(BlackDoctor.org) -- Sporting belly fat. Some call it their "spare tire." And for women, there's just about nothing as humiliating as being mistaken for being "preggers" when you're not. Does this happen a lot if you're carrying quite a bit of fat around your midsection?

Hearing someone else comment on your size can drive even the sanest person to the nearest fast-food joint to temporarily comfort themselves the only way they know how. So, think about the physical discomfort of a protruding tummy alone -- perhaps it's bad enough to prompt folks to change their eating habits.

Overeating is one of the main causes of obesity. However, there is a relatively simple way to help you lose belly fat safely. And, the sweetest thing about it may be that you don't have to dish out any dough! You can do it without experiencing profoundly agonizing cravings to "stuff your face more," too. (www.Oprah.com, 2009)

The scoop on how to feel fuller faster and cease hunger pains sooner is to eat slower.

Perhaps you've have been programmed to "hurry up and eat your food before it gets cold." Or, maybe you're from a big family and had to compete for food on the table. Regardless, have faith in yourself -- you can really consume your food more slowly and break your habit of overeating. (www.loseweightnowforever.com, 2009)

Here's how it works: When you put food in your mouth, it takes a certain amount of time for receptors in your brain to receive the message you're being satisfied from it and do not need to eat more. (www.Oprah.com, 2009) According to additional research, those with obesity have food-satisfaction signals that do not get to their brain until 20-plus minutes after having eaten. Yet, "skinny minnies" who do not rush eating have their brain notified by satiation signals within 12 or more minutes. Hence, such findings illustrate eating slowly ensures that those important messages have time to reach the brain. (www.Oprah.com, 2009)

Nutrition professor Linda Bacon, PhD, advises eating the first few bites of a meal especially slowly. Bacon's reasoning is that your taste buds are at their most receptive and working at their very best early on at mealtime. As a result, you can put your fork down and say "good riddance" to feeling your stomach is about to explode. (www.Oprah.com, 2009)

The obvious manner in which to eat like a turtle is to chew your food longer, but there's another technique that is less commonly known. It is physically placing your eating utensil down after each bite. It's a psychological strategy that not only aids in you having greater control over how quickly you consume your food, but your overall eating habits as well. (http://www.losefatnowforever.com, 2009)

Eating your meals with other people can decrease your waistline, too, since conversing at the table can considerably slow down the rate you eat. (http://www.losefatnowforever.com, 2009) Interestingly, French fries are deemed as the most-eaten vegetable in the U.S. (http://wiki.answers.com, 2009) While they're not from France, the idea of taking each bite of your food slowly and savoring it is.

The proof is not only in the pudding that taking more time to swallow your food helps to keep you fit and trim. That is, solid research shows French women are substantially thinner than American women because they eat slower and consume smaller portions. (http://www.losefatnowforever.com, 2009)

However, the best way to lose belly fat is to combine eating healthy foods, getting plenty of exercise and not "scarfing down" one's grub. (www.Oprah.com, 2009) And believe it or not, it is strongly suggested by experts that you eat more often to lose more weight. You should eat five to six small proportioned meals a day, but be careful not to consume more calories daily. (http://www.sparkpeople.com, 2009)

Another fun fact: Contrary to popular belief, the Japanese sumo wrestler gains more fat by skipping meals and starving -- not by eating more of them. (www.Oprah.com, 2009)

So, take time to smell the chop suey and say "Merci beaucoup" to the French.

By Tracy Walsh, BDO Contributing Writer