Getting Rid of the Stomach Fat

How to start getting rid of the stomach fat is a question which seems to be more complicated than a long mathematical equation. And it may get complicated and difficult to solve just like a mathematical equation IF the rules applied are not correct.

The quickest and Easiest way to lose fat is relative to what you consider quick and easy. While there are no true fixes, there are definitely strategies and rules that you can apply to get your goals the best way.

First of all lets start off with the first rule..

1. To lose weight you must create a caloric deficit in your body.in simple words, you must eat less calories than you are burning in a 24 hour time period.

2. Get good at rule number 1 and you wont need anything else.

Calories are burnt doing everything and anything. Working, walking, brushing your teeth, typing on your keyboard,sitting idle... EVERYTHING. Even thinking burns calories.Thought requires glucose transfer and neurochemical production and synapses to fire. All require calories to be burnt to make it happen.

This does not mean that I recommend thinking your way to lose fat. Although you are burning calories when thinking, its not an efficient way to lose fat. Efficiency is time spent vs. results received.

There are two ways of creating a caloric deficit:

1) Increase activity

2) Lower calorie intake

Although you can use either method mentioned above, it is better to use a combination of both.

I am giving you a few tips on how to use both to do so...

1) INCREASE ACTIVITY First of all, you need to get moving. Do high intensity exercises, high intensity exercises has been shown to beat the pants off low intensity, long duration carsio. it quite simply gives you the most calorie burn for the time you spend exercising.

A person preforming 20 minutes of high intensity exercises will burn more calories than someone performing low intensity exercise at the end of a 24 hours time frame. This is due to metabolic changes in the body, including exercises post post oxygen consumption. Basically this amounts to a higher metabolic rate all day long. At the end of the day you can easily create an extra 300-500 calorie burn through high intensity exercise. Add to this the deficit we are going to create with lowering intake, and you"ll be ready for swim suit season in no time.

Lets take a look At a second way of creating a caloric deficit.

2) LOWERING CALORIE INTAKE- Now, depending on your personal experience, this may seems like the tougher of the two ways to create the deficit. What I"ll do here is give you the easiest and most effective way to lower calorie intake. Lowering calorie intake does not mean suffering. It means making wiser choices about your total intake. This could be as easy as exchanging regular sugar filled beverages for the diet versions.

A pound of body fat is equivalent to about 3,500 calories. So if you cut 100 calories a day by reducing the intake of calories plus the 300 approx. calories burnt by working out for 31 days, you're cutting 12,400 calories--or about approx. 4 pounds. WOW!

Losing 4 pound a month doesn't require drastic changes in your eating habits. It can be as simple as eating two egg rolls with your Chinese stir-fry instead of three. Here are 100 painless ways to cut 100 or more calories a day. As a bonus, they all reduce fat or sugar, which means, calorie for calorie, you're getting more vitamins and minerals.

1. Spread 1 tablespoon of all-fruit jam on your toast rather than 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter.

2. Replace 1 cup of whole milk with 1/2 cup of nonfat milk.

3. Eat 2 poached eggs instead of 2 fried eggs.

4. Replace 1/2 cup of granola with 2 cups of Cheerios.

5. Instead of using whole milk and eggs to prepare 2 slices of French toast, use nonfat milk and egg whites.

6. Snack on an orange and a banana instead of a Snickers candy bar.

7. Munch on 35 pretzel sticks instead of 1 ounce of dry-roasted peanuts.

8. Replace 1 cup of sweetened applesauce with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce.

9. On your lamb-and-vegetable kabob, replace 2 of the 4 chunks of meat with fresh whole mushrooms.

10. Dip an artichoke in 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons of regular mayonnaise.

11. Steam your asparagus rather than sauté it in 1 tablespoon of butter or oil.

12. Instead of a 5-ounce glass of wine, opt for cherry-flavored sparkling water.

13. For a chewy snack, have 1/2 cup of dried fruit rather than 9 caramels.

14. Replace 3 slices of bacon with 3 slices of Light & Lean Canadian bacon.

15. Eat a Lender's egg bagel instead of a Sara Lee egg bagel.

16. Select 1 cup of home-style baked beans instead of an equal serving of baked beans with franks.

17. Replace 2 biscuits with 2 dinner rolls.

18. When making a sandwich, use 2 slices of Roman Light 7-grain bread instead of Pepperidge Farm wheat bread.

19. Eat 1/2 cup of steamed fresh broccoli instead of 1/2 cup of frozen broccoli in cheese sauce.

20. Make a burrito with 1/2 cup of fat-free re fried beans and 1 ounce of nonfat cheese instead of the same amount of traditional re fried beans and cheese.

