Would you love to get slim, feel lean and stay strong throughout your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond? We’ve got just a few easy lifestyle changes that will show you how to get a flat stomach and rediscover a slimline you no matter what your age.

But as a way of helping to slim down your waistline at any age – one diet, in particular, is thought to be particularly beneficial.

According to an article in ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal fad diets or expensive pills won’t help you slim down your stomach area. But if you opt for a simple, heart-healthy diet high in fiber, and low in saturated fats, it could just do the trick.

Kari D. Pilolla, Ph.D. the California Polytechnic State University, said “There is still no miracle diet, food, nutrient, or bioactive component that will target abdominal fat,”

He continued, “These recommendations are consistent with heart-healthy diets like the NIH-developed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean-style diet,”

So what about age-specific tips?

On average, women gain about 2.4kg (around 5lbs) and 2.9cm (around an inch) on the waist between the ages of 44 and 50. 

Falling estrogen levels mean our bodies start to lose muscle in our fifties, and our stomachs develop a ‘doughy’ appearance.

Broken nights caused by hot flushes and night sweats don’t help. A 2013 study shows that sleeping less than seven hours a night can add up to 3.4cm (1.3in) to your waist.

This is because missing out on sleep can disrupt leptin – the hormone that switches off hunger.