How to Lose Lower Belly Fat

Lower belly fat is very difficult to lose because you cannot focus on reducing fat in the abdomen like other areas of the body. Instead, you have to lose overall fat. This article will teach you how to lose belly fat through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.

Table of Contents

Reduce excess fat

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Reduce calorie consumption. When it comes to weight loss, there’s no way to lose fat in a single area. If you want to lose belly fat, you need to lose weight overall by reducing your calorie intake.

Cut about 500-700 calories from your daily diet. This meager amount of calories can help you lose about 0.5-0.75 kg per week. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Healthcare professionals do not recommend setting a weight loss goal more than this.
Keep a food diary or use an online tracker to see how many calories you’re currently consuming each day. Subtracting this number by 500-700 will give you the amount of calories you should consume per day for moderate weight loss.

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Focus on consuming mainly protein, vegetables and fruits. Research shows that low-carb diets not only help with rapid weight loss, but also significantly reduce belly fat. ^{[2] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

Eat 600-800 g of lean protein per meal.
Choose mostly non-starchy vegetables (like peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, broccoli or lettuce) and aim for 1-2 servings per meal. Eat 1-2 more cups of vegetables.
Eat 1-2 servings of fruit per day. Fruit contains natural sugars and should be eaten in moderation – 1/2 cup of most fruit or 1 medium-sized piece.
For example, a low-carb meal would include: a salad with raw vegetables, 1000g of grilled chicken drizzled with oil, 1 cup of Greek yogurt with nuts and 1/2 cup of fruit, or grilled salmon. with some salad and steamed broccoli.

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Limit cereal consumption. Foods like bread, rice, and pasta can be part of a healthy diet. On the other hand, these foods are significantly higher in carbohydrates compared to other foods. So, limiting your consumption will make it easier to maintain a low-calorie diet.

Limit the consumption of foods such as bread, rice, pasta, cookies, chips, tortillas, muffins, etc.
Limit servings to 200 g or 1/2 cup. It is not necessary to avoid whole grains altogether. Instead, choose cereals that are rich in nutrients and help fill you up quickly, such as quinoa or oats.
Besides, you should choose 100% whole grains. 100% whole grains packed with fiber and other nutrients = part of a healthy diet.

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Eliminate added sugars. Research shows that sugar (especially added sugar) is one of the main culprits for belly fat accumulation. ^{[3] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to the source} Therefore, you should limit your consumption of foods high in sugar.

Added sugars are materials that companies add to products during the production process. For example, cookies or ice cream often contain added sugars, or other treats like crackers, fruit juices, pasta sauces also contain a lot of added sugars. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Natural sugars are not added but are found naturally in foods. For example, fruit contains natural sugars. Foods with natural sugars are much better because they often contain more essential nutrients. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Get in the habit of reading food labels and be on the lookout for “hidden” sugars in packaged foods. Be aware of the different names of added sugars and be aware that more than one form of sugar can be added to a product.
If you like sweets, choose healthy options like honey, dark chocolate, dried fruit and Greek yogurt to satisfy your sweet tooth.

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Drink a lot of water. Staying hydrated is an important step in maintaining normal body function. On the other hand, research shows that drinking more water helps to lose weight faster. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Part of the reason is that drinking water helps you feel full and eat less.
Aim to drink at least 8-13 cups of water each day. Drink 1-2 cups of water before each meal to reduce appetite and help you feel full faster.

Get rid of belly fat with exercise

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Exercise in the morning. Some studies show that exercising in the morning, before meals, helps burn more calories from excess fat (instead of stored glycogen). ^{[7] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

To exercise in the morning, you don’t need to get up too early. Just set the alarm 30-60 minutes earlier than usual.
Some of the other benefits of working out in the morning include: not having to be crowded in the gym, finishing your workout early, freeing up in the afternoon, and starting your day more focused.

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Do aerobic exercises. Exercises that increase your heart rate burn calories and boost your metabolism, helping you lose weight faster. ^{[8] X Trusted Source Centers for Disease Contrp and Prevention Go to source}

You should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, which can be divided into 30 minutes five days a week. However, if you want to lose visceral fat, some experts recommend increasing it to 60 minutes a day. ^{[9] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to Source}
Exercises include jogging, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, hiking and dancing.
Find a form of exercise that you enjoy. When exercise excites you, it’s easier to stick to your exercise routine.

Behavior modification in lifestyle

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Reduce stress. Stress increases levels of cortisp – a hormone that causes the body to store more fat, especially belly fat. ^{[13] X Research Source} Stress also makes you eat according to your mood or eat to relieve stress, not because of hunger.

If possible, find ways to reduce or avoid contact with people or things that cause you stress in your life.
Daily stress and anxiety can be reduced by managing your time, so you don’t have to constantly face the time pressure of work.
If the stress is overwhelming, you should take a few minutes each day to sit down, close your eyes, focus on your breath, and not think about anything.

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Get enough sleep. Research shows that lack of sleep can affect taste and body fat. When you don’t get enough sleep, you run the risk of gaining weight and gaining belly fat. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Experts recommend getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night for adults. This amount of sleep will help you maintain your health and feel more relaxed and comfortable.
Turn off the lights. Turn off all electronic devices (phones, tablets, computers) at least 2 hours before going to bed.

Track the weight loss process and persevere

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Find a companion when losing weight or working out. It can be difficult to lose weight alone, especially when everyone around you eats unhealthy things.

You should find a friend to diet with, so you can stay motivated, share tips, and maybe even exercise together.
Research shows that people who have the support of many others lose more weight and maintain it longer. ^{[15] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Keep a food diary. Research shows that people who make a habit of keeping a record of what they eat lose weight faster and maintain a healthy weight for longer than those who don’t. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Part of that is because writing down what you eat will hold you accountable for your decisions. Therefore, you should keep your diary as accurate as possible.
Use an online calorie tracker/diary or use a handwritten diary. Apps on many online websites can help keep track of what foods you eat and look up calories in a variety of foods.

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Measure. Monitor your fat loss by measuring your waistline or weight before starting the diet.

Track your weight daily or weekly to see how far you’ve reached your goal. You should step on the scale at the same time every day and wear the same outfit to accurately reflect the process.
Weighing daily can help you detect problems (if any) early in the weight loss process. If you notice weight gain, you can re-read your food diary to see if you’ve eaten too much, or increase your cardiovascular exercise, etc. before gaining too much weight. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Measure your waist or hips regularly to see how much belly fat has been lost.

Advice

Always talk to your doctor before making significant dietary changes. Your doctor will tell you if weight loss is safe and appropriate.
Maintaining the lifestyle you’ve been pursuing while losing weight can help you maintain your weight and lose fat in the long run. You may gain weight back if you go back to your old habits.
Remember, you can’t focus solely on reducing belly fat. This is impossible. Therefore, you need to focus on overall weight loss, have a scientific diet and exercise to reduce belly fat.

Steps

Reduce excess fat

Get rid of belly fat with exercise

Behavior modification in lifestyle

Track the weight loss process and persevere

Advice

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