How to lose the Abdominal fat (Easily and stay healthy)

How to lose weight fast
Losing weight was never about looking good though it is a great motivator for most individuals. Shaving off the excess pounds should always be about achieving a healthy state of the body. If you do not keep this thought in mind every step of the way, you might end up with an utter disastrous failure in that you gain back all the weight after experiencing starvation for a long period of time or worse, hospitalization as the abnormal ways that you have been using to treat your body takes its toll on it. 

So what is fat?

Put simply, fat is stored energy. When you eat, your body transforms carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fat into fatty acids (chains of molecules that are the building blocks of body fat), glucose (blood sugar), or amino acids. These provide energy that you either burn right away or pack up for later. Without body fat, you'd have to eat all the time just to keep your body functioning – your heart beating, your eyes moving to read this article and your hand travelling to the packet of crisps on your desk. 

Fat that isn't used right away gets stored in cells. If you looked at a cell under a microscope you would see that fat makes up about 85% of the cell's volume. Fat cells typically start at 5 millionths of a meter in diameter, too tiny to be seen by the naked eye. But each one can increase by 100 times in volume, to the size of the full stop - which is big for a cell.

If you're overweight and you continue to overeat, you'll gain more fat cells. According to a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, when a fat cell is full it sends a chemical signal to surrounding tissue to create new ones. While an average non-overweight adult has roughly 30 to 40 billion fat cells, someone who's very obese might have as many as 100 billion. And once you've got a fat cell, there's no way to get rid of it - even by losing weight. A good reason to stay fit and slim long-term.

Fat also does protect us in many ways. For one thing, it can act as a cushion to keep us from being injured. A recent study found that plump men were more likely than thin ones to survive car crashes. Unfortunately, the results didn't hold true for chubby women, perhaps because their fat is typically concentrated in the lower body, below most car accidents' point of impact.

Fat also provides a layer of insulation that keeps us warm. Newborns have pockets of a kind of fat called brown adipose tissue - as opposed to white adipose tissue, or regular fat - in their neck and shoulders that actually generates heat. These pockets disappear by adulthood.

The fat to watch out for is the visceral fat that collects around the organs at your core. It can greatly increase your risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes because it produces and deposits free radicals into your blood stream. If your body fat percentage is high, you could gain huge benefits from losing just a few pounds.

To be able to lose a few weight every week, you have to go on a program that can be done for life, and not just for a short period of time to "crash diet". Having said that, discover the top 10 proven effective ways that will help you achieve your goals starting today...

Start your day the right way

Eat and exercise like this to get your metabolism off to a fine start

Wake up, tuck in, lose weight

Diets are for girls. There, we said it. Cabbage soup, South Beach and Atkins can get stuffed. What you want is to eat more but weigh less, and the trick to catching that worm is being the earliest bird. “Breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day, especially if you are on a fitness programme, says Sarah Carolides, a nutritionist at lifesmart.com. “Exercising early is a great way to burn unwanted fat, as it kickstarts the metabolism and ensures it stays elevated for the whole of the day," says Lifesmart's correctional exercise specialist Dirk Crafford. So wake up, tuck in, lose weight. A fitter you starts tomorrow.

Break your fast

Research has shown that if you skip breakfast, you are more likely to make worse food choices later in the day. Why? Because your body thinks it's starving. The poor thing will have had nothing for eight to 10 hours, causing your blood sugar to plummet and making it more necessary to eat high-calorie foods as soon as possible. Also, if your body thinks it is starving, it will hold on to more calories when you do eat, just in case you are going to starve it again. It’s clever like that. So by skipping breakfast, you increase your chances of putting on weight rather than losing it.

Your metabolism needs a prompt to start burning, ideally a mixture of protein and complex carbohydrates. A two-egg omelette with any leftover vegetables from last night with two slices of rye, spelt or wheat-free toast is perfect. What you don’t need is fats and sugars, so get rid of the Coco Pops. If you need to be really quick, grab some unsalted nuts such as almonds, cashews, walnuts or Brazil nuts so you don't have a completely empty stomach.

