With so many fad diets and exercise programs advertising impressive weight-loss results, it is often difficult and confusing to determine which one is right for you. The best way to flatten your stomach and lead a happy, healthier life is to change your diet and lifestyle habits. Talk to your doctor to determine the diet and lifestyle adjustments that best suit you.
Change Your Diet
Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Choose lean meats and seafood over fattier foods like hamburgers and bacon.
Quench Your Thirst
Drink water. Sugary beverages like lemonade, lattes and energy drinks contain a lot of calories while soda and beer contain calories and carbon dioxide gas that may cause you to bloat. Not only is water calorie-free, it also plays an important role for your health, too.
Watch What You Eat
Avoid foods that cause you to bloat. Certain foods, such as fatty fast food meals and candy, may cause your tummy to fill up with gas and bloat. Certain fruits and vegetables, like broccoli and cabbage, may cause the same reaction. Determine which foods cause you to bloat and eat less of them.
Good Calories vs. Bad Calories
Make your calories count. All foods contain calories, yet protein, for example, contains 4 calories per gram while saturated fat contains 9 calories per gram. If you're counting calories for weight loss, eat more foods that are high in protein, carbohydrates and fiber.
Get Physical
Exercise. To lose 1 pound of fat a week, you must deduct or burn 500 calories a day. Choose exercises and activities that burn the most amount of calories including jumping rope, running, aerobics and swimming.
Build Muscle
Strength train. Building strong muscles improves your physique as well as helps burn calories even when you're not working out. For strong abdominals, do situps, crunches, planks, squats, lunges and pushups.
Get Checked Out By Your Doctor
Rule out gastrointestinal ailments. Certain gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and intestinal blockage, may result in gas, pressure and a bloated belly. Talk to your doctor if you experience diarrhea, constipation, bloating or pain when passing stools.
Eat More Fiber
Fiber helps keep your digestive tract healthy, promotes bowel movements and helps you lose weight. Foods high in fiber include apples, beans, carrots, oats and whole grains.
Stress Less
Chronic stress may make comfort foods, like macaroni and cheese and pizza, more appealing than healthy foods. Chronic stress may also impact your metabolism. Find healthier ways to handle stress including journaling, yoga, exercise or learn deep breathing techniques.
Sleep More
Getting enough sleep not only helps you stress less, it replenishes your mind and body. It also keeps your metabolism on track, which helps keep excess weight off.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet — End the Guesswork with these Nutrition Guidelines
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rethink Your Drink
- FitSugar; Bloated? These Foods May be the Culprit; February 2010
- Harvard Health Publications: Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Different Weights
- Cleveland Clinic: Gastrointestinal Disorders
- HelpGuide: Stress Management
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