If you dread bikini season or avoid wearing particular styles of clothing because of the loose, hanging tummy area, you’re not alone.

Significant weight loss or childbirth can cause excess skin around the stomach area. It looks similar to a pouch and is often referred to as an overhand or apron.

This doesn’t always mean that you have more fat to lose or even you need to do more work on toning those abdominals. Sometimes, yet when you’ve explored every other option for resolving the issue, there is still loose, flabby skin.

In this case, it may be time to explore other options such as an abdominoplasty. An abdominoplasty can firm and tighten the stomach area and repair muscle damage. And just in case you’d like to know more about the tummy tuck, we’ve linked a video here for you to watch.

If you’re in the early stages of figuring out how to lift that sagging stomach we’ve got the latest tips on how to do it.

The facts about that overhang

For women, in particular, the stomach area is the most problematic when it comes to weight loss. A flat, firm abdomen is the hardest goal to achieve.

No matter how much weight you lose or how much you exercise. That stomach area remains a source of anxiety.

First, it’s essential to understand that belly fat forms two different types of fat. Which explains in part why it’s tougher to lose than, say, arms or legs, which only have one layer of fat.

The top-layer fat that you can feel and see is the subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat means unused calories around the waistline. Your body stores this for later, in the event of starvation, for example. Of course, these days your unlikely to use that option but once upon a time it would have been a useful thing to have.

It’s what lies underneath, visceral fat, that poses a danger to our health. Visceral fat is below the surface; it surrounds our vital organs, and excess can lead to chronic health issues. Which, just in case you needed it, is another excellent reason to work to lose that stomach fat.

Age matters too, if you’re older and just starting a fitness routine your approach, length of time to get results and type of results will be different than if you were, say, in your 20’s. If you’re postmenopausal for instance, it won’t be as easy if you’re 30. This is not to say you won’t see results but it may be a different journey.

Regardless, whoever you are and however old you may be, the sit-ups that build muscle but a healthy diet and lots of fat-burning exercises. Because those abdominal exercises only tighten and tone the tissues under the skin and fat.

Changing your exercise regime, eating a healthier diet can certainly help. These lifestyle changes will help you achieve a learner profile and prevent chronic illness.

Tummy tightening exercises

Don’t stick rigidly to traditional abdominal work, such as crunches and bicycles. Though they are useful, it isn’t about the number of sit-ups you do, but how you do them and also, you don’t want to bore yourself with monotonous movement.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do some cardio like walking, jogging, swimming and cycling help burn more calories — one of the most efficient ways to fight belly fat. Intense cardiovascular exercises help reduce belly fat and improve long term health and well-being.

Instead, traditional abdominal work you could try:

• Building up your plank pose. It may be an old favourite but let’s face it, it works. You can do the plank anywhere plus you can make it as dynamic or vanilla as you like.
• Try a core-focused class. For instance, you find lots of abdominal strengthening and belly tightening poses in yoga. And similarly, pilates has lots of abdominal work too.
• The V-shape boat pose is a versatile and great one for squeezing into your day if you’re too busy for the gym. If you’re working the abs and your body is shaking, likely you’re doing something right. Just remember to breathe.

Stomach tightening foods

A flabby, hanging belly can be a sign of an unhealthy lifestyle. You may have lost some weight, for example, but perhaps you didn’t do it most healthily.

The good news is that there are lots of healthy food options you can make when it comes to tone that tummy.

The best place to start when it comes to reducing belly fat is to reassess your refrigerator contents. Improve your knowledge about the foods you eat; which help with weight loss and which do the opposite.

For instance, learn about the different fats and the role they play in both your health and in fat reductions. For example, trans fats in packaged, junk foods will increase fat in the stomach area and monounsaturated in edible oils and nuts a better alternative.

Here are some tummy tightening food alternative:

• Whole grains such as oatmeal and brown rice are slow-burning foods which mean they keep you satiated and energized for longer.
• Berries are packed with antioxidants and are thought to improve blood flow. This means delivering oxygen to your muscles much more efficiently than other foods, making exercise more comfortable.
• Avocados are full of those healthy, essential fats. They are thought to discourage fat around the body, fight some cancers and prevent belly bloat. A worthy food source we reckon.

The bottom line

When it comes to getting rid of that last bit of flab around the stomach, it can be a bit of a slow burn. It’s a source of frustration for many of us when we’ve worked hard to get back into shape and still can’t shift that overhang.

But chances are you’re overthinking the problem and overestimating how bad it is. So don’t give up on all your hard work. Focus on those two important things: food and fitness. Keep up that healthy lifestyle and stick to those wholesome routines you’ve worked so hard to establish. Life is a challenge and remember, we all face a little bump in the road now and then.