How to Get a Flatter Stomach: Diet, Exercise, and Lifestyle Strategies (2024)

It’s difficult to target fat loss to a specific area, but you may be able to lose weight and gain muscle around your midsection with a nutrient-rich diet, targeted exercise, and some healthy lifestyle strategies.

Reducing excess abdominal fat isn’t as simple as some would have you believe. The flatness of your stomach area depends on many factors, including the time of day and what you’ve eaten recently.

Experts also debate whether targeted fat loss in a specific body area is possible. Fat cells are stored throughout the body. They can be broken down and used as energy during exercise from any part of the body, not just the area that you’re engaging.

Here’s a closer look at strategies for general weight loss and reduced bloating.

You don’t need to incorporate these strategies all at once. Instead, look for shifts you can add slowly over time.

Reduce calories (but not too much)

If you’re looking to lose weight, you may want to monitor your calorie intake.

However, restricting your calorie intake too much can be counterproductive and harmful to your health.

Eating too few calories can cause a decrease in your metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn on a daily basis. It can also cause a significant reduction in lean body mass, which can lower the number of calories that you burn at rest.

Limit your sugar intake

Studies have shown a direct link between high intake of added sugar and increased waist size, especially in people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages.

Various foods contain added sugar, so it’s important to check the ingredient label carefully when shopping. The revised Nutrition Facts labels on packaged foods and drinks make it easier to see how much added sugar is in the product you’re considering.

Try to limit added sugar intake to less than 10% of total daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to about 200 calories or 12 teaspoons (48 grams) per day.

Limit your intake of refined carbs

Limiting your total carb intake may help reduce belly fat and support weight loss.

However, you don’t have to cut out all carbs to reap the benefits, especially if a low carb diet isn’t ideal for you. Replacing refined carbs, which are heavily processed and low in important nutrients like fiber, with whole grains can be beneficial.

Eat more fiber, especially soluble fiber

Soluble fibers absorb large quantities of water and slow the passing of food through the digestive tract.

This can increase feelings of fullness, help decrease carb absorption, and protect against the accumulation of visceral fat around the organs.

Fruits, oats, barley, legumes, and certain vegetables, such as broccoli and carrots, are good sources of soluble fiber.

Learn about other fiber-rich foods to add to your diet.

Increase your consumption of probiotics

Probiotics are a type of beneficial bacteria that may play a key role in weight management.

Some strains of probiotics have been shown to be particularly effective at helping reduce belly fat in people who are already living with obesity. These include:

• Lactobacillus fermentum
• Lactobacillus amylovorus
• Lactobacillus gasseri

Some research suggests that the gut microbiome may affect weight gain, and alterations in its composition could also be linked to a greater risk of obesity.

Taking probiotics may help increase beneficial gut flora, reducing the risk of weight gain. Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kimchi, and pickles are good sources of probiotics.

It’s important to note that probiotics do not directly cause weight loss. They can be a helpful tool when used alongside a nutritious diet and exercise, but they may not have the same effect on everyone.

Always talk with a doctor or a registered dietitian before deciding to add probiotics to your diet.

Eat more protein

Protein is an important nutrient when it comes to weight loss. High protein diets can reduce your appetite and increase feelings of fullness. Additionally, your body burns more calories digesting protein than fat or carbs.

Protein can also help retain lean body mass during weight loss, which can help maintain your metabolism to ease weight management.

How much protein you need depends on many factors, such as your age, sex, and activity level.

Add eggs to your diet

Eggs are high in protein and low in calories, with about 72 calories and 6 grams of protein in one large egg.

Some research suggests that eggs can help support weight loss.

For example, one 2020 study found that people who ate a breakfast containing eggs consumed fewer calories at lunch compared with those who ate a breakfast with cereal.

Eat fatty fish each week or take fish oil

Fatty fish is a nutrient-dense food that’s rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may be tied to reduced belly fat.

It’s generally recommended to eat fatty fish once or twice per week.

While whole foods are generally the best way to get your vitamins and minerals, if you don’t like eating fatty fish, you can get long-chain fatty acids from fish oil or fish oil supplements.

Be aware that fish oil supplements only provide omega-3s, not protein. In addition, use caution when purchasing fish oil supplements, as supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

One more note of caution: Be sure to talk with a doctor or dietitian first if you’re considering taking any kind of supplements. Some of them can interact with medications or health conditions you may have.

Eat foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids

Diets high in monounsaturated fatty acids may help reduce belly fat and help with weight management.

Monounsaturated fatty acids are a type of heart-healthy fat found in a variety of foods.

