What’s stopping you from getting an instant flat belly

Can you get an instant flat belly? Really? Image from Freepik

Wouldn’t it be great to have a flat stomach with some definition 24/7? Unfortunately, this type of dream doesn’t exist. It’s just not feasible to walk around every single day with a flat belly. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

It’s even more impossible to get a flat stomach in 2 days, but you can most certainly aspire to have one as frequently as possible. In saying that, there are a few things that can get in your way of having that flat belly — even if you are lean and have little body fat. It’s pretty annoying as these are the symptoms that I suffer from daily. Here goes:

Four things that can screw up your flat belly goals

1. Poor gut health. If you have a leaky gut or some other gut disorder (like IBS or Crohn’s disease), it will be tough to have a flat belly every single day. You might be lucky and have phases where it’s balanced — but more likely to increase in size when you are stressed or have eaten something that doesn’t agree with you. You could never predict when your lean belly is going to come back (or if you will ever have one)
2. Inability to digest your food. This can cause gas, bloating, and all sort of weird stuff to happen to your stomach & gut. Some days you may look like you’re three months pregnant. I’ve had a kid at my daughter’s school ask her if I was! At the time, it was embarrassing, but it was a pretty bad bloating experience (and it was obvious to everyone). Those are the days when you suck your stomach in, but it doesn’t make a difference at all!
3. PMS. This is a big one. You can’t escape this one every single month. It’s just inevitable that your abs will not be as flat during this time. I think us women have accepted this by now.
4. Intolerance to certain foods. I have issues with this one. Just one thing can set us off towards bloat central. The only thing you can do with this one is riding the tide of being uncomfortable by undoing a button to get some relief. It’s not pleasant, but it’s just the gut talking here.
5. Having slow elimination of your bowel. This is a big one. Many people don’t realise that not going to the toilet a couple of times a day is the typical poo cycle.

Some people only go…