by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: October 25, 2009   Last Updated: October 30, 2009

If you really want to make your waist smaller you could always consider wearing a corset, though this isn't very practical if you're a man! Even if you're a woman this isn't exactly a long-term solution to your problem, and could be seen as cheating! You might fool the world into thinking you have a smaller waist when you're fully clothed, but it doesn't change the fact you still have to see your naked body in the mirror. If all you see is a flabby tummy and a larger waist than you'd like then it's up to you to take action to remedy the situation.

In order to make your waist smaller you really need to adopt lifestyle changes that will enable you to lose weight. You can't always choose which parts of your body the weight you lose comes from, but any weight loss will inevitably result in your waist shrinking. If you want to lose weight you obviously have to decrease your calorie intake and also increase the amount of calories you burn through exercise. By creating a deficit of 3,500 calories you can quite easily lose a pound of fat.

It might take quite some time to reach your goal if you are only losing weight at a rate of one pound a week, but losing weight gradually means you are more likely to keep the weight off once you finally get to the weight you want to be. Of course, it will require a certain amount of patience and commitment for you to keep following a healthier eating plan and to make time for exercise, but it will be worth it in the end when your waist is trimmer and you are in better physical condition.

There are specific exercises you can do which can help shape your abdominal muscles and flatten your stomach, such as doing sit-ups and crunches, but if you are still carrying excess weight you won't be able to see much difference anyway. You therefore need to focus on getting your diet right and participating in aerobic activity so you burn a greater number of calories than you consume. This will enable you to see a difference in your appearance when you look in the mirror and you start to observe the extra fat disappearing from your body. Before long you will notice your waist getting smaller, as will the people around you. There are no quick fixes, but if you stick with a healthy diet and exercise regularly you will soon achieve the body you've always wanted.

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