Eight ways to flatten your belly that don't require heroic exercise or elaborate meal prep. Each one takes under 10 minutes per day and addresses either actual fat reduction or reducing bloat-related visible abdominal volume.

1. Drink 2.5 L of water daily. Counterintuitive but true — hydration reduces water retention. The belly looks flatter within days.
2. Cut sodium (processed foods, restaurant meals). High sodium drives water retention preferentially in the abdomen.
3. Skip late-night eating. Finish meals by 8 PM. Late eating produces morning bloat and disrupts digestion.
4. Swap soda for water. Saves 150-200 kcal per drink with no felt effort; also removes carbonation-induced bloating.
5. Walk 10 minutes after each meal. Aids digestion, reduces post-meal bloating.
6. Cut processed foods, even without caloric restriction. Food quality alone reduces belly volume through less sodium, less refined carbs, more fibre.
7. Eat protein at breakfast. 30 g first thing reduces total daily intake through satiety.
8. Sleep 7-8 hours. Chronic undersleep drives visceral fat accumulation and hunger — the one non-negotiable.

Eight moves, none of them gym-based. Stacked, they produce visible belly reduction in 2-4 weeks for most people. Not the crash-diet version, not the heroic-exercise version — the lazy- but-consistent version that actually sustains.