How to Get a Smaller Waist

Co-authored by Laila Ajani

Getting a smaller waist takes time, but with focus and persistence, you can do it! Not only can getting a smaller waist boost your confidence, it will also make you a healthier person in the process.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Changing Your Diet

1
Eat healthy fats. Many dieters believe that they need to avoid fat like the plague when trying to lose weight. However, eating a certain amount of healthy fat is essential for a balanced diet and can actually aid weight loss. In fact, studies suggest that a diet with a higher ratio of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) (avocados, nuts, seeds, soybeans, chocolate) can prevent the accumulation of belly fat. As a result, 25 to 30% of your daily calorie intake should come from such healthy fats.^{[1]
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- Polyunsaturated fats - such as the Omega-3 fatty acids found in mackerel, salmon, herring, walnuts, canola oil and tofu - are another type of healthy fat that you should try to incorporate into your diet. They help to lower bad cholesterol and boost brain function.^{[1]
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- Trans fats, on the other hand, (found in margarine, crackers, cookies--anything made with partially hydrogenated oils) result in more fat being deposited in the abdomen, so you should avoid these as much as you can.
2
Eat smaller, more frequent meals. It is very common for dieters to try to starve themselves between meals, with the result that they actually eat much more than necessary when the food is finally in front of them. One of the best kept secrets of successful dieters is that they actually eat more frequently throughout the day, they just eat smaller meals.
- Try eating six small meals a day, rather than your regular three large ones. You'll find sticking to your weight-loss plan much easier in the long-run if you're not in a constant state of hunger!
Note: Eating smaller, more frequent meals prevents dieters from becoming too hungry, causing them to eat less overall. It also stimulates the metabolism, which allows the body to burn more calories throughout the day.

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3
Start the day with a healthy breakfast. Kicking off the day with a healthy, balanced breakfast is one of the best things you can do when following a weight-loss diet. A good breakfast kick starts the metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day. It also keeps you fuller for longer, reducing your tendency to snack throughout the morning and afternoon, which may result in a higher calorie intake overall.
- Try eating a combination of filling wholegrain cereals and breads, protein-rich eggs and high-vitamin fruits for the perfect balanced breakfast. If you're on the go, grab a fruit smoothie and a cereal bar for convenient, yet filling goodness.
- You should also try to drink a glass of water before breakfast (and every other meal throughout the day) as this prevents your body from confusing thirst with hunger, which may lead to you eating more than you need. Plus it helps to keep you hydrated, which is always important.
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Get more fiber in your diet. Fiber-rich foods are an essential component of any healthy diet, for a number of reasons. Firstly, fiber-rich foods help to normalize bowel movements, which minimizes bloating and blockages. Secondly, fiber-rich foods help you to stay fuller longer and may require additional chewing time, thus preventing overeating. High-fiber foods also tend to be lower in calories than other food types.
- Try to incorporate a wide range of high-fiber foods into your diet, to get the benefits of both soluble and insoluble fibers. Examples of soluble fibers include oats and barley, peas and beans, apples, carrots and citrus fruits. Examples of insoluble fibers include wheat bran and products containing whole-wheat flour, nuts, beans and green vegetables.^{[2]
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- Soluble fiber, in particular, has also been shown to lower insulin levels, which can speed up the burning of visceral belly fat.
- Plain water is the best alternative, as it flushes out your system, reduces bloating and keeps the body hydrated. However, if you find plain old water too boring, try drinking water with a hint of flavoring like mint leaves, lemon, lime, or even toss in a few frozen raspberries or create a combination- Be creative! Vitamin water, or naturally sweetened iced teas also make a significantly healthier alternative to sodas.
- Don't use straws. You should also avoid using straws to sip your drinks, as straws cause you to suck more air into your stomach as you drink, leading to bloating and a bigger belly. Drink straight from the cup instead to avoid bloating.
5
Avoid processed foods. Even if you are carefully monitoring your portion sizes and consistently working out, your weight loss can be significantly impaired by a continued consumption of processed foods. This is because processed foods typically have high sugar and starch contents, which limit weight loss and lead to the buildup of harmful toxins.
- Be extra careful when it comes to products that are marked "non-fat", such as cheeses, breads, yogurts, etc. These products may have a low fat content, but they are usually packed with extra sugar and empty carbohydrates, and offer very little, if any, nutritional value. Some frozen processed organic meals are actually not too bad, as long as you make sure to carefully read all the labels and check the content and ingredients list.
- You should also avoid processed food products with a high salt content, such as ready-meals and frozen goods, as the salt leads to water retention and causes bloating. Just go for fresh foods instead of pre-packaged or frozen whenever possible.
6
Be prepared to change your diet. Getting a smaller waist will require weight loss, which cannot be achieved through exercise alone. You will also need to adhere to a healthy diet and reduce your calorie intake in order to really see results. You should find a trainer to help you calculate a proper amount of calorie intake a day. This will require discipline and determination. In addition to reducing your calorie intake, there are also some smart food choices you can make that will specifically help to reduce your waistline.
- For example, in a scientific study, people who ate all whole grains (in addition to five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of low-fat dairy, and two servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry) lost more belly fat than another group that ate the same diet, but with all refined grains. Remember that fruits have sugar, so exceeding your intake of fruits per day will impede your progress.^{[3]
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- Keep in mind that in order to lose a pound of weight, you will need to cut 3500 calories from your diet. Health specialists advise that the optimal level of healthy weight loss is one to two pounds a week, so it is not recommended that you starve yourself or follow fad diets in order to lose weight more quickly.
EXPERT TIP

