I have problems getting my weight down after a year of having my lil girl. I want to have flat stomach my the summer time. I do have a treadmill and it’s just hard finding the time to get on. Please help me! Charisma. [via Ask Questions]

If you think you need to get on a treadmill to lose weight, you do not. Okay, I take it back, well, sort of – I am not going to tell you that walking on a treadmill is not a good thing, it is certainly better than seating on a coach (though just walking on a hard surface outside is better, and walking on a soft surface like sand is even more beneficial) – the point is that you can lose weight without a treadmill.

How can you lose weight without a treadmill? In short, what you put in your mouth matters more than the level of your physical activity. To lose weight, you need to expand more calories than you consume, which is usually accomplished with a combination of dieting and exercise, but the latter is not absolutely necessary.

In other words, if you do not have enough time to exercise, do not worry about it, focus on what you eat. But really focus on your eating habits. You have to eat healthy – eat three times a day (do not skip breakfast) and if you are hungry between meals, eat healthy snacks.

Minimize your consumption of processed foods and simple carbohydrates – do not eat sweets, sugary snacks and fast food. Eat protein, whole grains, healthy fats, vegetables, and fruits. Focus on eating protein and vegetables three times a day. If you eat “clean” all week, reward yourself with whatever you are craving for, but only once a week and only if you have been eating healthy the rest of the week.

Oh, and one more thing – do not waste your time on trying to make your stomach flat, there is no such thing as spot reduction, it is a myth. Your stomach will come back to the way it used to be when you lose weight.