An otherwise successful weight loss journey can sometimes come to a grinding halt when pesky belly fat refuses to GTFO. Some areas of our bodies (i.e., the stomach) hold on to fat a little tighter, especially as we get older. If you’re struggling to get rid of lingering belly fat, there may be a few things you can try.

1. 15 Healthy Ways to Lose Belly Fat
Anotherwisesuccessfulweightlossjourneycansometimescometoagrindinghaltwhen
peskybellyfatrefusestoGTFO.
Someareasofourbodies(i.e.,thestomach)holdontofatalittletighter,especiallyaswe
getolder.Ifyou’restrugglingtogetridoflingeringbellyfat,theremaybeafewthings
youcantry.
15 healthy ways to lose belly fat
1. Regularexercise
2. Prioritizerest
3. Cutdownoncarbs
4. Tryaketodiet
5. Increasesolublefiberintake
6. Decreasesugar
7. Moderatealcoholconsumption
8. Eliminatetransfats
9. Getmoresleep
10. Eatmoreproteins
11. Tryintermittentfasting
12. Introduceprobiotics
13. IncorporateHITTintoyourworkoutroutine
14. Addaweight-liftingregimen
15. Trymeditation
Here’salittlemoreonwhygivingtheseoptionsashotcanworkandhowyoucan
seamlesslybuildthemintoyourlifestyle.
How to lose belly fat Targeting the right belly fat Takeaway
Medically reviewed by
Grant Tinsley, PhD,
Nutrition — Written by
Jessica Booth — Updated
on December 13, 2021
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2. Ifyou’retryingtolosesomebellyoranothertypeofbodyfat,tryone(orafew)ofthese
science-backedtips.
1. Exercise on the regular
Exercisedoesmorethanjustreleaseendorphins—itactivelydecreasestheamountof
visceralfatinyourbody.
Studieshaveshownthataerobicexerciseinparticularisveryhelpful,sotryhittingupa
fundanceclass,goingforawalk,orrunningafewtimesaweek.
2. Take a minute to chill
Stressisn’tjustexhausting—itcanactuallyharmyourbody.A2000studylinked
visceralfattothestresshormonecortisol,findingthatwomenwithmoreabdominalfat
alsohadmorenegativemoodsandalotmorestressintheirlives.
Tacklebothissuesbyprioritizingstressrelief.Whetherit’scatchinguponagreatbook,
takingaslow-flowyogaclass,orsoakinginthetub,trytogetinsomeR&R.
3. Second-guess the bread basket
Alowcarbdietisn’texactlyfun,butitcanbeaneffectivewaytoreducebodyfat.
Researchhasshownthatalowercarb,higherfatdietcanmakeasignificantdifferencein
bellyfat.
Whileyoudon’tneedtocutoutcarbscompletely(eliminationdietslikethiscanoften
backfire),youmaywanttoshifttoamorelowcarbwayoflife.
4. Jump on the keto bandwagon
Speakingoflowcarb,theketogenicdietismorethanjustatrend:It’saneffectivewayto
losevisceralfat.A2004studyfoundthattheketodietsignificantlyhelpswithshort-term
fatloss,especiallyformen.
Goingketomeansreplacingcarbswithhighfatoptionstoputyourbodyinastateof
ketosissoitburnsfatforenergy.
Wanttotryit?Here’sabeginner’sguidetogetyoustarted.
5. Focus on soluble fiber
Notallfiberiscreatedequal.Therearetwokinds:solubleandinsoluble.Tolosevisceral
fat,youwanttofocusonsolublefiber.
Solublefibercanhelpslowdownthedeliveryofdigestedfoodfromyourstomachtoyour
intestines,whichreducesappetiteand,inturn,canreducevisceralfat.
Onestudyevenfoundthatincreasingtheamountofsolublefiberyoueatby10gramsper
daycanreducevisceralfatgainbyalmost4percent.Itmaynotsoundlikemuch,butit’s
astart!
Foodshighinsolublefiberincludeblackbeans,brusselssprouts,avocados,broccoli,and
pears,amongothers.
