Learning to diet effectively is so hard today, with so many misleading ads and products on the market. One area that I recently learned about was how drinking diet soda actually makes you fatter. I had to read this one as I could not imagine how a drink with zero calories could effect your weight in a negative way.

So here's a big complicated term to start us off.......Cephalic Phase Insulin Response (CPIR) . Ever hear of this? Me either. Basically it creates reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which further triggers strong cravings for more sweet-tasting items, and high glycemic foods. In simple terms, your diet soda makes you hungry, which makes it even harder to follow a healthy eating plan.

There's more to it than just the "CPIR", but just know that when your taste buds come in contact with any sweet, even zero calorie sweetners, they signal to the liver to stop the production of protein and starch, and begin to store the glucose energy within your blood. When the body realizes that there is no energy source on the way, it demands food.

Finally the body begins to produce insulin, which is known as the "fat" hormone. Your body now begins to store belly fat as a result of this entire process. You can read more about this process at www.SkinnyScience.com

Another area that will be helpful to understand when trying to lose that belly fat is the "Glycemic Index".  If you are diabetic, you probably already understand this, but most of us are not really aware of how our body is effected by the things we eat.

Since I am not an expert here, I will share with you the simple concept as I understand it.  When we eat something, it effects our levels of sugars contained within the body.  Drink a "Monster Energy Drink" with tons of sugar, and your blood sugar levels go through the roof.  Eat other forms of "simple carbs" like white bread, and your body also see's a spike in blood sugar levels.  By the way, the Glycemic Index is based on how much your blood sugar levels go up when you eat white bread.  This is used as a baseline number.  So the higher the number, the more your blood sugar levels increase.

When your blood sugar levels increase, you store more fat.  It's that simple.  So one thing you can do is always combine a protein source with your "carb" source.  This will slow down the rate at which your body can process the carbohydrates.  You can also stay away from not just the obvious sources like candy bars and Monster drinks, but also simple carbohydrates like white rice, white bread, and whit potatoes.  These foods also swing your blood sugar levels much higher.

To learn more about the Glycemic Index and view the "value" of some of your favorite foods, you can just Google (or Bing) "Glycemic Index Chart".

With all the research that's been done on the effects of diet soda's along with the Glycemic Index, new products are coming to the market. Several of the Diet Soda makers are pushing to introduce drinks that they can safely say will not promote hunger or increase that fat around your belly.

Energy Drink makers are starting to feel the pressure as well, with "sugar free" versions available. One company has actually come out with a great tasting solution that has been clinically tested and approved, to not only not add to your belly size, but actually BURN FAT FOR 4 HOURS as well as Shrink the size of the fat cell.

You can read more about this product at  4 Hour Fat Burn.com