You diet. You exercise. So why is your gut still hanging over your belt? Because of these common pitfalls:

You Inhale Food

If you were a rat, you'd chow down for about 15 minutes, feel full, and stop eating. But you aren't. You probably eat so fast that your stomach hardly has time to alert your brain to tell your mouth to quit chewing before your stomach explodes.

Solution: Try this drill during your next meal. On every bite, chew, swallow, put down your fork, and take a sip of water. See how long it takes you to eat. Now, during subsequent meals, take just as long to eat, only without the drill. Another meal-prolonging trick for men with regular dinner partners: Turn off the TV, put down the Daily Racing Form, and actually have a conversation.

You're Starving Yourself

Slashing too many calories, particularly protein calories, pushes the body to conserve calories rather than burn them. It also forces your body to break down muscle tissue to fuel its vital operations. But that muscle is the key to your metabolism, or the speed at which you burn calories. More muscle means a faster metabolism and less body fat.

Solution: You do need to cut calories to lose weight. (Cut 500 today by eliminating one can of beer, 30 chips, and one Oreo from your diet.) But you need to make sure you\'re eating at least 1,600 to 1,800 calories each day to keep your metabolism from shutting down. And never cut protein during a diet. If you\'re a sedentary 200-pounder, you need about 75 grams of protein (about two chicken breasts) a day for muscle preservation. If you\'re lifting weights, aim for twice that much. Doing aerobics? Pick a number in between.

You Don't Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation decreases the odds of shedding blubber and keeping it off. Researchers found that healthy men who snoozed only 4 or 7 hours a night for 6 nights in a row had higher glucose and insulin levels in their blood. This is a terrible state of metabolism for a man who\'s trying to lose weight, because surplus insulin boosts body-fat storage.

Solution: Hit the sack for 8 hours each and every night. And try to hit it for the same 8 hours. That is, establish a regular bedtime and waking hour. you have to wake up on most days, and make sure you\'re in bed at least 8 hours before. Company is optional

You're Too Refined

Most processed breads and cereals contain little fiber, the calorie-free component of plant foods that fills you up, not out. Plus, foods rich in fiber help control blood glucose and insulin levels.

Solution: I never thought I'd say this, but it may be a good idea to cut back on potatoes in any form (especially the fries, fellas). Experts say potatoes raise blood-glucose concentration quickly, as do snack chips, white bread, low-fiber breakfast cereals, and breakfast bars. Whole-grain cereals, nuts, and beans are blame-free, if not calorie-free.

You're Dry

When you're trying to lose weight, water is your workout partner. You need it to flush the waste products your body makes when it breaks down fat for energy, or when it processes protein. You need it to transport nutrients to your muscles. You need it to help digest food and keep your metabolism clicking along. And water keeps you from overheating during intense exercise on hot days.

Solution: Start the day by filling up a half-gallon jug with water (or any combination of smaller bottles that equals 64 ounces). Your goal is to drain the lot by the end of the day. Clear or light yellow pee is the universally recognized sign of good hydration.

You Can't Cook

So you took wood shop instead of home ec. I understand — a man needs to master power tools to feel complete. But unless you find a way to make your bird feeder edible, you need to master weight-loss tools, too. A man whose only kitchen skill involves the speed dial to Domino\'s is condemned to a diet of grease, salt, white bread, and sugar.

Solution: Step into the kitchen. (That's the room with the oven, sink, and refrigerator.) Open your freezer. You should see frozen berries and vegetables, which are as good as fresh but last many times longer. Look in your cupboards. You should see some canned vegetables, hearty low-fat soups, dried fruit, and slow-cooking oats. These foods help you lose weight because they\'re filling but low in calories. Best of all, you don\'t need much more than a can opener and a microwave to make them edible. (Dishes are optional.) This leaves you more time for your power tools.

You Think Fitness Trumps Fatness

Exercise alone won't make you thin. A recent study of military personnel who increased their exercise during a 3-year period found that they gained weight despite their extra efforts. Why? Food, most likely. They simply ate more than they burned off.

Solution: The last thing you want to hear, especially from a female, is that size matters. But trust me on this: Controlling portion size is absolutely essential to weight loss. And the best way to control portion size is to limit how often you eat out.

