I received an email the other day asking "how do I get my stomach flat fast?"

Well, it depends on what you mean by fast. If you have several days or weeks to work on it, there are lots of things you can do.

1. Exercise. Duh, I hear you say. I'm sorry but it is true. Exercise will tone your stomach muscles and therefore make your stomach look flatter. Even if you don't lose the weight. The best exercise by far for quickly flattening your stomach is THE PLANK. It is like some form of torture (and DO NOT ATTEMPT this if you have a bad back!), but it does flatten your stomach if you do it every day for a good length of time.

2. Diet. Of course if you lose weight, your stomach should start to look flatter. But some foods work better than others, mainly by reducing BLOATING.

3. Posture. My goodness me, there is nothing quite like standing up straight. Shoulders back, tail bone tucked in and bazinga, you will look much thinner and your stomach will look so much flatter. Anyone who does yoga, pilates or alexander technique on a regular basis will probably have a much flatter looking stomach than you or me.

4. Shapewear. Of course I'm going to advocate wearing shapewear to make your stomach look flatter. Yes it is temporary, yes you could say it is cheating. But if you want your stomach to look flatter right now, stick some on. It is like adding a layer of muscle tone to your belly.

My Top 5 Best Shapewear For Making Your Stomach Flatter

1. The Esbelt Waist Cincher. This baby is STRONG! It is the strongest shapewear we sell and it gives INCREDIBLE results. The down side to it is that it is not the most comfortable thing in the world to wear (something that pulls you in that much is going to cause some discomfort). It also does show through lots of thin and clingy fabrics - layering is great with it though. But if you want something resembling a washboard stomach with zero effort, apart from a lot of hook & eyes, the Esbelt Waist Cincher is for you. The boning also forces you to sit and stand much straighter too, which automatically makes you look much slimmer!

2. Trinny and Susannah All In One Body Shaper. At extra firm, it is one step down from the Esbelt Waist Cincher and consequently MUCH COMFIER to wear. Trinny and Susannah coined the phrase "hoik up the sag and suck in the flab" and this is what this body shaper does. It holds everything in from your mid thighs right up to just under your bust. You wear it with your own bra and the shoulder straps keep it firmly in place.

3. Spanx Oncore Open Bust Panty Bodysuit. This is another extra firm jobby that does a superb job of toning you up. It is a bit more expensive than the Trinny and Susannah Body Shaper, which is why it is down at number 3. However, it is a brilliant bodysuit that not only firms you up, but gives you LOTS OF SHAPE, especially around your bottom.

4. Miraclesuit Extra Firm Control Pants With Back Magic. It's a bit of a mouthful but these are the best control pants for tummy control by far. They are extra firm in control (as the title says) and have hidden boning at the back. This helps to pull you in around your waist and keeps the pants from rolling down. They are more expensive than lots of other control pants, but the results they give make them worth the extra.

5. Spanx Higher Power. Okay, so we have taken a step down in slimming control here and are down to FIRM CONTROL. But I can't talk about shapewear without recommending these Spanx. They are the ones I ALWAYS wear - apart from special occasions when I wear a Spanx Bodysuit, or if my back is bad and I wear an Esbelt Waist Cincher. They really work well at sucking your side rolls in around your waist and smoothing everything out. I love wearing them with my jeans as they are comfortable, easy to put on, stay invisible under my tops and make me look much slimmer.