Multiply your efforts

Big, multi-joint movements are best suited for your early morning fat-burning training, as you incorporate more muscles per movement, further increasing the elevation of your metabolism. It also means you have the rest of the day to feed your muscles by refuelling the body with your meals, improving your recovery so you can do it again sooner. The most effective program structure is super-setting, as you are able to do more work in a shorter space of time. Coupling opposing muscles together lets you keep your rest periods short and intensity high. This will allow for optimal fat burning and improved muscular tone.

Program 1

1a) Dumb-bell Lunges 4x12

1b) Good Mornings 4x12

Rest 30-60 sec

2a) Dumb-bell Front Raises 4x15

2b) Dumb-bell Bent over Raises 4xMax in 60 sec

Rest 30-60 sec

3a) Swiss Ball Hyper Extensions

3b) Swiss Ball Weighted Crunches

Program 2

1a) Press Ups 4xMax in 60 sec

1b) Pull Ups 4xMax

Rest 30-60 sec

2a) Dumb-bell Incline Fly 4x15

2b) Bent over Dumb-bell Row 4x12

Rest 30-60 sec

3a) Lying Dumb-bell Extensions 4x12

3b) Alternating Dumb-bell Curls 4x12

Program 3

1a) Dumb-bell Front Squats 4x12

1b) Swiss Ball Leg Curls 4x15

Rest 30-60 sec

2a) Single Leg Dumb-bell Calf Raises 4x15

2b) Dumb-bell Shoulder Presses 4x12

Rest 30-60 sec

3a) Supine Leg Raises 3x15

3b) Swiss Ball Side Flexions 3x12

Drink it in

All of it. Dehydration can contribute to an inefficient metabolism and cause fatigue, and if you're dehydrated your body's ability to convert carbohydrates into energy will suffer. If you exercise regularly you need to take in around 30ml of water for every kilogram you weigh, so if you weigh 70kg you need a minimum of 2.1 litres of fluid daily. At least 1.5 litres of this should be water. So start the morning with a cup of hot water and lemon to wake up your metabolism and flush the liver through.

After the exercise, if you go straight to work, aim for a snack around 10am. You could have some fruits with protein now, or a healthy snack bar or nuts, seeds and fruit if you haven't had the nuts already for breakfast.

Drink away your weight

We all drink too much, so why not do it while losing weight

Breakfast Juice

Unless you're a ten year old child trade in your Sunny D and pulp-free orange juice for the thick stuff – juice with extra pulp. It may help you resist the fry-up in the work canteen. Researchers at Purdue University found that people stayed fuller for longer when they drank thick drinks as it helps fight off hunger.

Elevenses

Even if your tastes run more towards Long Island than PG, there is a reason to consider adding a bit more tea to your diet. It's a natural fat burner. But not just any old tea will work. You need to buy the stuff marked ‘green'. A Swiss study found that substances in green tea can significantly increase your body's metabolism of fat so you burn the stuff at a faster rate.

Lunch in a can

Meal replacements do work. In a study from the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, researchers found that drinking meal replacements increased a man's chances of losing weight and keeping it off longer than a year. If you are trying to lose weight this way, you need about 600 calories per meal, with 25% of these calories from protein, 25% from fat and 50% from carbohydrates.

Afternoon drink

Grab a pint of skimmed milk and down the lot. With 200 calories and virtually zero fat, the sheer quantity will fill your stomach while its protein will switch off the ‘feed me' centres in your brain.

Post workout smoothie

Bananas fend off muscle cramps AND fight hunger. According to the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, the scent of bananas trick your brain into thinking you’ve eaten a lot more than you really have, making you fuller faster. 

Tower of power

Drop a pound and a half a week

The powerlifter's solution

Powerlifting champion Dave Ricks can tell you a lot about losing weight fast. He’s competed in the 165lb (75kg) weight class for decades, but with a current most-of-the-time bulk of around 196lb (89kg), he needs an eating strategy to help him slim down to his competition weight of 181lb (82kg). “Losing roughly a pound and a half a week for 12 weeks is a reasonable goal,” says Ricks, “and because it’s gradual, you don’t become famished and weak, and the weight stays off as you make healthier eating a habit.”

