By NJ Rickman

Want washboard abs, but your abs more closely resemble a whole washing machine? In a month’s time, you can have considerably flatter, tighter abs and have lost harmful belly-fat. No, you won’t have to starve yourself on some bizarre diet or perform an exotic exercise regimen. For fast, visible results to lose belly-fat, you need to go back to the basics.

1) Control your portions. North-American portion sizes are out of control. What used to be a platter holding an entire family’s food for dinner is now a typical plate for one at many restaurants. What’s even worse is that we’ll heap an enormous amount of food on our plates, then even go back for seconds. Let’s get real. A portion size of pasta or rice is a half-cup, or about the size of a tennis ball cut in half. A serving of meat is supposed to be 3-4 oz. or the size of a deck of playing cards, not the size of 3 or 4 decks of cards laid side-by-side. Learn what a proper portion size is and stick to it. You may be a bit hungry at first, but before you know it the smaller serving size will be all you’ll want. It feels much better to eat an appropriate amount of food than to shovel it in until you feel you are about to burst.

2) Ditch all the drinks. As a society, we have become addicted to sodas, juices and energy drinks, mostly devoid of any real nutritional value. True, many 100% fruit or vegetable juice does contain essential vitamins and minerals, but some such as apple juice don’t have many vitamins at all and are almost as high a source of sugar as is soda. Just like with food, the serving size of our drinks is out of control. The serving size for juices is 4-oz, yet many of us think nothing of downing huge glasses of 12-16 ounces. Don’t even get me started on sodas. A 44-oz serving of soda that is available at many fast food outlets contains approximately 550 calories, enough calories that if you drank one a day, you could gain a pound a week. Multiply that by fifty-two weeks in a year, and you’ll have a whole lot of ugly belly-fat to show for it. Diet sodas are full of chemicals and preservatives as well, and should be avoided at all costs. Switch to plain water or unsweetened ice tea for a flatter belly.

3) Amp up your fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water and fiber and fill you up faster than other foods will without adding a lot of calories to your diet. Choose a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for their important nutrients and antioxidant properties.

4) Lay off the booze. Alcohol is very fattening, and is devoid of nutrients. If you’re serious about losing that spare tire, leave the alcohol alone.

5) Up your activity. Get off the couch and get moving. Even taking a 1/2 hour walk in the evening will be extremely beneficial to you if you have been inactive for a long period of time. Start out exercising gradually if you are not used to it, but challenge yourself by increasing your level of activity as you gain fitness.