Getting a flat stomach isn’t as simple as some people would have you believe. The flatness of your stomach area depends on many factors, including genetics, the time of day and what you’ve eaten recently.
Some bloating may be temporary, or you may be plagued with stubborn belly fat. If you’re looking to lose weight around your middle, it’s difficult to target fat loss to a specific area, but it’s not impossible!
You can lose weight and gain muscle around your midsection with a nutrient-rich diet, targeted exercise, and some healthy lifestyle strategies. We’ve consulted experts to discover the most effective ways to combat bloating and achieve a flatter stomach.
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Cut down on salt and fizzy drinks
The fastest results in getting a flatter belly typically come from cutting excess sodium and gas-producing foods, which can reduce water retention and bloating within 24-48 hours.
According to celebrity personal trainer Michael Baah, ‘Staying hydrated, keeping salt steady, swapping gas-forming vegetables like beans and onions for gentler carbs like rice and oats, and cutting fizzy drinks will help you beat the bloat.’
Chew your food thoroughly
Angela Ferguson, nutritional therapist and founder of the Freya Clinic, says, in order to help with bloating, chew your food thoroughly, because digestion starts in the mouth.
Ferguson says, ‘Breaking food down mechanically allows enzymes in saliva to begin the digestive process. Studies show that slower, more mindful chewing reduces bloating and improves nutrient absorption.’
Sit down, slow down, and rest before you eat
‘When you eat in a rushed or stressed state, your body is in ‘fight-or-flight’ mode, which diverts blood flow away from the digestive tract. This can impair enzyme secretion and stomach acid release. Being seated and relaxed activates the parasympathetic ‘rest-and-digest’ response which is essential for efficient digestion,’ according to Ferguson.
Create a calorie deficit
Adam Clark, a fitness expert from Rugbystuff.com, says if you are looking to lose weight around your stomach, you should be in a calorie deficit. This means eating fewer calories than what you use. This forces your body to use its stored energy (fat), and therefore, you can lose weight. For example, if you burn 2,000 calories a day but eat 1,500 calories, you would be in a 500-calorie deficit.
Clark says, ‘Do not restrict your intake too much, as this can actually have the opposite effect. Eating too few calories can potentially decrease your metabolic rate, which refers to the number of calories that you burn in a day. It may also reduce lean body mass, which can reduce the number of calories that you burn when resting.’
Eat the rainbow
Nutritionist Henri Davy says ‘One of the most effective ways to support your gut is by ‘eating the rainbow’ and aiming for around 30 different plant foods each week. ‘This variety of colours, fibres and phytonutrients helps feed diverse gut bacteria and promotes smoother digestion. Alongside mindful eating, good hydration and balanced meals, these habits are far more effective for reducing bloating than endless abdominal exercises.’
Limit sugar
Clark says, ‘There is thought to be a direct link between consuming a high amount of sugar and increased waist size. A lot of foods can contain added sugar, so you will need to check the labels of products carefully, and try to limit your sugar intake to roughly less than ten percent of the calories you consume.’
Eat more protein
‘High protein diet can help to decrease your appetite and make you feel fuller. Your body actually burns more calories as it digests protein, in comparison to other food groups like fats or carbohydrates,’ says Clark.
Eating protein can also help you retain lean body mass when you lose weight, which can help control your metabolism and make losing weight easier.
Stock up on gut-friendly foods
Dr Sadia Saeed, a physician at Welzo, recommends incorporating gut-friendly foods such as peppermint tea, ginger, kefir, kimchi, papaya, and bananas into your diet to reduce bloating.
Saeed says, ‘Probiotics from foods like kefir and kimchi support a healthy gut microbiome, while ingredients like peppermint and ginger can relax digestive muscles and ease discomfort. Additionally, choose low-fructose fruits, hydrating foods like watermelon, and fibre-rich options like asparagus to promote regular bowel movements and flush out excess fluids.’
Improve your posture
‘Correcting poor posture can make you look five pounds slimmer instantly,’ says personal trainer Tina Brodrick. Maintaining proper posture throughout the day can work wonders for your core muscles and contribute to a flatter, more toned tummy.
Brodrick says, ‘For better posture, align your ears over your shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles. Keep your shoulders open like a shirt on a hanger, not one draped on a peg. Draw your navel to your spine. This will ensure you have correct posture throughout the day.’
