Best Ways to Shrink Your Stomach

How soon can you see results? What are the best exercises? Your questions, answered

Co-authored by Laura Flinn

Last Updated: March 21, 2023 References Approved

With diet and exercise, you can train your stomach to stretch less to accommodate food, making you feel “full” more quickly when you eat. No need for invasive surgeries or harmful diets, either. We'll show you how to get the tummy you want with some healthy eating habits and proper exercise. Plus, we'll fill you in on some common mistakes to really set you up for success.

Things Your Should Know

Eat a balanced diet of carbs, fruits and veggies, and dairy and meat, and keep a food diary to stay on track.
Drink plenty of water in between meals to help feel full while eating less.
Eat slowly, consume fewer empty calories like trans fats, and practice careful portion control at mealtimes.
Perform aerobic exercises for 1-2 hours a week, and weight train twice per week to condition your body.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating Healthy Eating Habits

1
Eat a balanced diet. Eating a balanced diet is important for making sure your body gets all of the nutrients in the right amounts to keep you feeling satisfied while eating less.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.} At each meal, fill ½ of your plate with fruits and veggies, ¼ of your plate with whole grains, and ¼ of your plate with lean proteins. You can also have healthy plant oils in moderation.^{[2]
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Research source}
- Healthy carbs include rye, quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice, and other nutrient-rich grains.
- Choose fruits and vegetables that are rich in nutrients and low in sugars, such as citrus fruits, kale, arugula, and spinach.
2
Keep track of everything that you eat. Many people don’t realize how much they eat or how often they’re eating during the day. Keeping a food diary for a few days can help you realize what parts of your diet need adjusting.^{[3]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}
- Some people also choose to keep track of how they’re feeling and what they’re doing when they eat to notice patterns in emotional eating.
- Additionally, you should keep track of how long it takes you to eat each meal or snack. Eating slowly can help you feel full quickly.
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3
Drink plenty of water between meals. Water can help you feel full between meals and curb cravings without expanding your stomach like food would.^{[4]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source} You can also get water from vegetables like cucumbers, broccoli, and carrots, and fruits such as watermelon, plums, and apples.
- Alternatively, if you don’t like the taste of water alone, you can drink tea or flavored water.
- Drinking enough water can also help prevent water retention, which can make your stomach appear larger.
4
Eat fewer unhealthy fats and empty calories.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.} Check the label on the back of the packaging for saturated and trans fats, which are unhealthy and can cause you to gain weight. Empty calories include almost no nutrients and they should also be avoided.^{[6]
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Michigan Medicine
The University of Michigan's medical center, which provides patient care, supports research, and educates the public on health topics
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- Examples of empty calories include white bread, chips, cookies, jam, fruit juices, soda, and most sugary breakfast cereals.
- Foods high in saturated fats include baked goods, fried foods, fatty cuts of beef, lard, cream, butter, cheese, and dairy products made with whole or 2% milk.^{[7]
  X
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  American Heart Association
  Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
  Go to source}
5
Practice portion control when preparing and eating meals. At home, you can make sure you’re not overeating by placing leftover food in the refrigerator after putting a serving on your plate. You can take control of your portions while eating out by splitting an entree with someone, or only eating half of what is served on the plate and taking the rest home.^{[8]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- Store tempting foods out of the way so that you’re not able to access them easily.
- When you reduce your food intake by eating smaller portions, your body will eventually get used to eating less food.
6
Eat slowly and only until you start to feel full. Many people overeat because they don’t know when they feel full, causing their stomachs to expand temporarily to accommodate the food before digesting it. Take your time when you eat, chew each bite thoroughly, and drink water between bites. Your body will signal your brain when you’ve eaten enough.^{[9]
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Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public
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- Pay attention to your body’s signals so that you don’t eat too much food. If you want food, ask yourself if you’re really hungry or just craving more of the food’s taste or texture.
- The average person’s stomach capacity without any food in it is 200 mL, but when it comes time to eat, some people’s stomachs can relax to accommodate 1 liter of food or more.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Committing to an Exercise Routine

