How can a woman get a Flat Stomach and Beautiful Tummy?

Medically reviewed by Nataniel Josue Alvarez M.D.

Can I get a flat stomach? How do you get a defined stomach? How do I get flat abs? What to eat to have a defined tummy? There is a very simple answer to these questions that we will later develop in-depth.

To have a flat and defined stomach, you have to consume fewer calories than you spend per day (about 500 Kcal). In this way, the percentage of body fat will, until you start seeing the six-pack. In women, it will be 14% and in men 12%. You will get your abs on your plate, not in the gym.

Everyone wants to get a flat, defined belly. You will know that this not only indicates that you are in shape, but it is also an indicator that you are healthy.

Men may have more massive biceps and deltoids, but women don't give them any ground for abs. Just take a look at our website, and you'll see that the waist is equally impressive in both sexes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDpp6yqipcm/

Don't get obsessed with crunches all the time; this will only make your muscles stronger. To get a flat stomach and defined belly, it is essential, in addition to exercise, to lower your percentage of body fat. In this article, we will give you 13 tricks that will help you get to reduce your belly size and define it.

How can I get a flat tummy naturally? The secrets to having a flat stomach

How can I get a flat, defined tummy? Many women new to weight training say that they "want to lose a little bit of here and there.

While no exercise can beat weights for firmness and curvature while removing fat, it is impossible to reduce it in any one place.

Several years ago, researchers measured the fat content of a tennis player's arm. Ostensibly, the dominant or active arm should have had a lower fat percentage because it worked much harder than the other arm. 

The results? The active arm had slightly more muscle development but identical fat content to the less active arm! Another study controlled for intense, site-specific exercise for six weeks. 

It did find that there was a reduction in fat at that site, but only by one millimeter, absolutely unnoticeable to the naked eye, and in no way justifying the amount of exercise needed to achieve it.

This failure has to do with the fact that fat loss occurs in a systematic, whole-body manner. 

There is no way to affect a single area of the body like our stomach. The compounds that stimulate fat expulsion, such as adrenaline, are transported by the blood to distribute them throughout the body.

To achieve a significant reduction in tummy or waist fat, you must follow a program that emphasizes diet and exercise. Failing to follow diet delays or almost eliminates the result, no matter how much use you do.

Control your calorie deficit 

A scientific study conducted by C. Hill, B. W. Weir, L. W Fuentes, A. Garcia-Alvarez, Danya P Anouti, and L. J Cheskin concluded that decreasing calorie intake every day is associated with more weight loss.

Suppose you want to have a flat stomach. In that case, you have to lose half a kilo of fat per week, and you have to incur a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day (by eating less, training more, or combining both) because half a kilo of fat is equivalent to about 3,500 calories.

Fat loss occurs weekly, not daily. Specifically, it takes 72 hours for fat to fixate in the body, so we have a two-day intervention period to exceed our caloric intake.

If we increase the caloric deficit to 1,000 calories per day, the loss of fat will be equivalent to one kilo per week. That is the healthy limit because a more significant loss would decrease noble tissue, such as muscle.

Losing it would damage our efforts because muscle regulates our basal metabolism, and the more tissue, the more metabolic elevation. The loss of muscle leads to an immediate increase in fat due to the decreased metabolic rate.

Our reduction diet should emphasize natural carbohydrate foods such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. These foods should make up two-thirds of your meal.

You may be interested in "How many calories should I eat to lose or gain weight" (Calculator and menus)"

Eat plenty of protein. 

According to a study published in the American Society for Nutrition, protein consumption increases bodyweight management.

Protein should come from low-fat foods such as skinless chicken or turkey, fresh fish, and occasionally red meat.
Protein is essential for a flat, defined stomach.

Some specialists are against this type of meat, but red meat contains a form of iron that is easily absorbed, and iron is often lacking in the female diet. Thus, it makes sense to include lean meats twice a week, even on a reduction diet.

The biggest adversary of the waist is fat from food coughs. Research has shown that fat in food coughs accumulates earlier in the body than excess protein or carbohydrate due to one of metabolism's complexities.

At nine calories per gram, fat has more than twice the energy value of protein or carbohydrate. Fat makes us more obese, so we must reduce its intake until it constitutes no more than 10 percent of our total calories.

In practice, cutting fat intake means switching to low-fat dairy products, avoiding fried foods, and being careful with baked goods, which, like cookies, sometimes have as much as 75 percent of their calories from fat.

Have a positive attitude about your diet

Another critical aspect of the food is the attitude towards it. Doctor Kerry Brownell, of the Obesity Research Group at the University of Pennsylvania, says:

"When people go on a diet, they make mistakes, and they often backtrack. These mistakes end up making many people abandon their initial goals.

We teach people to focus on three words: Fall, Relapse, and Collapse. And there are specific techniques to ensure that falling does not lead to collapse.

If, for example, a woman takes in 3,500 calories during a wedding, she will probably have gained a pound of fat and will want to give up the diet.

