How to Get a Flat Tummy in 30 Days

The first fitness goal I aimed for was to lose belly fat and build six-pack abs. And after too many months of consistent diet and exercise, I managed to reach it.

I was happy; Despite having a little bit of lower belly fat by my side, constantly reminding me of my nonexistent improvement.

However, everything changed when I realized that all my effort, can go away If I make even the slightest of mistakes.

What most people don’t realize about belly fat is that it’s stubborn (even factually). And losing it depends on uncontrollable factors like age, genetics, gender, etc.

Moreover, Belly fat is also unhealthy and is associated with an increased risk of various diseases, including heart attacks, stroke, asthma, breast cancer, etc. So, For those who prioritize health, belly fat is something that needs to be eliminated.

The good thing is most people can lose belly fat and even maintain a flat tummy for as long as they want. However, results and effort will vary from person to person.

After losing few pounds last year (2020), I managed to maintain my weight & abs for more than seven months (2021). The best part is I was not even training properly.

In this article, I am going to share how you can get a flat tummy within 30 days and a way to maintain it for a long time.

Why It’s Hard to Lose Belly Fat?

It’s not a hunch Belly fat is factually harder to shift compared to other parts of the body.

Fat cells have two types of receptors, Alpha-2, and Beta-2 receptors. These receptors determine how fat cells are used, whether to store fat or break it down for immediate use.

Moreover, One receptor is always dominant in each fat cell. It means fat cell either has more Alpha-2 receptors or Beta-2 receptors.

If a fat cell has more Alpha-2 receptors, it resists diet and exercise. If a cell has more Beta-2 receptors, it responds to diet and exercise by burning fat quickly.

Since Belly fat has more Alpha-2 receptors, It is predisposed to resist diet and exercise, Making it harder for you to lose it.

How to Get Flat Tummy?

Even though belly fat is harder to lose, there is still a way to lose it.

If you are overweight first, you need to reduce the fat that has already been stored throughout the body by making changes in your diet and routine.

Assuming you did the first step properly you will start losing fat first from your legs, arms, face, hips, and then you will lose it from the abdominal, lower back.

And No, you can’t directly lose fat from your belly alone. Spot reduction is a myth. That is, You can’t lose fat from a specific part of your body.

You can only lose fat from the body as a whole.

So, to lose belly fat first, you need to lose fat from less stubborn areas of the body. Only then your diet and exercise will help you lose fat from stubborn areas like the abdomen.

In brief, To get a flat tummy, you need to do three things:

Step 1. If you are overweight, you need to lose excess weight. You can complete this step by following a proper diet and performing the exercises mentioned below.

Step 2. You need to train your abdominal muscles for strength and definition. To tone your abdominal muscles, you can use the workout routine mentioned below.

Step 3. You need to adopt lifestyle changes to maintain your flat tummy

Let’s start with step one!

Step 1. Losing Excess Weight

To lose excess weight, you need to burn more calories than you can consume. This can be done in two ways:

1. By exercising such that you can burn excess calories
2. By following a strict diet to reduce the number of calories you consume

(Here’s a BMI calculator you can use to know whether you need to lose weight or not and a Calorie calculator to know how many calories you need every day to lose weight.)

Since, Weight Loss = 80% Diet + 20% Exercise. Here are some of the best weight-loss diets on the planet you can utilize to lose excess weight:

1. Create a Calorie Deficit

To lose weight by creating a calorie deficit, you need to consume fewer calories every day than you usually consume.

For example, reducing your calorie intake to around 1500 calories per day. 

You can start by cutting 500 calories per day from your diet. A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is healthy and sustainable.

Moreover, To avoid nutrient deficiencies, you can add zero-calorie fruits to your diet

An average woman needs to consume around 2000 calories per day to maintain weight and about 1,500 calories per day to lose one pound per week.

By creating a calorie deficit, you can expect to lose 4+ pounds/month, and if you combine it with a workout routine, you can expect to lose up to  7-8 lbs within a month.

2. Follow The Ketogenic Diet

For those readers who have tried calorie deficit and yet, those stubborn pounds are STILL hanging on for dear life! You should give a shot to the ketogenic diet.

A Keto diet is a low-carb diet with a moderate amount of protein (75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbs). The diet works by depleting the body of its sugar reserves which result in the breakdown of fats for energy.

Molecules called ketones are formed in the body as fuel. When the body burns fat, it results in weight loss. The effectiveness of keto has been proven in a lot of studies.

A study on the ketogenic diet even suggests that people who followed the keto diet lost 2.2 times more weight than people on a low-calorie and low-fat diet.

Last year (2020), I managed to lose around 24.5 pounds in 47 days using keto.

Moreover, Multiple studies and anecdotal evidence verify the effectiveness of a low-carb and ketogenic diet for fat loss, particularly in the abdominal section.

And yes, it will work perfectly for you even if you are over 40. On the flip side, You may be surprised to know that keto is considered one of the best diets for adults due to its unique health benefits.

To follow keto, you have to plan your meal plans by dividing your calories in such a way that you consume 5-10% calories from carbs, 20-30% calories from protein, and 60-70% calories from fat.

By dividing your calories in this way, you will get into ketosis within the first few days. But, If you’re not in ketosis within 1-2 weeks then, chances are your diet plan contains hidden carbs. In such a case, this article on how to get into ketosis fast can help.

