While fat appears all over the body, the abdomen is the biggest dumping ground. If you are struggling to get a rock-hard 6-pack you may find that fat is keeping you from your goal. So, what’s up with that?

Some people pack it on with little or no food. Others never seem to get fat even when their diet is all junk. Bodies are put together differently, but the one commonality is that bodies cannot tolerate too much fat and junk food. High sugar, salt, fat and chemicals will not bode well for any body — even if you appear lean and luscious on the outside. This article from WebMD sheds some light on the subject.

Belly fat is an especially touchy subject. Sometimes there is subcutaneous fat (under the skin), but nothing a little extra cardio and fewer beers can eliminate. The pooch or apron most people carry is a clear indicator of the most deadly fat — visceral fat. As the WebMD article explains the visceral fat does more than

look bad. It takes on a role of “foreign agent” and can wreak havoc in your body. Because of this fact the buzz in and around the checkout counter at your local grocery is how to get rid of Belly Fat!  Every magazine and tabloid has an article promising results.

Trust me when I say that any of the diets you see on the market are gimmicks. They promise unrealistic results. You cannot count on losing 4-9 pounds in a week.  You cannot count on simply removing sugar from your diet in order to lose weight. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a change you might want to make in your diet, but the real change needs to be the addition of food. Specifically, we need to add whole foods to our diets. Plants, grains, but not too much of them. Practice moderation, eat slowly, sit and enjoy friends and bless your food.

Gimmicks don’t work. Stop wasting your time on them. One of the biggest is consuming certain foods to help with fat burning. Let’s look at lemons. Lemons in water will not, can not break down fats. As Dr. Karl from ABC Science tells us, “it is a lot to expect from a humble lemon.”   Here’s an excerpt from his article, “Fat Fighting Lemons Have Sour Twist”

“According to the biochemists, when a fat is broken down into its constituents, the ester bonds are broken, leaving behind three fatty acids and one glycerol molecule. But to do this, you need either a strong hydroxide, or yes, a strong hot acid. You can make your lemon juice hot with an oven. But no matter how hot lemon juice is, it is definitely not a strong acid. So lemon juice simply cannot break down fats. In fact, if lemon juice could break down fats, it would give you more calories, not fewer. You see, your body has to make the strong internal acids that can break down fats. It takes many calories of your metabolic energy to make these strong acids. If lemon juice really did break down fats, you wouldn’t have to make these strong stomach acids, and if you didn’t make them by burning up extra calories, you would have these extra calories left over, and they would add to your waist line.”

Just eat right.  Doctors and dietitians have been telling us for years, there is no magic solution. I think we should sign up for a cooking class and learn how to appreciate good whole food.

Be Well!