Laila Ajani
Fitness Trainer
Laila Ajani is a Fitness Trainer and founder of Push Personal Fitness, a personal training organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laila has expertise in competitive athletics (gymnastics, powerlifting, and tennis), personal training, distance running, and Olympic lifting. Laila is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), USA Powerlifting (USAPL), and she is a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES).

Laila Ajani
Fitness Trainer

Our Expert Agrees: Exercise can help you be motivated to eat properly, but on its own, it won't give you a smaller waist, even if you're doing stomach crunches and cardio. Most people have to pay attention to their diets to get a smaller waist.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Tailoring Your Exercise Routine

1
Commit to an exercise routine. If you really want to trim your waist, you will need to commit to a regular and rigorous exercise routine. Great results will only come with hard work and dedication, so make sure you are prepared to put in the necessary effort before you begin. On the other hand, if you begin exercising too rigorously from the get-go, you may become disheartened and disillusioned, and therefore much more inclined to give up.
- Eventually you'll find yourself exercising regularly without feeling worn out or disinterested in it and your waist, along with your overall health and fitness, will have benefited a great deal.
Tip: To overcome this, try making an exercise plan where you start at a reasonable level, before gradually building yourself up to longer more intense exercise routines. Keep a log of what you're doing each time in a record book or diary and check your progress against this.
2
Do plenty of cardio. As mentioned before, weight loss is essential when it comes to losing inches from your waist. Unfortunately, there is no way to target weight loss in a specific area of your body, so overall weight loss is the only option. Cardiovascular exercise is the best form of exercise for burning calories, so it is essential to any weight loss routine.
- Running, skipping and cycling are all excellent cardio options, which usually don't even require a gym membership. Cheap, yet extremely effective, there's no excuse not to incorporate a little cardio into your workout.
- Trainers advocate tracking your heart rate during cardio. For example, the best way to shed fat is by walking on the trail or outside and keeping your heart rate at low-medium level. Have that after a session of endurance training and you are on the way to shed this fat.
- You should do at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio each week. You can even do a blend of moderate and vigorous activity. To reach this goal, aim for 30 minutes of cardio exercise four to five times a week.
3
Make sure you work out the correct core muscles. Many core strength-building exercises focus on the oblique muscles, which run along the side of your stomach. Although working these muscles will give you a toned and flat stomach, it will also build up the muscle, making your waist appear wider than before. This is definitely not what you want when aiming for a tiny waist. To work your core and trim your waist you should focus on your transverse and rectus abdominals.
- Remember to breathe when exercising core muscles. While it may seem obvious, many people forget in the concentration on getting the muscle action correct and then you leave your body tense and fragile. Instead, remember to breathe in and out, on the way up, on the way down, etc. If you can't work this out in a rhythm that works for you, consider joining yoga or Pilates for help.
Note: Your transverse abdominals work as your body's natural corset and so with enough work in this area you can achieve a smaller waist. Pilates does a lot of work that focuses on the transverse abdominals and therefore can be a very effective method.
4
Do specific waist-shaping exercises. Even though you can't target weight loss on your waist, you can certainly perform certain exercises which tone and slim the muscles around the midsection.
- Do the 'hundred' exercise. This is done by lying on your back and lifting your legs up to a 90 degree angle. Raise your shoulder blades off the floor with your arms reaching towards your feet. Begin by pumping your arms up and down, and repeat for 100 pumps. Breathe in through the nose for five pumps and out through the mouth for five pumps. As you get stronger, you can start to lower the legs closer to the ground until your legs are only a few inches above the floor. Remember to keep your upper torso lifted off the ground.
- Suck in your stomach. Try to keep your stomach sucked in throughout the day, while sitting at your desk, in the car or at the grocery store. This works the stomach muscles, while simultaneously making you look slimmer. Over time, you won't even notice you're doing it!
