Flat tummy tips: stop bloating

Forget losing pounds. Bloating is often to blame for a round tummy. Nutritionist Zoe Harcombe reveals the small changes that will make a big difference to your midriff.

Help your digestion
‘Watch the order in which you eat things. Fruit and veg only take 20-30 minutes to digest whereas meat can take hours. [Eating fruit last means it] gets stuck behind the meat going through the digestive system and you can feel quite uncomfortable. The best order is fruit, then carbs, then meat,’ says Harcombe. ‘You will find you rarely get indigestion or bloating if you eat in a better order.’

Go natural
‘Ditch processed foods, especially complex carbs, and you’ll see results in as little as one day,’ says Harcombe. ‘Sugar and white flour can cause water retention.’ Instead, fill up on meat, eggs, fish, vegetables and salads.

Don’t drink too much
‘We don’t need eight glasses or one and a half litres,’ says Harcombe. ‘There’s no science behind any amounts and everyone is different – bigger people will need more liquid, and more active people will need more liquid. Drink plenty, but not excessively during meal times as this actually dilutes digestive juices, hampers digestion and can increase bloating.’

Cut stress not stones
Negative stress can boost levels of the hormone cortisol, which in turn encourages your body to store weight around your stomach. Want to fight cortisol levels? Try yoghurt, as the calcium in it helps minimise cortisol levels. One US study found that eating more than a cup of yoghurt every day helped dieters lose 81 per cent more fat from their tummy.

Slow down and shut up
‘Chew with your mouth closed and don’t talk,’ advises Harcombe. ‘Swallowing air during eating increases bloating. It’s the same principle as drinking bubbly water. Gulping drinks will encourage air swallowing too.’ Eating quickly produces the same results – and it encourages you to eat more, as your brain doesn’t have time to work out when you’re full.

Reclaim your core muscles

TV tummy transformer
Squeeze it in: In front of the box.
Neil Dimmock of TenPilates says: ‘On your elbows and knees, walk your knees back so they are behind your hips and your thighs are at 45 degrees. Lift your hips to the same height as your shoulders. Tip your pelvis back, hold for 10-20 seconds, two to three times with a short rest between.’

The anywhere ab-lift
Squeeze it in: At your desk or while driving.
Fitness expert Jane Wake recommends daily pelvic floor exercises: ‘Imagine you are pulling the tailbone and pubic bone together like a peg. Do 10, three times a day.’

Tone on the go
Squeeze it in: Anywhere!
‘Get used to holding in your tummy,’ says Wake. ‘In Pilates we draw the tummy in, in stages, like a lift from floors one to five. When walking around, your tummy should be at floor two. You will look instantly four pounds lighter.’

Tummy cheatments: A flatter stomach the clinical way

Abdominoplasty (or tummy tuck)
Surgeons remove aprons of loose skin.
Pros: Results are quick and sculpted.
Cons: Surgical procedures under anaesthetic carry risks.
Recovery time: Two weeks.
Cost: £5-6k.

Liposuction
Fat is sucked through a tiny incision.
Pros: It targets specific areas.
Cons: It can cause bruising; you wear a pressure garment for two weeks after surgery and new fat distribution can be uneven.
Recovery time: One to two weeks
Cost: £3k.

Coolsculpting
Non-surgical procedure involves fat freezing.
Pros: It’s non-surgical so recovery time is minimal.
Cons: It takes time for the fat to disappear – up to two months – and the fat can come back if you gain weight.
Cost: Approx £800 per area.