The basics

Watch your sodium intake (salt causes water retention and triggers hunger) and replace the beef in meals with leaner form of protein like fish and chicken, which helps reduce overall calorie intake. “It’s important to maintain and increase strength while cutting fat, which can be done with high quality protein like this,” says Ricks. This diet has helped him lift 1873lb (851kg) in competition: the squat (700lb/318kg), the bench press (473lb/215kg) and the deadlift (700lb/318kg). Even though he’s been doing the sport for over 2 decades he has no plans to quit: “I don’t think I’ve reached my peak yet. I think I have the potential to get stronger over the next 3-4 years.” So if you’re following C.J. Murphy’s strength training plan, or simply want to step up your own training, then Ricks’ diet plan will give you the fuel to achieve your goal.

To lose 18lb Rick eats:

BREAKFAST 7:00 AM 

2 hard-boiled eggs

1 small tub of plan yoghurt

250ml of orange juice

A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that having protein with your first meal of the day helps keep your appetite under control for the rest of the day.

SNACK 10:00 AM 

250ml water

1 piece of fruit

1 oat cereal bar

Oats and fruit are low GI foods. This means they're rich in fibre, which keeps you feeling fuller for longer.

LUNCH 12:00 PM 

250ml water

2 slices wholewheat bread

120g of sliced turkey or chicken

2 pieces lettuce

2 slices of tomato

1 oat cereal bar

1 piece of fruit

Turkey is one of the leanest sources of protein. Combined with the fibre in the rest of the sandwich, it helps to build muscle and lose weight.

SNACK 4:00PM 

250ml water

1 piece of fruit

Small meals like this throughout the day will keep your body working constantly and your metabolism high.

DINNER 8:00 PM 

250g fish, chicken or pork chops

125g steamed sweetcorn and broccoli

100g brown rice

250ml Lipton ice tea

This meal is high in protein, plus the antioxidants your body needs to recover from exercise.

SNACK 11:00 PM 

1 slice of apple pie

Apple pie is one of the least processed deserts making it nutritious yet sweet enough to squash his sugar cravings.

Why aren’t you losing weight?

You’re hitting the gym, but you still have a gut. Here’s why.

You spend ages in the gym

Less hours, more effort. Three sessions a week of 20 minutes high-intensity interval training will melt 10% of your body fat, according to a study by the University of New South Wales, Australia. Try the Aussie routine: sprint for eight seconds, go easy for 12 seconds, and repeat in five-minute sets. Whistling ‘Waltzing Matilda' is optional.

Your snacking isn’t smart

"Avoid the gym cafe," says Dan Fivey, Fitness First personal trainer. "Have a protein-rich meal like a jacket potato and beans after your workout. Eating a protein-based diet burns 71 more calories a day than a low-protein one, according to Aberdeen's Human Nutrition Unit. That's 7.4lbs a year. We used a calculator.

You're doing it in the dark

A study in the US journal Obesity found that subjects' weight-loss efforts were boosted when they were subjected to bright light therapy. The light increased mood-boosting serotonin levels and helped them reduce food intake. So exercise by the window. If the weather's being ‘British', try Philips' EnergyLight light box (£140, sadbox.co.uk).

You’re hitting the bottle

For once, we're not talking beer. "You only need an energy drink if you're doing a CV session lasting longer than an hour," says Ben Jones, personal trainer and nutrition consultant with Lifetime Health & Fitness (lifetimehf.co.uk). "If you are training for weight loss, stick to water."

You’re a speed-eater

Slow eaters – that odd breed of men who chew their food without the aid of TV – chow down 201 less calories a day, according to a study at the University of Rhode Island, USA. That's because it takes 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach you've eaten enough. Far longer than it takes your girlfriend to tell it to your face.

The lazy guide to losing weight  

Learn a few new tricks to help you lose weight 

Drink water before every meal

This will achieve two things: it'll keep you hydrated and also makes you eat less. A study from the Netherlands showed drinking two glasses of water will make you feel less hungry, possibly reducing your food intake and making you less hungry.