The proper response is, of course, not to give it up. Instead, say to yourself: 'I ate too much, I didn't want to, but I'm going back to my plan. That takes practice because negative thoughts often come in strings.

Brownell also advises that we learn to confront anyone who tries, even a stranger, to sabotage our diet.

Be realistic about your diet.

It would help if you were realistic about your diet. If you consume too much fat and sugar, your dream of a flat, marked abdomen will never see the light of day.

No, this doesn't mean you have to live on small portions of vegetables; it means you need to learn what to eat and understand what foods you are eating.

Eat healthy snacks

Working in an office can mean eating the first sandwich or bun from the nearest vending machine, eating unhealthy food without overthinking.

But you can make a healthy sandwich or a tapper with something healthy. Here's a fascinating article where you can learn how to eat healthy outside the home.

Calculate the calories you need

First, you have to calculate the number of calories you need to take each day to reduce your body fat little by little. You never want to lose too much weight. It has many risks for your health.

If you want to calculate the calories to eat, there are many formulas, but we always recommend the Harris-Benedict; here is a calculator easy to use.

[CalorieCalc]

You may be interested in "How many calories should I eat per day to lose or gain weight? (Calculator and menus EXPLAINED)"

Eat five meals a day.

You need to plan five meals a day, including the right balance of protein and carbohydrates. That will help you improve your diet quickly. A high-protein, low-carb diet can also help, such as the Ketogenic Diet or the Dukan Diet.

You may be interested in "What is the ketogenic diet?" or "Secrets of the Dukan Diet"

Practice Intermittent Fasting

Practice occasional intermittent fasting. It is a potent tool that will help you lower the number of calories you consume daily. Don't panic; several fasting types explain in-depth in the article on intermittent fasting.

Learn to enjoy your food

It would be best if you also started enjoying the food. Maybe you should learn to cook and become aware of what you eat. Planning your meals is critical. If you do it, you will achieve your goal more quickly.

Don't drink alcohol

Avoid alcohol. That is probably not a surprise, but drinking alcohol will not help you have a flat or marked belly.

Beer, especially, is very high in calories, which always tend to add fat around your waist and buttocks and will potentially reverse all the work we've done at the gym.

You don't have to eliminate it. Just keep in mind that a perfect diet and exercise program can be affected by excessive alcohol consumption.

Seek professional help

A personal trainer or a nutritionist can be beneficial. There are also plenty of applications and websites that offer tailored advice to help you reach your goals.

The one we always recommend is MyFitnessPal; in this app, you enter the foods you eat, and it tells you the calories they have.

Play different sports to define your tummy and abs

The third element of this Abdominal Program is aerobic exercise, which achieves real fat burning. Choose the one you want, aerobic dance, cycling, or jogging.

It doesn't matter which, as long as you do it for 20 to 45 minutes four or more times a week. Use a system that monitors your heart rate.

Determine which are the most suitable by subtracting your age from 220 and keep 70 to 75 per 100 of the resulting amount.

You should have your heart rate between these figures when you practice aerobics to achieve maximum cardiovascular and fat elimination effects.

Combine the training exercises you do in the gym with other activities.

• For example, a specific tummy workout with other forms of exercise and sports such as cycling, running, or yoga can increase exponentially, and you will see great benefits quickly.
• Abdominal muscles are all sports and movements, so simply walking or cycling to work will significantly benefit you.
• Getting a flat stomach with strong abdominal muscles will not only make you feel better, but it will also make you feel healthier.

You may be interested "How do I start doing yoga? Yoga for beginners at home"

Rest

Training is fundamental to achieving our goals, but all your effort will have been useless if you don't rest enough.

• Rest is one of the most important aspects of fitness and exercise.
• If you don't get enough rest, it will lead to injuries and other body problems. You don't have to train seven days a week.
• Try looking for athletes who train intensively throughout the week. You'll find that there aren't any.
• Rest is essential, not only to improve your muscles but your whole body. So don't feel guilty if you take a day or two off.

Why do I have to reduce my belly? Reasons to have a flat stomach

HEALTH

The latest evidence indicates that belly fat may increase the risk of coronary problems and subsequent heart attacks.

After comparing the waist and hip measurements of several women, researchers at Browman Gray School of Medicine in North Carolina concluded that a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.85 or greater indicates a greater risk of coronary heart disease.

Researchers at the University of Illinois found that accumulated fat in the upper body, including the waist, dramatically increases a woman's chances of developing diabetes and heart problems; fat in the lower body does not appear to have that effect.

Dr. Theodore Van Tallie, co-director of the Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's Hospital, said, "It's not just a matter of time before you're born. Luke, of New York, offered this explanation of the dangers of fat accumulating in a woman's upper body: "These areas drain directly into the liver, and an excess in the number of fatty acids there promotes the onset of diabetes and blood pressure problems.

