# So what are the 4 things \[you can never eat to get a flat abdomen?\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204 "2011-07-07T17:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/1 "2011-07-07T17:07:54Z")
you can never eat to get a flat abdomen? I’m sure you’ve seen the ads, they’re everywhere, especially this board. I’m too timid to click on it, but, having seen it for months I’m dying to know what they think the 5 things are, (4? or 5?, I can’t remember now.) there is always a banana on the ads I’m seeing lately. But before that, it was something else as I recall. So, how about it? Anyone been brave enough to click on the ad? Learn anything? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/2 "2011-07-07T17:41:19Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > you can never eat to get a flat abdomen? > > I’m sure you’ve seen the ads, they’re everywhere, especially this board. I’m too timid to click on it, but, having seen it for months I’m dying to know what they think the 5 things are, (4? or 5?, I can’t remember now.) there is always a banana on the ads I’m seeing lately. But before that, it was something else as I recall. > > So, how about it? Anyone been brave enough to click on the ad? Learn anything? I haven’t checked out the ad, but I can tell you that whatever they are saying, it’s crap. You can have a flat stomach while eating anything you want, as long as you keep your calories down. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/3 "2011-07-07T17:44:10Z")
Edited title to indicate subject. Please use informative thread titles. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/4 "2011-07-07T17:49:04Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I haven’t checked out the ad, but I can tell you that whatever they are saying, it’s crap. You can have a flat stomach while eating anything you want, as long as you keep your calories down. Yeah, I could probably have a flat stomach while eating nothing but bacon grease and multivitamins, as long as I was eating 1 Tbs of bacon a day and no more. 😛 (Sorry, haven’t been brave enough to click either, but I admit to some curiosity myself, if only for the entertainment value.) ---
**Author:** ![Profound\_Gibberish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/5 "2011-07-07T17:53:31Z")
Does anyone ever click on any of those ads, except by mistake? As to the OP: **Beowulf** said it first and best. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/6 "2011-07-07T18:02:32Z")
Yeah I know it’s crap, don’t worry, I’m just curious from having seen the ad so many times. I was wondering the same thing, **dbx820**! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/7 "2011-07-07T18:12:32Z")
What ads? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/8 "2011-07-07T18:19:11Z")
Donuts, beer, corndogs, and pizza. I never click on the ads, ever never. Who would want to? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/9 "2011-07-07T18:22:53Z")
Believe it or not, [the FTC is questioning the claim(s)](http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ubiquitous-tiny-belly-online-ad-part-of-scheme-government-says/2011/06/27/gIQAbI6Q1H_story.html?hpid=z4). And the ads typically never really answer the question. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/10 "2011-07-07T18:39:35Z")
I bet beer or sodas, just because of the carbonation. Mmm, beer. ---
**Author:** ![Postariti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/11 "2011-07-07T18:55:34Z")
According to the article bup linked to, the ad links to various diet products - acai berries, HCG, etc. So it’s just a bait and switch, there’s no old secret, just currently trendy diet fads. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/12 "2011-07-07T19:11:15Z")
B > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > … as long as I was eating 1 Tbs of bacon a day and no more. 😛 You eat bacon with a spoon? Ew! ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/13 "2011-07-07T19:23:58Z")
Those would be whatever four things you eat at the end of the day after consuming enough calories to match what you burned that day… ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/14 "2011-07-07T19:25:35Z")
It’s the banana that makes me really curious. It’s in every ad I see. What could be wrong with bananas? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/15 "2011-07-07T19:29:18Z")
Nothing. It’s purpose is to make you curious enough to click the ad. In your case it’s \*almoooost \*working. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/16 "2011-07-07T19:33:00Z")
> [@dbx820](#): > > Does anyone ever click on any of those ads, except by mistake? > > As to the OP: **Beowulf** said it first and best. They wouldn’t keep up the ads if people didn’t click on them. Which is really depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/17 "2011-07-07T20:15:31Z")
The FTC says [the “1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” ads](http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ubiquitous-tiny-belly-online-ad-part-of-scheme-government-says/2011/06/27/gIQAbI6Q1H_story.html) are fraudulent. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/18 "2011-07-07T20:21:11Z")
4 things you can never eat? 1.) Protien 2.) Sugars 3.) Carbohydrates 4.) Fat You can eat as much of anything you want so long as it doesn’t contain any of those 4 items - you will end up with a flat abdomen. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/19 "2011-07-07T20:21:44Z")
i want a banana wrapped in bacon and drizzled with fudge sauce. _looks innocent_ what? why is everyone looking at me? ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204/20 "2011-07-07T20:28:23Z")
I haven’t clicked on them; by the sounds of things they never actually tell you what the 4 foods are. I’ve seen diet articles that make similar claims about what foods you can never eat though: usually the foods are things like pasta or white rice. I think I saw bananas listed on one of them. The reason they give is always something to do with blood sugar, and there might well be something to it, although obviously “foods you can _never_ eat!” is hyperbole. For instance [this](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7562840.stm) is supposedly Michael Phelps’ diet during training, which works out to about 9,000 calories a day: > [@](#): > > Breakfast: Three fried egg sandwiches; cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; three chocolate-chip pancakes; five-egg omelette; three sugar-coated slices of French toast; bowl of grits; two cups of coffee > > Lunch: Half-kilogram (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks > > Dinner: Half-kilogram of pasta, with carbonara sauce; large pizza; energy drinks [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-the-4-things-you-can-never-eat-to-get-a-flat-abdomen/588204.md?page=2)