Have you noticed the tell-tale signs that you are entering "beer belly" territory? Do you self-consciously try to hide your gut as it hangs over your pants? You are not alone. Worst of all, you don't even drink, so you ask yourself how can I lose the beer belly?

Well, the answer is that you can develop a "beer" or pot belly without ever drinking a drop of beer. To lose the belly fat, you'll need to learn how to eat right and give your body what it needs.

Perhaps you think that you already eat healthy. I mean, you always choose products that say "low fat", so they must be healthy, right? Actually, you can eat a 100% fat free diet and still gain weight! This is because your body can convert any kind of calorie to excess fat. Think of all the low fat products out there that contain tons of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients - a steady diet of these products is bound to lead to weight gain.

So what about high protein diets? You tried Atkins and South Beach before, and they worked, didn't they? Well, just for a little while. The proof is in the pudding - if you need to lose the beer belly, these approaches obviously didn't work in the long term. This is because high protein diets cause your body to lose water weight, and soon result in a plateau. You'll only get so far before your body adjusts its metabolic rate to slow your weight loss. Not to mention all of the associated health risks of these kinds of diets, which may range from bad breath to vitamin deficiencies, and even organ failure!

It seems there's a catch 22 - low fat diets don't work, since your body can convert any calories to fat. High protein diets only work temporarily, and carry all kinds of health risks. We haven't mentioned starvation diets and calorie restriction, but as you might have guessed, this won't work either in the long term. Your body will just slow its metabolism in an attempt to avoid what it thinks is certain starvation.

So How Can I Lose The Beer Belly?

The key to getting rid of your belly fat once and for all is learning how to eat right. In spite of all of the confusing information you may have gotten in the past, eating right is actually quite simple.

To eat right, you need to feed your body the right amounts of healthy carbohydrates, proteins, and fats at the proper intervals throughout the day.

For one thing, a body starved of nutrients will continue to crave food; this is why nutritional value is so important. For another, ultra-low fat diets leave you feeling unsatisfied. You need the proper amounts of healthy fats to keep your body feeling full. Finally, while the concept of three meals a day has been drummed into most of us from childhood, to lose the beer belly you'll need to eat several smaller, well-balanced meals daily.

You can lose the beer belly by combining this nutritional approach with a well-designed resistance training routine. You'll find that your belly fat starts to shrink quickly, and you won't have to go hungry in the process. Though you might have been disappointed in the past by regimens that promised instant results, take heart in knowing that you can achieve results with a well planned, nutritious diet and exercise program.

If you take this approach, when you ask yourself how can I lose the beer belly, you'll know the answer!