If you are like me (someone who has been struggling with belly fat) you know how hard it is to keep a flat belly once it's finally flat. Here are a few tips to keep that flat belly.
1. Have a little drink
We all heard the 'alcohol is bad for health' but a little presence of alcohol in the body will slow fat burning and keep you full for longer. The liver processes alcohol before other carbs and protein, so a few ounces of wine won't be too harmful. Also, the feeling of fullness will help you space out the time between two meals.
2. Take time to chill out
When we are anxious or stressed, our body produces the cortisol hormone. This hormone encourages the body to store fat, mainly in the abdominal region. So, it's good to take a little time for yourself every day. Switch off for some minutes at every few hours interval every day. Go to a quiet place, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. You will feel refreshed afterwards.
3. Don't forget your cardio
To keep the fat buildup at bay, it's important to include cardio exercises in your routine. Build muscles and your metabolism will work faster too and thus you'll burn more calories during the day. It is not necessary to do cardio every day but if you can spare 30 minutes 3-4 times per week, your body will thank you. If you don't usually work out at all, start slow and go at your own pace.
4. Eat whole foods
You will put on less weight if you eat whole foods, and thus less buildup around the midsection. Start eating whole grains (wheat, oats, brown rice) and you will notice a considerable difference in your weight. Processed and refined foods taste and look better but not always good for our body.
5. Have good nights sleep
Lack of sleep will slow your metabolism. Sleep deprivation will not only make you grumpy but you will start having subcutaneous fat cells (that is right below your skin). This type of fat is not easy to burn. One thing you can do is try to sleep a few minutes earlier than you usually do every day, till you reach a normal 8 hours night sleep.
6. Watch out for sugar
You have probably already come across a few articles that link sugar intake to weight gain. The average sugar intake of an average individual not following any diet is up to 20 teaspoons of sugar daily. Sugar is found in processed foods and even 'healthy' ones such as yoghurt and everyday sauces. This daily intake of sugar equals about 300-400 calories which will slow down your metabolism as insulin increases with sugar. Read labels well before you buy any processed food.
7. Enjoy light dinners
Don't overfill your belly for dinner. It is best to eat only proteins and leafy greens to avoid a food baby. Large dinners will hold on to the water, you'll often wake up feeling tired after a big dinner the previous night because your body spends more energy to burn down the calories. Avoid desserts and nighttime snacks too especially on days leading to your beach weekend.
8. Keep track of everything
Keep a journal of your food intake to know what foods are triggering your belly to bloat. You will also be able to keep an eye on what food you should avoid when you'll review your diary of any food-related 'accident'. Note down your feeling after each meal. Are you feeling gassy, overfull? Or any kind of pain after eating a certain food.
9. Avoid fatty foods
We all like those fried foods, chips, or any other deep-fried items full of fat but these should be only once in a while treats. The fat in fried foods is digested slowly and very often leave us feeling full and puffy. And the fat will end up accumulating in the belly (again). If you are planning out at the beach, better stay away from those fried foods.
10. Do some abs workout
Small abs exercises can be done anytime and anywhere. We sometimes find it hard to exercise daily or make time for it. But some exercises can be done at any time. Hold in your stomach and take in a few deep breaths when sting, for example, this will help tighten the abs muscles. No more excuses.
11. Laugh, laugh and laugh
Laughing equals happiness and happiness reflects on your health. Laughing does more, it causes abs to contract. What can you ask more? That's a free exercise for the abs. Have a good laugh at any moment and don't moderate yourself.
12. Always push yourself
Always give yourself a little push more every other day when you are working out. I know this is better said than done, as I find myself slacking with my daily exercises. But if we do a little bit more every day, belly fat will not have time to settle down. I don't know if you like planks, it's one of the best whole-body workouts. Try to include at least a minute of it every time you exercise.
13. Take a little less salt
It's a fact that we need sodium in our body to keep going but we don't necessarily need too much of it. Sodium or salt as we call it can lead to fluid retention in the gut if we include a lot of it in our daily diet. And of course, fluid retention will lead to bloating... you don't want that. To make sure you can control your salt intake as much as possible, it's best to prepare your meals at home and avoid processed and fast food. It will not be easy to really control the number of milligrams of sodium you are taking daily but the less the better.
14. You don't need diet foods
This is something you should do right now. Studies have shown that products that are sold as 'diet' are actually more harmful to our body than regular products. A lot of the sugar replacements such as sorbitol and mannitol are used in diet products. They are known to produce a lot of gas in the intestines which will make you balloon and leave you with a bloated feeling.
15. Know more about carbs
We know that we should take in fewer carbs if we want to have a flat belly. Carbohydrates need water to metabolize, too much fluid will make you feel bloated. It's not necessary to ban carbs from your diet, well I know I can't (I love pizza too much!). Try to keep a low carbohydrate intake and opt for complex, starchy and fibre-filled ones like legumes, sweet potatoes, oats and brown rice. These will digest slowly and thus eating less during the day. Try to limit your daily carbs intake to 200 grams.