Order your pizza with double tomato sauce/less cheese

If you double the sauce of your pizza, you'll get double the lycopene, a cartenoid that is believed to cut the risks of cancer. Reducing the mozzarella by just one-third will save you 20g of fat. That's as much as a McDonald's quarter pounder.

Have a snack every day at three o’clock

A nutritional boost between lunch and dinner wards off fatigue and keeps you from over indulging later. Just don’t gobble down a bar of chocolate. Try yoghurt and fruit, or eat an egg (hard-boiled) or an apple washed down with a bottle of water. All will give you long-lasting energy.

Always wash your mince

To cut the fat content of your Bolognese, when you finish browning your mince, pour the beef in a colander and rinse it with hot water (not boiling). Both methods can cut the fat content by half.

Always eat (a little) dessert

Sweets such as biscuits and low-fat ice cream signal to your brain that the meal is over. Without them, you might not feel satiated - which can leave you prowling the kitchen for something to satisfy sugar cravings.

Hanging onto your love handles?

Here’s how to outwit your weight-loss mistakes

Not losing weight?

Day after day you do everything you can to exhaust, expunge and exile the fat around your midsection. And morning after morning you wake up to find it's still there. In theory, losing weight is a pretty simple operation: you eat a little less, you move a little more. Then you buy new trousers and field a few compliments. But there are millions out there who are trying to lose weight at this very moment and aren't making any progress. It's because they're making one or two basic mistakes. Fortunately, most are rectifiable. Here's a list of the most common slip-ups and ways to avoid them. Follow this advice and you'll be buying smaller trousers before you know it.

Mistake 1: You’re starving yourself

You need to cut 500 calories a day from your usual diet to lose one pound in weight a week. With this method you should lose a kilo per week. But slashing too many calories, especially calories from protein, can push your body to conserve calories rather than burn them. It's a survival mechanism left over from the days of famine – if you're used to eating a certain number of calories and you suddenly reduce this then your body holds onto your fat reserves to protect you from starvation. The only problem being your waistline doesn't look like it's starving – does it?

Solution 

Keep eating at least 1,800 to 2,500 calories each day to stop your metabolism from shutting down. Spread your calorie consumption across six meals. If you must cut calories then cut them from the extra can of beer or afternoon packet of biscuits (from all bad foods, basically). Keep the good stuff that's rich in fibre and protein, this way there's no possible way of feeling hungry.

Mistake 2: You're not sleeping

The US National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) found that people who sleep for less than seven hours a night have higher body-mass indices (BMIs) than those who have has their head on the pillow for longer. When you're bleary eyed the hormone leptin (which tells your stomach it's full) falls, while gherlin (which signals hunger) rises and boosts your appetite. So without lots of rest, you'll never shed your excess baggage.

Solution 

Include lettuce with your evening meal. It contains opium-related compounds which are often used in sleeping tablets. They have a tranquillising effect on your nervous system and will help you sleep when your head hits the pillow. It's also very low in calories.

Mistake 3: You’re dehydrated

You can offset your hunger pangs by drinking when they hit, and you'll help your body metabolise fat. Your liver converts stored fat to energy. It can't do this job efficiently, however, if it has to pick up the slack from your kidneys, which are overworked when you're dehydrated.

Solution 

Start the day by filling up a two-litre bottle with water. Your goal is to drain it by the end of the day. Water optimises the conditions for fat loss by flushing out waste products, transporting nutrients to your muscles and keeping your metabolism ticking over. It's also one of the best hunger suppressants. Clear or light-yellow wee is a good sign of hydration.

Mistake 4: You’re too cold

Yes, it's manly to tough it out in the cold but your blubber could be insulating your weight loss. Research in the International Journal of Obesity found that we burn 239 kilocalories more each a day when we are exposed to 27°C, as opposed to 22°C. That's the energy in 27g of body fat. Sweating burns up more energy and according to David Allison, a biostatistician at the University of Alabama, there is good evidence to suggest that high temperatures tend to reduce the amount people eat.

