Our abdominal muscles, or our bellies, have been the aesthetic obesession of women of a certain age FOREVER. In the past, women used to hide their guts with tight, asphyxiating corsets. Today, although some of us use fajas or girdles, the main focus of controlling that problematic area has shifted to eating well and exercising.
The truth is, to lose weight, all we have to do is expend more calories than we consume, but sometimes, the problem in that belly area isn't all about extra weight, but about eating the wrong foods, which actually irriate and make that area more pronounced. So what are we to do?
The solution is to modify what we eat and to have on hand some simple and safe over-the-counter medicines, both of which can take off inches from your tummy in minutes.
Ideally, your best bet against belly inflammation is to keep a journal of the foods you eat for at least two weeks. This is how I was able to discover that I am lactose intolerant, so that any dairy products that I consume made me look like I was 6-months pregnant.
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But if you're short on time and you want your belly to look flat overnight, follow these simple tips:
1. Eat a very light dinner, consisting of grilled fish or chicken with vegetables, and that's it.
2. Start your day drinking a big cup or lukewarm water with lemon. Do this before you have your morning coffee, tea, or any other caffeinated beverage in your morning routine.
3. Avoid dairy products or any foods that produce gas, like grains, vegetables in the cabbage family like broccoli or cauliflower, chocolate, anything fried, or anything too oilly (for me, even though they're considered healthy, sunflower seeds and almonds make me bloated).
4. Don't even go NEAR sodas. Don't think about it, don't even look at them if you want a flatter belly. I'm serious.
5. If you're eating out, take a pill that will help you digest any dairy, like the ones lactose intolerant people must take (such as Lactaid).
6. If you put pressure on your abdomen and you feel something moving, it's more likely than not gas. In this case, enlist the help of some anti-gas medicine. The ingredient these should contain is symethicone, which is so gentle, it's even administered to newborns when they're gassy.
In a few hours, you'll see your tummy visibly go down in size. Let me know how it goes!
Image via Thinkstock