Take regular walks
Baah says 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. According to Baah, 8–10,000 steps per day helps with fat loss and digestion, two often-overlooked keys to achieving a flat stomach.
Exercise standing up
Clark says, ‘If you are capable, exercising while standing up has more benefits than exercising while sitting down. When you stand, you activate more muscles to keep your balance and hold up your body weight, meaning that you use more energy when working out.’
Drink more water
Saeed says 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.’
Fire up your core with these four moves
Personal trainer Federica Gianni says you can’t crunch your way to a flat stomach. ‘When it comes to core training, I always remind my clients that it’s about more than just visible abs. A strong core supports your posture, improves balance, protects your spine, and enables you to move through everyday life with greater power and confidence. It’s also deeply connected to your breath, your focus, and your sense of control, which is why I approach core work as both a physical and mental practice.’
Gianni details her four core exercises to work your midsection:
Plank: To pull off a good plank, you have to position yourself like one. Hold yourself up on the ground with your forearms and toes. Your back and legs should be as straight as possible. Clasp your hands if it helps you balance. Start with 10-20 seconds, then gradually increase to a minute over time.
Reverse crunch: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. With your knees bent, squeeze your abs and raise your legs so that your knees are hovering over your hips at a 90-degree angle. Engage your core as you lift your hips and knees toward your chest. Keep your entire upper body on the ground. Keep the legs at a 90-degree angle throughout the entire movement as you come back down, and tap the feet on the ground. Repeat the steps, remembering to breathe slowly while contracting your abdominal muscles. For beginners: try 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
Leg raises: Start lying on your back. Keep your arms by your sides with your palms pressed firmly into the mat. Raise your legs straight directly above the hips in an L-shaped position. Inhale as you lower your legs down, hovering about six inches above the mat. Pause for a brief hold. Exhale as you draw your belly button in towards your spine, lifting your legs back up to a 90-degree angle. Aiming for 10 to 12 reps is a good starting point for beginners. You can build up your rep count as needed.
Woodchops: Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell with both hands. Rotate your torso to the right and raise the dumbbell until it’s over the right shoulder. Squat as you rotate your torso to the left and bring the dumbbell diagonally across the body until it’s close to your left hip. Repeat and then switch sides. Choose a weight that is heavy enough to allow you to perform at least 10 to 12 repetitions on each side with proper exercise form.
Try to lower your stress
Davy says, ‘Whenever you experience stress, the body switches into ‘fight or flight’ mode. In this state, blood flow is directed towards the brain and muscles and away from the digestive system. As a result, gut motility slows, stomach acid and enzyme production drop, and even the gut microbiota can be altered all of which contribute to bloating and discomfort. Supporting your nervous system through relaxation is therefore just as important as nutrition for a flat tummy. Simple practices such as deep belly breathing, gentle yoga, or meditation can calm the stress response and restore healthier digestion.’
Prioritise sleep
Anna McKay from tech company Zeez Sleep says, ‘Stomach bloating and visceral fat are linked to inflammation and poor sleep. This is often overlooked. If we sleep badly, we don’t get the full benefit of good nutrition or exercise, so we are wasting our effort.’
According to McKay, ‘Poor sleep disrupts our hormones, increasing ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry, and decreasing leptin, which makes us feel full. It raises stress hormones like cortisol, impairing glucose metabolism and reducing energy so that we tend to be less active.’
Research from 2018 found that sleep deprivation affects the hormones that regulate a person’s appetite, making them feel hungrier. The authors noted that increasing sleep duration and improving sleep quality could help people lose weight.
Know that there are no shortcuts
Many companies offer a quick fix to flatten your stomach. Whether that’s through electrical pulse machines that offer the benefits of stomach crunches without the need to exercise or ‘skinny teas’ that claim they will instantly flatten your stomach.
However, Saeed says, ‘There’s no magic pill, tea or machine that will offer long-term benefits. Unfortunately, losing weight sustainably takes time, and you may never get a completely flat stomach. Sometimes genetics or body composition mean you will never have washboard abs. But taking time to improve your health through lifestyle changes such as exercise will benefit you more in the long term, and a flatter stomach may be a by-product of this.’
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