Solution  

Turn up the heating in your house to 27°C (most people heat their homes to 24°C), and turn off the air conditioning in the summer so you can sweat it out. If you're a tree hugger (or worried about your heating bills), then wear an extra jumper and pair of tracksuit bottoms to keep your body heat up and weight down.

Mistake 5: You’re stressed

Even stressing about your expanding pants can make them tighter. A study in The Obesity Society journal found that the stressed-out blokes who took part were more likely to store fat around their middle. When you get stressed you release cortisol to help you use fat and carbohydrate for quick energy. But this stimulates insulin in the long run, which increases your appetite.

Solution 

Fit in at least one outdoor training session a week. Researchers at West Virginia University found that people who ran or exercised outdoors had a lower level of stress hormones than those who trained inside.

Mistake 6: You can’t cook

The man whose kitchen involves a speed dial to the local takeaway is condemned to a diet of grease, salt, monosodium glutamate and sugar.

Solution 

Stock your kitchen with foods that are quick to prepare and you will want to eat. Your freezer should be stacked with frozen berries and vegetables. Your cupboards should have canned vegetables, soups, dried fruits and oats. Keep a stock of lean protein such as fish, chicken breasts, minute steaks, and cheese and eggs in your fridge. All you need is a can opener and a microwave to make these foods edible in a shorter time than it will take the pizza delivery guy to get to your front door. Forget the ready meals, they are full of salt and fat and will only contribute to your tightening Levi's.

Mistake 7: You think fit trumps fat

You exercise so you can eat more. It's a sad fact that an hour on the treadmill cannot even come close to erasing that late-night kebab. Indulging in greasy food after a workout erases any progress you'll have made in the gym – and actually sets you back further. If you're training, the single most important meal you can eat is the one after your workout. Make it a healthy one.

Solution 

Controlling portion size is the answer both before and after training. Work on a single fist-size portion of a particular food. Also try and limit eating out. A single restaurant meal can have enough calories for an entire family. Stay in, save money and get ripped. 

The time-poor weight loss plan

This plan is the perfect weight loss tool if you're time-poor

Your personality

You haven't got time to breathe let alone aim to lose weight. You need weight-loss strategies that will fit in around your busy day.

Workout less

If you are time-poor, shorten the duration of your workout but increase the intensity. Changing your usual routine to one of short, snappy, high-octane sessions for a few weeks will kick-start your weight loss. For short fitness routines check out our quick muscle wins.

Prepare foods

Eating the "wrong" foods often results from poor planning and lack of time. Instead of grabbing the closest and quickest carbohydrate fix prepare your food at home to save on costs and calories. No-fuss options that promote weight-loss include, plain yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables (i.e. cut up peppers, celery and cucumbers) and hoummus.

Eat breakfast

Busy people tend to skip breakfast, as they just haven't got time. Skippers tend to gain, rather than to lose weight, because they are more inclined to overcompensate by eating fat-rich, high-energy foods later in the day. Set the alarm to go off 15 minutes earlier so that you have time to eat breakfast.

Keep a strict diary

Don't start your day saying, "I'm going to exercise this week". Say "I'm going to exercise at 5.30pm on Thursday for 30 minutes – and write it down in your diary then stick to it. You wouldn't miss a meeting with your boss if it was in your diary would you?

Lunch in a can

Too busy to make a healthy lunch?  Try a meal replacement drink instead. In a study from the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, researchers found that drinking meal replacements increased a man's chances of losing weight and keeping it off longer than a year. It also takes no time to prepare.

Words by Sarah Hecks

5 fat-burning running programmes

It’s not how far you run. It's how you run that matters

Your action plan

What: Five fat-burning, running programmes you can tailor towards your lifestyle and goals.

Why: To lose a pound of fat you need to burn 3500 more calories than you eat. Running is the fastest way to expel energy and keeps your metabolism hiked up long after you've chucked your trainers back in the cupboard.

Who: Anyone who wants to burn fat quickly and cheaply.  

When: Do 2 or 3 of the routines below each week, leaving at least a day of rest between each run.

