Want to get rid of a stubborn unexpected little stomach bulge before a special event? Exercise is the key to a flat, attractive belly, but exercise probably won't show a difference in just two days. To flatten your belly in two days, you'll need to watch what you eat, work on your posture and examine your wardrobe.
Avoid Foods That Cause Bloating
Foods that leave you gassy and bloated include starchy carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, potatoes and rice, according to MSN. They quickly turn to glucose and become fermented by acids, creating gas. Instead, eat lean proteins -- but not beans -- and noncruciferous vegetables, so skip the broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. You can replace some refined carbs with whole wheat, such as whole wheat pasta and bread, to minimize bloating. Whole wheat has more fiber, which slows down the fermentation process, reducing bloating.
Include Tummy-Flattening Foods
Drink ginger tea and include ginger in your meals when you can. Ginger calms your gastrointestinal tract, flattening out any bloating you may be having. Avoid eating any large meals that may slow down your digestive tract and make you more likely to have bloating; eat smaller, more frequent meals and snacks. Space them out by about two or three hours, Fox News Magazine suggests. Eat more potassium-rich foods like avocados, bananas and mangoes. Potassium is a diuretic, so it will help reduce water retention. Papaya also has a lot of potassium and has been found to eliminate stomach gas.
Improve Your Posture
The fastest way to flatten your stomach is to improve your posture. Check yourself mentally throughout the day to make sure you're keeping your spine straight, chest up and shoulders relaxed. One way to help you remember and improve your posture is to schedule posture-improving yoga poses into your daily routine. Make a schedule you can remember, or get creative and set rules for yourself. For example, you could put a note on your front door saying to do the following pose for at least 30 seconds on either side before you walk out the door. Place your right palm flat on a wall. Then turn your entire body toward the left as far as you can go by inching your feet in a rotation while keeping your palm against the wall. By stretching this muscle, you pull back rounded shoulders that cause bad posture.
Last-Minute Tummy Fixes
If you still have a little pooch on your lower belly that won't go away because it's stubborn fat, wear a compression undergarment. Everyone could use some fashion advice for flattering their tummies. Consider whether your shirt or dress draws attention toward or away from your belly. Choose necklines that draw attention upward toward your shoulders, like halter tops, or onto your bust, like deep v-necks, to divert attention from your stomach. Boat-neck and off-the-shoulder collars also emphasize your upper body and down-play your belly. Wild and detail-heavy prints, perhaps an animal print or a floral print, draw attention away from your silhouette and onto the fabric.
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Writer Bio
Lindsay Haskell enjoys writing about fitness, health, culture and fashion. She is a contributor for "Let's Talk Magazine" and "The Wellesley News." Haskell is completing her B.A. in philosophy at Wellesley College. She's also a fiction writer whose work can be read online.