Having a great looking stomach is the goal both men and women. Certainly there are differences between what men and women are looking for. Men generally want to go for the more muscular "six pack" look while women want the sleek slender look. But there's is something vital that these two goals share: A lack of fat. Really the key to a great looking stomach whether you are a man or a woman is to lose as much belly fat as you can.

That's why the key to a great looking stomach is not ab exercises (which are not an effective way of burning fat) but starting a lose belly fat diet. What is a lose belly fat diet? It's a diet plan which boosts the dieter's metabolism so that he or she burns fat faster than they normally would. Another key part of a truly effective diet for losing belly fat is that it must be easy enough to follow that it can be "stuck with" until the goal of a trim stomach is reached.

The key to boosting the metabolism is taking a regular "day off" from dieting. Basically on this "day off" the dieter should be able to eat anything (and everything) that they want. I know this may sound unusual at first but once you understand the science of how it works you will see why it is necessary.

This "day off" when the dieter eats anything they want causes a "calorie spike" which tricks the body into thinking it's getting more calories than it actually needs which in turn boosts the metabolism so that the body is burning fat faster. This "day off" should be once a week for the best results.

It is important that you choose a diet which includes this "day off" mechanism built into the diet plan itself. If you try to add this concept to a diet plan which does not include it you may actually do more harm than good. It's a good idea to do what is already proven to work rather than wasting your time trying a dieting strategy that is completely unproven.

Along with boosting the metabolism, the other big key for an effective lose belly fat diet is simplicity. What do I mean by that? I mean the diet plan must be simple enough to follow so that it is easy to stick with over the long term (until all weight loss goals are reached.) This factor is way too often overlooked which is why many people start a diet plan that they can never stick with. That's simply a waste of time.

You must avoid all diet plans which include calorie counting, carb counting, or fat counting. You must also avoid any diet that includes the keeping of a food journal. Why? Because all of these things keep your mind constantly focused on food. It makes your diet into a big "ordeal" that is constantly taking away your precious energy and focus.

It's better to choose a diet plan that is simply focused on the good foods you should be eating rather than on counting all of your calories. This will make for an easier diet to follow and it will also help you to change your eating habits for the better. Your diet should be focused on the "green light foods" that should make up the majority of anybody's healthy diet.