Okay guys, summer is in full force, the weather is hot, and dipping in a pool or the beach is almost inevitable. Time to bust out the bathing suit! Ladies, don’t leave that bikini hanging on your door handle another season?it’s time to kick that belly fat and feel comfortable in the skin you’re in.
Since our tummies carry so much of our stress, inflammation, and irritation, belly fat?unlike most other problem areas in our bodies?is trickier to firm up. However, through our years of training ourselves and others, Chris and I have found 5 ways to shed that stubborn belly fat and tone up those abs, and we got to share our secrets to a slimmer, more toned belly on The Dr. Oz Show last week. As we explained during the segment, these are not quick fixes. These are life hacks, if you will, to be done at least 3x a week, if not daily, to kick that tricky tummy weight.
Here are some simple things you can do every single day to lose that stubborn belly fat once and for all:
The 10 Gulp Rule: If you’ve been following along for a while, I’m certain you’ve heard us preach the necessity of consuming enough water. Drinking half your body weight in ounces every day is necessary for becoming and staying hydrated, so how the heck are you supposed to guzzle down that much water in one day?! By following the 10 gulp rule, of course! Taking a sip here and there won’t cut it when it comes to hydrating, so instead, make a promise to yourself that every single time you put water to your lips you’ll take 10 small gulps before setting it back down. This is one of the simplest ways to ensure your body gets the water it needs to fight fat and stay hydrated!
Some of my favorite water bottles to keep you cute and hydrated:
Muscle Up Oats: I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage…Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it is! But it’s what we put IN our breakfast that’s really important. A few years ago, Chris developed what he considers the holy grail of breakfasts: Plain oats, mixed with a raw egg, then cooked. Sounds simple, right? But it’s packed full of so many belly fat fighting essentials that it’s basically a slim down superfood. Combining oats with an egg makes it full of fiber and protein, and cooking the oats with the egg almost doubles the size of the meal, making it high volume without being high fat. This meal will keep you fuller longer while providing the protein and nutrients your body needs.
Diuretic Salad: Sounds yummy, right? 😉 This bad boy may not have the most appetizing name, but its fat fighting properties make it extremely appealing. As Americans, we sadly consume way too much sodium?double, sometimes triple, the recommended amount?without even realizing it. It’s sneaks into your favorite foods, and before you know it, your belly is bloated with lots of unneeded water weight. A bowl full of some simple greens is a quick way to fight off that bloat, and a combination of dandelion stems and fennel acts as a natural diuretic, helping your body to rid itself of that extra bloat. Add baby arugula, Belgian, endive, carrot, celery, and a light lemon vinaigrette for a quick, easy, natural way to slim down that tummy after a sodium overdose.
De-stress: I know?this is easier said than done. Look, we’re not expecting you to indulge in weekly massages or even take the time for daily meditation. What we are proposing is a few seconds a day to de-stress from the daily grind, and here’s how to do it: Stand up, tense and tighten every muscle in your body for 5 seconds, then release. Repeat 3 times. Feel better? Thought so! This is actually a tried and true method used by even the most seasoned athletes before big games or events, and it’s a fast fix for calming down and releasing negative energies.
Vacuum with a twist: I’m not talking vacuuming up your carpet, although I’m sure if using a vacuum cleaner could ensure me rockin’ abs, I would have the cleanest house on the block! 😉 I’m talking about my trusty ol’ method for building strong abdominal muscles, and I’ve preached this method dozens of times because it just plain works. It’s truly the ONLY ab exercise I ever do. To complete this exercise, simply inhale, completely filling your lungs, then exhale all of your air slowly. Then draw in your abdominal muscles and begin to twist left to right. For a beginner, I recommend doing 10 reps 3x a day. As your muscles become stronger, try doing 20 reps 5x a day for maximum ab strengthening!
With so many quick fix methods, pills promising flatter abs, and belly fat busters on the market, it’s hard to know which end is up! These 5 methods are our tried and true, time-tested secrets for burning that belly fat for good. Try them out and let me know what you think!
Xoxo,
Heidi
PS: In case you missed our flat belly secrets segment on Dr. Oz, you can view the full segment here.
Related reading:
C-Section Solutions: How to Eliminate the Pooch and Reduce the ?Tummy Shelf?
Fabulous Abs in Just 5 Minutes
#MomLife: 11 Life Hacks for Getting Fit
Diastasis Recti: Closing the Gap
Ask Heidi: Do Waist Trainers Actually Work?
