What Helps Tighten Up a Fat, Saggy Tummy?

Hiding or disguising a flabby or saggy stomach can be a constant preoccupation. Although you want to lose that excess belly fat and tighten up your muscles, finding and sticking to a long-term solution may prove challenging. There's not one tried-and-true way to tighten up your tummy — instead, combine various techniques to find a regimen that works best for you. Come up with a personalized plan and commit to it.

Instructions

• 1

  Do cardiovascular exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends more than 250 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity per week to achieve weight loss. If you can't reach that goal, do a 30-minute cardio workout four times a week. Get your heart rate to at least 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Start with walking and work your way up to running, biking, swimming or exercising on an elliptical trainer.

• 2

  Practice resistance training to tighten up your stomach muscles. Do pushups, squats, sit-ups and other resistance exercises for 15 minutes, three times per week. Hire a trainer if you can afford it, or recruit an expert at a local gym to help you develop a resistance program that suits your abilities and works out your stomach muscles.

• 3

  Change your diet to help tighten your flabby stomach. Cut calories and fill up instead on low-fat, low-calorie, protein-rich foods. Avoid foods such as potato chips, pizza and doughnuts. Cut out unhealthy snacks and substitute carrot sticks or nuts. Reduce the portion sizes of your meals so you consume fewer calories.