The crunches, which as I said before are fine for helping to tone your abs, won’t do the whole job. Some people think it’s better to do hundreds of crunches, even in a sort of half-hearted way.

Wrong. It’s better to do fewer crunches, or any type of strengthening exercise in excellent form and at the right pace, even if that means doing fewer of them. They will be more effective in the long run.

If you spend some time searching the Internet or reading magazines, you’ll find all of these myths and probably more. And when you head to the grocery store or the pharmacy, you’ll find all sorts of foods and weight loss products in packaging that declare them healthy and helpful when it comes to losing weight.

The infomercials on TV will tell you to get the latest ab exercising machine and promise that you’ll have a flat, sexy belly in the blink of an eye, while another infomercial will try to sell you a diet drink that consists of cabbage juice and yogurt, promising that the pounds will melt away and you’ll look just like a model.

We all want to believe the hype. We all want to believe that if we do 200 crunches a day, all the fat around our waistline will disappear leaving behind an abdominal region that will be the envy of all.

The truth is that the myths are just that – myths.

It’s time for a reality check and the reality is that burning fat, losing weight and getting a sexy, flat belly is going to take a combination of things – call it a multi-pronged attack. And it’s going to take some dedication and commitment on your part.

Don’t let this scare you. You can do this. Whether you have twenty pounds to lose and a bit of a beer belly, or you have 100 pounds to lose and you know for sure it’s going to take a lot to get those abs to the point where you’re ready to show them off – you can do this.

The myths and the hype are made to do one thing – sell something. Instead of buying into them, use your time, energy and hard earned cash for something else that is more worthwhile – developing super-healthy eating habits, learning the right way to exercise for fat burning and boosting your metabolism, and moving your body in ways that will encourage the strengthening, toning and definition of not only those abs, but of all of your muscle groups.

Will this happen overnight? In a week? In two weeks? No. It will take some time. You might have to wait a few weeks before you start to see results and then it might a little longer to reach your final goal.

It all depends on what kind of shape you’re in when you start out. But, if you focus on proper nutrition and devote 30 minutes every day to working on those abs, you’ll find that it does happen!

Just know that the best way, and really the only way that works, is to do it the right way. That means learning about nutrition and exercise.

The remainder of this book is going to be devoted to developing healthy eating habits, promoting weight loss at a sane pace, burning fat, and developing a tight, flat belly. You’re going to learn a lot and when you’re through, you’ll be equipped with all the ammunition you need to win the war against excess weight and that flabby, fat belly.

You might be wondering if you can try any of the diet supplements or tricks, or exercise machines while you’re working with the plan outlined in this book. The answer is yes, if you insist on it, but I would strongly advise you to use a lot of caution with any pill or supplement and seriously to not bother to waste your money – either on the supplements and pills or the abdominal exercise equipment.

They probably aren’t going to help, and could actually hurt. If you want to spend money, you can go out and purchase some dumbbells or a lightweight medicine ball. They will actually come in handy and they’ll be effective, too.

An example would be some of the “healthy” granola bars we see on the store shelves. Granola is healthy, right? Well, yes and no. Check the label and remember, the fewer ingredients the better. Some are packed with sugar and sodium. Sorry, but lots of sugar isn’t healthy and it’s not going to help you lose weight.

Another example could be diet sodas. They have no sugar in them. That’s great, but the sugar substitute they use can be dangerous to your health. Stick with water and pure juices, teas and other unadulterated drinks.

Fad diets are made for quick, yet unsustainable weight loss and they are simply unhealthy enough that they may actually harm you. It’s smarter to learn the right way to eat for steady and maintainable weight loss.

Strong, toned abs help to create strong core muscles, which stabilize and support the spine in return. So when you get going on developing those abs, you’re also working on saving yourself a lot of back pain in the future.

Many everyday activities require us to use the back as the foundation for movement. Think about it – getting out of bed, opening a heavy door, lifting groceries or a child, walking the dog, or checking the oil in your car – they all require your core to work harder.

It’s important to keep your abs and core muscles strong and healthy so that your back stays strong and injury-free.

