Possum pouches can be reduced by cutting back on beer.
A possum pouch -- also known as a potbelly, an extra roll or a spare tire -- is for some people the first place weight goes on and the last place it comes off. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends a combination of diet and exercise -- 30 to 60 minutes a day -- for reducing weight and the possum pouch. Even otherwise thin people may end up with a possum pouch, so Fitness and Freebies advises that those who want to lose their bellies drink less beer, avoid late-night meals and improve their posture. With the right amount of determination and self-discipline, you can reduce your possum pouch.
Instructions
1. Stand in front of a full-length mirror and look at your possum pouch from the side. Measure your abdomen once a week -- pick the same day of the week to make it easier -- and record the measurement in your diary. The idea is that as your possum pouch shrinks, the measurements will inspire you to be even more diligent.
2. Set your camera to auto-shoot and take a picture. Tape it to the fridge so that you will see it every time you open the door.
3. Calculate your body mass index. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends doing so by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. Multiple the answer by 703. If the result is more than 25, then you are overweight and more than 30 indicates obesity. The CDC also has a table available on its website (see Resources).
4. Cut back on calories, and eliminate junk and fast foods. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics advises that sedentary women and seniors can get by on 1600 calories a day. Sedentary men can consume 2200 calories. Reducing 500 calories a day, every day, could result in losing 1 pound a week. Adding exercise will speed the loss further. The National Institutes of Health recommend losing one to two pounds a week, so it may take a while -- depending on your possum pouch -- to notice any results.
5. Keep a list of everything you eat during the day and then review it in the evening. Make sure you record things such as the muffin you had for a snack in the afternoon. Remember that what goes in, minus what is eliminated, ends up around your belly.
6. Get in the habit of sucking in your gut and standing tall. The best way to develop the abdominal muscles is to use them. Improved posture will also make your possum pouch look smaller.
7. Do reverse crunches to firm the saggy skin. Lie on a weight bench or the floor, Put your arms over your head and grab the back of the weight bench, or a table leg if you are on the floor. Keep your legs together and them off the floor as high as you can. Repeat as many times as possible.
8. Add some leg raises to your workout routine. Put your arms by your sides, bend your knees and lift your legs until they are in line with your waist. Raise your head and try to make it touch your knees.
9. Include more abdominal exercises in your workouts. Lie flat on the floor with your knees bent. Put your hands behind your head and sit up halfway. With this exercise you will be able to feel your abdominal muscles straining.