1
Practice aerobic exercise 75-150 minutes per week. Aerobic exercise is great for burning calories and helping you lose weight because it raises your heart rate. Running, swimming, hiking, biking, and dancing are all forms of aerobic exercise that engage your body to help with all-over weight loss.^{[11]
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American Heart Association
Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
Go to source}
- Aerobic exercise helps to complement the work that you’ve done by maintaining a healthy diet and makes your body utilize the energy that you’re getting from your food, rather than storing it as fat.
- To start out with aerobic exercise you can run, jog, or even just walk to raise your heart rate and get your body moving. After your stamina is stronger, you can move on to more high-impact activities.
2
Do weight training twice per week. In addition to aerobic exercise, do resistance or strength training regularly.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source
American Heart Association
Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
Go to source} Not only will this help you burn calories, it can tighten your core muscles.^{[13]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.} Training with weights increases your balance, stamina, and flexibility while also helping to build muscle and burn fat.
- Exercises like crunches, planks, and pull-ups engage your core stomach muscles and help to build strength in this area, which can result in a more toned look.
- Exercising your core won’t specifically help you lose belly fat, since you can’t target weight loss to one particular part of your body.^{[14]
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  Research source} However, it can help you lose weight all over and tone the muscles in your belly so they look more defined.
3
Rotate the types of activities that you do. Commit to doing aerobic and weight training exercises throughout the week, rotating between the 2 types of activities each day. This will provide your body with some rest in between activities and allow you to focus on specific areas of your body on different days.^{[15]
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American Heart Association
Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
Go to source}
- Alternating workouts can also prevent your body from adapting to different exercises, allowing you to get the full benefits of each exercise.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Avoiding Common Mistakes

1
Resist the temptation to “crash” diet. Extremely restrictive diets that don’t allow for the consumption of specific food groups are unsustainable. Although these diets might cause your stomach to look and feel smaller initially, the results won’t last due to constant hunger and your body not getting the nutrients that it needs.^{[16]
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Research source} Plus, crash diets can actually damage your body, including your heart.^{[17]
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- Restrictive diets can cause you to “binge” once the diet is over, which can make you feel sick by filling your stomach past its normal capacity in one sitting.
2
Allow yourself an occasional indulgence. Much like crash diets, a healthy diet can become unhealthy when you begin to restrict yourself from all sugars, fats, and “bad” foods. You might find it helpful to allow yourself to indulge in comfort foods or treats on occasion.^{[18]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- Remember to always practice portion control to not gorge yourself or make yourself feel sick.
3
Eat small snacks throughout the day to curb cravings. Many people restrict themselves to only 3 meals per day and are left feeling hungry. Having a healthy snack like nuts, a granola bar, or a piece of fruit can keep you satisfied between meals and help to avoid overeating.^{[19]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- Eating several snacks or small meals throughout the day whenever you feel hungry can also help retrain your brain and stomach and make you more aware of your body’s hunger and satiation signals.^{[20]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
  Go to source}

Diet and Fitness Help

Diet Basics to Shrink Your Stomach

Fitness Basics to Shrink Your Stomach

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I shrink my stomach without exercising?

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Laura Flinn is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer, USA Olympic Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach and Certified Fitness Nutritionist, with an additional qualification as a TRX Suspension Trainer. Laura runs her own personal training program based in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in topics such as weight loss, muscle growth, cardiovascular training, and strength training.

Laura Flinn

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Warnings

If you aren’t active currently, slowly integrate exercise into your daily routine to avoid injury.

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Talk to your doctor if you’re experiencing unexplained weight gain or have noticed any changes in your appetite or bathroom habits. These can be symptoms of an underlying health issue, like diabetes or a problem with your thyroid.^{[21]
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National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}

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