Many people want to know how to get a flat belly in 3 days if they have an upcoming vacation or another special event that requires them to have a trim waistline. For example, perhaps you bought a skin-tight bodycon dress for a party or wedding, but your tummy protrudes when you put it on. Achieving a flat stomach lets you wear whatever you like without feeling self-conscious.
Getting a totally flat belly in just three days is a tricky task, but you can undoubtedly slim your stomach significantly in a relatively short amount of time. In this article, we will outline how to get your stomach flat fast using a variety of simple methods.
How to Get a Flat Stomach in 3 Days- Is It Possible?
A flat belly can make you feel more confident in your appearance, and reducing your belly fat is good for your health. It’s easier to reduce your belly slowly and steadily, but it’s understandable if you’re impatient and want to see results fast. Many of our readers want to know how to flatten your stomach in 3 days. But is it possible?
Whether you can achieve a washboard stomach in 3 days or not depends on how overweight you are to begin with and whether you have toned abdominal muscles. If you are significantly overweight or obese with a lot of fat around your belly, it will take substantially longer to get your stomach totally flat. However, most people can get their stomachs looking a little less distended in 3 days.
However, if you only have a modest amount of fat to lose and just need to tighten your belly up, you could achieve a flat tummy very quickly with a bit of hard work and discipline.
Below, we’ll describe how to flatten your belly in 3 days and keep it that way.
Why Isn’t My Belly Flat?
You may have heard people lament that they can’t understand why their belly isn’t flat. Perhaps you consider yourself to have a healthy, active lifestyle and you’re feeling baffled as to why you have a poochy tummy. Understanding why you have a protruding tum is the first step to getting rid of it for good.
If your belly isn’t lying flat, it’s for one or both of the following reasons:
- You have too much fat around your midsection
- Your abdominal muscles lack tone and strength
If you want a washboard stomach, you need to attend to both of these problems. There’s no proven way to target fat loss to your belly but reducing your overall body fat percentage will shave inches off your entire body, including your tum.
Tightening and toning your stomach muscles will have a slimming effect and act a little like a corset, helping you achieve a flat belly. If you’re generally very slim but have a distended abdomen, often known as ‘skinny fat,’ tightening your tummy muscles should solve the problem. However, if you have more fat than you should stored around your belly, your tummy won’t look flat until you lose it- even if you have toned muscles. That’s why doing sit-ups alone won’t flatten your stomach in many cases.
What is Belly Fat?
Belly fat doesn’t just look unsightly- it can also pose a risk to your health. Many people carry too much fat around their midsection, but it’s a good idea to lose it. Excess belly fat is generally more dangerous than fat stored in other parts of the body and could make you more likely to develop:
- Heart problems
- Insulin resistance
- Type 2 diabetes
- Lower life expectancy
- Hypertension
- Certain cancers
There are two main types of tummy fat:
Visceral: The hard fat that surrounds your internal organs
Subcutaneous: The soft fat stored under your skin
Visceral fat is more worrisome than subcutaneous fat because it releases chemicals that are likely to cause health problems. After all, they trigger inflammation and insulin resistance. Fortunately, when you start losing weight, you lose the more harmful visceral fat first, followed by subcutaneous fat—losing both contributes to flattening your belly.
How Can I Tell if My belly is Too Big?
For many people, it’s obvious to see that their belly is too big. If you have an overhanging stomach, pinchable muffin top, or a beer gut, you don’t need a doctor to tell you that your belly is large enough to cause health problems.
However, if you aren’t seriously overweight but still have a poochy belly, you may be wondering whether your protruding tummy is anything to worry about. In this situation, using a tape measure is the easiest way to tell.
While your BMI can tell you whether your overall body weight is too high, measuring your waist with a tape measure will tell you if you’re at an increased risk of health problems linked explicitly to belly fat. If your waist measures larger than 31.5 inches for a woman or 37 inches for a man, you’re at a higher risk of certain cancers. Once your belly reaches 35 inches for a woman and 40 inches for a man, you’re more likely to suffer from hypertension, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, liver disease, and cardiovascular disease.
The larger your belly, the higher the risk, so it’s sensible to take steps to lose your extra tummy fat as quickly as possible. If your tummy measurements aren’t concerning but you feel it is flabbier than you would like, you can do plenty of things to make it tight and toned. So, let’s explore how to flatten your belly in 3 days.
How To Make Your Stomach Flat in 3 Days- Tips and Tricks
It can take time and effort to flatten your tummy, especially if you are overweight or obese. The good news is that, despite common myths, belly fat is responsive to a calorie-controlled diet and exercise. According to Harvard Health, there’s no way to target fat loss to your belly, but a weight loss and exercise regime can be highly effective.
Here are our top tips for getting a flat tummy as quickly and efficiently as possible.
