Your 15-Step Guide To Feeling Thinner By TONIGHT
Just say NO to bloat.
goffkein.pro/Shutterstock By Leta Shy
Slimming down takes time and dedication, but a few quick tricks can help you feel a little bit lighter in just one day. Read on to get our tips for feeling less bloated and puffy — and having a flatter belly — by the end of today!
1. Morning: Drink Hot Water and Lemon
A mug of hot lemon water in the morning wakes up your digestive system and helps get things moving. You can drink green tea with lemon if you don't like the taste of warm lemon water on its own.
2. Morning: Go Dairy Free
Many people feel belly discomfort after eating dairy. If that's you, leave out the cream and yogurt from your morning breakfast. These dairy-free breakfast recipe ideas will help you nix the yogurt, cheese, and milk to see if you feel better.
3. Morning: Detox With Yoga
Yoga twists help rid your body of toxins by aiding your digestion. This yoga detox sequence includes plenty of twists and stretches to help you wake up and feel your best.
4. Midmorning: Have a Tropical Snack
Both pineapple and papaya contain enzymes — bromelain and papain, respectively — that help banish bloat by breaking down protein and easing digestion. Snack on a bowl of cut-up fruit, or make this papaya, pineapple, and coconut water smoothie for a midmorning snack.
5. All Day: Slow Down
Eating too quickly can cause air to be trapped in your system, so chew slowly to minimize bloating caused from getting too much air trapped in your system.
6. All Day: Don't Chew Gum
It's a secret of debloating brides — stop the gum-chewing to feel less puffy. And it's not only because chewing gum causes you to swallow more air; many gums contain sugar alcohol, which also can make you feel bloated.
7. All Day: Drink More Water
Good old H2O helps flush out toxins and extra salt (which can be responsible for that puffy feeling) from your system, so remind yourself to drink more water throughout the day. Keeping a water bottle with you at all times is a great way to ensure you're always filling up.
8. Afternoon: Eat Quinoa
Quinoa's many nutrients include fiber and potassium, both of which are important if you'd like to feel less bloated. This superfood salad combines kale, quinoa, and blueberries for a delicious and filling lunch.
9. All Day: Check Portions
The reason you're feeling full and bloated could be your portion sizes. If you find that you're constantly feeling stuffed after a meal, download and print our visual guide to portions that just uses your hands.
10. Afternoon: Have a Fiber-Rich Snack
Many women don't get enough fiber, which is the key to feeling full, energized, and bloat-free. You should aim to get 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day; reach that goal by snacking on fiber-rich foods like avocado, raspberries, chia seeds, and pears.
11. Evening: Skip Happy Hour
Whether it's a glass of wine with dinner or a cocktail at happy hour, that drink can make you feel bloated for many reasons. Not only can the alcohol cause digestion issues, but all that sugar in your fruity drink can make you feel sluggish as well. Not only that, those drinks can lead to deep-fried decisions when dinnertime rolls around.
Keep temptations away by skipping out on happy hour or sticking to noncarbonated water with lemon.
12. Dinner: Go For Asparagus
Asparagus encourages digestive health by stimulating the growth of good bacteria in your body. Eat a dinner that's heavy on the veggies, and add a lean protein like chicken or fish for further debloating properties. Healthy asparagus recipes, like this asparagus detox salad, would go perfectly with your belly-slimming dinner.
13. Evening: Skip the Dessert
Fatty, sugary foods can cause bloating, as can foods high in artificial sweeteners. Skip the carb-heavy, sugary desserts, and go for fresh fruit, which is high in fiber and water, to help you debloat.
14. Evening: Drink a Debloating Tea
Spices like cinnamon and ginger help clear out your system, so have a mug of debloating tea — like this ginger lemongrass tea — before you go to bed. Mint tea can also help soothe your stomach, so opt for that if you need a refreshing end to your dinner.
15. Night: Get to Sleep on Time
Sleep helps regulate your metabolism, so lack of sleep can make you feel sluggish in more ways than one. Keep your body working at its best by ensuring you get seven to nine hours of sleep at night.
