Effective Tips to Lose Belly Fat (Backed by Science)

As we age, our waistlines tend to expand. For women, this is especially true after menopause, when fat is redistributed to the abdomen.

An increase in belly fat can cause serious health risks, according to research. The good news is that these risks can be reduced.

What's behind belly fat

Your weight is largely determined by three main factors: Your weight is largely determined by three main factors:

How many calories you consume during the day
How many calories you burn off through daily exercise
Your age

If you eat more than you should and don't exercise enough, you're likely to be carrying extra weight, including fat around your waist.

Your muscle mass will slowly decrease as you age, and you will gain more fat. This also makes it harder to keep a healthy weight, because your body will burn calories slower.

Some research shows that as women age, they tend to store more fat around their waistline. This may be due to a decrease in the hormone estrogen, which can influence how fat is distributed throughout the body.

People who tend to gain weight around the waist and have an “apple” shape might have a genetic component to their weight.

Why belly fat is more than skin deep

Belly fat can be divided into subcutaneous fat, which is the extra layer of padding located just below the skin, and visceral fat, which is the deep fat that surrounds your internal organs.

Visceral fat is much more dangerous than subcutaneous fat from a health perspective. Visceral fat is linked with health problems such as: Although subcutaneous fat poses cosmetic concerns, visceral fat is linked with far more dangerous health problems, including:

Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Abnormal cholesterol
Breathing problems

Stomach fat has also been linked to an increased chance of death, regardless of a person's weight. In fact, some studies have found that even when women were considered a normal weight, a large waistline increased the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Measuring your middle

anything over 40 inches for guys or over 35 inches for gals puts you at risk. To see if you have too much extra belly fat, you can measure your waist. Having a waist size over 40 inches for guys or over 35 inches for women means you have too much belly fat and are at risk. Measure your waist:

Stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone.
Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly around you, but doesn't push into your skin. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
Relax, exhale and measure your waist, resisting the urge to suck in your stomach.

A waist measurement of more than 35 inches (89 centimeters) for women indicates an unhealthy concentration of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems.

Trimming the fat

Combine regular aerobic exercise with a healthy diet. You cannot tone your abdominal muscles with crunches or other targeted abdominal exercises, but doing these exercises may help you get rid of belly fat. Visceral fat responds to the same diet and exercise strategies that help you lower your total body fat. To battle belly fat: Combine regular aerobic exercise with a healthy diet. To battle belly fat:

Eat a healthy diet. Focus on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and choose lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy products. Limit added sugar and saturated fat, which is found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter. Choose moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — found in fish, nuts and certain vegetable oils — instead.
Replace sugary beverages. Drink water or beverages with artificial sweetener instead.
Keep portion sizes in check. Even when you're making healthy choices, calories add up. At home, slim down your portion sizes. In restaurants, share meals — or eat half your meal and take the rest home.
You can also do an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. To maintain your health, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends that you include some form of physical activity in your daily routine. Most healthy adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running. Alternatively, you can do a combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity to reach the same goal.
If you want to avoid gaining weight, you should aim to take an average of 10,000 steps a day. Some studies suggest that you might need to take 15,000 steps a day to avoid regaining weight after you've lost a significant amount.
If you want to achieve certain fitness goals or lose weight, you need to exercise more than just twice a week. Strength-training exercises are still recommended to be done at least twice a week.

You can lose excess fat by slowly and steadily weight loss. You can get help from your doctor to get started and stay on track.

1. Eat plenty of soluble fiber

This type of fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance. This substance helps to slow down the movement of food through the digestive system.

This type of fiber helps you lose weight by making you feel full, so you eat less. It may also reduce the number of calories your body absorbs from food.

What’s more, soluble fiber may help fight belly fat.

A study conducted on over 1100 adults found that, with every 10 gram increase in dietary soluble fiber intake, there was a decrease of 3.7% in abdominal fat over the course of 5 years.

oats, legumes, nuts, seeds, and some fruits and vegetables. You should try to eat foods that are high in fiber every day. Some good examples of foods that contain soluble fiber are oats, legumes, nuts, seeds, and some types of fruits and vegetables. Excellent sources of soluble fiber include:

flax seeds
shirataki noodles
Brussels sprouts
avocados
legumes
blackberries

2. Avoid foods that contain trans fats

This process, called “hydrogenation,” makes the fats more solid and less likely to spoil. Trans fats are created by combining unsaturated fats with hydrogen gas in a process called “hydrogenation.” This makes the fats more solid and less likely to spoil.

Although they are found in some margarines, spreads, and often added to packaged foods, many food producers have stopped using them.

Fat has been linked with inflammation, heart disease, insulin resistance, and abdominal fat gain in a number of studies.

A 6-year study found that monkeys who ate a high trans fat diet gained 33% more abdominal fat than those eating a diet high in monounsaturated fat (10Trusted Source). This suggests that trans fats are more likely to cause abdominal fat gain than monounsaturated fats.

It is beneficial to reduce belly fat and protect your health by reading ingredient labels carefully to avoid products containing trans fats, which are often listed as partially hydrogenated fats.

3. Don’t drink too much alcohol

If you drink alcohol in moderation, it can have some positive effects on your health. However, drinking too much alcohol can have serious consequences.

Adding too much alcohol to your diet can also lead to an increase in belly fat.

Observational studies suggest that heavy alcohol consumption is linked to a significantly increased risk of developing central obesity, which is when there is excess fat storage around the waist.