Pick up the pace

Best if you want pitch-ready fitness 

The Science: If you want to get fitter, faster and fat-free you have to increase your pace to a level that's just below your lactate threshold (see how to find yours below). A paper in theJournal of Sports Science and Medicine found that unfit guys who ran at just below their lactate threshold burnt twice as much fat as trained athletes. "This strategy will help you to oxidise more fat and prepare your muscles and lungs for sports," says Runner's World's Elizabeth Hufton. 

To find your lactate threshold run at a slow pace then increase your speed every 2 minutes. Stop when your effort is 7 out of 10 and you feel an intense burn in your muscles, your breathing has become markedly deeper and conversation is no longer possible. This speed is your lactate threshold. Now take your foot off the gas to run just below it.

The Appliance: "Run 3 sets of 15 minutes at this pace with 2 minute's rest between each set," says Hufton.

Take a break

Best if you're short on time

The Science: "Less pain, more gain," could be the new mantra that keeps you lean. Research in the Journal of Applied Physiology found guys doing 60 minutes of cardio training who took a 20-minute break at the halfway mark, burnt more fat than guys who exercised for a full hour without a break. It's thought the first session mobilises the fat into your blood stream and the second session burns it off.

The Appliance: Run for 30 minutes at a leisurely pace, stretch your upper body for 20 minutes then run for another 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can run one 30 minute session in the morning before work and another session after work –  just don't wear the same kit or you'll clear the gym.

Routine buster

Best if running bores you

The Science: For some people, running for long periods can be about as stimulating as a double bill of The Antiques Road Show. If this is you then you'll be pleased to hear that a study at Laval University in Quebec, Canada found people doing cardiovascular exercise for 45 minutes burnt less fat than those who did interval training for 25 minutes. If 45 minutes on the trot is too dull for you then follow the study's 25 minutes programme below to cash in on these fat zapping benefits.

How to do it: Warm up with a slow 3-minute run to get your muscles ready for action. Run as fast as you can manage for 30 seconds then rest for 60 seconds. Repeat this 8 times. Then run as fast as you can for 60 seconds and rest for 60 seconds. Repeat this 5 times.

The afterburner

Best if you like track or gym running

The Science: You can force yourself to torch more fat by continuing to burn calories after you've finished running. Measuring the distances you cover is ideal for charting your progress but whether you run 5 kilometres in 25 minutes or 65 minutes, you'll still burn the same amount of calories while you're doing it. A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found people who did high intensity exercise in the form of long intervals burnt more calories when they were resting than people who trained at a lower intensity. Use this routine from Hufton to carry on losing weight while you're on the couch.

The Appliance: Run 6 sets of 400 metres at a pace that's 8 out of 10 in effort. Jog slowly for 2 minutes to recover.

Run 8 sets of 200 metres at a pace that's 8 out of 10 in effort. Jog slowly for 2 minutes to recover.

Run 2 sets of 800 metres at a pace that's 8 out of 10 in effort. Jog slowly for 4 minutes to recover.

Time is running out

Best if you want to build stamina and endurance 

The Science: Slow-and-steady can win the race against fat. A study published in The Canadian Journal of Sport Sciences found that when subjects increased the amount of time they ran from 30 to 45 minutes, the rate at which they burnt calories after the run doubled. When they ran for an hour they burnt 5 times more calories after their run than after a 30 minute run - not a bad return on your fat burning investment.

The Appliance: "If you can't manage to run for 45 minutes then work your way up to it by adding 5 minutes each week to what you can currently manage," says Hufton. "You can also alternate between running and walking in 10 minutes intervals to clock off your time."

MH’s food doc pimps your weight-loss diets

This month chef William Leigh provides inspiration to D-Lock_09

Your weight-loss issues resolved

Every month, a member of our weight loss forum has their diet plan overhauled by chef and food lover William Leigh. This month D-Lock_09, who has let a few questionable items slip into his meal plans, has his diet pimped by the good doctor.

Where's the fun?

