Getting rid of your gut does more than just improve the way you look – you’ll also have a healthier heart to show for your efforts!  Cutting your carbohydrate intake by a third will help you lose fat while significantly lowering your triglycerides, a key predictor of heart disease.  Scientists at the University of California at Davis found that cutting carbs to less than 40 percent of your total daily calories deactivated a triglyceride-producing gene called stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD).  The greater the reduction in carbohydrates the less active the gene became.  Start today by switching to an open-faced sandwich or skipping bread altogether in favor of a high-fiber, high-protein tortilla like I recommend in The Burrito Diet.

Olive oil has been king-of-the-oils for a while, but coconut oil may be a better choice for fat burning.  Coconut oil is made up of more than 50 percent of medium-chain triacylglycerol (MCT), a fatty acid that increases fat oxidation, thus enhancing weight loss, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Researchers had test subjects use 4 to 5 teaspoons of MCT oil or olive oil each day for 16 weeks.  The MCT group lost four more pounds than the olive oil group.