How To: Keep your stomach looking flat

The best way to get a flat stomach is to lose some weight. But you can take a lot of the air out of your spare tire with these anti-bloating tips. Learn how to keep your stomach looking flat.

You Will Need
* Discipline
* Water
* "Good" fats

Step 1: Don't starve yourself!}
Don't starve yourself! Your body will go into survival mode and hang on to any fat around your midsection for dear life.

Step 2: Replace soda with water
Sip flat water throughout the day. Dehydration and carbonated beverages both cause belly bloat.

Step 3: Avoid trans fats
Limit your intake of foods that contain trans fats, like packaged snacks and stick margarine. Studies have indicated that people who eat a diet high in trans fats are more likely to gain weight – and gain it around their middle – than those who don't, even if they eat the same number of calories.

Step 4: Give up gum
If you chew gum, stop. It makes you swallow a lot of air, which inflates your belly like a balloon.

Step 5: Eat "good" fats
Eat foods that contain monounsaturated fatty acids, like avocadoes, nuts, and olives. Research indicates that they can help reduce belly fat, so long as they're eaten in moderation and in place of bad fats and simple carbs, rather than in addition to them.

Step 6: Avoid white food
Stay away from white bread, white rice, and white pasta. They cause the body to retain water, as does another white no-no – salt.

Step 7: Show off
Show off your flat stomach – you've earned it!
*Fact: Talking fast can lead to belly bloat because it causes you to swallow air.