How to Get a Flat Tummy in Three Days

Even skinny people have days when their tummy sticks out over the top of their jeans. It’s a curse, especially for women, who have less muscle mass than men to hold the stomach in, and it is the one thing that can ruin self-esteem when you’ve prepared for a special night out by waxing and fake-tanning and tweezing stray eyebrows. All that effort and the sticky-out tummy ruins the line of your new dress. But flat tummies can be attained.

Ways to a Flatter Stomach

The most effective ways to flatten the stomach include the following:

• Stop eating bread.

It sounds wrong because bread is a daily part of most people’s lives. But the ingredients in most breads – gluten, sugar and salt – can cause bloating and increase fluid retention, causing digestion to slow down and create gas (which by its nature, expands to fill the available volume of the system), as a by-product of metabolism.

• Cut down on salty foods.

The body has a sensitive sodium level, which is regulated by lowering salt concentration by body mass. Either the excess sodium is excreted through the kidneys in urine or it is diluted with water to maintain a safe concentration. This water adds mass to your body and creates that "heavy" feeling.

• Drink more water.

Conversely, water flushes out excess sodium from the body and counter-intuitively, removes water retention caused by imbalanced electrolytes such as salt. A safe amount of water to drink daily is two litres a day for women and 2.5 litres for men, according to the latest recommendations from the European Food Safety Authority. This will vary depending on heat and exercise conditions coupled with food intake. Excess water intake will lower electrolytes beyond a safe level and cause water intoxication. More isn’t always more in the case of water.

• Eat more fruit and vegetables.

These foods tend to be high in fibre, which helps to increase gut transit times. Some fruits and vegetables such as beans can cause gas production, but are good additions to a healthy diet so should not be continually avoided. The water content in fruits and vegetables will also help with water retention.

• Lose weight if overweight.

A covering of abdominal fat will not disappear with healthier eating. The only way to do it is to burn fat through diets and exercise. It’s hard but it’s worth it.

• Cut out fizzy drinks and cut down on alcohol.

The gas in sodas and beer cause symptoms of bloating due to their volume. Drinking flat drinks and wine is a small price to pay for a flat tummy.

• Exercise will help to strengthen and tone abdominal muscles.

Sit-ups and weight-training will help to strengthen abdominal muscles. These muscles, underworked in most women, help retain a flat tummy even if gas bloating occurs.But if life is too short for the pain of exercise, try all the other tips above for a good chance of feeling comfortable in the new dress or looking good on the beach. Once you go flat you’ll never go back.