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Home » Outfits » The Secrets on How to Hide Belly Fat and Feel More Confident

The Secrets on How to Hide Belly Fat and Feel More Confident

Summertime seems to draw out our insecurities. We can’t hide our extra fluff and trouble spots under oversized sweats and sweaters. One of the style issues women seem to struggle with in the summer is how to hide a tummy or how to hide belly fat.

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You may just naturally be an apple shape with a larger middle, or you may be over 40 and have discovered that you have more of a “pooch” than you used to. Fat seems to be drawn to the middle of our bodies after a certain age and hiding belly fat becomes a concern.

Sometimes you can only go so far with hiding or diminishing something. Instead, take the focus away and play up the features you like. There are several things you can do to improve your overall look that have nothing to do with “hiding” a tummy or belly fat.

How to Hide or Deemphasize Belly Fat

Get a proper fitting bra.  

Lifting your breasts and wearing a proper fitting bra serves to instantly slim anyone and will make you look more put together.  If your breasts are sagging and pointing downward, they are just pointing to that tummy. Get them where they belong.

Consider the Undies You Wear.

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The style of panties you wear will go a long way in deemphasizing a belly. Bikini panties may likely be stopping right at the bottom of your belly and cutting a line there that makes your tummy look bigger. Consider a higher rise panty like a high leg brief that covers more of the stomach and hold it in.

Soma makes a vanishing tummy brief designed to smooth and tuck the tummy. A fuller higher rise panty make not be as sexy but it will definitely make a difference in the outer appearance if you are trying to conceal a tummy.

The foundation of any well put together outfit is your under garments. If you don’t have a proper fitting bra and the right underwear, the finest clothes will look lumpy, bumpy, and unkempt.

Keep the middle of your outfit simple.

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Use details and accents on clothing up top or below the hips (skirts with ruffle hems) to draw attention away from your belly.

Remember the discussion on how horizontal lines emphasize the parts they cut across in the post on how to hide large upper arms? The same principle applies with hiding a tummy. Don’t create a line across it with your clothing.

Use structured garments.

Clothing that is too big or loose and baggy clothing only serves to make you look bigger. Don’t confuse baggy with flowy.

A flowy fabric that skims- meaning it does touch the body but doesn’t cling to it- will work wonders, but if the garment is hanging straight and away from the body like a tent, well, you will look even bigger than you are.

That leads us to fabrics.

Choose woven fabrics for tops and dresses.

Woven fabrics will glide over the body. Knits cling, so avoid knits. Avoid thin fabrics as well.

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High waist jeans/ pants

I’ve seen conflicting advice on this and some well intended but poor advice.

Be very careful with high waist pants and jeans. They tend to highlight a large lower tummy. If you carry your tummy a little higher, a higher rise may hold it in.

It also depends on the stretch in the pants. If they have any stretch or give, they will highlight a tummy instead of holding it in. If they are closer to 100% cotton with no give, they will probably hold things in better. You be the judge. Take a selfie. If you still can’t decide, send the photo to that brutally honest friend or family member.

Define the waist.

Be careful of belts. Don’t create that horizontal line across the stomach. Make sure you are belting higher to create a waist.

Peplum tops and dresses are wonderful for hiding a tummy.  They help define the waist. Make sure the peplum is long enough to cover your tummy and doesn’t stop midway, which will draw more attention to the area.

Use necklines to your advantage to hide belly fat.

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Choose necklines that open up the chest and create balance. V-neck, sweetheart, scoop, square, and u-neck necklines will all serve to draw the eye up and away from your tummy.

Draw attention to the shoulders.

If broad shoulders are not a concern for you, play up your shoulders and draw attention to them. Making them look a little bigger will deemphasize your tummy. Use puff sleeves, flutter sleeves, draped, flare or cuffed sleeves to achieve this effect.

Mind where sleeves end. Imagine a line across the end of your sleeves when your arms are down. If that line is crossing the biggest part of the stomach, choose a shorter or longer sleeve.

How to Wear Tops to Hide Belly Fat and Which Styles to Wear

Don’t fully tuck. Try a front French tuck to help provide shape. No fitted tight knits or cropped or short tops.

Pay attention to where the hem of your top falls and where it creates a line. A rounded hemline will be more flattering and create a slimming effect better than a straight cut hem, unless you have a larger lower belly.

That round hemline can sometimes accent the belly if it falls in the wrong place. Again, you be the judge.

Swing tops are loose and move or “swing”. They can be good for skimming over a belly.

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Tunic tops are longer and will fall well below the tummy so there is no danger of creating a line across the tummy with the hem.

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Wrap top

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Always a flattering option.

Ruching Ruched tops are great for distracting from a tummy, especially upper and middle belly fat.

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Asymmetrical hemlines will distract from a tummy. Be aware of where the hem lands if you don’t want to emphasize hips.

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See also: 5 Best Tops to Hide a Belly Instantly

Other ways to disguise belly fat

Use vertical lines and patterns. Vertical stripes will slim you. Also look for patterns that run vertically instead of horizontally.

Wear a column of dark color, topped by a lighter color topper worn open. It will visually divide up your tummy (in thirds) so it looks smaller. A long cardigan, blazer or jacket will create vertical lines.

It can be difficult to use an outer layer in the summer. Look for a thin, lightweight cardigan to layer over tanks, like swing tanks or the ruched tank above.

Wear flowy tops with slim fit trousers or pants. Regular tops with wide leg flowy pants. Pants with an elastic waist will allow you to adjust where the waist falls. Don’t pull them all the way up over the tummy.

Mind your posture

Slouching only serves to push the tummy out further. Stand up tall and pull in your abdomen. You will look slimmer and burn more calories with the effort of using your muscles to hold a correct posture.

Diet and Exercise

Strive to control and loose excess belly fat with a healthy lifestyle. Not just for appearance sake, but for health reasons. The Faster Way to Fat Loss is an excellent program and lifestyle to burn fat and improve your overall health. They even created a special over 50 round. (Not sure when it will repeat but check back.) Even the regular round is appropriate for women of all ages looking to slim up and feel good.

Do you struggle with this issue? Do you resort to shapewear or will you try the tips above?

You may also like The Best Sleeves for Big Arms.

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