- Diet is essential to maintaining good body composition. A flat stomach requires a body with low body fat, and that requires a diet that is low in sugars, carbohydrates and harmful fats (such as trans fats or saturated fats). Limiting the intake of these will help the body burn its existing fat, which will gradually flatten the stomach.
-
Your body is a fat-burning machine, and the way it burns fat is through the use of muscles. Muscles are built and toned through regular use (exercise.) Stomach muscles can be developed through simple exercises such as sit-ups or crunches, or through more complex and intensive methods such as weight training, swimming or core-strength development (such as yoga and Pilates).
Exercise, especially aerobic exercise such as running, increases metabolism, or the rate at which your body converts food to energy. A healthy metabolism can contribute to a flat stomach (and good fitness overall.) -
What you eat is important, but how much you eat is also a contributing factor to the flatness of the stomach. The stomach is a flexible organ; it can expand when overfilled, or contract when empty. While it is generally unwise to cause the stomach to shrink (this is accomplished by under-eating) it is also important not to binge and cause the stomach to expand. The phenomenon of the "beer belly" is a great example of the stomach's expansion; when someone drinks too much beer, the volume of the liquid, coupled with the carbonation, causes the stomach to expand. This creates a cycle of expansion; the stomach takes more to fill, so the person eats and drinks more to feel full.
Moderating portions is key to developing and maintaining a flat stomach.