Did you know that having a smaller waistline cuts your risks of heart disease and diabetes, and flat, firm abs help keep your back stronger?

Let’s take a look at diabetes. Type II diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and occurs when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or the cells of the body don’t recognize the insulin, so they don’t use it.

Insulin is the essential component necessary for breaking glucose (the body’s basic fuel) down for energy. If the body doesn’t use the glucose properly, the cells can become energy-starved. If this continues for a long period of time, your kidneys, eyes, nerves and even your heart can be damaged.

One of the biggest risk factors for developing type II diabetes is being overweight, and more specifically carrying that weight in the belly area. Losing even 15 pounds can help reduce your chances for developing diabetes significantly.

Diabetes is a serious condition that can be prevented, or at the very least, delayed in onset. If you’re overweight and carrying around extra belly fat, you’re putting yourself at a higher risk for diabetes.  Prevention of diabetes involves three simple steps that will also help you get in shape:

1.      Exercise each and every day.

2.      Develop healthier eating habits.

3.      Lose some weight, maintain a lower weight level and work on all of your muscle groups, including your abs.

Let’s turn our attention to heart disease.

Do you want to do something to help prevent heart disease? Shed some weight! By losing weight, you’ll give your heart muscle, the most important muscle in your entire body, a break by making it easier for the heart to pump blood through your body.

When you weigh more than you should, your body needs your heart to pump extra blood through it. Instead of beating faster, your heart actually grows a bit to move more blood every time it beats.

This can lead to high blood pressure, which increases your risk for stroke. Besides possibly increasing blood pressure, the heart will eventually begin to suffer from its increased workload and over time, congestive heart failure could develop.

Research indicates that a waist measurement of more than 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men can mean a higher risk for heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. This is why you need not only to work on losing weight, but work on trimming that waistline.

Along with getting a slimmer waist, developing those abs will be like icing on the health and good looks cake!

Usually, the reason people seek out advice on getting flat abs and losing weight is to look better. There’s nothing wrong with this. We all want to look great and in today’s society, looking great means being trim and firm – that’s what’s accepted as most attractive.

Now I need to briefly point out that there’s a big difference between looking awesome and healthy and looking like you’ve starved yourself to the point where you’re nothing but skin and bones.

Skin and bones isn’t a great look, no matter what the models and movie stars are doing. A healthy weight with toned and defined muscles is a great look – and it’s what most people consider to be attractive.

You want to look great. That’s normal because we all do. Looking great involves a lot of aspects and means different things to different people. Most agree that a trim body looks nicer than an overweight body or a super skinny body.

Looking great also involves how you war your make-up (if you’re a woman), your hairstyle and choice of clothing and accessories. It involves how you hold yourself – is your posture straight, conveying a feeling of confidence, or is it rounded and hunched over?

Do you always look neat and put together? This doesn’t mean that you have to spend thousands on the newest styles and always be dressed as if you’re going to a party – this just means that you look neat and clean and coordinated, even if that means a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt with combed hair and straight posture.

Think about your smile. A sincere and pleasant smile adds to anyone’s good appearance, as do other signs of a pleasant temperament.

Even if you don’t have the perfect shape yet, your appearance hinges on other factors and will even after you lose that weight around the middle and get defined abs.

But let’s get back to the trim shape. Being in shape will open more doors for you. Whether that seems fair or not, it’s true.

Because humans are so visual and we base a lot on our first impressions of people by how they look, your shape can make a difference, as can the things I mentioned earlier such as hair, cleanliness and neatness, and your smile.

When it comes to your body, having a trim and toned figure can get you more dates, or help to keep your spouse or significant other more interested in you.

Being slim and toned can help you get jobs. It’s a fact that at least in some professions, people who appear to be in better shape and healthier may get preferential treatment when applying for jobs and entering new careers.

Is this fair? Probably not, but it is human nature, and human nature is difficult to fight. It’s easier to get into shape and project the confidence that comes with being in better shape.

So for the reason of looking good alone, flat abs and a trim figure are better for you – without a doubt.