15 Healthy Ways To Get Rid Of Belly Fat

Fat gets a bad rap, but your body genuinely needs it (in appropriate amounts) to stay healthy. There are a couple of different types of fat with different health implications that you need to be aware of.

The two main types of body fat:

Subcutaneous fat: the layer of fat that accumulates directly below your skin’s surface

Visceral fat: the fat that’s stored between your muscles and vital organs

Subcutaneous fat (aka the good cop)

We are all born with subcutaneous fat. This kind of fat is essential when it comes to the way your body stores energy.

15 Healthy Ways To Get Rid Of Belly Fat

Among other reasons to make peace with this type of fat, it helps protect your body if you fall or bump into something, and it acts as a layer of insulation to help control your body temperature.

Subcutaneous fat also produces ample amounts of two essential hormones.

One is leptin, which helps regulate your appetite and burn stored fat (in other words, you need fat to burn fat). The other is adiponectin, which helps regulate the levels of fats and sugars in your body that can help protect against diabetes.

Visceral fat (aka the bad cop)

Visceral fat is frequently stored beneath the muscles in your abdomen, close to vital organs like your liver, stomach, and intestines.

Having too much visceral fat can be a problem: It can increase insulin resistance, raise your blood pressure, and put you at serious risk for health issues like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

And here’s where it gets tricky…

Visceral fat is often harder to see since it hides beneath layers of muscle.

Research has even linked visceral fat to metabolic disease and an increased risk of death in people with a “normal” body mass index (which is further proof that appearance isn’t always indicative of good health).

If you’re trying to lose some of either type of body fat, try one (or a few) of these science-backed tips.

1. Exercise on the regular

Exercise does more than just release endorphins — it actively decreases the amount of visceral fat in your body.

Studies have shown that aerobic exercise, in particular, is very helpful, so try hitting up a fun dance class, going for a walk, or running a few times a week.

2. Take a minute to chill

Stress isn’t just exhausting — it can actually harm your body. A 2000 study linked visceral fat to the stress hormone cortisol, finding that women with more abdominal fat also had more negative moods and a lot more stress in their lives.

Tackle both issues by prioritizing stress relief. Whether it’s catching up on a great book, taking a slow-flow yoga class, or soaking in the tub, try to get in some R&R.

3. Second-guess the breadbasket

A low carb diet isn’t exactly fun, but it can be an effective way to reduce body fat. Research has shown that a lower carb, higher fat diet can make a significant difference in belly fat.

While you don’t need to cut out carbs completely (elimination diets like this can often backfire), you may want to shift to a more low carb way of life.

4. Jump on the keto bandwagon

Speaking of low carb, the ketogenic diet is more than just a trend: It’s an effective way to lose visceral fat. A 2004 study found that the keto diet significantly helps with short-term fat loss, especially for men.

Going keto means replacing carbs with high-fat options to put your body in a state of ketosis so it burns fat for energy.

Want to try it? Here’s a beginner’s guide to getting you started.

5. Focus on soluble fiber

Not all fiber is created equal. There are two kinds: soluble and insoluble. To lose visceral fat, you want to focus on soluble fiber.

Soluble fiber can help slow down the delivery of digested food from your stomach to your intestines, which reduces appetite and, in turn, can reduce visceral fat.

One study even found that increasing the amount of soluble fiber you eat by 10 grams per day can reduce visceral fat gain by almost 4 percent. It may not sound like much, but it’s a start!

Foods high in soluble fiber include black beans, brussels sprouts, avocados, broccoli, and pears, among others.

6. Consume less sugar

As delicious as sugar maybe, too much of it just isn’t good for you. Consuming a lot of added sugar has been linked to an increased amount of body fat, and a 2017 study focused on kids found that eating less sugar could reduce body fat in just days.

It may not be the easiest thing to do, but trying to eliminate sugar from your diet can be extremely beneficial.

7. Skip the cocktails

It should be no surprise that too much alcohol isn’t great for your body. In addition to hangovers and other health concerns, research has shown that drinking a lot of alcohol can cause fat to be stored as visceral fat.

8. Stay away from trans fats

By now, you’ve likely heard that trans fats aren’t the healthiest.

Trans fats are artificial fats that are mainly found in processed foods. A 2007 study on animals found a connection between trans fats and increased belly fat. Trans fats have also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and death.

Many companies have now removed trans fats from their products, but keep an eye out for them and, in general, try to avoid processed foods if you’re hoping to lose body fat.

9. Get some sleep

Yes, it might seem like bragging about how exhausted you are is an essential aspect of adulthood, but seriously: Go to sleep. Studies suggest that not sleeping enough can lead to an increase in abdominal fat.

10. Eat more protein

Protein is such an important part of your diet, especially if you’re trying to lose fat. Research has shown that people who eat a lot of protein have less visceral fat.

Try eating protein at every meal (and even including it in snacks) to ensure you’re getting enough to help reduce visceral fat.

15 Healthy Ways To Get Rid Of Belly Fat

11. Give intermittent fasting ago

It sounds scary, but intermittent fasting isn’t as intense as it seems. It involves alternating between cycles of eating and fasting, and there are plenty of options to fit your lifestyle.

Research has shown that intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and significantly reduce visceral fat. Here’s how to do it safely.

12. Make probiotics part of your daily life

Probiotics are basically the good kind of bacteria. You can get them in supplement form or by eating fermented foods like kombucha and sauerkraut.

A 2010 study found that probiotics from the lactobacillus family can help decrease visceral fat and body weight. As an added benefit, they’re great for your gut and for digestion.

13. Opt for high-intensity interval training workouts

We already know aerobic exercise is important when it comes to losing body fat, but if you’re bored with the treadmill, opt for a high-intensity interval training workout, also known as HIIT.

These bursts of intense exercise followed by active recovery have been shown to decrease abdominal and visceral fat.

Plus, HIIT workouts deliver what’s known as the “afterburn.” It means your body continues to burn calories for hours after the workout, which can lead to a reduction in body fat.

14. Don’t forget about weightlifting

Don’t forget to add weights into the mix. Research has shown that strength training is an effective way to reduce visceral fat, especially when mixed with cardio. In fact, combining the two for a HIIT workout isn’t a bad idea at all.

15. Meditate more often

Since both reducing stress and getting more sleep have been linked to a decrease in visceral fat, it makes sense that meditation would also be an effective way to get rid of excess belly fat.

Meditation has been linked to reduced stress levels and it has also been found to help with insomnia and even improve the quality of sleep.