- Do sit ups. Lie down on the floor or a yoga mat, and bend your knees while keeping your feet flat on the ground. Cross your arms over your chest. Slowly raise your upper body towards your knees before lowering yourself back down again. Work up to doing three sets of sit ups, with 10-20 repetitions in each set.
- Do twist crunches. This requires you to lie on your back and bend your knees up while keeping your feet flat on the floor. Bring your fingers up to touch your ears and slowly contract your abdominal muscles, lifting your torso off the ground. When you're at the point of feeling you can't lift your body any further, contract your side muscles and turn gently to the left. Return your torso flat to the floor. Repeat on the right side. Build up to two or three sets of ten to fifteen repetitions each.^{[4]
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- Do a plank. Get into the position for doing a push up. Rest on your forearms and keep your eyes to the floor at all times. Pull your stomach muscles in tight, imagining them touching your backbone. As you do this, your bottom should be down and your back straight. Aim to hold this position for about a minute.^{[5]
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- Do the side plank. This exercise targets the "muffin top" region of the body. Lie down on a comfortable mat, on your right side. Rest on your right arm and extend your legs outward, placing your left foot on top of your right foot. In this position, slowly lift your pelvis up from the floor. Contract the muscles all around the lower torso, including the lower back and hips. Continue to bear weight on your right forearm and feet. Aim to hold this lift for around 10-15 seconds. Repeat three to five times for each side, or work up to holding the pose for 60 seconds.^{[6]
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5
Build your chest and shoulders. Emphasizing upper curves can make the waist seem to shrink, so you should incorporate some shoulder and chest building exercises into your workout routine in order to give the illusion of a smaller waist. Some specific exercises include:
- Bench dips. This exercise works the arms and shoulders and is performed using an exercise step or kitchen chair. To do a bench dip, sit up straight on the edge of the bench or chair, extending your legs in front of you. Firmly grip the edge of the bench or chair and slowly slide your body off the bench, lowering yourself towards the floor. Keep your back straight, and keep lowering until your arms form a 90 degree angle. Push your body back to the original starting position and repeat.
- Push-ups. This classic exercise works the chest muscles. It can be done by propping your body up on your toes (for a more advanced version) or by balancing on your knees (for an easier version). To do it, place your hands palms-down on the floor, approximately shoulder width apart and raise yourself up, using just the strength in your arms, until both arms are fully extended. Slowly lower your body down again until your elbows form a 90-degree angle. Raise yourself back up into the extended arm position and repeat.
6
Try something different. Exercise regimes can become repetitive and boring, making you less inclined to follow through with them. This is why it's important to shake things up from time to time and try something new, whether it's a new form of exercise, or simply incorporating a new prop. Here are some suggestions for shaking up your exercise regime that can also help to improve your waist reduction:
- Use a hula-hoop. Your waist and hips will benefit from 10 minutes a day of hula-hooping, with the added bonus you get to behave like a kid again each day!
- One way to get and keep your waist (and the rest of your body) looking great is to dance! You don't have to start up dance lessons, but turn on the radio or listen to your iPod and party around for about 20-30 minutes every day. Make sure you're moving all of your body. Dancing burns off lots of calories and it feels great when you're having fun, and you'll look and feel great!
- Use dumbbells. Build shoulder muscles by lifting dumbbells out from your sides for resistance. Lift 10 times for each set, four sets a day. The broader your shoulders and outer thighs, the narrower your waist appears.
- Consider doing yoga or Pilates; these are great activities for core abdominal muscle exercises and you can also be part of a group session which can be very motivating.
- Make exercising comfortable; ensure that you have floor mats, breathable clothing, a water bottle, and other things that help increase your enjoyment of exercise. Music in the background can also add motivation.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Dressing Right

