Is It Possible to Trim Your Waist in a Week?
Trimming your waistline can be a very hard thing to do, because targeting localized fat is more difficult due to genetic, metabolic, and hormonal factors, among others. So, what are some simple ways to improve your figure?
Although you might think the solution is to simply go on a diet, there are some rebellious parts of your body that will usually be more challenging to trim or tone, like the abdomen. In today’s article, we want to show you four highly effective and surprising tips to trim your waist, and it’s a lot easier than you might think.
Of course, exercise is essential if you want to control your weight. Check out this short tutorial about a very simple exercise: walking.
Why can’t I trim my waist?
Having a tiny waistline is the dream of most women. This is a part of the body where fat easily builds up, however, even if you’re already thin.
Next, let’s see what can cause this situation, aside from genetics:
- Stress
- Pregnancy
- Alcohol abuse
- Leading a sedentary lifestyle
- Digestive disorders
- A slow metabolism
- Eating refined foods or lots of sugar
- Hormonal imbalances; during menopause, for example
Like this article? You may also like reading: Japanese method to eliminate stress
Tips to trim your waistline
To find out how to show off your figure depending on your size, the best thing to do is to go to a doctor for an evaluation. This way, you can put their tips into practice and, if necessary, seek the help of a nutritionist as well.
1. Limit what you eat for dinner
Dinner is the meal that’s usually responsible for fattening you up (if you eat too much food with a high saturated fat content), and the effects can be noticeable, especially in the waist. Fortunately, your abdomen is where you’ll notice the difference first when you change how you eat dinner: eating less and eating earlier.
Some people complain that it’s too hard to have an early dinnertime. Instead, you should find a way to enjoy a midafternoon snack and eat something very light in the evening.
Similarly, studies claim that late-night snacks are more detrimental to weight than daytime snacks. For this reason, it’s advisable to reduce the intake of food and snacks at night.
Also, there are people who regret that dinner is the time for a family reunion. For that reason, it often feels like too great a sacrifice to change everyone’s habits.
In this case, we suggest that you choose light, easy-to-prepare recipes and exercise the willpower to consume smaller portions. Having an earlier snack is a great way to sit down at the dinner table without feeling too hungry.
In the morning, you’ll notice that your stomach is more trim, which will encourage you to keep up this good habit.
2. Control your portions
What we recommended for how much you should eat at dinner should be your goal for every meal. You don’t need to go hungry, but you should find the exact point where you could still eat more but no longer need to. In fact, if you just wait five or 10 minutes, your hunger might disappear.
Knowing when to limit yourself is key because usually, when you eat more than you should, it’s something fattening, like bread or sweets. One trick is to get into the habit of drinking a digestive tea after your meals. It also helps to chew each bite of food slowly, making you feel more full.
3. Increase your protein intake
You’ve probably heard of diets that are high in protein, offering miraculous results in a very short time. They do indeed work, but they’re hard on your liver and kidneys, and often people have a rebound effect once they stop.
Research suggests high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets in conjunction with intermittent fasting to promote further weight loss.
Nevertheless, it’s important to know that consuming more protein – whether it’s of animal or vegetable origin – can promote weight loss and especially target that waistline. Just don’t forget to eat other foods to balance out your diet.
Animal protein sources are:
- Meat
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- Dairy products
Vegetable protein sources include:
- Beans
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole grains
- Avocado
Ideally, you should eat one serving of protein at every meal, combining animal and vegetable proteins with raw and cooked vegetables. Finally, add some grain products and try always to choose whole grains.
We think you may also enjoy reading: 13 Reasons to Eat More Avocados
4. Choose your fat well
Yes, fats are very important. You don’t need to cut them out of your diet as many dietitians say, but you should choose them wisely. Healthy fats will help you lose weight and trim your waistline, as well as other areas where fat tends to accumulate.
Healthy fats are used by the body to support numerous functions while requiring it to increase your energy expenditure. Therefore, add a serving of healthy fat at every meal:
- Avocado
- Bluefish
- Probiotics
- Egg yolk
- Nuts and seeds
- Dairy products like yogurt, goat and sheep cheese, or ghee
- Cold pressed vegetable oils (olive, coconut, sesame, wheat germ, etc.)
5. Get enough sleep
Insufficient sleep is a recently discovered cause of obesity. Studies affirm that people with an insufficient sleep pattern can gain several kilograms in a short period of time. This is a normal response of the body that seeks to replenish the energy necessary to maintain additional wakefulness.
For this reason, it’s vital to sleep at least 8 hours a night when we seek to lose weight and reduce the waist. In this sense, plan your schedule of activities and avoid staying up late.
Healthy daily habits are the key
As you may have noticed, we’re not talking about any miracle diet or huge sacrifices to achieve the goal. It’s enough to correct daily habits and replace them with healthier ones; your body will thank you, and you will surely be able to show off the figure you’re looking for.
Remember, in case you have any concerns, it’s always best to consult with your doctor. Nutrition professionals are the only ones trained to guide weight loss correctly and without complications.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Markwald RR, Melanson EL, Smith MR, Higgins J, et al. Impact of insufficient sleep on total daily energy expenditure, food intake, and weight gain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 2;110(14):5695-700.
- Freire R. Scientific evidence of diets for weight loss: Different macronutrient composition, intermittent fasting, and popular diets. Nutrition. 2020 Jan;69:110549.