如果你是一只老鼠，你吃饱大概会用15分钟，然后停止进食。但是你不是。你可能吃饭速度非常快以至于当你的胃实际上已经撑涨的时候你的大脑都来不及意识到你应该停止咀嚼了。

解决办法：下一次吃饭的时候尝试这些动作：每咬一口，慢慢咀嚼，放下你的叉子，喝一小口水。看看你用了多长时间。再吃饭的时候，花更多一点的时间来吃饭可以不用以上的动作。对饮食规律的人来说，另外一个延长吃饭时间的小计策是：关上电视，用笔记下当天的赛马报道，当然也可以进行一下交谈。

你正在让自己挨饿

你破坏了太多的热量，尤其是蛋白质热量，迫使身体保存这些热量而不是释放。这也迫使你的身体分解肌肉组织以为身体的重要机能提供能量。但是肌肉组织是身体新陈代谢的关键，也就是会加速你体内热量的燃烧。肌肉越多说明身体新陈代谢越快脂肪越少。

解决办法：你需要减少热量来减肥。（每天减少500卡通过少喝一罐啤酒，30片薯片和一块奥利奥奶油夹心巧克力饼干。）但是你必须保证你每天至少摄入1600--1800卡的热量以维持你新陈代谢所需要消耗的能量。而且吃饭时千万不要减少蛋白质的摄入。如果你是一位体重200磅的办公室职员，你每天需要75克蛋白质(大约2块鸡脯肉）来维持身体组织的机能。如果你正在曾重，需要的能量是上面的2倍。做有氧运动？那么在此区间任选一个数字。

你没有足够的睡眠

睡眠不足会造成身体内皮脂的流失。研究者发现一个连续6天每天只有4-7小时睡眠的健康人体内的葡萄糖含量和胰岛素水平比较高。对一个正想减肥的人来说这是新陈代谢的一种可怕的状态。因为过剩的胰岛素会增加体内脂肪的存储。

解决办法：每晚保证8小时睡眠，并且尽可能是相同时间段的8小时。即有一个规律的就寝时间和醒来时间。你必须保证你在床上至少呆了8个小时的时候按时起床。连队随意。

生活过于精致

大部分加工面包和谷类植物含有微量纤维，这些无热量植物成分使你的身体机能正常运转。另外，富含纤维的食物有助于控制体内葡萄糖含量和胰岛素水平。

解决办法：我不得不这样说，但是减少使用任何形式的土豆的确是一个好主意（尤其是油炸的）。专家说图都能够迅速提高血糖浓度，薯片，白面包，低纤维食物也一样。如果不含热量，谷物杂粮，坚果和豆类食品可以放心食用。

缺水

当你想减重的时候，水会是你最好的健身搭档。你需要水冲掉你体内分解脂肪和蛋白时产生的废物。你需要水将能量运送到肌肉组织。你还需要水来消化食物和维持正常的新陈代谢。而且水还可以防止你在热天运动时过热。

解决办法:在一天开始的时候用一个半加仑的罐子装满水（或者其他的能够装下64盎司水的容器）。你的目标就是在这一天结束的时候将这些水喝完。透明的或者浅黄色的小便就是你吸收良好的最好的标志。

不做饭

比如，你可能长时间呆在木工房里而不是家里。我能理解--男人总是需要通过操纵电动工具才能感到充实。但是你也需要精通使用一些轻一点的工具除非你能像鸟一样找到鸟食罐。如果一个人的厨房技能仅仅是像玩多米诺骨牌一样的速度那么他应该被忌食油脂、盐、白面包和糖。

解决办法：走进厨房。（那个有烤箱、洗菜池和冰箱的房间）打开冰箱，你可以看到一些冰冻浆果和一些实际上已经是很长时间但是仍然很新鲜的蔬菜。橱柜里有罐装蔬菜、健康的低脂汤和烹饪燕麦。这些食品有助于减重因为他们是低热量食品。最好的方法就是你只需要一个开瓶器和一台微波炉把这些食品做成食物。这些可以使你离开电动工具一些时间。

你认为健康胜过肥胖

单纯的运动并不能让你变瘦。一项最近的研究表明那些军人在三年的时间里尽管做了那么多的运动，他们的体重还是增加了。为什么？饮食，最可能的答案。相比较他们自己做饭而言他们在部队更容易多吃。

解决办法：你最后想听的，尤其是女性朋友，就是身材问题。但是请相信我：控制身材的基本就是减重。并且最好的控制身材的办法就是减少外出就餐的次数。