6. Consume less sugar
15 healthy options for losing belly fat
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3. Asdeliciousassugarmaybe,toomuchofitjustisn’tgoodforyou.Consumingalotof
addedsugarhasbeenlinkedtoanincreasedamountofbodyfat,anda2017study
focusedonkidsfoundthateatinglesssugarcouldreducebodyfatinjustdays.
Itmaynotbetheeasiestthingtodo,buttryingtoeliminatesugarfromyourdietcanbe
extremelybeneficial.
7. Skip the cocktails
Itshouldbenosurprisethattoomuchalcoholisn’tgreatforyourbody.Inadditionto
hangoversandotherhealthconcerns,researchhasshownthatdrinkingalotofalcohol
cancausefattobestoredasvisceralfat.
8. Stay away from trans fats
Bynow,you’velikelyheardthattransfatsaren’tthehealthiest.
Transfatsareartificialfatsthataremainlyfoundinprocessedfoods.A2007studyon
animalsfoundaconnectionbetweentransfatsandincreasedbellyfat.Transfatshave
alsobeenlinkedtoanincreasedriskofheartdiseaseanddeath.
Manycompanieshavenowremovedtransfatsfromtheirproducts,butkeepaneyeout
forthemand,ingeneral,trytoavoidprocessedfoodsifyou’rehopingtolosebodyfat.
9. Get some sleep
Yes,itmightseemlikebraggingabouthowexhaustedyouareisanessentialaspectof
adulthood,butseriously:Gotosleep.Studiessuggestthatnotsleepingenoughcanlead
toanincreaseinabdominalfat.
10. Eat more protein
Proteinissuchanimportantpartofyourdiet,especiallyifyou’retryingtolosefat.
Researchhasshownthatpeoplewhoeatalotofproteinhavelessvisceralfat.
Tryeatingproteinateverymeal(andevenincludingitinsnacks)toensureyou’regetting
enoughtohelpreducevisceralfat.
11. Give intermittent fasting a go
Itsoundsscary,butintermittentfastingisn’tasintenseasitseems.Itinvolves
alternatingbetweencyclesofeatingandfasting,andthereareplentyofoptionstofit
yourlifestyle.
Researchhasshownthatintermittentfastingcanhelpyouloseweightandsignificantly
reducevisceralfat.Here’showtodoitsafely.
12. Make probiotics part of your daily life
Probioticsarebasicallythegoodkindofbacteria.Youcangettheminsupplementform
orbyeatingfermentedfoodslikekombuchaandsauerkraut.
A2010studyfoundthatprobioticsfromthelactobacillusfamilycanhelpdecrease
visceralfatandbodyweight.Asanaddedbenefit,they’regreatforyourgutandfor
digestion.
13. Opt for high-intensity interval training workouts
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4. Wealreadyknowaerobicexerciseisimportantwhenitcomestolosingbodyfat,butif
you’reboredwiththetreadmill,optforahigh-intensityintervaltrainingworkout,also
knownasHIIT.
Theseburstsofintenseexercisefollowedbyactiverecoveryhavebeenshowntodecrease
abdominalandvisceralfat.
Plus,HIITworkoutsdeliverwhat’sknownasthe“afterburn.”Itmeansyourbody
continuestoburncaloriesforhoursaftertheworkout,whichcanleadtoareductionin
bodyfat.
14. Don’t forget about weightlifting
Don’tforgettoaddweightsintothemix.Researchhasshownthatstrengthtrainingisan
effectivewaytoreducevisceralfat,especiallywhenmixedwithcardio.Infact,
combiningthetwoforafun,efficientworkoutisn’tabadideaatall.
15. Meditate more often
Sincebothreducingstressandgettingmoresleephavebeenlinkedtoadecreasein
visceralfat,itmakessensethatmeditationwouldalsobeaneffectivewaytogetridof
excessbellyfat.
Meditationhasbeenlinkedtoreducedstresslevelsandithasalsobeenfoundtohelp
withinsomniaandevenimprovethequalityofsleep.
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