Reducing your alcohol intake may help reduce your waist size. You don’t need to give it up altogether, but limiting the amount you drink in a single day can help.

A study with more than 2,000 participants looked at alcohol use.

Those who drank alcohol daily but averaged less than one drink per day had less belly fat than those who drank less frequently but consumed more alcohol on the days they drank.

4. Eat a high protein diet

Protein is an extremely important nutrient for weight management.

A high intake of protein increases the release of the hormone PYY, which promotes fullness and reduces appetite.

Protein helps you lose weight by boosting your metabolism and retaining muscle mass.

Studies have shown that people who consume more protein tend to have less abdominal fat than those who consume a less protein-rich diet.

egg, dairy, beans, nut butters, tofu, or meat. It is important to include a source of protein at every meal, such as: egg, dairy, beans, nut butters, tofu, or meat. Be sure to include a good protein source at every meal, such as:

meat
fish
eggs
dairy
whey protein
beans

5. Reduce your stress levels

Stress can cause you to gain weight around your stomach by triggering your adrenal glands to produce cortisol, which is also known as the stress hormone.

Cortisol is a hormone that increases appetite and drives abdominal fat storage, according to research.

Stress causes an increase in cortisol production, which leads to weight gain around the waist,

Engaging in activities that reduce stress can help reduce belly fat. Methods such as yoga or meditation can be effective.

7. Do aerobic exercise (cardio)

If you're looking to improve your health and lose weight, aerobic exercise is a great option.

Results from studies are inconclusive as to whether moderate or high intensity exercise is more effective in reducing belly fat.

The most important thing to consider when starting an exercise program is how often and how long you will do it, not how intense it will be.

The study found that postmenopausal women who did aerobic exercise for 300 minutes per week had more fat loss from all areas than those who exercised 150 minutes per week.

8. Cut back on carbs — especially refined carbs

Reducing carbohydrates can help you lose abdominal fat.

A low carbohydrate diet can lead to weight loss and help prevent type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome in overweight people and women.

You don't have to follow a super low carb diet – some research suggests that just replacing refined carbs with unprocessed starchy carbs may improve your metabolic health and reduce belly fat.

People who consume a lot of whole grains are less likely to have excess abdominal fat than those who consume a lot of refined grains.

9. Perform resistance training (lift weights)

As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass, which can lead to health problems. weight lifting and strength training help to preserve and gain muscle mass. This is important because as we age, we tend to lose muscle mass, which can lead to health problems.

Studies involving people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease suggest that resistance training may help reduce belly fat.

The study showed that a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise led to the greatest decrease in visceral fat.

If you are thinking about starting to lift weights, it would be a good idea to get some advice from a certified personal trainer.

10. Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages

Sugary drinks contain a lot of liquid fructose, which can cause you to put on weight around your stomach.

High fructose beverages lead to increased abdominal fat gain, according to studies.

Sugary beverages can actually be worse for you than high sugar foods.

Your brain does not process liquid calories in the same way as solid ones, which means you are likely to consume too many calories later on and store them as fat.

To lose belly fat, it’s best to avoid sugary drinks like soda and juice. To lose belly fat, it’s best to completely avoid sugar-sweetened beverages such as:

soda
punch
sweet tea
alcoholic mixers containing sugar

11. Get plenty of restful sleep

Not getting enough sleep can lead to weight gain, which may include extra belly fat.

The study found that women who slept less than 7 hours per night were more likely to gain weight over a 16 year period.

Sleep apnea, where breathing stops intermittently during the night, has also been linked to excess visceral fat.

I addition to getting enough sleep, you should also make sure that the sleep you're getting is of good quality.

12. Track your food intake and exercise

Eating fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight is one of the most important things you can do to lose weight and belly fat.

When trying to lose weight, it can be helpful to keep a food diary or use an online food tracker or app to monitor your calorie intake. This strategy has been shown to be beneficial for weight loss.

Some foods have more of certain nutrients than others. You need to get a certain amount of nutrients each day. You can use food-tracking tools to help you see how much of each nutrient you are getting. You can use food-tracking tools to help you see how much protein, carbs, fiber, and micronutrients you are getting. You can also use them to see how much exercise and physical activity you are getting.

13. Eat fatty fish every week

Fatty fish are incredibly healthy.

They are a good source of high quality protein and omega-3 fats that can help protect you against disease.

Some evidence shows that omega-3 fats could help reduce the amount of fat around your organs.

Fish oil supplements can reduce liver and abdominal fat in adults and children with fatty liver disease, according to studies.

14. Stop drinking fruit juice

Fruit juice provides vitamins and minerals, but it also has as much sugar as soda and other sweetened beverages.

If you drink a lot, you might be more likely to gain abdominal fat.

An 8-ounce (240-mL) serving of unsweetened apple juice contains 12 grams of fructose.

Try replacing fruit juice with water, unsweetened iced tea, or sparkling water with a wedge of lemon or lime to help reduce excess belly fat.

15. Add apple cider vinegar to your diet

Apple cider vinegar has been shown to be effective in lowering blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

The text discusses a substances with acetic acid which has been shown to reduce abdominal fat storage in animal studies.

In a 12-week controlled study, men who took 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per day lost half an inch from their waists.

Some research suggests that people who consume more vinegar have a lower body weight. Apple cider vinegar is safe for most people to consume 1-2 tablespoons per day. Some research suggests that those who consume more vinegar may have a lower body weight.

You should dilute vinegar with water before using it, as undiluted vinegar can damage your teeth.