With Memorial Day weekend and warmer weather just days away, you may think it's too late to blast belly bulge in time to hit the beaches and pools.  But you can make a difference in just a few days time with these easy suggestions by Health.com!  Stick with them and you're tummy will be in much better shape (LITERALLY) by 4th of July!

10 Flat Belly Tricks From Health.com:

1.  Snack on protein everyday at 3 p.m.! Health.com calls this 'the magic hour' for helping to keep your energy up during the day and hunger at bay between meals.  Think low-fat cheese, nuts, or an apple.

2.  Hit the ball! Use a stability ball for this exercise about 3 times a week:  Lie flat with a stability ball between your hands over your head.  Come up into V-position and transfer the ball to between your feet and stretch back out flat to the floor.  Then come back up to a V and give the ball back to your hands.  Repeat this move 15 times for 3 sets for a major core workout.

3.  Keep sugar close to zero! Too much sugar in your diet interferes with glucagon, an important hormone that controls blood sugar and, by proxy, belly fat.  Eliminating sugar to as close to zero grams as you can will help keep glucagon in check.

4.  Chew your food! This is one motherly lesson that will serve your waistline well!  So listen to dear ol' mom and chew your food until it's the consistency of applesauce.  This will cut down on belly bloat!

5.  Leave abs for last! Working out with cardio and strength training other muscle groups before moving on to crunches can help you lose up to one per per week, IF you're diligent.  Health.com recommends 20 minutes a day three to five times weekly for cardio, 15 minutes a day three times a week strength training, and 5 minutes a day three times a week for abs exercises.

6.  Shake on the right kind of salt! Typical table salt has a much higher sodium content than kosher salt or sea salt.  So stick to the latter to beat the bloat!  Moreover, use salsa or cayenne pepper as a flavor booster and skip the salt entirely!

7.  Knock it out! Throwing air punches at a fast pace can help shave inches off your wait because your core becomes heavily engaged!  Plus adding boxing to your fitness routine can help relieve stress, which in turn brings down your cortisol levels, the hormone responsible for tough belly fat.

8.  When in doubt, divert! Play up another body part and keep your tummy under wraps.  Put the focus on your great legs or arms if you love them better!

9.  Size matter! Portion control is key to trimming up your spare tire.  Smaller meals low in saturated fat will make you more likely to shape up around your middle.  Stick to whole grains and monounsaturated fats!

10.  These meals will help! Whole grain toast with natural peanut butter for breakfast, spinach salad with avocado and either lean, cubed chicken or firm tofu for lunch, fat-free yogurt with sunflower seeds for a snack, and grilled salmon and baked sweet potato for dinner!

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