We all know that ditching carbs and alcohol can help shift the weight around our middle but did you know there's plenty of other reasons you may be struggling to get a flat stomach that don't have anything to do with the food that passes your lips?
众所周知，减少碳水化合物和酒精的摄入可以帮我们甩掉腰部赘肉，但我们不知道的是，为了甩掉小肚腩，我们还要和其他很多因素抗争，而这些都与吃进我们肚子的食物无关。
Chewing gum
嚼口香糖
Munching on a piece of minty fresh gum makes you swallow too much air, which gets trapped in your digestive system causing pressure, bloating and gas. The same thing can happen if you gulp air when snacking on the run, eating too quickly, talking while eating or drinking from a straw.
咀嚼薄荷味口香糖会让你吞下大量空气，这些空气困在你的消化系统里，会产生压力、腹胀和废气。如果你一边小跑一边吃零食、吃得太快、边吃东西边说话，或者用吸管饮水时吞下空气，都会产生类似情况。
Rushing your food
吃得太快
It is often easy to eat too quickly or on the run especially breakfast and/or lunch if time is short but it can cause bloating. If you eat on the run your body is feeling stressed because you are rushing.
人们总是喜欢很快的吃东西，或者吃的很急，特别是时间紧张的早午饭，这会导致你腹胀。如果吃得很急，你的身体会紧张，因为你太着急。
The stress response was designed to enable you to either run or fight for your life, during which time digestion of food was unlikely, the natural flow of energy is diverted away from your digestive system to your extremities to give you the energy to run or fight.
这种压力反应原本的作用是为了激发你在求生时的奔跑和战斗能力，所以这种时间身体是不可能去消化食物的，因而能量会自动从消化系统转移到四肢，让你来奔跑或者战斗。
Your body literally shuts down your digestive function and food stagnates and ferments, making you feel bloated and often giving you gas.
你的身体机会会让消化系统停工，然后食物在体内滞留发酵，使你感到腹胀，同时体内也有更多废气要排出。
Stress hormone cortisol
应激激素皮质醇
The main reason some people gather more fat around their middle than others is specifically because of the action of the stress hormone cortisol.
一些人比其他人腰部赘肉多的主要原因是受到激激素皮质醇的影响。
And if you eat something sugary or fatty as a consequence of the post-stress appetite surge, any weight you gain as a result, will be around your middle. The reason fat targets the middle is because it is close to the liver where it can most quickly be converted back into energy if needed.
如果你应激后食欲增加，而吃了含糖或含脂肪食品，因此而增加的赘肉都会集中在你的腰部。脂肪容易集中在腰部是因为这里离肝脏近，在需要时可以迅速转化成为能量。
Lack of sleep
缺乏睡眠
People who are sleep deprived have an increased appetite. Inadequate sleep lowers levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, and increases grehlin, a hormone that increases food intake and is thought to play a role in long-term regulation of body weight. All this suggests that sleep deprivation can make weight loss extremely difficult because it causes your body to work against you!
缺乏睡眠的人食欲更大。睡眠不充分会降低人体内瘦素的水平，增加胃生长素。瘦素是一种能够抑制食欲的激素，而胃生长素能增加人体的食物摄入，据称在人体体重的长期调节中发挥着重要作用。这些都表明，缺乏睡眠会让减肥变得极其困难，因为这会导致你的身体和你对着干！
Keep a regular sleep routine, include 30 minutes of exercise in your day, avoid all stimulants in the evening (including chocolate, coffee, tea), avoid bright light around the house before bed, have a relaxing bath and keep your bedroom quiet, dark and cool.
保持规律睡眠，白天拿出半小时来锻炼身体，避免在晚上摄入所有的刺激性食物（包括巧克力、咖啡和茶），睡觉前把室内灯光调暗，洗个让人放松的澡，保持卧室安静、光线暗淡、凉爽。
Bad gut bacteria
讨厌的肠道细菌
Our stomach is made up of good and bad bacteria, called gut flora, which has a controlling influence over many important body functions, including metabolism and fat reduction. However, our lifestyle habits can often damage our gut bacteria. These factors include taking antibiotics, a diet high in sugar, stress and alcohol. Try to eliminate these to help with fat reduction.
我们腹内的细菌有好有坏，称为肠道菌群，并对我们的很多重要身体机能有支配性影响作用，包括新陈代谢和减肥。而我们的生活习惯经常会破坏肠道菌群。影响因素包括吃抗生素、高糖饮食、压力和饮酒。试着剔除这些因素能有助于减肥。
Water retention from periods
经期水潴留
Water retention is a problem for many women and it is often worse just before a period. Don’t be tempted to limit your intake of fluids, which can actually cause bloating. Your body will think it needs to conserve water, which exacerbates the problem. Water is a natural diuretic and it should be drunk as frequently as possible.
水潴留对很多女性来说都是个问题，尤其是在经期前。不要有限制水分摄入的念头，这其实会让你腹胀。你的身体会认为需要保水，这更会加剧这一问题。水是自然的利尿剂，越经常喝水越好。
Too much salt
吃太多盐
Table salt is sodium chloride and sodium is a mineral that affects your body’s ability to balance water retention. Another mineral, potassium, works with sodium to regulate water balance and normalise heart rhythm. The more sodium you consume, the more potassium you need to counteract this effect.
食用盐的成分一般是氯化钠，钠是一种能影响身体平衡水分能力的矿物质。另一种矿物质，钾，与钠一起作用时可以调节体内水分平衡，维持正常心律。你摄入的钠越多，就需要更多的钾来中和。
If you have a high salt intake, you could be carrying around an extra 1.8kg (4lb) in excess weight due to water retention. Water retention can be caused by not drinking enough water and also too much salt but it can also be caused by the same blood sugar swings that trigger many of the pre-menstrual symptoms.
如果你吃盐太多，你就会因为水潴留而超重大约1.8公斤。水潴留可能是因为你饮水不足，或者吃盐太多，但也可能是因为引发很多经前期症状的血糖波动而导致的。
