The infomercials and the advertising industry in general knows your pain and your desire to be rid of the fat lingering in these parts of your body. There are all sorts of products, from creams, gadgets and machines to tone the arms, thighs or the abs.

The premise that you can focus in on a particular body part containing unwanted fat and be rid of it through spot treatment is a complete hoax. The body simply does not respond that way. It is even more frustrating that the government allows such advertising to continue, albeit with fine print stating that their product does not work in absence of a “sound fitness program of diet and exercise”.

Why Can’t You Spot Reduce?

The market misinforms the public of the benefits that can be expected from their so-called revolutionary products when in fact there really are no revolutionary results to look forward to.

1. Healthy Diet Is Important

Diet is an important element to regulate the amount of calories derived from fat which leads to fat gain. The foods that you eat in excess of what you burn have calories that get converted to fat storage. People store fat differently, in different parts of their bodies. Your problem areas may be different than others.

2. Spot Reduction Is a Myth

Doing 300 crunches a day will only exhaust you but it will not get rid of your belly fat. Your body will not burn the fats stored in that spot you are targeting. Overall calorie burning, done most effectively via cardio type workouts, will be the best approach for reducing overall body fat, including your problem areas.

In any healthy endeavor, you must be educated on the fundamentals. You should know what it takes to achieve a goal. For example, if you want six-pack abs, you have to know what it takes to get them.

Some people out there would claim that if you want to improve the look of your stomach, you simply have to concentrate on abdominal exercises or use the gadgets that will do the exercise for you. Again, you cannot spot reduce. You cannot achieve the goal with simply doing that one abdominal exercise.

The fat cannot just come off on its own by just using a gadget or focusing on moving the body part with the problem fat. It is simply a waste of time unless you want to tone the muscle hidden below the fat, because that is what is getting the benefit of your exercise, not the reduction of the localized fat.

The truth is, before you can even think about having six-pack abs, you will have to take away the fat first.

Only after achieving the diet and cardio components of your weight loss plan can you focus on the abdominal exercises. If you have been doing abdominal exercises while dieting and doing cardio, your ab muscles will reveal themselves and appear toned only after your body fat reaches a certain level. for most people, this is very low percentage and takes alot of work.

3. There Are No Shortcuts

Miracle diets, pills and potions are mere shortcuts that will lead you to a dead end. If a healthy body is your goal, I’m sorry to break you the bad news, but you have to work for it. You have to earn it. Otherwise, you are wasting your money hoping their miracle cures will do the trick.

If you still want to believe, go to the Federal Trade Commission website and research weight loss fraud and see how many companies have been sued over unsubstantiated claims in their advertising.

4. Health and Fitness Require Commitment

Your dedication to the health of your body is a lifelong commitment. Even if you achieved a good body now, it will not remain so forever if you cave in and revert back to unhealthy eating practices without sufficient exercise.

That is why if you depend on spot reduction claims, it will really get you nowhere. You can only hope, but you cannot expect. So if you aim for a healthy body; get an exercise program for yourself and make some changes in your diet. Give yourself an education in how to achieve fitness for not only your body, but your mind and spirit. Changing the way to think will help you to make better food choices for your body.

Just Do It – The Right Way

With all these points raised, the bottom line is to simply get healthy the right way. You may come upon a product that claims to help you lose weight, but before just blindly taking it, do some research, see if its listed in the Physicians’ Desk Reference or has undergone clinical studies and has been proven to be effective. If a product simply relies upon people’s testimonies alone, this is a red flag. This is the only way a company can get around not having to have clinical proof. Look for the fine print and you will be educated.

Take responsibility for your goals of weight loss. Don’t be another statistic that says “Yeah, I’ve tried every weight loss plan under the sun”. You know what you need to do. Your hard work and commitment will pay off and you will be proud of yourself.

There is a product proven to help reduce body fat and its patented. Its the only “shortcut” that I know of to help with weight loss without a required exercise program.

Myths are untruths that distort the original message as they get circulated throughout society. Often, they are the result of misunderstandings as well as peoples opinions that get confused as fact, thus leading to the myth.

