Why Do I Lose Everywhere Except My Belly? After seven long months of low-fat dieting, I’ve managed to drop 25 pounds. But I’m still toting a huge spare tire around my middle. Now all my pants are tight around the tummy but droopy everywhere else—I look shapeless! How can I get my body into proportion and uncover the curves that I know are there somewhere?
You may have heard that the key to losing abdominal fat is eating more fat. And the latest studies show that eating a specific type of fat called monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) helps women shed stubborn belly fat while maintaining the waist-to-hip ratio that’s considered most attractive (with the waist about 70 percent smaller than the hips). This healthy fat reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which, in high amounts, triggers the accumulation of abdominal fat. The best MUFA sources are olive oil and macadamia nut oil, which you can add to salads or soups or use for grilling and stir-frying.