1
Wear waist-cinching belts. Draw attention to your waist by wearing belts that emphasize and nip in your middle. They can be wide, skinny, jeweled, braided -- whatever! Wear them over dresses, long tops and even winter coats to get an hourglass figure which gives the illusion of a smaller waist.
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Wear A-line dresses. A-line dresses are those which are tight at the hips, then flare out towards the hem, giving the illusion of a smaller waist. They are very flattering on almost every body shape, as they emphasize the waist, while skimming over any imperfections around the hips and thighs.
3
Avoid low-rise jeans. Low-rise jeans can be very unflattering to anyone who carries even a little weight around their middle, as they create the dreaded "muffin top" effect. High waisted jeans are much more forgiving as they cover up any excess fat around the hips, and draw attention to the waist. Worn with a tucked-in shirt, these type of jeans can be very flattering indeed.
4
Try wearing a body-shaping undergarments. Picking the right foundation garments can greatly reduce your waistline.
- Try "shapewear". Most quality lingerie stores carry lines of undergarments that are designed to smooth and support your figure.
- Corsets. Worn under gowns as a figure enhancing item of lingerie in centuries gone by, the corset has gained renewed popularity recently for providing an effortlessly sexy silhouette, whether under other clothes or on its own. Steel-boned corsets (not as painful as they sound - promise!) do the best job of cinching in your waist, and can actually permanently reduce the size of your waist with prolonged wear!

Expert Q&A

Question

If I follow all the exercises mentioned, cardio and muscle toning 3-4 times a week, for about 20-30 min, would I be able to achieve results while not sticking to a healthy diet?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

No. A calorie controlled diet and healthy food choices are absolutely essential to losing weight around the waistline or anywhere else. Exercises can tone muscle, strengthen muscle and even build muscle size, but they will do very little to change body fat. Also, 20-30 minutes 4 times a week won't be enough to see big changes fast, but if kept up over a long time, they can help you feel healthier, stronger, and more in control of your body.
Question

My weight is 58kg, and I am 5'1. I do go to gym three days a week, and I am trying to follow the small portion diet. But it is still really difficult to lose weight. What can I do?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

Losing weight is tough. Exercise can only do so much. You must count calories. This requires time and great perseverance. If it is really tough for you, you may have bad habits that you are having trouble breaking. Write down every single thing you put in your mouth and how much. Once you have done this for a few weeks, look back at your records to figure out what you can change to get rid of those excess calories.
Question

I have a knee issue, and thus I can't do squats. What should I do instead?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

People with knee problems can still do squats, but you may be doing them improperly. Try a shallow squat where you lower yourself only half-way. Can you see the top of your shoe? If not, you are doing the squat improperly. See an exercise expert such as a personal trainer to learn to do a modified squat properly. If there is still a problem, try lunges and straight leg lifts instead.

Warnings

Barbie's waist is anatomically impossible so avoid using her as your role model; indeed, if she stood 5' 6" tall, she'd have a 20 inch (50.8 cm) waist! Be realistic and seek a waist shape that works with your body shape; if you don't have hourglass genetics, quit fretting and start making the most of the shape you have been blessed with.

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Always consult a physician before attempting any new exercise or exercise plan.

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