40 Responses
Hi! I?m currently doing the vacuum twist for diastasis recti and I?m loving the results so far. My question is about the firming cream. Any suggestions? There are sooo many! Thank you!!
Hi Crystal: Yay! We love to hear that vacuum twists are working for you! Unfortunately, we don’t have any firming creams to recommend. We hope you can find one that will work for you, and we wish you all the best!
Should i keep breath during the twist reps???
Hi Flavia: Yes, you’ll want to hold your breath during each twist rep. 🙂
kpastush
Pick me for the bands!!!
Since I saw the twisters I?ve been doing it (two months now) I just love them. Are very easy/hard to do and really workout the abdominal area as Heidi said. I?m so grateful that Heidi have shared this amazing hack with all of us ?? @alehdez00
Hello! I am currently on week 4 of my program and I have yet to lose any weight…am I doing something wrong? I?ve been following the meal plan and working out at least 5 times a week but I feel very bloated and sluggish right now. What can I do?
Hi Samantha: Have you been doing your weekly progress updates? Those are really important so the app can adjust as needed. If you ever receive a prompt asking if you’d like to adjust your program for faster results, please accept this prompt. And here’s a post that might help too: https://heidipowell.net/12026. And please be patient with yourself…these lifelong changes can take some time – you got this!
Hi Heidi,
Long time fan and love your advice. I’m a mom of 2, a three year old and a brand new one ( 3 weeks)!! . Exercise and nutrition are a HUGE part of my life and we share a common background for poor nutrition and exercise habits. I have carb cycled before and had great success. Its time to get my pre-baby body back, but do you recommend carb-cycling when nursing?
Hi Stephanie: Congratulations on your new baby! 🙂 You can carb cycle while nursing, but you’ll need to make some adjustments. Here’s a post that outlines Heidi’s pregnancy/nursing nutrition program, and I hope it can help: https://heidipowell.net/2275. We wish you all the best!
I am vegan. What do you suggest as a good replacement for the egg for the muscle up oats?
Hi Tracy: That’s a tough one since the egg white adds protein to the muscle up oats. Do you have a favorite vegan protein powder? This could work. 🙂
First of all I want to tell you that I got your book extreme transformation and I really think that it’s fantastic. You are right that we never keep Our promises. Last year I was there for EVERYBODY but not for me and gained 30 kilograms! Now I promised that I’ll take care of me!!! Unfortunately here in Sicily I can’t find all the food you write in your book but I use the chart and get creative by myself.
I have one question how much water should I drink? I actually weigh 133,3 kilograms. I drink 3,4 liters.
I’m in my second week and lost 3,7 kilograms the first week. Thanks for your answer
Hi Micky: You’ll aim to drink 4.3 liters a day, and we love that you’re loving the book! You can totally do this! 🙂
I have just purchased Extreme Transformation and am about to start week 2. I am a little confused about the protein portion sizes. I convert the amounts to metric (1oz=28gms) as I am in Australia. It seems I am hardly getting any protein in my meals, maybe 2-3tlbs after cooked and chopped. I have looked at some of the photos of the recipes and I am certainly not eating meat portions as shown. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Tracey: There’s a “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post that can be very helpful when putting your meals together: https://heidipowell.net/10617. It outlines how many calories of each macro to include in each meal. Hope it helps! 🙂
Hi Tracey I’m doing week 2, too. I live in Europe and here we don’t use ounces neither. I had the same problem so I looked up the calorie chart which tells us proteins for 150 or 100 calories. I got myself a calorie app. So I look everything up for now. How was your first week? Mine was great!!!! I walk quickly 1 hour and do the exercises. But they are very difficult for me. But I try my best. I feel great! I lost 3,7 kilograms in the first week. I love the idea with the promise. I hope I could help you a little bit.
Does this reduce your waistline significantly? And how many days/weeks till a noticeable result.
Hi Victoria! You can do these vacuum twists every day! And the results will depend on your own body makeup, your nutrition plan, water, workouts and other things talked about in this post, so there’s not one answer for your question. But if you’re consistent, you should get there!
Hi.
About the water intake. Well I am from Germany, so my weight is 45kg. How much water do I need to drink in ml or litre? I find it hard to get information about what a gallon is?
Hi Tina: 1 gallon = 3.7 liters, and 45kg = 99 pounds. You’ll drink at least 1.3 liters/day up to 3.7 liters/day. Hope that helps!