You might be among the millions of people who have been looking for a way to lose belly fat in vain and have tried numerous exercise and diet programs with no visible results or changes. Well you are not alone. In the year 2008, the CDC reported that 1 of every 3 United State of America Citizens were clinically obese, a number that has increased by 1.1% since 2007. Obesity is steadily and surely becoming an epidemic with further statistics indicating that over 72 billion people in the world are obese and the numbers are growing at alarming rates!

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Obese and overweight people are highly susceptible to life threatening diseases and conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and even depression. Such problems cause a huge dent in the health budget as they cost billions of dollars to treat and manage. The emotional damage that overweight people suffer from as a result of social stigmatization is also worrying as the higher the levels of stigmatization, the more the depression and feeling of self worthlessness and pity which leads to serious psychological problems and even suicide!

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What a minute it gets better...

All is not lost however as there are proven ways to lose belly fat. There is a direct correlation between what you eat and how much you burn. To cut down weight one must reduce the amounts of calories they take and at the same time increase the amount of calories they burn through physical exercise. It is essential to reduce the amount of calories consumed otherwise the result will either be maintenance of current weight or worse, weight gain! Almost all pre packed foods in local stores and supermarkets come with nutrition labels and all one needs to do is read and understand the number of calories they are consuming. Portions also matter and it is better to eat smaller serving sizes several times in a day, than to eat three or four huge portions in one sitting.

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Watch out for high-calorie drinks.

When watching what you eat, it is also essential to watch what you drink. To lose belly fat and for overall body weight loss, it is best to cut out on alcohol. Beer for example, is full of calories and has minimum nutritional value. Alcohol also causes other life threatening conditions such as liver damage and inflammation of the pancreas. Sweets, sugar and cakes must also be avoided as they have more calories than the body needs, with no corresponding nutritional value. Point in case here is a bottle of soda. By removing soda from your diet completely, you will have cut your calorie intake by half! One must very keen on the amount of carbohydrates in their food or drinks as if you take too may carbohydrates and sugar and do not burn them, the result is weight gain.

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Losing weight is much more than physical work and involves both positive mental and emotional dedication. Effective weigh loss requires commitment and dedication and a good and helpful support system to help you attain better health. This is because it takes time and requires one to adhere to a routine. It is a long hard road to walk but the results are definitely worth the effort.