21. Replace an apple muffin with a high-fiber English muffin.

22. Reduce a typical serving of chocolate cake (1/8 of a two-layer cake) by one-third.

23. Switch from 1 cup of whole-milk hot chocolate to 1 cup of steamed 1% milk flavored with a dash of almond extract.

24. Replace 1 cup of caramel-coated popcorn with 2 1/2 cups of air-popped popcorn.

25. Switch from 1/2 cup of yogurt-covered raisins to 1/2 cup of plain raisins.

26. Snack on 1 cup of nonfat plain yogurt instead of 1 cup of custard-style yogurt.

27. Top your celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of fat-free cream cheese instead of 3 tablespoons of regular cream cheese.

28. Replace 2 fried-chicken drumsticks with 2 roasted drumsticks and a cup of peas and carrots.

29. Instead of eating 5 chocolate-chip cookies, savor the taste of 2.

30. Lighten your 2 cups of coffee with 2 tablespoons of evaporated nonfat milk instead of 2 tablespoons of half-and-half.

31. Replace a 12-ounce can of cola with a 12-ounce can of diet cola.

32. Thicken your cream sauce with 1 percent milk and corn starch instead of a roux of butter and flour.

33. At the appetizer tray, choose 4 fresh raw mushrooms instead of 4 batter-fried mushrooms.

34. Use 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream instead of regular sour cream (on baked potatoes or in stroganoff). If done twice in the day, 100 calories will be cut.

