A popular new year's resolution is to lose weight, quite often around the waist. Few actually like to have excess belly fat, as it is stubborn and ugly and seems extremely difficult to get rid of. If you want to burn away extra fat around your stomach, you need to understand what it is and why its stored there.

The body can store fat in any area of the body, and for some people the first area seems to be the belly. Belly fat is the accumulation of visceral fat around the midsection. People with this problem are commonly referred to as having an "apple" shape.

The problem with belly fat when opposed to other types is that it accumulates around the vital organs of the torso. Whereas other types are merely under the skin or interspersed between skeletal muscles.

When you have belly fat, you are then at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and insulin resistance. It is important for fat around the midsection to be thought of as a serious issue.

There are many causes of belly fat accumulation. Check out the list below to see where you fall:

Menopause- Women tend to go through many changes during this period of their life. Weight gain is one of them and unfortunately, the belly tends to be its favorite place to store. Stress- This is a big contributor to belly fat. When you are stressed there is a hormone released called cortisol. Cortisol increases your energy by boosting glucose production, which in turn stimulates appetite increasing your caloric intake and this is converted to stored fat. Generally around the midsection so that it is readily available for the body to burn.

Getting rid of the junk food makes sense. Prime suspects in weight gain, are high calorie foods that have little, if any, nutritional values. Some other foods you should avoid are:

Candy bars, brownies, and soda. They have a high caloric value and little or no nutritional value.

Focus on whole grain, fruit, vegetables and proteins rather than sugar and carbs. For example instead of a bowl of sugary cereal for breakfast, you could consider this sample breakfast:

Whole grain toast, two poached eggs or bowl of oatmeal, small glass of orange juice, fruit of your choice.

Regular exercise is the most important topic to stress when discussing weight loss. Even 15 minutes a day walking at a brisk pace will show dramatic results.

The worst thing you can do for your body is to introduce pills and weight loss drugs. Most do not work and those that have any affect depend on harsh chemicals that increase heart rate or worse. The best plan is a balanced diet and simple exercise.