Myth #4:Everyone can have a flat stomach. Reality: Many factors impact the look of your abdominal area such as genetics, disciplined diet and stress.
By age 40, most people notice that their stomach protrudes more than it used to—even if they haven't gained much weight over the years. Though this belly “pooch” is often caused by normal changes in fat distribution, stomach protrusion can indicate the presence of a more serious underlying condition: Diastasis recti.
It may be the regular consumption of alcohol, stress, hormones, bad posture, recent pregnancy, bloating, or others. If you are determined to flatten your belly, you should exercise more and stick to a healthy diet.
When you sit down, your abdominal area compresses, bringing all the abdominal fat together, making it seem copious. Only people with very low body fat don't experience this.
Surprise: Everyone has some belly fat, even people who have flat abs. That's normal. But too much belly fat can affect your health in a way that other fat doesn't. Some of your fat is right under your skin.
“Both your visceral and subcutaneous fat contribute to your achieving a flat stomach, which is why some women find it harder to do so than others. Furthermore, factors like hormone regulation play a role in storing visceral fat, which is why many women are not biologically built for a flat stomach.”
The pouch refers to the pouch-like fat almost all women have on their lower tummies—underneath your button button, resting on your pelvis. Although the pouch is a biologically normal part of all female bodies, girls have been told to "do away" with it.
Bloat vs. fat: It is unrealistic to expect that you can have a flat stomach 24/7. Even if you lose a lot of fat from your abdominal area, you will still notice daily fluctuations from bloating. A completely flat stomach is not a “natural state” for your body.
Suck in your stomach.
Not only will this move instantly make your stomach look flatter, but you will also be giving your abs a workout. Your deep core muscles are activated by sucking in your stomach and the longer you suck in, the more toned your core will be.
If you eat too much and exercise too little, you're likely to carry excess weight — including belly fat. Also, your muscle mass might diminish slightly with age, while fat increases.
: an enlarged abdomen or one that bulges outward. : potbellied stove. potbellied.
It is realistic to say that you can achieve a flatter stomach in as little as 6-12 weeks with a sound diet and exercise approach that places you in a slight and progressive caloric deficit for that time period.
Striving to get a flat stomach shouldn't be about appearances, but research shows that less fat in the belly area is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. Our bodies are complicated and unfortunately, a variety of factors (such as hormones and genetics) can affect how flat your midsection naturally is.
One reason belly fat is so hard to lose is that it's considered an “active fat.” Unlike some fatty tissue that simply sits “dormant,” belly fat releases hormones that can have an impact on your health — and your ability to lose weight, especially in the waist and abdomen areas.
PCOS belly refers to the abdominal fat causing an increased waist-to-hip ratio, PCOS Belly will look like an apple-shaped belly rather than a pear-shaped belly. One of the most common symptoms of PCOS is weight gain, particularly around the abdominal area.
Hourglass syndrome (HS) describes habitually holding in, or “sucking in,” the stomach region. This action pulls in the lower ribs and gives the waist a smaller, hourglass shape. It is not an official diagnosis. HS can occur due to an underlying pain condition or as a result of poor posture.
Generally, if the muscles are going to heal on their own, they will within three months of birth. If you are several months postpartum, it's likely that your diastasis recti is here to stay. Some women have had success using targeted exercises to help the muscles move closer together.
Hourglass syndrome, also known as stomach gripping, is a condition where the individual has habitually overused the upper and internal core muscles to pull in the stomach and consequently the diaphragm to the point where they have created a muscular imbalance within the core.
3. Myth or Fact: Thin people have naturally smaller stomachs than people who are heavy. Answer: Myth. While it may seem hard to believe, the size of the stomach does not correlate with weight or weight control.
Your genetics prefer storing fat in your stomach area
Visceral fat—the type of fat the body stores in your abdomen and around your intestines and is mostly responsible for keeping people from a flat belly—can be partly determined by genetics.