The Muffin Top Mystery - How Do I Get Rid of This Muffin Top?

If you have ever been on a diet you will be able to relate to this. You are too embarrassed to tell anyone because you have been on so many of them before and none of them have worked. You hate just stepping in front of a mirror, never mind getting dressed in front of one. You are always looking for ways to avoid having lunch with friends, having coffee in a bakery or Valentine's Day. Just when you think you have found the right way to get rid of pounds from around your middle, your motivation starts to lag, you start to loosen up the diet and eventually fall off the wagon. The worst part is that not only do you end up gaining back the weight you lost, but most of the time you end up putting on more weight than you did when you started.
If you can relate to this, here's the good news!

How Do I Get Rid of This Muffin Top


It's actually not a lack of willpower-----it's your brain!

Here is why diet plans usually fail. First, know the facts!


  • Over 60% of Americans are overweight or obese
  • Over 90% of diet attempts fail
  • Eating less calories only equates to starvation, not weight loss
  • Diet pills are a myth
  • Drinking tons of water is great for you but not a good diet choice
  • Lifestyle choices are a huge part of weight loss, but not the only part
  • Your brain is the biggest factor in losing extra pounds!


If we program our brains to help us with our diet and weight loss goals, our brain will work to create success for us. So we need to know how to make our brain work for us, not against us! It's just as easy as this...
1) Don't put unrealistic expectations on yourself - Forget those diet plans that tell you that you can lose 50 lbs. in 3 weeks. They just don't work and will set you up for disappointment. Put a more realistic goal on your frig. Something that you know you can achieve. Just take baby steps toward losing weight. That makes the job easier.

2) Having rules you can't follow creates barriers in your brain - Being told what you can and can't eat takes you back to when you were a kid. You're an adult now, so you can make your own choices of what to eat and what not to eat. Get rid of the guilt associated with rules. Just give yourself plenty of encouragement daily. Constant positive affirmations in the morning, during the day and before you go to bed at night, work really well to program the brain in a more forward thinking manner. Begin with "I'm beautiful, inside and out" or "I love myself just the way I am". It will seem silly at first, but will become more powerful the more you remind yourself of your positive mantra. After all, we're programming our minds to give us the results we're looking for.

3) Don't eat any of your favorite foods while on your diet - No one lives like that. Life is suppose to be fun. Limit the sugary foods that you like to one "treat day" per week. Feel free to have whatever you want on that day, but remember that every other day you must stick to choices that don't contain high amounts of fat and sugar. This way you won't feel deprived and will feel more in control.

4) Set a time frame for your weight loss program - Your brain works on a schedule. So let's give it what it wants. Have a start date and an end date. Then stick to the time frame and celebrate your successes along the way. When you give yourself positive reinforcement, that army of supporters inside your head will help you move on to the next success. Remember... baby steps and lots of self encouragement is the way to win this battle of the muffin top.

5) Avoid stepping on the scale at all costs! - Don't bother to even think about stepping on a scale. You'll begin to feel the difference as the weight starts to melt away without having to stare at numbers on a small square box. Clothing will start to feel bigger, your pants will start to droop and feel loose around the middle, physical activities won't be as difficult, those stairs that you climb every day will get easier. The signs will be there. So sidestep the scale.

The Muffin Top Mystery - How Do


  • It's already a known fact!
  • Our brains hate rules
  • Our brains hate to be deprived
  • Our brains hate the feeling of overwhelm
  • What our brains love!
  • The flexibility to change whenever we want
  • Praise for things we've done right
  • Taking small steps to accomplish big goals

OK. So what's the solution?


Let go of those rules. There are enough rules in our daily lives without having to live with them through what we eat. We all know that overeating causes weight gain, so it's only common sense that we need to stop binge eating or comfort eating. Relax when you head to the frig to pick out what you're going to have for dinner. When your brain is in a relaxed state, you make wiser choices. Here's a fact for you - as the amount of food for comfort decreases, weight gain stops and quick weight loss starts!

Exercise is always a great lifestyle choice. You don't have to be a track star or run marathons to keep the pounds off. Just moving your body daily, walking up and down stairs, or moving furniture to dust is great exercise. The key is to keep moving and doing it every single day!

Take note of what fatty foods you're eating and replace them with healthy choices. I didn't say pack your plate with only veggies (even though that's a great way to get healthy). Just make better choices when it comes to what you put on the end of your fork. Try and avoid "brown foods" and go more for color. Have your one day each week for the treats you love, but stick to your healthy choices the other 6 days of the week. Find new recipes that are quick and satisfying so that you have "go to" food when you are in a hurry.

If you are using diet shakes and bars as meal replacements, use them wisely, not as the only source of food that you eat. That's called starvation. These "magic" sources of nutrition are great for break time, snack time or when you find yourself in a rush and don't have time to make a proper meal. Be mindful of ingredients in these types of products though. Read the labels and don't be fooled by words you can't pronounce. Why would you eat something that you can spell!?

Vitamin supplements can help - There's so much information out there on the pros and cons of vitamins. It's all a personal choice, the best choice is to get proper nutrients from what's on your plate. Unfortunately for us, the soils are so depleted in these nutrients, that the vegetables we're getting at the grocery stores aren't what they use to be. Here again, educate yourself and read the labels. Spending a few minutes learning about vitamins and proper nutrients will give you more power over your body and mind.