How to Tighten Your Stomach

Co-authored by Laura Flinn

Last Updated: December 4, 2022 References

If tightening your stomach is one of your goals, you're not alone. One 2019 study confirms that diet and exercise can help reduce stomach fat; while either dieting or dieting with exercising can help reduce visceral fat (i.e. fat around your organs) at roughly the same rate, your best shot at reducing abdominal subcutaneous fat (i.e. fat just under the skin) comes with a routine of both diet and exercise.^{[1]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} However, you cannot target your stomach fat in particular, as the body draws on fat throughout the body when it burns calories. Diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes will make all the difference in achieving your tight stomach goal.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Changing Your Diet

1
Figure out how many calories you need to lose weight. Everyone's caloric needs are different, based mostly on your weight and activity level but also on your metabolism. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you would to maintain your weight. Once you figure out how many calories you need to sustain your current weight, subtract 250 to 500 calories per day to figure out what you need to lose weight.^{[2]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- For instance, if you are underweight with a low activity level, multiply your weight by 16 to see how many calories you need to sustain your weight. If you have a moderate activity level, multiply by 18, while if you have a high activity level, multiply by 22.^{[3]
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  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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- If you are of normal weight, you multiply by 14, 16, and 18 for low, moderate, and high activity levels, respectively, while if you're overweight, your numbers are 11, 14, and 16.^{[4]
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  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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- Low activity is defined as engaging in little to no physical activity every week. Moderate activity is 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity three times a week, while high is an hour or more of aerobic activity at least 3 times a week.^{[5]
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  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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2
Skip the sugar. Sugar can put on weight in your belly area, and even healthy-seeming drinks can contribute. For instance, you may think fruit juice is a good idea. However, it's as sugary as some sodas, and you don't get the good fiber you do with whole fruit. If you want something sweet, try a piece of fruit.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.}

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3
Start with your vegetables. The vegetables on your plate are the healthiest part of your meal. If you start with them, you won't have as much room for other options that aren't as good for you. Plus, the fiber in vegetables tends to fill you up. ^{[7]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.}
4
Eat more plants overall. If you focus on plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, it's much easier to lower your overall caloric intake. Plant-based foods are much lower in fat than other foods, so they fill you up without too many calories.^{[8]
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Mayo Clinic
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5
Know how much is a portion of meat. When you do eat meat, restrict your portion to 3 ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards. In addition, choose lean meats, such as chicken breast (without the skin) and fish.^{[9]
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Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
6
Pick low-fat dairy. When eating dairy, stick with low-fat options. For instance, choose skim milk over whole, low-fat yogurt over full-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheeses.^{[10]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Exercising to Lose Fat

1
Employ your whole body. While you may think it's best to focus on your abs, it's actually better to do exercises that work your whole body. That's because these exercises help you lose weight all across your body, which in turn takes fat off your belly. They also help strengthen your stomach muscles.^{[11]
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Go Ask Alice
Medical advice site with content written by health promotion specialists affiliated with Columbia University
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- For an exercise that works your whole body, try swimming, running, or walking.^{[12]
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  Go Ask Alice
  Medical advice site with content written by health promotion specialists affiliated with Columbia University
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2
Find a team sport. Many cities have adult community leagues for sports. Alternatively, your workplace may have a baseball or soccer team. Joining a team gets you active even when you're just having fun.^{[13]
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Research source}
3
Include abdominal work as a part of a larger routine. While working your abs by doing crunches and sit-ups can help your overall health, it's not going to flatten your stomach on its own. That's because exercising increases muscle in the areas you work, but it draws fat from your whole body. Therefore, while crunches and sit-ups can be a good workout, you can't focus only on them to flatten your stomach.^{[14]
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- If your main goal is to lose belly fat, then it's fine to stick solely with aerobic exercise.^{[15]
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  Research source} You should be getting at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week.^{[16]
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  Research source} If you want to add in abdominal work, you can add 10 to 20 minutes to your routine.
4
Exercise your boredom away. If you're like many people, you may eat when you're bored. Instead of reaching for a snack, go on a walk instead. Exercising instead of eating will help cut down on the fat in your body.^{[17]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Lifestyle Changes

1
Learn to fidget. While your mother may have always told you not to fidget, fidgeting can actually be beneficial to your health. While it's not considered exercise, it does help you burn off the calories you've consumed during the day.^{[18]
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2
Be active during the day. Even if you have a desk job, you can take steps to be more active throughout the day. For instance, you can park farther away at the store or take the stairs instead of the elevator.^{[19]
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- You can also go on a walk at lunch.^{[20]
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- Another option is to ask your boss if you can convert to a standing desk, which helps you move around more instead of just sitting all day.^{[21]
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  Research source}
3
Try a girdle. If your goal is to make your stomach look flatter, you can use clothing like a girdle to help flatten it out. However, girdles do nothing to flatten your stomach in the long term.
- You can also try wearing looser-fitting tops, especially ones that fit looser around your belly.
- Use your pants. That is, if you wear pants with a high waist, they can give your stomach extra support, helping to flatten it.
- Pick darker colors, as well as simpler patterns. Anything too outrageous can draw attention to your stomach instead of hiding it. Try small polka dots or vertical stripes.
4
Accept your body shape. Not everyone can have a perfectly flat stomach. Genetics play a part in the shape of your body. Learn to love the body you have by learning to appreciate the things it does for you,^{[22]
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Go Ask Alice
Medical advice site with content written by health promotion specialists affiliated with Columbia University
Go to source} such as keeping you alive, getting you to work, and letting you enjoy the sunshine.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How can I tighten my stomach and lose belly fat?

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Laura Flinn is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer, USA Olympic Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach and Certified Fitness Nutritionist, with an additional qualification as a TRX Suspension Trainer. Laura runs her own personal training program based in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in topics such as weight loss, muscle growth, cardiovascular training, and strength training.

Laura Flinn

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

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You cannot target belly fat specifically, but you can certainly lose weight, which will lead to a flatter tighter stomach. Cut back on sugar and simple carbohydrates. Start eating lean proteins, like fish and chicken, and cut back on red meat. Exercise regularly and get plenty of cardio. You can also use core exercises, like crunches, to help tighten your stomach.
Question

Is it true that reducing stress helps you lose fat around your middle?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

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Stress contributes to deposition of belly fat by producing the fat storing hormone, cortisol. Eliminating or reducing stress affects your metabolism and your body's need to store fat. Therefore, weight loss will be easier and probably more effective if you stress less.
Question

Can skipping tighten the stomach?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

If you contract your abdominals while skipping, the muscles will firm up the more your skip. Skipping will also burn fat calories which hide the tight stomach. So skipping is a great exercise to improve the tight stomach look.

Warnings

Talk with your doctor if you have any health concerns that may affect how your body reacts to exercise. For instance, if you have a heart condition, respiratory condition, back problems, or neck problems, you should check with your doctor first to develop an exercise routine that can tighten your stomach without aggravating these conditions.

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