How to keep a flat stomach

KimmalyS
KimmalyS Posts: 131 Member
edited November 19 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
flat stomach one week and the next week I look as if I haven't worked out at all. Diet doesn't change much, what a mystery
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Replies

  • tattygun
    tattygun Posts: 447 Member
    Might be eating something that causes you to retain water, hormone fluctuations, water intake not consistent etc. You're quite lean and the leaner you get the more noticeable these fluctuations are, I know i change a lot during the course of a day never mind a week.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Minor things for some if they are close to ideal weight. For some, it's carb intake. Some high sodium causing water retention. This is a trial and error thing you'll have to figure out.

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  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
    Ah, yes. I feel your pain. My stomach is the same way - I'll have visible abs one day, and a few days later, a pudge. It's annoying, but doesn't seem to be related to diet, usually. I chalk it up to hormones.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Doesn't look super different to me...like maybe you just ate some food...maybe retaining a bit of water or something.

    My stomach is flat in the AM...it looks different in the PM after I've eaten food all day. One of the reasons that BBQ pool parties are a *kitten* as aesthetics go.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    I go through this. I look leaner one week out of the month depending on the phase of my cycle. I also look more lean if my diet consists of moderate to low carbs. Also...I get a food baby by the end of the day. It's natural.
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    Same here! I find as I have have gotten leaner, the fluctuations in water retention or bloating are way more dramatic. After last weekend of camping where I ate a bunch of abnormal food for me and drank more than usual, my food baby was sticking out of my shirt so bad that my wife kept laughing at it. The same happens to her- she has abs most days and then can grow this pot belly in one day. It's going to be way more noticeable to you because you feel bloated. I wouldn't sweat it.

    You have a really beautiful shape, by the way!
  • Tabbycat00
    Tabbycat00 Posts: 146 Member
    Same issue here. I chalk it up to being petite, any extra salt or water retention...that time of the month, can make the difference. It used to bother me, but now I'm so used to it and I know it comes and goes.
  • kclewis416
    kclewis416 Posts: 79 Member
    I go through this all the time.. it comes and goes.. fluctuates daily/weekly/monthly...
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,185 Member
    Your stomach looks the same to me in both photos. I'm sure it is just water weight, or bloating from eating more food one day. My stomach looks flatter in the morning and pudgier at night. No one really sees it, so I don't really care.
  • yskaldir
    yskaldir Posts: 202 Member
    It's probably tied to your menstruation cycle.
  • nichell88
    nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
    @Tuffaknee haha, seriously.

    OP, for the record, you look great in both pictures, you have an envious figure. With respect to your concern, in my experience, my body looks much tighter in the morning when I'm still fasting. By then end of the day, it's much less defined. Also, if you eat a lot of sodium one day versus another, you may hold more water weight. Same with carbs. It could be A number of reasons. Lucky for you, you've got a great body regardless. Good luck
  • Syneea
    Syneea Posts: 451 Member
    What everyone else said! :-)

    @KimmalyS, You are the ideal size and kept your curves! May I ask your height and weight??
  • DietVanillaCoke
    DietVanillaCoke Posts: 259 Member
    I agree with everything that's been said. It could be a whole bunch of different factors.

    I used to bloat up because of my cycle, like my measurements would increase an inch+! And then I started taking Magnesium and it helped with the water weight and the bloating. If you haven't had allergy testing done in awhile, it would be great to have that looked at too. But tbh i think you look amazing in both pics =)
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    Honest answer? It's probably gas. Usually depends on what you eat. Its natural, people look different depending on the day, their carb loads, their bowel movements etc etc. You are not going to have Instagram flat stomach 24/7.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Married old man smiles and says all is well. The food has to go somewhere. Mostly the lighting has changed between the pix.

    If you tend to feel bloating, start by trying a fiber supplement (Eg, benefiber).
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    I don't see a "real" difference. I look much more defined in poor lighting (such as your first photo) than I do in good lighting (such as in your second).

    Yes. The angle of lighting makes a pretty huge difference on the visible ab definition (will be accentuated by shadowing in 1 room & mirror, and not in another).
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