1. Cut Your Calories
If you want to know how to slim your stomach in 3 days, the first thing you need to do is cut down your calorie intake if you have excess abdominal fat. Reducing your calorie intake to fewer than you burn off creates a deficit and melts fat from your body, including the visceral and subcutaneous fat around your belly.
We don’t recommend cutting your calorie intake severely because this can actually slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight. It could also lead to nutritional deficiencies. Instead, a sensible approach is to figure out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight and reduce it by 500-700 calories. This method should allow you to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week, a safe and sustainable rate. You can calculat how many calories you need to consume per day using this calculator.
Many of us vastly underestimate how many calories we consume when we rely on guesswork, which could scupper your efforts to flatten your belly. So, we recommend measuring your portions using special scoops or by weighing your food and recording what you eat on a calorie-counting app.
Cutting your calories by 500-700 calories per day won’t get rid of all your belly fat in 3 days unless you only have very little to lose. However, it will make a difference to the amount of fat around your tum, and you can use some of the following methods to speed up your results.
2. Do Cardiovascular Workouts
Our readers often ask us how to get a flat stomach in 3 days without exercise. While it’s possible to lose some belly fat with diet alone, exercising will speed up your weight loss by burning calories. Furthermore, it’s vital for overall good health.
Research shows that cardiovascular exercise is excellent for reducing the dangerous visceral fat around your belly. If you have a gym membership, you can try aerobic workout classes led by a paid instructor. However, there are plenty of affordable and even free ways to get a cardio workout. These include:
- Fast walking
- Running
- Swimming
- Dancing
Experts generally recommend aiming for between 20-40 minutes of cardiovascular activity every day.
3. Try HIIT Workouts
HIIT has a reputation for providing speedy weight loss, and it can be an excellent option if you want to get a flat belly as quickly as possible. It involves performing short periods of exercise at 80-95 percent of maximum potential intensity, alternating with short rests. You can alter it to suit your fitness level, and there are plenty of HIIT workouts available online designed to help you lose weight by toning your abdominal muscles.
HIIT workouts are proven to help you lose fat faster than traditional activities, including the fat around your belly. However, it preserves lean muscle mass, helping you achieve a toned physique.
This method also allows you to fit in an effective workout relatively quickly, making it a handy option for people with busy lifestyles. Apart from weight loss, it also improves your cardiovascular disease risk, one of the major potential downsides of carrying too much belly fat.
4. Take a Fat-Burning Supplement
Fat-burning supplements won’t shrink your belly on their own, but they can provide a bit of extra help when you use them alongside a reduced-calorie diet and exercise plan. You can purchase weight loss supplements over the counter or online without a prescription from your doctor. They work in one or more of the following ways:
- Boosting your body’s fat-burning rate
- Making you feel fuller and less hungry
- Giving you the energy you need to get active
- Reducing stress and anxiety to help you resist emotional overeating
There are various high-quality products available but ensure that you shop from a reputable seller. Unfortunately, the market is rife with ineffective, fake, and even potentially dangerous diet supplements. The best way to get a good product is to buy them directly from the manufacturer and research to find ones with expert approval. You can find our favorite supplements for fast weight loss here.
Most adults can take weight loss supplements safely without any serious side effects. However, you shouldn’t take them if you are pregnant or nursing. People who take other medications already or have a pre-existing health condition should get their doctor’s approval before taking fat-burning supplements.
5. Try Eating Keto
A ketogenic diet is low in carbohydrates but contains a lot of healthy fats, protein, and leafy green vegetables. Studies show that it can help overweight and obese people lose weight faster than many traditional diets and reduce some of the common health problems associated with being overweight. Therefore, it’s an excellent choice if you want to achieve a flat belly as fast as possible.
Limiting your carbohydrate intake is also known for helping you lose weight around your abdomen specifically. If you do consume carbohydrates, it’s better to stick to whole grains instead of white, refined carbohydrates for fat loss.
Many people find it more straightforward to follow a ketogenic diet if they subscribe to a diet plan service. Our favorite ketogenic diet plan is Weight Loss Evolved because it comes with easy-to-follow menus and a personalized exercise plan to help you lose weight quickly and keep it off.
6. Increase Your Water Intake
Drinking more water is an excellent method for getting a flat tummy alongside diet and exercise. Firstly, it helps you burn more calories (and therefore lose more weight) by increasing your metabolism. It can also suppress your appetite and encourage you to eat less, especially if you drink a glass before each meal.
Furthermore, staying well-hydrated improves your digestion, potentially reducing bloating and making your stomach appear flatter. It’s also essential for general physical wellbeing.
So, how much water should you drink to help you get a flat tummy? According to Harvard Health, adults should aim to drink around 11.5 cups (women) or 15.5 cups (men) a day, although you may need more during hot weather or if you are very physically active. Pregnant and lactating mothers may also need a little more water than average.
