Six Ways You Can Burn Belly Fat

     After working the diet scene for the past few years I have to admit I was ready to give up. The only thing dieting got me was a fatter body. It also taught me bad habits about food. The results from my efforts were failure. So, I set off on a quest to learn how I could burn off my belly fat.

The problem with dieting is that you focus on loosing X amount of lbs and that's it. You might have a date coming up or a swimsuit you want to fit in but that's it. Some guys haven't taken their shirt off in front of anyone for years, and have these massive man boobs that plague them for life.

When it comes to dieting it places the focus in the wrong place. Rather than focusing on how to maintain a sustainable healthy weight people focus on how they can reach a goal for a certain date or event. You know how long your results will last, about one week past that event or date.

I knew I had to change my mindset, I had to think past the event or date and focus on living a healthier life. When I started this process of switching from dieting to living a healthy life, everything changed. I moved from trying to hit a weight at a certain date to just living a life that produced great results. Since there wasn't a time frame placed on my success I was able to fail without giving up.

When you are dieting and you fail it usually leads to more failure and eventually a failed diet.

What I want to do is tell you the 6 principles I used to lose inches and change my life. These six principles helped me lose inches and add muscle where there was fat. These principles can work for either men or women.

1. Just start doing something. When I started making the switch from living fat to thinning out, I just started doing something. At first my wife and I would go on walks, that's it, just walking with my wife.

As time went on we upped the anti, we would run for a block and then walk for a block. Then I started an in-home work out that was pretty intense, riding a bike that led to me making it 26 miles. I then started running and got up to 2 miles.

Now I ride my bike 18 miles, run a mile, and then a 45-minute cardio workout all in the same day. It is my 3-hour marathon Saturday work out. But it all started with my wife and I walking.

2. It takes commitment. The one thing I learned in this whole process is that it takes commitment. I have had my fare share of days that I have woke up and said; "you know what, I don't care today, I'm not working out."

This is where commitment kicks in. You need to find a little spark, and just do your work out, even if it is just going through the motions. Even going through the motions for a week is better than doing nothing for a week.

3.You have to find some sort of support system. Workout with a family member or friend, find a network board to talk with, but find something other than losing weight as a motivator. It isn't enough to make your goals for a lifetime. You have to get a support system so you keep learning how to mix things up. So you don't get board or lose sight of your end goals.

4.Fail Forward. I know I said commitment, but know there are those days that you will fail.

For me I will literally work out two months six days a week, and then take a week off. I have even taken three weeks off at one time.

I know I need to keep going and have every intention on starting up again, but those breaks allow me to refocus and get going again. I probably would not advice this for everyone, but for me it works. I am always failing forward knowing I am not going to give up on my goals of weight loss.

5. Set Goals. If you need to lose fifty lbs don't make that your goal. Take the weight you want to lose and multiply that by 12%. That is your first goal.

So your first goal is 6 lbs. If this is your first time back with working out, then you will probably make that in the first week. Just because the majority of it will be water weight.

Here is a forewarning about setting weight goals, and please try to remember this. Sooner or later you will be disappointed if your only goal is centered around weight. I have come to realize that scales are from hell. They are evil and will derail you from any workout program. I stayed at the same weight for 3 months, matter of fact went up in weight. However, I was wearing smaller and smaller pants and shirts.

So instead of setting weight goals here are some ideas. Try setting workout goals. If you are running .10ths of a mile, work to run a half mile. If you are guy wearing 38 jeans, your goal is to fit into 36 jeans or drop two dress sizes. If your butt doesn't fit in a chair, get rid of the cottage cheese on your butt, or get your man boobs to a place that they don't need a bra. Set goals that transform your body, not goals that discourage and are not a real representation of weight loss.

6.Diet is everything. I don't care what workout plan you do, because anything you do will give you some results, but none of them will give you the results you want unless you learn how to eat.

Never forget that food is a fuel and is the single factor that will cause you to succeed or fail when it comes to weight loss. Learn how to eat!

One last thing, give yourself some time. If you see an add that says Lose ten lbs in ten days. Know that you will gain twenty lbs in two months on that plan. It takes time to lose weight.

Not sure how long it took you to pack on the saddlebags, but I guarantee you it won't come off in a month. If you have fifty or more lbs that you want to lose. Expect it to take several months if not a year to reach certain goals you have.

Ok those are the principles I have used to burn off my belly fat. I understand that there are rules you need to learn to be successful in this quest and we list a lot of free help on our Blog at fitness village.

I hope this helps you burn off your belly fat.

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