Every day without fail my inbox has at least half a dozen personal training queries in it all asking the same thing. Whether it’s from a man or a woman, young or old, one thing that everybody wants is a flat stomach. They want to know what to eat, how to exercise, and more often than not why all the work they are currently doing (for some reason I tend to frighten off most of the couch potatoes from even contacting me in the first place!) just doesn’t seem to be working.

So here is the “inside” scoop on what it takes to finally achieve that lean and streamlined waistline you have always dreamed of having. Take a deep breath, relax, let it out, think of watching the ocean lapping the sunny shoreline of a Caribbean beach as you sip your pina colada. There you go, that’s your first step to a slimmer, flatter stomach! You don’t believe me?!

For years, Prevention magazine has heard from women across America that despite their best efforts, they can’t lose the jiggly belly fat that builds up around their middles, especially once they hit 40. Sixty-seven percent of them say it’s the body part they most want to change. Shrinking an expanding waistline isn’t a matter of vanity. Excess belly fat can significantly increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and chronic illness more than any other type of body fat — for both men and women!

Now, new research reveals that monounsaturated fatty acids (or MUFAs) make weight loss not only easier but may target belly fat specifically.