Many people wonder how to get a flat stomach. After all, when it comes to how you feel about your body, excess belly fat is a major annoyance.
Most people can deal with a larger-than-average bottom, a bigger chest, or even some affectionate arm jiggle. But if you have extra fat around your midsection, fitting into those skinny jeans or feeling sexy on the beach will be a bit tough.
In this guide, we’ll discuss what you need to know about getting a flat tummy. Most of your efforts should be placed on diet and exercise. While there is no magic pill, following the guidelines here will put you on the right path to a flatter stomach in no time!
Learn How to Get a Flat Stomach Now
Part 1: Taking Control of Your Diet
Some individuals who are reading this won’t need to lose that much weight and, for the most part, they will only be looking for ways to help define their abs. But if you have excess fat, you’ll need weight loss strategies to get a flat stomach. Follow these guidelines.
Start Tracking Your Diet
If you’ve never tracked your diet before, now is the time to start. Begin by getting a small journal and keeping it with you at all times. This will be your food diary, and in it, you will begin tracking everything you eat.
You can start by simply tracking your food and calculating your calories. Use online calorie counters or buy a pocket calorie book to find out the calorie counts of your favorite foods. Simply track to start, and don’t change what you do.
Set a Caloric Intake Goal
Now, you will need to start limiting your calories. If you have excess weight on your body, it’s probably because you’ve been eating too many calories and not exercising them off.
A pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. Therefore, to lose one pound each week, you need to create a calorie deficit of 3500 calories each week (or 500 calories each day). Figure out how much you eat on average, then lower that amount by 3500 calories each week. That’s your calorie goal.
Plan Your Meals
To help you eat less, you’ll need to change the way you eat as well. This means a lot of planning.
Your goal should be to consume more fruits, veggies, healthy fats (olive oil, avocados), and lean protein (fish, chicken, turkey) and less processed fats, refined carbs, and sugar. This starts with not buying these unhealthy foods in the first place and stocking your fridge with healthy alternatives.
You’ll need to start planning what you eat – especially if you don’t have a lot of time. Make your lunch the night before, purchase pre-made salads or ready-made chicken to add to salads and stir-fries, and always have cut fruits and veggies in your fridge.
Track Your Progress
To avoid weight gain, make sure you are taking your measurements and tracking your progress. You must weigh and measure yourself once per week. Do not do this more than once per week because slight fluctuations may cause you to gain small amounts of weight before ultimately dropping pounds. Weighing and measuring yourself every day and expecting results will only make you lose motivation.
Part 2: Belly Fat Burning Exercises
Getting into an exercise regimen that works for you is the best way to get a flat stomach. In other words, not all exercise plans will work for everyone.
Fortunately, you will have a lot of leeway, but as a general rule, you have to mix ab exercises with cardiovascular exercise. Let’s go over each of these workout types:
Muscle-Building Exercises
Having a flatter, more defined stomach is about two things. First, if you have too much weight around your belly, you need to remove this excess fat so that your abs can — first and foremost — be seen. Do this with diet changes and cardio.
Next, you need to better define those muscles that make up your abs. This is where tummy-targeting exercises come in. Try these two for starters:
1. Plank-Ups
The plank position is ideal for shaping and defining your core (abs). The plank-up is a variation of the traditional plank.
Start by getting into a plank position on a floor mat. Make sure your hands are directly beneath your elbows and shoulders. Your back should be completely straight, and your head should be down.
Now, take the weight off of the right hand/arm and go down to your elbow. Do the same on the other side. Go back up to straight arm position on the right, and repeat on the left. That’s one move.
Do the move 10 times or as many times as you can.
2. Bicycle
Lie on your back on a floor mat, bend your knees, and bring your legs up so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your shins are parallel with the floor. Put your hands behind your head and lace your fingers, elbows out.
Now, starting with the right side, tighten your tummy muscles, and bring your right elbow to your left knee. As you do so, straighten your right leg out in front of you without lowering it. Come back to the center position, then do the same thing on the opposite side. This is one move. Do it kind of like you are riding a bike.
Repeat the move 20 to 30 times.
Cardio Exercise
Now that you have some ab-defining exercises, to begin with, you’ll need to get in some cardio, too. Here’s where you’ll have the most flexibility.
For example, you can start by joining a sports club or an intramural team. Try a sport that has you running and moving a lot, like basketball, soccer, volleyball, or tennis.
If you’d rather do something less competitive, take an aerobics class. Alternatively, if you’d like to work out alone, swimming, biking, and running are always options.
Just make sure that you’re working up a sweat. It’s better to go hard for a short period of time than it is to slowly and easily exercise for a long time.
A great way to get in a quick and fat-burning workout on a treadmill or bike, for example, is to try HIIT – high-intensity interval training. This is where you go hard (90% – 100%) for a minute or so, then slow it down to 30% – 40% for an equal amount of time.
You go back and forth like this 4 or 5 times, and that’s your workout!
Extra Tips to Aid Your Progress
Here are some other tips to keep in mind throughout the process of learning how to get a flat stomach:
Master Self Motivation
Getting fit and getting flat abs is certainly about what you eat and how you exercise, but it’s also about your mindset. You need to get your head on straight before you begin!
A good way to keep yourself motivated is to keep a journal. Write about why you want to get fitter and lose weight. Put up Post-it notes to remind you throughout the day, or set alarms on your phone.
You might also tell your friends what you are doing, and ask for their encouragement. Tell your family, too, as you all may be able to get fit together (who couldn’t use a flatter stomach!?).
Know How to Dine Out
One challenge that many people run into is eating out at restaurants or parties. Once you get to these places, all diet rules seem to go out the window!
To master eating out and eating at restaurants, remember that planning is everything. The best way to get through an event where there will be tempting foods is to plan ahead. For example, if you want to have a piece of cake, go for it, but forgo the daily granola bar snack. If you want to have a glass of wine, great. That’s okay, but eat less salad dressing at lunch.
Next, make sure that you know what will be on the menu. Check online for restaurant menus, or ask the party planner. Then, you can plan what you will have at the event and work it into your weekly food intake.
Fallen Off the Wagon? There’s No Time Like the Present to Start Again!
Going on a new diet for weight loss and starting a new exercise regimen to better define your abs is tough. This is why it is important to keep your head even if you don’t consistently hit your goals every day.
Many people wonder how to get a flat stomach. After all, when it comes to how you feel about your body, excess belly fat is a major annoyance.
Learn how to get a flat stomach with this full abs workout guide! With dedication and discipline, you’ll get the perfect abs in no time!
If you’re still wondering how to get a flat stomach, don’t worry. Definitely, aim to follow the eating and exercise guidelines above, but if (and when) you make a mistake, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, realize that this is a percentages game. You need to do well most of the time. If you mess up every once in a while, brush yourself off, aim not to do it again, forgive yourself, and get back into your routine. With consistency and persistence, a flat tummy will be yours soon!
Want to know what kind of diet and training will suit you better? Take this quiz now and find out!
Do you know how to get a flat stomach now? Share the most useful tip you’ve learned in the comments section below!
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