While crunches and other abdominal work will help you tone up and gain a firmer mid-section, the truth is that a flat belly can only come from a combination of lifestyle changes. This often includes changing your diet, adding cardio, losing weight and avoiding certain foods or ingredients that can cause bloating.
Step 1
Eliminate all foods in your diet that can cause you to bloat. This is different for everybody, so you might need to try a few variations to see which foods affect you the most. Common bloating foods include beans and lentils, broccoli, citrus fruits, cauliflower, nuts and cabbage. A dairy or wheat allergy also can lead to bloating.
Step 2
Give up gum for the time being. Chewing gum (even sugar-free) can cause extra air to get trapped in your stomach, leading to bloating. Fizzy drinks also create gas and will make it harder to get a flat belly.
Step 3
Reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Carbs cause bloat and can lead to water retention, which usually shows up in the face, ankles and stomach. Avoid pastries, sweets, pastas and pizza. Switch to whole grains whenever possible, choosing brown rice over white and dark, leafy vegetables over starchy ones.
Step 4
Focus on losing weight. Small changes such as cutting a few hundred calories a day can result in a pound of weight loss a week. Since you can't spot reduce--lose body fat from one specific area--your goal is to lose any overall excess weight, which in turn will cause your belly to flatten.
Step 5
Find ways to deal with stress. Stress causes the body to release cortisol, a hormone that causes fat to be stored around the belly area. How you fight stress depends mainly on your own preferences, but you can try yoga or Pilates, which not only help you relax but also accelerate your metabolism and can help you lose weight. Meditation, guided imagery and even self-hypnosis can be effective ways to lower stress.
Step 6
Work your abs. Crunches won't reduce the size of your belly, but they will tone up the area so once you lose excess weight, you won't be flabby or have bulges. For best results, combine different abs exercises that engage the upper and lower abdomen, as well as the oblique muscles. To get you started, basic crunches are a good option.
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