Let’s face it, we all want to know how to get a flat belly in a week but is is possible? We all want to get rid of belly fat whether it is just a few pounds or a more substantial amount.
A lot of people would have you believe that the belly is one of the hardest parts of the body to lose fat from, but is that actually the case?
Fat accumulates in every part of the body but there are certain areas that are more prone to higher concentrations of stored fat cells than others, the belly unfortunately being one of them.
The truth of the matter is that when your body burns fat it does so all over and at the same rate, in other words, when you lose 2lbs you lose it from your entire body’s fat stores, not just from your belly, and no amount of crunches will ever change that, because your body simply doesn’t work like that!
However, if the fat stored in certain parts of your body, such as your belly, is hugely disproportionate to other parts of your body, you will certainly see results quicker in the problem areas than if you are carrying excess weight all over!
Before I crack on and give you the 5 simple steps I am going to be straight with you; getting a flat belly within a week sounds great but in order to achieve a result like that, you will have to be only slightly overweight to start with.
So if you are, dare I say it, a little more than a little over weight, PLEASE don’t set yourself up for a fall by expecting results that are not achievable within seven days. Sure you can achieve a flat belly, it will just take longer than 7 days that’s all.
Anyway without further ado here are the 5 steps to having a flat belly in a week!
1 – Always Eat When You Are Supposed To! Flat Belly
Proper mealtimes should always be adhered to, breakfast in the morning, lunch in the middle of the day and dinner in the evening.
In addition to this you should eat a high protein snack between the hours of 3pm and 4pm. This could be an apple, nuts or some low-fat cheese. A protein boost at this time a day gives a jump start to your metabolism, regulating your body’s blood sugars levels thus keeping your body’s insulin levels low.
Not only does this keep hunger at bay until you sit down for your dinner but it also reduces the levels of fat actually being stored and stops you from eating too much at dinner because you will feel satisfied sooner.
2 – Exercise
There are a myriad of exercise options that target the stomach muscles, way too many to cover here, but here’s one I would advise you to try:
The Stability Ball Pass
The stability ball pass is an extremely s imple, yet highly effective exercise, here’s how to do it: Flat Belly
- Lie flat on your back keeping your arms straight and by your side. Place a stability ball between your feet.
- Start to raise your legs with the ball being held by your feet.
- At the same time raise your arms to meet and take the ball from your feet.
- Lower the ball, now in your hands, to the floor above your head whilst at the same time lowering your legs to the ground.
- Feet to hands then hands to feet is one rep, you need to do ten reps every session and you need to do this daily.
Check out the video to see how to do a stability ball pass.
3 – No Sugar
Sugar is one of the worst things you can eat excessively by far, especially if your target is to get rid of unwanted belly fat. You will need to eat as close to zero grams of sugar as is humanly possible. Doing so will keep insulin levels low and glucagon high.
Glucagon is a hormone that helps to reduce the levels of fat in the stomach.
4 – Chewing Your Food Properly
My mom always told me to chew my food properly, and it just goes to show moms are always right!
One of the main reasons for feeling and looking bloated is swallowing food that has not been chewed properly. Your mouth is the first step of your digestion process and food should not be swallowed until it has been pulverized to a pulp by your pearly whites.
Doing so makes food much easier to digest once it reaches the stomach resulting in less digestive juices and resultant gases being produced and less bloating of the stomach.
5 – Forget Doing Crunches – Flat Belly
I started by saying at the beginning of this article that crunches will not rid you of belly fat and leave you with a flat tummy, well not in so many words perhaps but I’m not going to go back on that statement, there are far more effective exercises you can do.
The key word here is exercise, and the one type of exercise that instantly springs to mind as it is always being touted by experts as being the best for burning calories and therefore reducing body fat levels is cardio.
Cardiovascular exercise improves blood and oxygen flow which in turn increases metabolism. This is a good thing because our metabolism is what dictates the rate at which our bodies burn calories, an increased metabolism means an increased number of calories burned.
There are many different ways to do a cardio workout from running, swimming and cycling to Zumba and dance classes, find something you enjoy and stick with it.
Once you have incorporated at least 20 minutes of cardio exercise daily you should look to increase your lean muscle mass by using weights or resistance training. Lean muscle burns calories even at rest so the more muscular you become the easier it is to burn fat!
Though it has to be said, irrespective of what I have written above, following a healthy diet and exercising regularly is the best advice that I or anyone else will give you.
Always remember, losing weight is easy in theory, all you need to do to is burn more calories than you consume. However, putting that theory into practice is a little more difficult, that’s why it is always a good idea to follow a proven weight loss plan that only advises healthy eating and exercise, no fad diets.
You can check out a number of healthy and effective weight loss plans below, all are exceptional and work extremely well (but only if you follow what they tell you to do!)