Someone once told me that eating red meat makes you aggressive. Now this has nothing to do with a discussion of the nutritional value of red meat, but I found it fascinating to hear. I would speculate that there is probably a correlation between those people who are considered aggressive (perhaps have issues with anger management) and the amount of red meat they consume. I’m sure there is a study somewhere pointing this out. For now, lets look at some of the mainstream nutritional myths…

Myth #1: Nuts are fattening and you should not eat them if you want to lose weight.

Fact: In small amounts, nuts can be part of a healthy weight-loss program. Nuts are high in calories and fat. However, most nuts contain healthy fats that do not clog arteries. Nuts are also good sources of protein, dietary fiber, and minerals including magnesium and copper.

Tip: Enjoy small portions of nuts. One-half ounce of mixed nuts has about 84 calories.

Myth #2: Eating red meat is bad for your health and makes it harder to lose weight.

Fact: Eating lean meat in small amounts can be part of a healthy weight-loss plan. Red meat, pork, chicken, and fish contain some cholesterol and saturated fat (the least healthy kind of fat). They also contain healthy nutrients like protein, iron, and zinc.

Tip: Choose cuts of meat that are lower in fat and trim all visible fat. Lower fat meats include pork tenderloin and beef round steak, tenderloin, sirloin tip, flank steak, and extra lean ground beef.

For an exotic lean red meat, try Buffalo if its available in your local area.

Also, pay attention to portion size. Three ounces of meat or poultry is the size of a deck of cards.

Myth #3: Dairy products are fattening and unhealthy.

Fact: Low-fat and fat-free milk, yogurt, and cheese are just as nutritious as whole-milk dairy products, but they are lower in fat and calories. Dairy products have many nutrients your body needs. They offer protein to build muscles and help organs work properly, and calcium to strengthen bones. Most milk and some yogurt are fortified with vitamin D to help your body use calcium.

Tip: The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming 3 cups per day of fat-free/low-fat milk or equivalent milk products. For more information on these guidelines, visit http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines .

If you cannot digest lactose (the sugar found in dairy products), choose low-lactose or lactose-free dairy products, or other foods and beverages that offer calcium and vitamin D (listed below).

Calcium: soy-based beverage or tofu made with calcium sulfate; canned salmon; dark leafy greens like collards or kale

Vitamin D: soy-based beverage or cereal (getting some sunlight on your skin also gives you a small amount of vitamin D)

Myth #4: “Going vegetarian” means you are sure to lose weight and be healthier.

Fact: Research shows that people who follow a vegetarian eating plan, on average, eat fewer calories and less fat than nonvegetarians. They also tend to have lower body weights relative to their heights than nonvegetarians. Choosing a vegetarian eating plan with a low fat content may be helpful for weight loss. But vegetarians—like nonvegetarians—can make food choices that contribute to weight gain, like eating large amounts of high-fat, high-calorie foods or foods with little or no nutritional value.

Vegetarian diets should be as carefully planned as nonvegetarian diets to make sure they are balanced. Nutrients that nonvegetarians normally get from animal products, but that are not always found in a vegetarian eating plan, are iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, and protein.

Tip: Choose a vegetarian eating plan that is low in fat and that provides all of the nutrients your body needs. Food and beverage sources of nutrients that may be lacking in a vegetarian diet are listed below.

Iron: cashews, spinach, lentils, garbanzo beans, fortified bread or cereal

Calcium: dairy products, fortified soy-based beverages, tofu made with calcium sulfate, collard greens, kale, broccoli

Vitamin D: fortified foods and beverages including milk, soy-based beverages, or cereal

Vitamin B12: eggs, dairy products, fortified cereal or soy-based beverages, tempeh, miso (tempeh and miso are foods made from soybeans)

Zinc: whole grains (especially the germ and bran of the grain), nuts, tofu, leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce)

Protein: eggs, dairy products, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, soy-based burgers

If you do not know whether or not to believe a weight-loss or nutrition claim, check it out! The Federal Trade Commission has information on deceptive weight-loss advertising claims. You can find this online at http://www.ftc.com or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

Exercise and training programs can take some motivation and effort in order to make into a habit. Building such a habit of exercising can be pretty difficult especially if you see it as just some other task that needs to be done. You must first buy into the idea that exercising is necessary to burn calories as a part of your caloric balance..

