If you’ve been trying to flatten your stomach, it’s likely you’ve done more than one Google search using the 3 most popular key words in the fitness industry: lose belly fat. It’s also likely that you did NOT make it through the 440+ pages (and over 2,030,000 links) that followed.

My #1 goal today is to save you all of that reading and research by giving you the absolute and definitive recipe for flatter abs, leaner thighs, and a smaller waistline. In other words, you’ve just hit the belly fat jack pot! I will warn you, though…it may not be what you expect.

Let’s start with a few things you should know (and some things you should forget) about the myths surrounding that nastiness around your navel:

Bull’s Eye or Bull Poop.
If you’re planning to put good money down on anything that claims to “target” belly fat, you might as well find the nearest dumpster and toss it in (your cash, not your belly fat.) The bottom line is this: losing belly fat begins with losing overall body fat. Then, understand that it’s your genes that determine where you lose it.

Notwithstanding what your genes decide to do, when you are burning fat, it will typically melt away in phases, starting first with the stuff surrounding your organs, then your upper body (face, shoulders and arms), then legs, and then, finally, thighs and hips and, lastly, your waist. For the majority of the population, the last bit of fat to grudgingly say “adios” is the stuff just above and below your belly button – meaning a good portion of your overall fat must be gone before your body will relinquish this last bit of stored fuel.

Supplement Shmuplement.
Regardless of any scientific evidence that a certain supplement, or exercise, or state-of-the-art stress-reliever is capable of accelerating the fat-loss process, the real question is, “By how much?” Here are two answers to that question: 1) By NOTHING if you aren’t already losing fat through proper nutrition and exercise, or 2) By very, very little, if you are already losing fat through proper nutrition and exercise. In other words, supplements and target exercises may help, but compared to the foundations of fat loss, they pale, and in most cases, fail in comparison.

The Foundations of Fat Loss.
Without a solid foundation, whatever you wish to build will eventually crumble. The following steps are the true bricks and concrete of weight loss, whether you’re looking to lose belly fat, thunder thighs, or those stubborn love handles. Having helped thousands of men and women reshape their bodies and lives, I can tell you without a doubt,  that the following steps are the best and most effective practices you can implement for achieving the results you want and deserve.

Step #1 – Prep, Plan, Prioritize and Visualize: Plain and simple, if you skip this step, or leave it for later in exchange for hitting the dumbbell rack and treadmill first, you will fail. Poor vision work and planning is at the root of why 90% of the population start with the best intentions, and then end up heavier, weaker, and more stressed out than ever. Most people approach fitness in this order: Cardio 1st, Weights 2nd, Food 3rd, Schedule 4th, Create Vision 5th, De-clutter 6th and Chart Progress, 7th (if ever.) This is the exact opposite of the winning approach, which explains why 90% of the population is still overweight and out of shape.

Step #2 – Eat Right, Get Results: Exercise, while important, is not what produces the majority of your visible results. Lean and defined shoulders, biceps, quads and abs are chiefly a product of proper nutrition. Absolutely, exercise must be present to achieve phenomenal results, but if your food isn’t spot-on, it’s likely you will never see evidence of your hard work and effort. Here is how easy it is to eat lean and clean: Consume small fist-sized meals that are half protein, half carbohydrate, every 2-1/2 to 3 hours, and drink 80-90 ounces of plain water per day. Piece of cake.

Step #3 – Focus, Vision, and Purpose: If you put two people on the same eating and exercise track, and watch one succeed and the other fail, in every case there will be specific habits, thought patterns, and trends that define these conflicting results. Those who fail tend to focus on the mechanics of fitness, using the cause-and-effect principle: “If I do this, then X, Y and Z will happen,” while those who succeed tend to think in a very different way. At the deepest core of their being, those who succeed, practice walking, talking, acting, and thinking as though X, Y and Z have already occurred. THIS, above all else, is the true secret to all success.

Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, personal trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a program that has helped thousands of men and women not only transform their bodies, but live more balanced, focused lives though her pioneering, less-works-better approach to fitness. For more information visit www.lovelivingfit.com or send an email to Dianne@lovelivingfit.com.

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