Can you get a flat stomach by starving yourself?

Answer 1

Starving yourself is called anorexia. Anorexia can lead to serious medical problems including but not limited to death. If you need to lose weight try eating balanced meals and exercising. Yes, eventually, but that not the most effective way at all because you are more likely to store fat in your belly if you are hungry all the time. This is because your belly is the place the body stores readily available fat, and if you are hungry all the time your body wants to put it somewhere easily accessible.

The best way to get a flat tummy is to tighten your ab muscles with exercise and eat a diet low in sugar, alcohol, and excess carbohydrates. The reason why is because if you eat too many carbs at once they turn into triglycerides in your blood almost immediately, which are then stored as fat once the body decides it can store them. And of course, the body's first choice will be your tummy. If you are already overweight and have a flabby tummy then losing weight by reducing how much you eat (not starvingthough!) will help your stomach lose fat. Be careful though since this can lower your metabolism and make you more likely to gain weight back. Also make sure you get enough protein or else your body will just break down your muscle instead.

Answer 2

• No, you cannot get a flat stomach by starving yourself. Semi-fasting long term can mess up your metabolism and cause all sorts of health issues. The longer you go, the more problems, sometimes not reversible, will occur. Your belly is likely to balloon out in the final stages of starvation and the internal organs start to shut down.

• A well balance diet and cardio exercise will do it. However, you must remember, you did not gain that weight in a day, or a week or even a month. It can take as long to lose it as it did to gain it. Think long-term health, not short term looks.

• Instead of starving yourself start eating healthier. Eat smaller meals, eat more meals a day, eat more vegetables and fruit, drink more water, less sugars and empty calories (less refined carbohydrates: soft drinks, cakes, cookies, breads, etc).

• Losing or maintaining an ideal weight is not a difficult task if you follow a healthy lifestyle including low GI eating, regular cardio aerobic exercise and suitable supplements. Whatever you do, do not starve yourself. Talk to a doctor or a family member. You need to lose body fat if your BMI is over 25. Excess body fat, or obesity, and refined carbohydrates, will affect not only your appearance but also your health and can lead to Heart disease, Diabetes, and more.

• Nutrition is important. In the pursuit of a flat stomach many people starve themselves. Little do they realise that by starving themselves they slow down their metabolism and force their body into starvation mode as a defence mechanism.

• Eliminate, or strictly limit, apart from the occasional treat, refined (processed) carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates are a major cause of fat accumulating around the abdomen. Do cardio exercise every other day. For more information about how to lose stomach fat, see the related question, further down this page, listed under Related Questions.

Answer 3

Attempting to reduce fat in just one part of your body at a time is likely to be disappointing.

Fat reduction works like this: When you try to lose fat through calorie-burning exercises, the reduction occurs all throughout your body. Unlike muscle-building, it cannot be specifically targeted to one region. Also, the reduction in fat will not be quickly apparent because it will not be focused on only one spot on your body. So it's helpful to have a "slowly but surely" attitude.

Here's a program for the period in which you want to lose weight:

Plenty of moderate aerobic exercise, no sweetened liquids at all, and no junk food at all. Preferably no sugar, and as little added salt and processed foods as possible. Eat 3 small-portioned meals/day; do not skip breakfast; and avoid snacks. Limit your calories (better to consult a doctor or nutritionist concerning the amount), and weigh yourself 2-3 times/week. Ignore the sensation of hunger. If you see your weight diminishing at a safe, reasonable rate (1-2 pounds/week), keep it up.

Once you've reached your target weight, increase your calorie intake somewhat. And you can then have small amounts of sweetened foods or junk food on occasion (if at all), along with your regular foods (not instead of them). But keep checking your weight 2-3 times/week.

Avoid crash diets, diet pills etc. Avoid fatty cuts of meat. Walk as much as possible. Bicycling and swimming are good too.

More guidelines:

Don't concentrate on specific foods so much as on a balanced, healthy diet plus exercise. Plenty of moderate exercise rather than intense exercise, which can damage your joints.

Good nutrition means eating what your body needs, while ingesting as few harmful things as possible. It has also been described as getting enough of each of the major food categories (grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, etc.; plus plenty of water).

This will vary somewhat from one person to another; and I don't believe that there's any universal diet that can be prescribed for everyone. Avoid best-sellers with their perennial fad diets. And think twice before using any dietary supplements or weight-loss pills.

In general, one's starting point can be a menu of whole grains, whole-wheat bread, a good amount of vegetables, some fruits and nuts, fish, lean meats (in not-large amounts), and some dairy. However, this must be tweaked according to one's health, weight and other factors at the outset; and also adjusted over time, as one sees what works for him/her in particular.

Answer 4

Yes because if your not eating your body starts using your fat to provide nutrients for your cells, organs, and the rest of your body.