The decision to breastfeed may be a healthy one for you and your baby, but it often complicates your attempts to lose weight—especially the unsightly postpartum belly fat.

The Mayo Clinic describes weight control as a balancing act. An imbalance between calories you consume and calories you burn is necessary for weight loss, but once you achieve your desired weight, the requirements change to an overall equal balance between calories in and energy out.

Mirena contains a hormone called levonorgestrel, which is a form of synthetic progesterone. Women who take progesterone-only birth control sometimes report increased appetite, reports FamilyDoctor.org.

Nearly everyone will experience abdominal pain at some time. Such discomfort, often called "stomach pain," can signify a transient, benign problem, or it can herald something far more serious, such as ulcers, gallbladder disease or even cancer. Pain arising within the abdominal cavity can be difficult to pinpoint.

Pretty knees are essential for women who wish to show off their legs. Unfortunately, fat around the knees can ruin your entire look in a short skirt or dress.

While it isn't healthy to be overweight, if you slim down too much, you may lose enough fat from your face so that it becomes less full. More hollow cheeks and a slimmer chin can sometimes age a person's face and seem to accentuate tiny wrinkles, which most people would prefer to avoid.

Conjugated linoleic acid, abbreviated as CLA, is considered by the University of Michigan Health System to be a healthy form of fat that is predominantly found in food products such as dairy, poultry, eggs and corn oil. Conjugated linoleic acid is also available as a dietary supplement.

Understand the causes of rapid weight loss in women, including chronic digestive problems, hormone disorders, and unintentional weight loss. Learn how to manage your weight safely and effectively.

Three weeks does not represent a lot of time for you to lose weight, and it's definitely not enough time for you to develop new, healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime.

The plank is a core strengthening exercise that works the transversus abdominis muscle. Because you cannot spot reduce body fat, you must work to lose fat throughout your entire body. The most effective way to do this is through diet, aerobic exercise and strength training.

Whether it's for a wedding, high school reunion or just because you need to, it is possible to lose 40 pounds in 100 days. It won't be easy, however. A combination of diet and exercise is the healthiest and most reliable way to lose weight, and this volume of loss will require quite a bit of both.

The U.S. weight loss industry makes billions every year selling advice and equipment to help people shed their body fat. Some of these products and services are helpful, conforming to the best of nutrition and exercise science. Waist belts, though, are based on common weight-loss misconceptions.