Slimming your waistline starts with a healthy, low-calorie diet. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or DHHS, has set guidelines to promote safe weight loss. The guidelines say women should consume at least 1,000 calories a day while men need 1,200 calories per day. Eating fewer calories will help to burn the fat around your waistline over time. Check with your doctor to be sure your dieting choice is safe and healthy for you.
The Facts
Many diets are designed to help you lose stubborn fat around your waistline, but the DHHS suggests trying either the MyPyramid Plan or the DASH Diet. Both plans are approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and they include nutritionally dense foods while limiting added sugars and salt. Since there's no way to actually spot-treat fat loss from around the waist, your diet plan must focus on creating a calorie deficit to help burn all of your body fat.
Calorie Deficit
A calorie deficit is simply taking in fewer calories than your body burns. Achieving a calorie deficit each day will ensure that you lose weight over time. The MyPyramid and DASH Diet plans are designed to help you create a calorie deficit by virtually eliminating empty calories from your diet, such as from soda and sugary snacks. The DASH Plan offers a slightly more aggressive weight loss strategy with some people reporting weight loss of 10 to 35 lbs. within just a few months, according to DASHDiet.org.
Significance
Following a diet designed to cut fat from your midsection can lead to significant healthy benefits. Aside from weight loss, a diet like the DASH or MyPyramid Plan can lower your risk of developing any number of obesity-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease. The DASH Diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, can also help you lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels fast.
Foods
Low-calorie, nutritious meals are the key to success with any diet designed to trim the fat around your waistline. The DASH and MyPyramid diets focus on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, lowfat or nonfat dairy, lean meats, legumes/nuts/seeds and healthy fats. A sample breakfast from the DASH Diet plan may include a glass of orange juice, Wheaties with skim milk and raspberries and a cinnamon raisin English muffin with light cream cheese. The MyPyramid Plan recommends similar foods.
Warning
Don't choose a diet plan that makes unrealistic promises to "target" the waist area for fat loss, because there's no possible way to do so. Weight loss occurs in the most fat-concentrated parts of your body first and then moves to the less concentrated parts. In other words, you must be realistic and focus on full-body weight loss in order to slim up your waistline. The MyPyramid and DASH Diet programs are proven to work in this manor, so they are safe choices. However, you should consult your doctor prior to making changes to your diet.
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