Losing weight need not mean your taste buds never get a thrill – it's just sometimes necessary to be innovative. Healthy variations of calorific classics are key if your diet is to avoid becoming a thoroughly miserable experience, and you'll be surprised how many of those guiltily guzzled treats have a simple healthy alternative. Here's just a taster of this month's tips from Leigh:

Breakfast

- mix it up with cereals, oats, puffed rice, mesa (gluten-free corn, flax and amaranth) flakes, dried fruit and banana

- chop and change daily to keep things interesting

- a filling and slow-burning breakfast holds off the temptation to snack

Lunch

- try finely sliced shallots or spring onion on your tuna sarnies

- add lemon juice to bring out the flavours

- gem lettuce provides a welcome crunch

Dinner

- stir-fry some noodles with chicken and add a dash of soy sauce

- peanuts add texture and protein

- roasted garlic cloves squeezed on toasted wholemeal pitta are a healthy alternative to garlic bread

Snacks

- chocolate fills you with energy, but the sugars will cause you to spike then slump

- tasty Marmite rice cakes are a great alternative snack

- the rice swells in your stomach making you feel fuller

Lose weight without eating less

Nutritionist Carrie Ruxton shows you how to eat away fat

There are only two ways to lose fat: by burning off more calories or by eating less. And no one likes to be told they have to eat less. Fortunately, controlling your weight may be a case of mind over matter. “The presence of food in the mouth, stomach and digestive tract creates signals which travel between the brain and gut,” says Dr Tim Finnigan, head of innovation at Marlow Foods (creators of the Quorn range). “Foods which affect these signals can help us eat less or burn off more calories.” But long-term fat loss needs more than a few dietary nips and tucks. These fat-loss foods give you one half of the equation. You’ll find the other half in the playground of heavy objects.

Lamb for fat burning

Grilled lamb is back on the menu. Scientists have discovered that CLA, a type of fatty acid normally found in lamb, beef and dairy foods, has blubber-shedding effects. In the British Journal of Nutrition, people given concentrated CLA for six months saw a 4% reduction in body fat, mainly from the legs. Not baa’d going.

Peas for fullness

Peas and beans are rich in soluble fibres, which either fill you up or give you wind – or both – depending on your constitution. A Spanish study reported an average weight loss of 5kg when 200 overweight people ate a high soluble-fibre diet for four months. That’s a lot of weight loss for a tiny vegetable.

Hot chillies for hunger suppression

Dousing your tongue with a fiery chilli sauce to curb your appetite might sound like a crude tactic, but it has a solid scientific basis. In the journal Clinical Nutrition, brave Danish subjects experienced less desire to eat when given a shot of capsaicin. Now where’s the Tabasco...

Eggs for satiety

Ditch the croissants and go for poached eggs in the morning. That’s the message from a US study in the Nutrition Research journal, which compared the effects of eating different breakfasts. Quite apart from the fat content, the pastries pushed up blood glucose levels, causing men to eat more. In contrast, eating eggs reduced men’s overall daily calorie intake due to their large quantity of high-quality proteins, which make you feel fuller for longer.

Seaweed for calorie loss

Supplement your soups with kombu (£4.39, goodnessdirect.com). Researchers from Sheffield Hallam University found that calorie intake fell by 7% when subjects added seaweed to their normal diet for a week. It makes food travel more slowly through the digestive system – and the slower it moves, the less you eat.

Pasta for muscle maintenance

One of the downsides of fat loss is muscle wastage. Luckily, a study in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism found eating low-GI foods (the ones that don’t send your blood sugar soaring) boosts weight loss while maintaining muscle. So, fill up on al dente pasta, root vegetables, oats and high-fibre bread to keep your muscles in prime condition.

Probiotics for friendly bacteria German scientists have discovered that fat people have an imbalance in their gut bacteria which makes them super-economical at using calories. Slim people’s bacteria, in contrast, waste calories so they don’t absorb as much. If you’re in the former camp, take a daily probiotic to sort out the balance.

You can also discover the 5 foods that fight the abdominal fat 

by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

• Surprising foods (that you thought were unhealthy) that actually assist the fat-burning process in your body
• 3 Foods marketed as "healthy" that actually increase your stomach fat... stay FAR away from these!
• Weird workouts (scientifically-based) that burn belly fat faster than typical cardio