Any liquid contributes to your water intake, and an easy rule to remember is to try and drink around 8 glasses a day. Coffee, tea, and milk all count, but it’s best to stick to plain water as much as possible. That’s because water is calorie-free, whereas milky, creamy, and sugary beverages can contain a lot of calories. If you find the taste of water dull, you can add slices of whole fruit like lemon or orange to make it more exciting.
7. Cut Down on Alcohol, or Quit Altogether
Many people forget to consider the alcohol they drink when they’re trying to get a flat belly. While the occasional alcoholic drink won’t cause significant weight gain and could even provide a few benefits in strict moderation, it also comes with numerous drawbacks.
Alcohol is a type of sugar and contains a lot of calories, around 7 for every gram. That’s nearly as many as pure fat. Therefore, alcoholic beverages are high in calories without providing much nutrition. This can lead to what is known as a ‘beer belly,’ although drinking any type of alcohol can cause this issue, including wine and spirits.
Apart from containing a lot of calories, alcohol affects the body in various other ways that could contribute to weight gain:
- Increasing your appetite
- Slowing down fat-burning
- Interrupting sleep
- Unsettling your digestion
If you want to get a flat belly in 3 days, you may be wise to cut out alcohol altogether. However, if you still want to enjoy alcohol with a meal or during social events, try to moderate your intake as much as possible.
The healthiest way to consume alcohol (apart from not consuming it at all) is to stick to just one small drink a few times a week. If you attend an event where the drinks are flowing, try alternating alcoholic beverages with water or calorie-free soda. Opting for reduced-alcohol drinks can also save you a lot of unnecessary calories.
8. Get More Sleep
Getting enough sleep isn’t always easy when you have a busy lifestyle, but it’s crucial for your overall health. It’s also essential if you want to lose weight and get a flat belly.
Research shows that sleep-deprived people are more likely to have a larger waist than people who sleep well. Furthermore, you’re far more likely to gain weight and become obese if you don’t get enough sleep.
However, all is not lost. Taking steps to improve your sleep duration and quality can help you shift the pounds and get closer to the flat belly of your dreams.
If you think that poor sleep may be holding you back from flattening your belly, there are some basic things you can do to solve it. Some ideas include:
- Investing in a comfortable, supportive mattress
- Reducing screen time before bed
- Cutting down your caffeine and alcohol intake
- Practicing mindfulness and meditation techniques
- Taking a warm bath or shower before bed
- Sleeping in a cool, dark room
- Exercising, but not too close to bedtime
9. Reduce Stress
Stress and anxiety are common issues that affect most of us at some time or another. However, long-term stress is detrimental to your health and can wreak havoc with your waistline.
Stress is known to make it harder to resist the urge to eat, even if you don’t feel particularly hungry. Many people turn to comfort foods to help them cope with stressful times in their lives and cheer them up. Furthermore, elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol can cause you to gain weight, especially around your belly. Therefore, it’s wise to try and reduce your stress levels if you want to flatten your tum.
Of course, it will take you more than 3 days to reduce your stress levels enough to see an effect on your waistline. However, it’s an excellent way to improve your wellbeing and help you continue to shrink your waistline once the three days are up.
Combatting stress can be easier said than done if you have a busy family or work life. However, there are some straightforward techniques you can use to help you relax. These include:
- Eat a balanced, nutritious diet
- Exercise regularly
- Practice yoga, meditation, and mindfulness
- Make time daily for activities you enjoy
- Tackle specific causes of stress like a high-pressure working life
- Prioritize getting plenty of sleep
If you feel that your stress is severe and causing you significant problems, or you think that you may be experiencing a mental health condition like an anxiety disorder or depression, speak to your doctor for support. There are many treatment pathways available to help you improve your mental health and reduce stress.
10. Try Resistance Training
Resistance training helps tone your muscles while burning calories. Therefore, it’s excellent for helping you shed body fat. You can practice resistance training using weights or large elasticated bands. Contrary to common myths, resistance training using moderate weights won’t cause you to bulk up like a bodybuilder.
There’s plenty of evidence to show that resistance training can help reduce fat around your midsection and flatten your tummy. While abdominal exercises like crunches won’t target fat loss to your belly, they can reduce your body fat percentage and tighten up your belly muscles. Abdominal exercises can make a noticeable difference if you are already quite slim but have a flabby tummy.
11. Take Apple Cider Vinegar
While it may not sound like the most palatable drink, taking a couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar could just give you the edge if you want to get a flat belly in 3 days. This store cupboard staple contains a lot of acetic acid, a substance that could potentially result in extra fat loss.
There isn’t as much evidence supporting the use of apple cider vinegar for weight loss as there is for some of our other quick flat tummy tricks. However, a promising study in 2009 found that consuming apple cider vinegar every day led to reduced body weight, visceral fat, and waist measurements in obese subjects.
