thighs, as visceral fat is worse for your health than the subcutaneous fat that sits under the skin.

“Extra weight around the midsection is associated with inflammation and a higher risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and more,” Jensen says.

According to a recent study in Circulation, belly fat appears to boost inflammation and is linked to hardening of the arteries.

Is Your Middle Too Big?

Beyond the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference has been touted as a simple and reliable test to measure health, weight status, and hidden fat, says Rosenbloom.

To assess your risk, use a soft tape measure. Lie down and wrap it around your natural waistline, located above your hip bone and below your belly button. Take the measurement without holding your breath or holding your stomach in.

If your waist is larger than 40 inches (for men) or 35 inches (for women), you have too much belly fat and are at risk for heart disease and other conditions. And one of the best things you can do for your health is to lose weight, says Rosenbloom.

The Bottom Line About Belly Fat

So what’s the bottom line about belly fat?

Most scientific evidence suggests that a calorie-controlled diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, seeds, lean meat, fish, eggs, and poultry is the foundation for a diet that provides all the nutrients you need while helping to whittle your waistline.

The real secret to losing belly fat is to lose weight on a balanced, calorie-controlled diet and exercise at least an hour a day.

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Getting Rid of the Jiggle Around Your Middle

Whether you have a little extra around the middle, a muffin top, a little baby fat, a spare tire, love handles, or a beer belly, you need to know you are at risk!

Some of these terms of endearment, or some not so glamorous terms for extra weight around the waistline, are actually a big red flag of danger!  We call this central adiposity or AKA belly fat.  This is the fat that unfortunately made a home around your belly button and is the most scary type of fat of all.  It increases your risks of heart disease (heart attack and stroke), cancer, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and metabolic syndrome to name a few.   The feat of losing the weight around your midsection may seem difficult and frustrating at times, but what if we let you in on a little secret?

Research shows that adults who ate a low-calorie diet including at least 3 servings of dairy, lost more weight!  Oh and wait, that’s not all.  These adults also had lower blood pressure, risk of obesity, lower risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, stronger teeth and bones, and lower risk of heart disease and stroke.  It seems like an obvious solution for that extra jiggle in our middles and our commitment to better health.

So are you ready to add some extra dairy to your day?  Try having 3 or more servings  a day! One serving is equal to one cup of milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, or pudding. You can also get your daily servings of dairy from cheese. It’s easy; 1 oz (about the size of 4 dice) of cheese equals 1 daily serving of dairy.  Choose the low-fat or nonfat versions to help control your overall calorie and fat intakes.   Here are some ideas to help you eat more dairy to lose more weight!

• Use milk in place of water when making hot cereals, hot chocolate, and soups
• Make yogurt parfaits with low-fat yogurt topped with cereal
• Make smoothies with yogurt, low-fat milk, fruits and for a bonus a spoonful of flaxseed!
• Use plain nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream for dips and sauces.
• Have high calcium snacks on hand such as yogurts, string cheese, low-fat pudding.
• Add low-fat cottage cheese to your salads.
• Add a little light chocolate syrup to your low-fat or nonfat milk.
• Try fruit or vegetable and cheese kabobs for a fun treat!

Whether you enjoy your low-fat smoothie, chocolate milk, or reduced fat cheese, remember 3 servings a day in combination with a healthy diet will help reduce your belly fat!

In honor of National Dairy Month, I would like for all of us to raise our nice frosty mugs of milk and toast to losing that jiggle around your middle!

By Emily Barr, MS,RD,CNSC

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