Before we look at why people fail, lets look at some common excuses why people dont get on track with an exercise program.

1. Hate To Exercise Excuse

One of the most common excuses people make by not exercising is that they simply hate doing it. But exercise is simply not just those things that you hate to do on a regular basis. Exercise can be any fitness regimen that can range from the usual calisthenics to more enjoyable sporting activities.

There are certainly different forms of exercise and fitness programs that people would like. It helps to match up a kind of physical activity to one’s own personality. For those who like the outdoors, going on a hike or biking around would be a worthwhile fitness activity. For those who like it simple, home fitness training or just simply walking on a regular basis would do just as well.

2. Not Motivated to Stick With It Excuse

Doing exercises for some time now can really leave you feeling tired and stressed just as easily. Not having the right motivation can eventually make you feel bored with your workouts and keep doing them on a regular basis. And with boredom for company, it can be really hard to keep going. And hence, no motivation to do the exercise program regularly becomes the excuse.

In order to fight off boredom, it may be good to change your exercise routine every 4 to 6 weeks. Changes can mean trying out something new or just trying to change the intensity or duration of your exercises for variation. It is also important to remind yourself of your fitness goals and try to keep track of them. Rewarding yourself for a job well done can also be very effective to prevent becoming an unmotivated and bored fitness buff, if there is such a thing.

3. Can’t Afford Gym Membership Excuse

Some people believe that the only way to stay fit is by going to the gym. And just because they can’t afford the membership into one gives them reason enough not to exercise. This can be quite a foolish excuse not to keep fit and exercise.

Getting fit does not necessarily require that one needs to go to the gym regularly. Getting fit is not always becoming a gym member. A fitness regimen can be done just about anywhere. What can be important is by always trying to get the body to become physically active by giving it quite a regular workout.

There are many ways that this can be done. It can be as easy as just walking around the block everyday. You can also purchase exercise and training videos for guidance. Putting them in the player and doing the exercises is something that you can do at home without ever having to spend your money for a gym membership to stay fit.

4. Don’t Have the Time

Not being able to fit in 30 minutes per day or 45 minutes three days per week to exercise, jog, walk or other routine is a lame excuse. The real reason is you are not motivated enough to mentailly be able to just make yourself do it.

5. Focusing on Physical Exercise and Not on Your Diet

People often start to exercise, do it for about a month, then quit because they either dont see results, get bored or get distracted. They really should not start to exercise at all until they change their diets somewhat. Exercising is fine and necessary, but doing it and not changing your eating habits will result in minimal results, and thus lead to quitting your exercising.

6. Not Having a Real Goal or Motivating Factor to Strive For

People say they want to lose a few pounds, get back to high school weight, etc. Perhaps their weight issues are that of being obese. Maybe they have been heavy all their lives. Perhaps they have deep emotional issues and were called “fatty” in grade school.

Deeper issues of emotional pain are sometimes what can motivate someone to stay with a new fitness routine. However, food may provide their way of coping with that deep seated pain and therefore tough to break such an addiction.

That is why is it so hard for most people to lose weight. Intelectually, most people know to eat less calories, and burn more than you take in by exercising to accelerate the process. Easy to say, but extremely hard to implement in the form of behavior. This take us to the 7th and most important factor.

7. Lack of Accountability

This is the number one reason why people fail. Being accountable to yourself is like the fox guarding the hen house. You deceive yourself, make excuses, lie and cheat your way through your so called diet, only to fail in the end. That part of your brain that contributes to the perpeutation of most addictions always seems to win.

Accountability in the form of peer groups, a fitness trainer, instructor, boot camp trainer and the like are great sources of inspiration, support, encourgament and education. A well trained and effective trainer understands you emotionally. Overcoming the emotional road blocks is the most important key to succeeding at your efforts to achive weight loss.

So seek out a form of accountability. It may be a 3-month program at a gym or fitness studio, an online forum, a membership type program where you are indeed held accountable. Often, challenges such as the “90-day” challenge are great for anyone to sign up and participate.