Not all foods are created equal, spotting a stubborn pot belly? Take a look at your plate.

There is nothing that most of us work for more than our abs. Pot bellies spoil everything. Low waist jeans, two piece bathing suits, little black dresses...urrrrrgggggghhhh! All ruined by that stubborn pot belly.

So we begin walking, saying the exercise will help. Perhaps even going to the gym and reluctantly running on the treadmill for twenty minutes. But nothing is happening! That pot belly isn't disappearing and you're doing everything right! Or are you?

Clean eating has a lot to do with what you carry around your waist. It makes the difference between whether you will wear that slinky black dress tomorrow night or not....yes, it even makes a difference day by day.

How is this?

First of all I have noticed my abdominal muscles are not the same after having a child...duh!!!! I actually get a 'pot belly' if I eat too much! Yes! It actually distends if my plate is over filled during dinner. So I can start the evening looking gorgeous and come out looking like I borrowed the dress. So the first tip is...watch your portions! They can have an immediate effect on how you look!

Secondly, working out and can't get that six pack? Clean eating is the only way to go! It does matter what you eat when looking for ab definition. You cannot have ripped abs if you are not watching your diet. It is not about cutting out entire food groups from your diet, it's all about balance.

Third, how about your salt intake? Do you read the small print in foods you buy? A lot of us buy processed foods and do not bother with checking what's in them. I have even heard someone refuse an orange after drinking orange squash saying it is one and the same thing.....Never! Not only do we expose our bodies to carcinogens, some of those chemicals increase our cravings for the same sort of foods. Further, a lot of these processed foods contain more salt than we need. Salt makes us bloat. Ladies, we know what bloat does to our skinny jeans especially at that time of the month. Keep foods as natural as possible. The closer it is to nature, the better.

Last but not least...don't go hungry. There are many reasons for this. First, if you go on a fast in the name of diet, you end up messing with your metabolism. It thinks that you are starving for lack of food so it slows down in order to utilize what energy you have stored in your body. What happens after? You start eating, your body stores this food like crazy, your metabolism is already slow so you burn less and gain more weight (including that stubborn stomach area).

Also, if you go hungry, it is more likely you eat more (binge) at your next meal. Even going shopping hungry is a bad idea. Research has shown you end up buying foods with more fat and more calories as you're subconsciously trying to catch up with your energy requirements. Being healthy is not about starving, it is about eating right.

Have an active day!