Ever wonder why fat goes straight to your belly and not to other, more desirable places in your body?

The answer lies in your omentum, which is a fat-storing tissue located around your midsection.

"It's in fact the most important fat-storing tissue in your body. It is located in your waist and hangs over your stomach," Dr. Michael Roizen told Canada AM Tuesday.

After looking at how your body turns food into fat, the co-author of "You: On a diet" returned to Canada AM to reveal how different types of fat exist in our body and why they linger where they do.

According to Roizen, the only number that should concern dieters is the measurement of the waist - not the number on a bathroom scale.

"You shouldn't worry about a scale because weight on your hips doesn't matter to your health," he said.

What does matter is the weight around your waist.

"You measure it at your belly button sucking in."

The ideal healthy measurement for men is less than 35 inches and the ideal for women is less than 32.5 inches.

The size of a person's waist has more than cosmetic value, it is also a major factor in overall health.

"If a man is greater than 44 inches -- measured at the belly button, sucking in -- that's the same risk as him having prostate cancer," Roizen said.

"If a woman's is greater than 40 inches, that's the same risk as her having breast cancer."

A big omentum is also responsible for:

• high blood pressure
• inflammation and insulin resistance
• lipid abnormalities
• sleep apnea
• arthritis
• altered self-image.

Furthermore, an enlarged omentum can also cause a dangerous eating cycle.

"A big omentum causes inflammation and insulin resistance," Roizen explained.

"Because insulin helps glucose get into cells, it blocks the glucose from getting into your muscle and your brain and that makes you hungry for more glucose."

That means your body will crave more simple carbohydrates, which in turn increase the size of your omentum, or belly.

But just because you're caught in an eating cycle doesn't mean there is no way out.

According to Roizen, it only takes four simple steps to break the cycle and take control of your eating.

1.  Measure yourself

• Wrap a tape measure around your waist at your belly button while sucking in.
• If you are a man over 35 inches or a woman over 32.5 inches, your health may be at risk.

2. Walk for 30 minutes

• "You want to call someone after you walk 30 minutes because that makes you accountable," Roizen suggested.

3. Dump your fridge

• Look at the labels of everything in your fridge and throw them out if it contains:
• Simple carbohydrates
• More than 4 grams of sugar per serving
• Any trans fat or saturated fat
• Enriched flour instead of whole grain

4. Automate

• Eat the same things for breakfast and lunch repeatedly, so you don't have to think about it.
• If you want to be creative wait until dinner time.

Wednesday: Canada AM looks at the science behind appetite.