35. Reduce the size of your steak from 4 1/2 ounces to 3 ounces.

36. Grill a cheese sandwich with nonstick cooking spray instead of margarine.

37. Replace 1 cup of chocolate ice cream with 2/3 cup of nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt.

38. Snack on 2 ounces of oven-baked potato chips instead of regular potato chips.

39. Instead of topping your salad with an ounce of croutons, get your crunch from 1/4 cup of chopped celery.

40. Instead of 1 cup of macaroni salad, eat 3 1/2 cups of spinach salad with 2 tablespoons of low-calorie dressing.

41. Cut the peanut butter on your sandwich from 2 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon.

42. Serve your turkey with 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce instead of 1/2 cup.

43. Order a sandwich on cracked wheat bread instead of a croissant.

44. Complement your hamburger with 1 1/4 ounces of oven-baked tortilla chips instead of a side of fries.

45. Split an apple Danish with a friend rather than eat the entire thing.

46. Order 2 slices of cheese pizza instead of 2 slices of pepperoni pizza.

47. Grab a Dole Fresh Lites Cherry frozen fruit bar instead of a Sunkist Coconut frozen fruit bar.

48. Snack on 1/2 cup of fruit cocktail canned in water instead of 1 cup of fruit cocktail canned in heavy syrup.

49. Switch from 1 cup of fruit punch to 1 cup of sparkling water flavored with 2 teaspoons of concentrated orange juice.

50. Instead of eating garlic bread made with butter, spread baked garlic cloves on French bread.

51. Rather than snack on 1 cup of grapefruit canned in syrup, peel and section 1 small grapefruit.

52. Dip your chips in 1/2 cup of salsa instead of 1/2 cup of guacamole.

53. Switch from 1/2 cup of Frozen Glade butter pecan ice cream to Brewers butter pecan ice cream.

54. Use 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise in your tuna salad instead of 2 tablespoons.

55. Hold the tartar sauce on your fish sandwich, and squeeze lemon on it instead.

56. Replace 3 fish sticks with 3 ounces of grilled halibut.

57. In sandwich spreads or salads, use 3 teaspoons of mayonnaise instead of 4 teaspoons of mayonnaise.

58. Use 2 tablespoons of light pancake syrup instead of 2 tablespoons of regular syrup.

59. Top your pasta with 1 cup of marinara sauce instead of 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce.

60. For each serving of pasta salad you make, reduce the oil or mayonnaise by 1 tablespoon.

61. Replace 1/2 cup of peaches canned in extra-heavy syrup with 1/2 cup of peaches canned in water.

62. Prepare 1/2 cup of steamed peas and cauliflower instead of frozen peas and cauliflower in cream sauce.

63. Cut back on sampling during cooking. The following "tastes" have 100 calories: 4 tablespoons of beef stroganoff, 3 tablespoons of homemade chocolate pudding, 2 tablespoons of chocolate-chip cookie dough.

64. At an Italian restaurant, snack on a large bread stick instead of a slice of garlic bread.

65. Eat a 3/4-cup serving of pudding made with skim milk rather than a 1-cup serving of pudding made with whole milk.

66. Choose 1/2 cup of brown rice instead of 1 serving of frozen rice pilaf with green beans or 1 serving of frozen Oriental rice and vegetables.

67. Compliment your sandwich with 3/4 cup of split-pea soup instead of 1 cup of chunky bean and ham soup.

68. Replace 3 tablespoons of strawberry topping on your ice cream with 3/4 pint of fresh strawberries.

69. Pass on the second helping of mashed potatoes.

70. Eat 3 grilled prawns with cocktail sauce instead of 3 breaded and fried prawns.

71. Make a pie crust with 1 cup of Grape-Nuts cereal, 1/4 cup of concentrated apple juice and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, instead of using a traditional graham-cracker crust. You'll save 100 calories per slice.

72. Replace 8 sticks of regular chewing gum with sugar-free chewing gum.

73. Snack on a papaya instead of a bag of M&Ms.

74. Substitute 3 ounces of scallops for 3 ounce of lean beef in your stir-fry.

75. Rather than spread 4 tablespoons of cream cheese on two slices of raisin bread, dip the bread in 1/2 cup nonfat apple-cinnamon yogurt.

76. Munch on 1 cup of frozen grapes instead of an ice cream sandwich.

77. Rather than drink a strawberry milkshake, make a smoothie of 2/3 cup of low-fat milk, 1/2 cup of strawberries and 1/2 a banana.

78. Replace 2 brownies with 2 fig bars.

79. Eat 2 meatballs instead of 4 with your spaghetti.

80. On a hot day, quench your thirst with a glass of ice water with lemon or mint instead of a can of light beer.

81. Eat 1/2 cup of black beans instead of 3 ounces of roast beef.

82. Replace 1 1/2 tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread with 1 1/2 tablespoons of Nucoa Smart Beat margarine.

83. Choose 1 serving of vegetarian lasagna instead of lasagna with meat.

84. Eat 2 Kellogg's Nutria-Grain bars instead of 2 Kellogg's Pop-Tarts.

85. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of low-calorie French dressing on your salad instead of 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing.

