Belly fat can be a problem for both men and women. Trying to lose the fat and flatten your stomach is more complicated than just doing crunches from dusk until dawn. Exercising and eating a healthy diet full of nutrient-rich foods along with abdominal exercises are the keys to a flatter stomach.
Exercise
Daily exercise is important not only for overall weight loss, but also to lose weight in your belly. As you lose weight overall, your stomach fat will begin to shrink. Cardio exercises such as walking, running, swimming and cycling are all good exercises that will help you lose weight. Any exercise or sport that causes your heart rate to increase over a 30 minute period of time will help you lose weight. Exercising will also speed up your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight. A higher metabolism will result in more calories burned every day, even when you are resting. To lose 1 lb. of fat you must burn 3,500 calories more than you consume.
Diet
Changing your diet will also help flatten your stomach. According to MayoClinic.com, you should replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, avoid refined pasta and white bread, and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. Carbonated drinks can lead to bloating, which will make your stomach appear bigger, while consuming excess alcohol can also lead to a bigger waist. Water is the key to reducing bloating, and will also help flush out toxins in your body and keep your digestive tract working properly.
Abdominal Crunches
Although you cannot "spot-burn" belly fat, you can tone your abdominal muscles to help flatten your stomach. Ab crunches should be done after you finish a cardio workout, since your muscles will already be warmed up. The standard crunch is done by laying on your back with you knees up and feet on the floor. Lift your chest up towards the ceiling and lower it back down in a controlled manner. Lower abdominal crunches include lying flat on your back with your legs out straight, parallel to the floor. Lift and lower your legs in a controlled manner. To work your obliques you can do the bicycle crunch by lying on your back and moving your legs as if you are riding a bicycle. Cross the opposite elbow to the opposite knee as each knee comes up. Try doing three sets of 10 crunches for each exercise. Over time, you can increase to three sets of 15 and then three set of 20.
Considerations
Stress is another factors that can lead to a thicker stomach. Stress increases the hormone cortisol, which directs fat to your stomach. Relaxing and reducing your stress level will help prevent fat from forming around your stomach, along with exercising on a regular basis and eating a diet rich in healthy foods and low in saturated fats. It is important to always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise routine.
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