Tips For Flatter Abs

Just can't get rid of your flabby belly, even though you do sit-ups and crunches until you're ready to drop? Maybe you're so mortified by the condition of your abs that you've relegated your bikini and low-rise jeans to the dark recesses of your closet.

Before you dump on (or just plain dump) your workout for not giving you killer abs, you should know the real culprit may be your diet — or even your high-stress lifestyle.

If you want to go from fat to fab abs, new research shows that what you eat is just as important as how — or even how much — you work out. And lifestyle counts, too, because stress doesn't just mess with your head, it also can induce a pooch.

Following are six strategies from the country's leading weight-loss, nutrition and stress experts, all designed to get you flat abs in just four weeks.

Tip 1. Eat more fiber.
Not eating enough fiber may be a major reason women are getting fatter and flabbier. To ditch the fat and show off firm, beautiful abs, you need to eat at least 25 grams of fiber daily

Tip 2. Opt for a sensible amount of high-quality carbs.
For flatter abs, make carbs 45–65 percent (202–292 grams based on an 1,800-calorie diet) of your total daily calories. Balance is the key here, so don't go below 45 percent (202 grams), or above 65 percent (292 grams), which can lead to water retention, bloating and temporary weight gain that shows up in your middle.

Tip 3. Drink up!
Many women believe that drinking too much water will give them puffy abs, but just the opposite is true. Drinking more water can help to flush sodium out of the body, and that reduces bloating.

Tip 4. Watch the sodium.
Sodium may have a bad rep, but it's essential for regulating body fluids and blood pressure as well as for nerve transmission, muscle function and absorption of important nutrients. But even a small amount of excess sodium causes bloating.

Tip 5. Eat light at night.
It never fails: You have a heavier-than-normal evening meal or snack, and when you weigh yourself the next morning, you're up by several pounds. But as depressing as it may seem at the moment, such a quick gain is always water weight; you simply cannot gain that much fat overnight.

Tip 6. Reduce stress.
Research shows that stress triggers the hormone cortisol to turn up your appetite and deposit fat around the organs in your abdomen.