Beginners most often commit small mistakes while creating their meal plans that can have an adverse effect on their health and results.

So, stay extra vigilant while creating your meal plan. Here’s an article on How to Start a Keto Diet & 10-Day Keto Diet Meal Plan you can use to start your keto journey.

However, The best & fastest way to lose weight with the keto diet is under the guidance of a nutritionist as they can help you in reaching your goals swiftly & without any health concerns.

So, for best results, I would recommend you to consult a nutritionist, or If you are like me and consider visiting a nutritionist an unnecessary hassle, then you can get a custom keto diet plan from here.

This diet plan will be tailored to your weight loss goals. It will also help you in avoiding nutrient deficiencies, maintaining ketosis & in preparing healthy meals.

Moreover, This custom diet plan will respect your food preferences and will be created based on the expertise of certified nutritionists, personal trainers, and chefs.

Remember, The keto diet is a medical diet. Utilizing it for losing weight without the proper guidance of a health expert can lower your results.

3. (16:8) Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting may not be as effective as keto, But it’s one of the easiest diets to stick to. In 16:8 fasting, all you need to do is fast for 16 hours and consume meals through an 8-hour eating window.

Fasting for 16 hours sounds intense. But, this intensity can easily be reduced if you align your fasting period with your sleep routine.

Moreover, You can also consume beverages like water, tea, coffee, even during the fasting period. There is also no limit on calorie intake during the 8-hour eating window.

However, I would recommend you to consume an appropriate amount of calories.

Here’s an article on 7-Day, (16:8) Intermittent fasting meal plan you can use to follow intermittent fasting successfully.

Step 2. Burning Calories & Building Toned Abdominal Muscles

By following a proper diet, you will start losing weight.

As you are losing weight, to super-charge your progress and hammer yourself into the desired shape, the exercises mentioned below can help.

The exercises can help you in burning hundreds of calories and toning your abdominal muscles. All you need to do is learn how to perform them properly and stick to the workout routine mentioned below for 30-Days to get a flat tummy.

10 Exercises to Help You Lose Belly Fat

Make sure that you learn how to perform these exercises properly. Since every rep performed accurately is more beneficial than 100 incorrectly performed reps.

0. Jogging – For Burning Calories

Jogging is for burning calories (along with the diet) and is unquestionably the only exercise you have to do every single day for the entirety of the month.

Moreover, You don’t need to jog for hours. A 30-min jog is more than enough. You can also walk for 30 minutes every day if you don’t feel comfortable jogging.

I jog twice a week. Jogging is the only exercise where I truly sweat. And I stick to it, even though half-heartedly. I would recommend you to do the same.

Calories Burned: 200-500 calories

Duration: 30-60 minutes

1. Double Leg Crunches

Sets: 4 sets of 15 reps

2. Burpees

Sets: 4 sets of 10 reps

3. Seated Russian Twist

Sets: 4 sets of 25 reps

4. Leg Raises

Sets: 4 sets of 15 reps

5. Bicycle Crunches

Sets: 4 sets of 15 reps

6. Plank

Sets: 4 sets of 30 sec

7. Side Plank

Reps: 4 sets of 30 sec

8. Dead Bug

Sets: 4 sets of 10 reps

9. Mountain Climbers

Sets: 4 sets of 25 reps

10. Push Throughs

Sets: 4 sets of 25 reps

Workout Routine For Next 30 Days

Day 1-15 (No Rest Days)

• Jogging/Walking: 30-minutes (In the morning)
• Dead bug: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Push throughs: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Mountain climbers: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Plank: 3 sets of 30 sec
• Side plank: 3 sets of 30 sec

Day 16-30 (Rest Days: Saturday + Sunday)

1. Jogging/Walking: 30-minutes (In the morning)
2. Double leg crunches: 4 sets of 20 reps
3. Burpees: 4 sets of 15 reps
4. Seated russian twist: 4 sets of 25 reps
5. Plank: 4 sets of 60 sec
6. Leg Raises: 4 sets of 20 reps

Step 3. Maintaining Your Flat Tummy After 30 Days

You have followed the diet and workout routine for 30 days straight. Now you have a flat tummy, at least a majority of people reading this post.

Now it’s time to maintain your flat tummy so that you don’t need to go through the same routine again and again.

To maintain your flat tummy. You need to do two things:

First, you need to keep your diet clean. Second, you need to train consistently every day, even if it means just for 10 minutes.

Moreover, You need to keep your ideal weight in mind, and every time you see any deviation from it, you need to act to get back on track.

If you are not interested in exercising to maintain your weight. Then I would recommend you to pick a sport or hobby to keep yourself fit.

You can play tennis, football, badminton, hiking every month, or any other form of activity. However, it needs to be something that makes you sweat.

In brief, pick an athletic hobby, use it to maintain your weight. And if you feel like you are gaining weight, just use the diets mentioned above.

Conclusion

To reach your goal, you have to exercise five times a week and stick to a diet. And Yes, it’s going to be hard. Moreover, chances are you will try to quit in between.

However, if you stick to it, After 30 days, You will become what you aimed for. So, do yourself a favor and keep moving forward.

P.S Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article on How to Get a Flat Tummy, feel free to share it. Moreover, leave a question down below in the comment section if you have any

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