In addition to maintaining health, shrinking a distended stomach in men can also affect appearance and self-confidence. Is the way to shrink a distended stomach that you are doing is right?
With age, many men tend to have a distended stomach. This condition can occur due to poor diet and lack of exercise.
In addition to disturbing appearance, a distended stomach can also trigger metabolic syndrome and increase the risk of several diseases, such as stroke and heart attack, as well as other blood vessel diseases.
Some Ways to Shrink a Distended Stomach in Men
Belly fat can sometimes seem difficult to lose, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are several ways to reduce a distended stomach in men that you can try, including:
1. Eat protein-rich foods
The first way to shrink a distended stomach in men is to increase the consumption of protein foods. You can eat eggs, fish, nuts, lean meats, and dairy products to meet your protein intake.
Foods rich in protein produce less belly fat and keep you full longer.
In addition to consuming high-protein foods, eating fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables, fruits, or shirataki, can also reduce the desire to overeat or snack after eating.
2. Limit fast food
Some studies say that eating fast food, such as French fries, burgers, and pizza, increases the risk of increasing belly fat. If you want to shrink a distended stomach, you should limit or avoid the consumption of fast food.
Instead, you can eat healthy carbohydrate sources that come from vegetables and fruits, such as broccoli, carrots, spinach, avocados, strawberries, and pineapple.
3. Limiting sugary foods and drinks
Cakes, ice cream, candy, soft drinks, or energy drinks have high sugar content which is also at risk of increasing fat accumulation in the stomach which makes the stomach look distended.
Although it can be consumed in moderation, you should avoid consuming these foods and drinks to shrink a distended stomach.
Instead, you can consume dark chocolate, coffee or tea without sugar, drink lots of water, and eat fruits, such as mangoes and papayas.
4. Reducing alcoholic drinks
In special conditions, the use of alcohol in small amounts can provide health benefits. However, if drunk too much and in the long term, alcoholic beverages can cause various health problems, including increasing the accumulation of fat in the stomach.
So, you should limit or avoid alcohol consumption if you want to shrink a distended stomach.
5. Move a lot
Being active and reducing sitting for too long can reduce the risk of increasing belly fat. It is recommended that you do physical activity, such as leisurely walking, cycling, or swimming, for at least 150 minutes each week.
If your job requires you to sit for long periods of time, try to take a break by standing up or taking a leisurely walk every 90 minutes for 5–10 minutes.
6. Get enough rest
How to shrink a distended stomach in men is not only by adjusting your diet and doing physical activity. Ensuring adequate rest time, at least 7-8 hours per night, is also important to reduce the accumulation of fat in the stomach.
This is based on several studies showing that people who sleep less than 5 hours per night tend to gain weight and belly fat significantly.
7. Manage stress
A study shows that stress can increase appetite, so it will make a person tend to eat a lot and lead to excess calorie intake. These excess calories will then be stored as fat in the stomach and make the stomach distended.
Therefore, you should manage stress by trying relaxation exercises, such as doing yoga or practicing mindfulness.
Another thing you can do to lose belly fat is to record your daily calorie intake. To record it, you can use a food diary or use a special app on your phone.
Not only that, you can also try drinking green tea or consuming probiotic sources, such as tempeh, cheese, and yogurt. These probiotic-rich foods can improve digestive system health while reducing belly fat.
If you’ve done various ways to reduce your distended stomach according to the suggestions above but haven’t gotten any significant results, don’t hesitate to consult a doctor. The doctor will conduct an examination and provide dietary advice according to your health condition.
