We all want to feel good at our Christmas do’s. Whether it’s feeling great in that little black dress or going down a waist size in time for your annual presentation, Christmas is a time to have fun and let your hair down!
We often get asked by clients how to reduce that bloating feeling and how they can make sure their stomachs “feel” flatter before formal events, especially when in tight fitting clothing. Here are three simple steps to follow that will help you fit into your clothes better in time for your Christmas party!
Step 1: Reduce your gluten intake.
So, Tip #1 is to try to minimise the amount of gluten and gluten-containing foods 7 days before you want to put that tight top or dress on. Gluten, generally for about 75% or even more of the population, bloats us and makes us feel our stomachs distended and stick out. By reducing or eliminating the gluten-containing foods, you’re going to find that your stomach feels and actually appears a lot flatter.
Step 2: Don’t forget about Dairy.
Minimising your dairy intake as well for those 7 days can also help your stomach feel flatter because, again, dairy is one of those allergenic foods that most people don’t realise they are actually intolerant to!
When you think about it, what most people have for breakfast – maybe some cereals, some Coco Pops and some milk – tends to be the most allergenic foods of the day.
Many people don’t realise that they are intolerant to dairy as it is such a staple in our diets, but if you try reducing or cutting it completely, you might just feel a big difference!
As they can both be allergenic, both gluten and dairy raise your cortisol levels (your stress hormone) and encourage fat storage around your stomach and actually encourage you to feel bloated, particularly around your mid section.
Step 3: Drink at least 2 to 4 litres of water a day.
And that’s pure water only! For many people, if you find that if you let yourself dehydrate or you don’t drink enough water, you actually feel more bloated. It may sound strange, but it is true that the less water you drink, the more bloated you feel.
So, by 7 days prior to the event, make sure you’re drinking full 2-4 litres of water each day. You’re going to find that your stomach, after maybe a couple of days of feeling slightly fuller, is appearing a lot flatter and feels a lot flatter.
…And Yes. And you will go to the toilet a lot more for those first 2 to 3 days. But that is just your body adjusting to get better at flushing out water. So you’ll actually store less water and retain less water so that, you’ll feel less bloated by actually drinking more.
As a side note, if you’re dehydrated, you’re going to struggle to lose fat. So you’re going to actually end up losing more fat just by being hydrated and it’s such a simple thing.
So, there you have it! 3 Simple tips to make sure you feel AMAZING this Christmas, you’ve earned it!