86. Replace 1 large flour tortilla with 1 six-inch corn tortilla.

87. Eat a turkey sandwich instead of a chicken salad sandwich.

88. Choose 4 1/2 ounces of tuna packed in water instead of 4 1/2 ounces of tuna packed in oil.

89. At Burger King, have a Whopper Jr. Sandwich with regular fries instead of a Whopper With Cheese Sandwich.

90. Order your Quarter Pounder without cheese.

91. At Jack in the Box, eat a regular taco instead of a super taco.

92. Fix 1 cup of turkey chili with beans rather than regular chili with no beans.

93. Use 1 cup of fat-free cottage cheese instead of regular cottage cheese.

94. Order a sandwich with barbecued chicken instead of barbecued pork.

95. Replace 1 cup of corn with 1 cup of carrots.

96. Reduce your helping of turkey stuffing from 1 cup to 2/3 cup.

97. Have a single scoop of ice cream instead of a double scoop.

98. Replace 2 ounces of corn chips with 2 ounces of SnackWell's wheat crackers.

99. Eat 1 hot dog at the baseball game instead of 2.

100. Shred 2 ounces of fat-free cheddar cheese on nachos instead of regular cheddar.

Chicken Soup For the Stomach

It is no wonder that one of the most popular inspirational book series is called Chicken Soup. Few foods illicit such strong feelings of warmth and comfort. Most of us remember fondly the Campbell Soup commercials of the little boy coming in out of the cold to a piping hot bowl of this magic elixir. And of course, we all have heard of the mythical healing powers in those steaming bowls of chicken soup. So today let's finish off the last of that Sunday roasted chicken: a few morsels of meat clinging to the thigh and back, the golden crisp skin and not to be forgotten the mineral rich bones.

Before we move into the kitchen, let's rate this homemade version against the canned variety on our four Frugal Family core values:

Family first. As with other homemade options we have discussed if preparation time were the only measure of this value, then the canned variety would clearly win. But if we include intangibles like sharing the cooking experience and the pleasure of the homemade variety, then this one can be deemed a draw at the very least.

Saving money. Clearly the homemade variety wins in this category. A tin of store brand chicken noodle soup costs about forty-five pence (fifty cents USD) and holds approximately two portions. With my leftover chicken and noodles that were destined for the bin or compost heap and a couple of cups of fresh vegetables costing less than the can, we will make enough to feed four to five people.

Environmentally friendly. Again the homemade option clearly offers the advantage of producing no waste. In fact, it actually consumes food products that would otherwise end up in the bin or in my case partially in the composter. So while the aluminium tin may well be recyclable, the homemade version does better by reducing waste.

Healthier. Besides the obvious fact that the homemade version allows you to better control added salts and sugars, it also offers you the opportunity to alter the recipe to the likes, dislikes, and nutritional needs of your family. Soup is usually one of the main food products that I offer to my post-partum doula clients. It makes an excellent lunch that is both nutritious and delicious...plus since the first two weeks of food is offered as part of my package it is economical too. Of course, boiling the bones for a prolonged period of time as the homemade option does means that those highly valuable micro-nutrients such as iron and calcium leach into the broth. In addition, the most healing property of traditional chicken soup is actually the garlic, natures anti-biotic. Last week, we had nasty colds so I increased this ingredient to half of a head; something more difficult to do with a tin.

So now that we now why we should spend the extra time to make our homemade chicken noodle soup, let's go into the kitchen and make it.

Begin by boiling all of the leftover chicken bits, including bones and skins; use enough water to cover it all. Add your garlic at this point as well so that it too can infuse with the chicken into a rich broth base. Once you have brought it all to a rolling boil, turn down the heat and allow it to simmer. Remember the longer you boil it the more of those micro-nutrients will get into the soup. This is especially important if you are ill, recovering from an accident, or are pregnant or breastfeeding. Minimum simmering time is approximately half an hour, but two or three hours is perfectly acceptable; just make sure to add more water if necessary. Once you are satisfied, allow this broth to cool. Then pick out the bones and skin. If you are serving small children you may even want to use a colander to drain these out.

Now, using our creative cooking skills, look inside your fridge for vegetables to add. Today I found:

Celery
Carrot
Onion
Mushrooms
Sweet peppers
Broccoli

When working with vegetables, a golden rule is the more colours you can add naturally the more nutritious it will be. This selection I used basically had every colour of the rainbow except blue; but I just did not think that blue berries would taste that good in chicken soup. But a handful for desert would fill out our rainbow of vitamin and minerals. Now bring our broth with those wonderful bits of chicken back to a rolling boil on high heat; add your fresh vegetables and simmer for another half an hour. I happened to have a container of leftover spaghetti from dinner a couple of nights ago. But if you don't you can add dry pasta and cook until that is done to your taste (my family likes it al-dente). Remember though that for variety or to change the nutritional values, you can also use rice or potatoes.

Now serve it all up piping hot with a smile. While it may have taken several hours from start to finish the amount of prep time is actually less than fifteen minutes; mainly to pick the meat off the bones and sieve the broth and to chop your fresh vegetables. While this makes an excellent light lunch, it can serve as dinner as well by adding a salad and some bread.