How do you get a flat stomach?

[Cartoe]

I haven't ever had a flat stomach, surely it's not just genetic?
Mine is well rounded! After belly button (top half is mostly flat).
I'm not overweight, around 170cm and 60kgs.
I've been working on abs, some definition (mostly in the mornings only), I have a strong core but still have a fat stomach, more lower half. I walk/gym/cycle several times a week. Eat mostly healthy.
I find carbs, bread and pasta especially make me more bloated, though it can be most foods, simply after I've eaten any meal.
How do people do it? (Also late 30s and have had children)

I think it’s mainly genetic and where you lay down fat.
I did have a flat stomach throughout teens and 20s. Off barely any exercise and a crap diet.

Two kids later. I run 5 times a week. I teach 10 hours of Pilates and do strength training/weights. And it’s not that flat. BMI 19 and slim elsewhere. It’s where I put fat on. Recently went on a holiday a few years ago and was determined to have a flat stomach. Had to lose quite a bit of body fat which actually made me not look healthy elsewhere. So I accept my tummy now. As I know what it would take for me to have a flat one. My core is very strong though and that is what matters.

@Delatron

I think it’s mainly genetic and where you lay down fat. I did have a flat stomach throughout teens and 20s. Off barely any exercise and a crap diet.

Two kids later. I run 5 times a week. I teach 10 hours of Pilates and do strength training/weights. And it’s not that flat. BMI 19 and slim elsewhere. It’s where I put fat on. Recently went on a holiday a few years ago and was determined to have a flat stomach. Had to lose quite a bit of body fat which actually made me not look healthy elsewhere. So I accept my tummy now. As I know what it would take for me to have a flat one. My core is very strong though and that is what matters.

Yep the one and only time I had a flat stomach I had a BMI of 18 stick thin legs and bony jutting out shoulders and a very gaunt face. Also my hair weave skin were in rubbish condition. I'm better off being slim with a bit of a tummy BMI of 21, muscle tone and good skin hair and nails. Plus a lot stronger

I agree @Frenziedandfurious I also had a gaunt face when I dropped enough body fat to have a flat stomach. So just not worth it. People see my face more than my tummy. Strength and being healthy is more important.

BMI and body fat% are too very different things. One can have a low BMI and a not so low body fat%. It is a matter of how much lean mass you have. You don't have to be skeletal and gaunt.

@Cormoran

BMI and body fat% are too very different things. One can have a low BMI and a not so low body fat%. It is a matter of how much lean mass you have. You don't have to be skeletal and gaunt.

Please read other people's posts. I was hospitalised with anorexia. My body fat was 10%. I still didn't have a flat stomach.

Other women have said they had a flat stomach with a bmi of 27. Please stop ignoring everyone else's experiences

Yes stop ignoring the genetic differences between people. I know exactly what I look like with a low body fat % and it’s not pretty. Others look fine. I have a BMI of 19 I do not wish to drop this or my body fat further. I look healthier with more body fat unfortunately.
I was very skinny as a child and unhealthy skinny as a teenager. I’ll take the hit on a flat stomach right now.

I've never had one, even as a young slim teen I always had a little pouch but I never had a problem with it. Now its much harder to lose weight of course. I think it takes dieting and lots of exercise.

@TristesseDurera do the same. Listen to other people's stories.
The OP asked how to get a flat stomach. Many replied "it is impossible", I replied " This is how I get one" . I answered the OP's question " How do people do it" . Don't attack me for that.

Of course there are exceptions and being sick is one of them. I am sorry you were ill. I didn't post pictures of sick people, I put a link to athletics bodies.

We’re all different what will work for one person won’t work for another. Yes OP can ask for ideas but it really is individual.

Fully agree

[quote Cormoran]@TristesseDurera do the same. Listen to other people's stories.
The OP asked how to get a flat stomach. Many replied "it is impossible", I replied " This is how I get one" . I answered the OP's question " How do people do it" . Don't attack me for that.

Of course there are exceptions and being sick is one of them. I am sorry you were ill. I didn't post pictures of sick people, I put a link to athletics bodies.[/quote]
I've read the whole thread. No one has said it is impossible. People have shared their very different experiences. There are many people here including me who have low body weight, low body fat, and do a lot of weight training, have a strong core, and STILL have a belly because it is how we are made.

You keep posting declaring that it is "all about low body fat". No, it isn't. I am not an exception because I have eating disorders. The collective experiences shared here show that it varies dramatically between individuals and it has very little connection to body fat or to doing core exercises. You keep ignoring that and repeating the same untrue things.

You don't 'fully agree' with @Delatron because what she is saying, correctly, is that what works for you won't work for someone else with different genes and a different body type.

Recognising that we are all built differently and carry weight in different places is helpful. Telling someone that if they keep reducing their body fat they will change their fundamental body shape is untrue and unhelpful. It could be really damaging.

@TristesseDurera I am sorry this discussion is triggering for you