Therefore, it’s potentially worth adding apple cider vinegar to your flat belly diet. While we wouldn’t rely on it as your primary way to control your weight, it is a cheap and harmless way to potentially boost your results. However, dilute it in some water before you drink it to prevent tooth decay.
12. Cut Down on Sugar
Sugar is the simplest carbohydrate and contains a lot of calories. Not only can eating too much sugar make you put on weight, but it’s also associated with various health conditions. These include heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
The type of sugar that you should try to cut down on when you’re trying to lose weight is known as ‘free sugar.’ Many foods, mainly processed products, contain added sugars- common culprits are yogurts, sodas, and baked goods. Some foods also contain large amounts of ‘natural’ sugars, including:
- Honey
- Agave nectar
- Maple Syrup
- Fruit juice
- Smoothies
While many foods containing natural sugars have various health benefits, you should consume them in moderation to avoid the problems associated with a high-sugar diet. While there is a popular myth that some sugars are ‘better’ than others, the truth is that your body reacts to all sugar the same.
You may have also heard that it’s a good idea to cut out fruit when you’re trying to lose weight because it contains natural sugar. However, whole fruits contain relatively modest amounts of sugar and have many vital nutrients and plenty of fiber, so we recommend continuing to eat them. There’s also no need to cut down on the sugars contained in milk and vegetables as these don’t count as ‘free sugars.’
So, how much of the sweet stuff is safe to eat each day? According to the American Heart Association, men should limit their sugar intake to 9 teaspoons (36g), while women should eat no more than 6 teaspoons (25g). The organization cites sugary beverages as the most significant source of added sugars in the typical American diet, so removing them from your diet is a sensible place to start when you want to get a flat belly in 3 days. We also recommend checking the labels of any pre-made foods you buy and sticking to whole foods on the whole to avoid added sugar. In particular, try to minimize the most common offenders when it comes to added sugar:
- Candy and chocolate
- Preserves, including chocolate spread
- Sweetened cereal
- Cakes and cookies
- Alcoholic beverages
- Ice cream
- Sweetened yogurt
- High-sugar condiments like ketchup
A word of warning on ‘low-fat’ foods- many products come packaged as diet-friendly options because they contain less fat than the regular versions. However, many have far more sugar than their full-fat counterparts, perhaps to make them more palatable. So, don’t just assume that a food is low in sugar because it says ‘diet’ or ‘low-fat’ on the label.
FAQs
Q: What should I eat to get a flat stomach in 3 days?
A: We recommend eating a ketogenic diet to get a flat stomach in 3 days. Eating a diet high containing plenty of protein, fat, and vegetables but low in sugar and carbohydrates can help you lose weight faster and may suppress your appetite. Adding probiotic foods and apple cider vinegar to your diet may also help.
Q: How can I lose my belly fat in 3 days?
A: The best way to lose belly fat in 3 days is to eat a calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate diet like the keto diet and do plenty of exercise. We also recommend cutting down on sugar, salt, and alcohol and drinking plenty of water. Some people may also find taking a fat-burning supplement helps speed up their weight loss. However, if you are very overweight, it will probably take more than 3 days to transform your tum totally.
Q: How can I get a flat stomach ASAP?
A: The only way to achieve a flat stomach is to reduce your body fat percentage to lose the visceral and subcutaneous fat around your belly. You should also consider toning your abdominal muscles to tighten and trim your waistline. The ketogenic way of eating is one of the most effective weight loss plans for losing tummy fat as quickly as possible. High-intensity workouts like HIIT training can also help you lose the bulge ASAP.
Q: How do I get rid of belly fat without exercise?
A: The only way to lose tummy fat is to reduce your overall body fat percentage. You can get rid of belly fat without exercise by eating a reduced-calorie, ketogenic diet and taking a fat-burning weight loss supplement. However, you will get faster results and see greater improvements to your health if you exercise. Even increasing the amount you walk will help if you don’t like going to the gym.
The Bottom Line
Getting a flat belly in 3 days is an achievable goal if you don’t have a large amount of fat stored around your belly. Cutting down your body fat percentage and toning your abdominal muscles are the only ways to get a flat stomach. However, you can lose belly fat faster by using some of the tips in this article, such as taking a fat-burning supplement and probiotics.
If you are substantially overweight or obese and have a lot of tummy fat to lose, it will take longer to get a washboard stomach. However, following the advice in this article could help you make a noticeable difference to your waistline in just 3 days.
We generally recommend a ketogenic diet, weight loss supplements, and high-intensity exercise such as HIIT as the fastest ways to get a flat tummy. This should be safe for most people, but you should get approval and advice from your doctor if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a pre-existing health problem.
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