LOWER BACK SUPPORT

More than 30 million Americans are affected by low back pain, and approximately 80 percent of these cases are due to poor posture and weakened muscles.

Weakness in the abdominal muscles allows the pelvis to move forward, moving the vertebrae and causing pain.

Excess weight in the abdomen pulls down and forward from the lower part of the trunk, causing an exaggerated curvature in the lower back, called Lordosis, which prematurely fatigues the lumbar area.

That is similar to the burden that the fetus's development places on the woman during the last months of pregnancy; all you have to do is ask any woman how she feels in the trimester before giving birth; she will answer that the lumbar area bothers her.

Strong abdominal muscles act as stabilizers or support for the lower back, which prevents us from excessive internal curvature and possible injuries in that area.

MORE AESTHETICAL BODY

As a woman, your motivation to get in shape may or may not depend on wanting to impress men, but there's little doubt that when summer comes, you won't mind going to the beach and showing a series of "love handles" around your waist.

Nothing looks worse. Even if you're not presumptuous, you want to have confidence in yourself, something you'll lack if your waist is disastrous, and you don't have a flat stomach.

Now that you're motivated to get your abs in shape and look good, let's talk about the reality of waist slenderness and the chances of getting it.

Exercise and Workouts for a flat stomach.

I must confess that, for a time, I believed that the only way to get a firm and toned waist was by doing hundreds of repetitions a day. And even though I got a noticeable development in that way, I later realized that I had spent some of my effort in vain.

Our fitness specialist advises you to use concentrated abdominal exercises, which isolate the muscles and produce better and faster results.
It teaches that the abdominals' function shortens the distance between the sternum (chest bone) and the pelvis, so short travel movements are best for isolation purposes.

The problem with regular crunches or leg lifts is that they involve the hip flexors' work, which tends to pull the lower back excessively and lead to injury.

It is also essential to work all sections of the waist area. That requires a variety of exercises aimed at specific areas of the abdominals. With that in mind, I'm going to expose you to a routine to tone and firm up your waist.

That can be the most fun or the most frightening part of how you feel at the gym. If you like the workouts, your progress will be much faster to get a flat and marked abdomen, and you will enjoy it more.

Abdominals for a flat tummy

There is a great variety of exercises where you can work your abs, here you have some of the most popular ones:

Kee Tuck Crunches

In this exercise, which isolates the lower part of the abdominals, that is essential to get a flat stomach.

• You have to lie on your back, with your knees bent over your torso.
• Then elevate your knees to your face until your hips lift slightly off the floor to return to their original position.

This exercise, unlike the usual "full" leg lift, works only the lower abdominals, which are difficult to isolate otherwise. As the abdominals become stronger, you can use an inclined board to increase resistance. Do 4 sets of 30 repetitions.

Flutter Kicks

In this exercise, we work the whole abdominal area but a little more in the lower part of our abdomen.

Do 4 sets of 30 repetitions.

Crunches

They work the upper abdominals. This exercise has become the most popular among Fitness girls due to its unsurpassed insulating effect.

• Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Bend the upper body until the lower back is only the one that remains in contact with the floor - it has to be raised just a few centimeters -, you don't need to do it anymore because if you keep going up you get the hip flexors into action.
• Do four sets of 30 repetitions.

Leg raises for abs

This is an exercise that involves the entire abdominal area, is a very complete exercise and especially good because we can not cheat.

Do 4 sets of 30 repetitions.

Vacuum stomach

Besides doing traditional abdominal exercises for a flat stomach, I strongly recommend that you do hypopressive abdominal exercises or vacuum stomach.

This exercise is the most forgotten by people who exercise regularly. It's wonderful because even if you don't lose body fat, it will give you the appearance of having a flat belly.

I know of cases where merely doing this exercise daily (in the morning and on an empty stomach), they have managed to lower two trouser sizes.

This type of abs will seem very difficult to do, but you will get it in a short time with practice.

Do aerobics 

Joining aerobic classes and working as part of a larger group is a great way to push yourself. You'll also have a professional who will help you along the way.

It's also important to mix your workouts. Don't get attached to a particular exercise. On the contrary, you have to make an effort to push yourself and start doing exercises that you find difficult.

Visual Overview

[author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://buildyourbody.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Nataniel-Josue-Alvarez.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]The article was reviewed and approved by Nataniel Josué Alvarez. Medical Doctor graduated from Medical School Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda. Área Ciencias de la Salud. •Awarded winner IV Science Fair of Research Methodology - April 2012 •Recipient of Asesor Estudiantil Institucional Scholarship •Thesis: Relationship Between Parasitosis, Anemia and Hygiene Habits in patients aged 20 yo 70 years old in Amuay, municipality of Los Taques, Falcón State, Venezuela •Thesis: Intervention Plan in Rural Healthcare in Monte Verde and La Puntica sectors, of the Amuay Community, Los Taques parish, Los Taques municipality, of the Falcón State, Venezuela. During the period March 2018 - July 2018[/author_info] [/author]