• 1). Develop a healthy eating plan. With the assistance of your family doctor or a nutrition specialist, create an eating plan that takes into account your height, weight, age and desired weight loss amount. The plan can be a simple recommendation of daily caloric intake and suggested foods or it may include a detailed meal plan for you to follow.
  
  
• 2). Implement a total body exercise plan to burn calories and improve overall muscle tone. Regular exercise helps to initially speed up your metabolism so that your body is less likely to store food as fat. A mix of cardiovascular exercise and strength training is generally the best way to keep your body fit, but speak to a personal trainer or exercise specialist to come up with a plan that works best with your goals.
  
  
• 3). Do targeted exercises for problem areas. For stored belly fat, The American Council on Exercise recommends bent-knee crunches and trunk-rotation exercises with a medicine ball. Squats, lunges, lateral jumps and crawls are recommended for targeting hip, thigh and buttock muscles.
  
  

Targeted Exercises

• 1). Sit on a mat with your heels together and on the floor and knees slightly bent. Hold a medicine ball close to your body as chest height. Keep your back straight and your abs contracted. Inhale and slowly rotate your torso left. Pause, exhale, inhale, then rotate completely to the right.
  
  
• 2). Lie on your back with your knees bent and heels on the floor, about 18 inches from your tailbone. Put your hands behind your head with your elbows extending out on either side. Contract your abs, pulling your trunk about halfway to your knees. Keep your chin pointed toward the ceiling and exhale as you lift. Focus on using your abs to pull yourself up, not your shoulders or neck, and pressing the small of your back on the floor. Release slowly back to the floor.
  
  
• 3). Stand with your feet spread slightly farther than hip width. Pull your shoulders back and down. Contract your abs. Shift your hips backwards then bend your knees into the squat. Keep your core tight and your back flat. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then slowly raise yourself, tightening the muscles in the back of your legs and buttocks as you rise.