This post has been updated since its initial 01/01/2017 publish date to include more expert insight related to the topic.
When it comes to healthy weight loss and obtaining a flatter stomach, the usual tips are to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, maintain a steady sleep schedule and prioritize strengthening your core. However, if you feel that you don’t have time to hit the gym and no patience for a diet, what are some things you can do to achieve a flat abdomen without all the hassle? We checked in with health experts for tips, and did research on the topic to find out more.
Tip #1: Keep Yourself Busy
The more time you spend doing something, the less you are worried about eating. This can mean becoming more active in your favorite hobby, focusing more on work, etc.
#2: Skip Chewing Gum
Chewing gum makes you swallow puff-producing air, according to Good Housekeeping, which can make you bloated. Bloating, experts explain, can make weight loss (and the idea of having a flatter stomach) much more difficult. An important aspect to weight loss is gut health!
#3: Try Not To Stress
Being stressed increases the likelihood that excess fat will be sent to your midsection (to protect vital organs) in order to cope with the stress hormones that are being produced in the body. As Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements explains, your mental health is more important when you think when it comes to healthy weight loss.
"Mental health approaches to weight loss are almost, and in some cases more, important for obesity treatment and prevention than traditional medical treatment," she explains. Speaking to a mental health provider on the topic of food and weight can be the best first step to obesity treatment, she stresses.
Many people, regardless of weight loss needs, Best says, have "disordered eating habits and negative relationships with food without even realizing." A counselor, working with a dietitian, she concludes, can help these individuals overcome these disordered eating habits and "improve their relationship with food to help them find a proper motivation for weight loss and health."
#4: Drink More Water
Being dehydrated actually causes you to carry more weight, making your belly bigger than usual. If your body is struggling to maintain water within it, nourishing yourself through hydration is a great way to keep balance within your body, and prevent unnecessary weight gain.
Drinking enough water is not only vital for preventing weight gain in your stomach, Best says, but also for your overall health. "Abdominal fat, also known as visceral fat, is a danger to health for a few reasons," she notes. First, it is carried at the front of the body where it creates significant stress on the heart and other vital organs. "This puts the individual at risk for heart disease and stroke, among other chronic conditions," she warns.
Second, if allowed to persist, it will form around organs and tissues which makes it difficult to lose, also increasing the risk of chronic disease, she continues.
Third, visceral belly fat can be a hidden danger for those who otherwise have a normal body weight. "A person with a healthy BMI may be carrying a lot of belly fat while other areas of the body are relatively thin," Best adds, saying "This can create a false sense of reassurance that they do not need to worry over health or weight loss." Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a great way to prevent this!