The Mediterranean diet is an example of a diet that’s high in monounsaturated fatty acids. This diet is linked to many health benefits, including a reduced risk of weight gain and decreased belly fat in children and adults.

Foods high in monounsaturated fatty acids include olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds.

Remember to swap unsaturated fats for monounsaturated fats to avoid adding calories if your goal is weight loss.

Certain tweaks to your fitness habits can also promote weight loss.

Add more cardio to your routine

Doing cardio, also called aerobic exercise, is an excellent way to burn calories and improve overall health. Examples of cardio include running, brisk walking, biking, and rowing.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults get at least:

• 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity, or
• 75 to 150 minutes per week of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity, or
• an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic activity (ideally, aerobic
  activity should be spread throughout the week)

Try resistance training

Losing muscle mass is a common side effect of dieting. This can reduce the number of calories you burn on a daily basis.

Doing resistance exercises regularly may preserve lean body mass and help you maintain or improve your metabolism.

Moreover, resistance training may even be effective at reducing total body fat and visceral fat.

Do exercises standing instead of sitting

If you’re able, exercising while standing up may benefit your health more than exercising while sitting or using weight machines.

By standing, you activate more muscles to maintain balance and hold up your weight. Therefore, you spend more energy working out.

Although this might seem like a minor alteration, for individuals who are able to, standing can be an easy way to strengthen the midsection and maximize your results.

Try high intensity interval training (HIIT)

HIIT is a type of exercise that involves doing intervals of very intense activity, such as sprinting, rowing, or jumping, with short breaks in between.

This method of exercising helps your body burn more fat and temporarily increases your metabolic rate, even after you’ve finished your workout. This is due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.

Small changes to your daily habits may also help with weight loss.

Take regular walks

You don’t need to exercise vigorously or spend hours in the gym to reap health benefits.

Regular, brisk walks have been shown to effectively reduce total body fat and the fat located around the midsection in people with obesity.

A small 2019 study found that people with obesity who walked 12,000 steps per day and took a brisk walk three times a week had reduced visceral fat and hip circumferences after 8 weeks.

Drink more water

Drinking more water may help support weight management and prevent bloating.

Increased water intake may promote weight loss by very temporarily increasing your metabolic rate, or the number of calories that you burn at rest.

Drinking water before meals may also help you feel fuller, helping reduce calorie intake.

Staying hydrated can also help relieve constipation, which can contribute to bloating.

Try mindful eating

Mindful eating is a technique that helps you recognize and cope with your emotions and physical sensations regarding food and hunger.

It involves:

• eating without distractions
• focusing on your physical hunger cues
• eating only until you feel full

Most studies agree that mindful eating helps promote weight management by changing your eating behaviors and reducing stress-related behaviors, such as emotional eating or overeating.

Manage stress

Chronic stress may contribute to overeating and emotional eating, which can lead to weight gain.

Additionally, stress triggers the body to produce cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite and food cravings.

It’s not realistic to completely eliminate stress, but incorporating stress-relieving activities into your daily routine, like yoga or meditation, can help.

Learn more tips for reducing stress.

Keep a food diary

When you’re trying to lose weight, monitoring your diet by keeping a food diary can be helpful. Food diaries can give you insight into your personal eating patterns, portion sizes, and nutrition intake.

You don’t have to do this all the time, but it may be good to keep track of your intake for several days in a row every few weeks. This will make you more aware of your calorie intake and allow you to adjust your eating patterns if needed.

Limit alcohol

Alcohol contains 7 calories for each gram.

Ounce for ounce, beer contains a similar number of calories as a sugary soft drink, while red wine contains nearly twice that amount.

If you regularly drink alcohol, cutting back or eliminating it from your diet can be an easy way to reduce calories.

Prioritize sleep

Getting enough quality sleep is important for weight management.

A 2021 study found that better sleep health was associated with greater weight loss and fat loss during a 12-month weight loss intervention.

Most adults should aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night to support overall health and maintain a moderate weight.

Why sneaking extra activities into your day helps

You can easily add extra activities into your day by increasing the amount of non-exercise activity you do. This includes standing, fidgeting, or just generally moving around.

These activities may help you burn additional calories per day, depending on factors like your body size and activity level.

Easy ways to add extra activity to your daily routine include walking around while talking on the phone, standing up regularly, working at a standing desk, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

It’s not possible to “target” fat loss in just your abdominal area, but many strategies can help support overall fat loss and weight loss effectively.

Just keep in mind that weight loss won’t necessarily make your abdomen flat. Some people might always carry some extra weight in this area due to genetics and other factors. If you want to learn to accept your body as it is, body neutrality may be a helpful framework.