Today we’re talking about how to lose excess weight in one particularly annoying place: your belly.
Or are we? Stick with me here as I reveal the secrets no one’s ever told you about how to lose belly fat.
First things first: losing belly fat isn’t exactly easy. If you’re prone to storing fat there, it will take dedication and discipline. But it is possible.
I want you to take a look at these before and after pictures.
Picture obtained via Healthywage. To read more about Kristin’s story, click here.
Do you think Kristin achieved her belly fat loss (and overall incredible weight loss) by taking a diet pill? Or by performing a 5 minute exercise circuit 3 times per week?
Of course not! This woman made a commitment to lose weight and get healthier, and achieved it by working her butt off.
Wait a minute…
Isn’t this post specifically on how to lose belly fat?
Bonus secret #1: There’s no way to target just your belly fat. (Not really a secret because this info’s been out for awhile). Your body holds onto belly fat just like it holds onto fat in your hips, thighs, etc. So to eliminate belly fat, you have to decrease body fat as a whole.
Have you already been losing weight and are just looking to get that final belly fat off? Great! I’ll be covering that too!
Please note: Check with your physician before starting any exercise routine or starting any particular diet. See this Disclaimer for more details. This post may contain affiliate links. For details, please visit my Disclosure page. Thank you!
But first, don’t forget to snag my free Weight Loss Checklist. Make sure you aren’t missing a key strategy that would help you lose weight more effectively:
5 Little-Known Secrets about How to Lose Belly Fat
Secret #1: When you lose weight, you actually lose visceral belly fat first
Wait, hold the phone. You lose belly fat first?? This goes against everything we’ve thought to be true! Is this right?
Yes…and no. And that’s because of the key word “visceral.” Because guess what? You actually have TWO TYPES of belly fat.
Belly Fat #1: Visceral
Visceral adipose tissue (aka visceral fat) is the dangerous abdominal fat that surrounds your internal organs.
Researchers have discovered that much of the initial weight people lose is from their visceral abdominal fat.
Hmm, this actually makes sense because organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been saying for years that just 5-10% weight loss can drastically improve your health.
It’s thought that you lose visceral belly fat first because your abdomen is the closest fat source to your liver. Then as you continue losing weight, your liver begins to draw on other fat sources, such as your thighs and potentially your subcutaneous abdominal fat (what we all know as “belly fat”).
Belly Fat #2: Subcutaneous
Let’s talk about the subcutaneous fat now. This is the fat you can see. So as I said above, when I say belly fat, I’m talking about subcutaneous abdominal fat.
Why does it seem like some people store subcutaneous abdominal fat first and then lose it last? Probably because they do.
Here are some possible reasons why we accumulate belly fat:
- Genetics – every body is different, and different bodies store fat in different places
- Insulin resistance
- Inflammation, which can be caused by excess visceral fat
- Increased cortisol due to stress
- Hypothyroidism, which may be treated by a doctor
- Aging, especially for postmenopausal women
Regardless of the reason why the belly fat got there, making healthy lifestyle changes will help to decrease it. Even if the reason is genetics, with hard work you can lose it. And if the reason is inflammation caused by dangerous visceral fat, that’s all the more reason to make healthy changes!
Remember, you lose visceral fat first! Even if you can’t see changes on the outside at first, keep going! Your body will eventually get to that subcutaneous belly fat.
Let’s say you’ve lost a decent amount of weight. Even though you’ve slimmed down, you’re fighting to get rid of some lingering belly fat. Chances are:
Secret #2: You’ve probably come very close to losing the last of your belly fat before
And chances are, one of these is true:
a. You just didn’t keep going
You don’t put on belly fat overnight, and you can’t get rid of belly fat overnight. It takes time. And often you don’t even notice it’s working at first. KEEP GOING!
RELATED POST: 3 Science-Backed Methods for Staying Motivated to Lose Weight
b. You didn’t make enough changes
Just swapping out your burger for a salad at lunch may not get you results if your dinner is heaps of pasta and you binge on wine every night. Be honest with yourself. Like I said, losing belly fat isn’t easy. You’ll achieve your goal, though, if you follow my three components below.
c. You plateaued because your body got too used to your workouts
Plateauing is the worst. It means you were working hard, achieving changes – and then your body sabotaged you. Our bodies are smart and are good at adapting to the workloads we throw at them. You have to keep challenging yourself to continue seeing changes. If you think this is what happened to you, read this post to switch things up:
RELATED POST: Fun Ways to Change Up Your Exercise Routine – Prevent Boredom and Plateauing!
Background photo in this pin created by valeria_aksakova – www.freepik.com
Secret #3: You ate too much of the good stuff
As we’ll talk about more below, nutrition is absolutely key to losing unwanted belly fat. Unfortunately, sometimes even “clean eating” isn’t enough.
It’s no secret that eating too many calories will prevent fat loss – and may lead to fat gain. In order to lose weight, you must use more calories than you consume.
So even if you’re eating healthy ingredients like nuts, nut butters, avocados, granola/protein bars, and protein shakes, eating too much of these healthy foods could have easily prevented losing your belly fat.
RELATED POST: Healthy Grocery List – 12 Foods I Refuse to Buy at the Grocery Store
Secret #4: Weight training is the reason you failed
Or rather, lack thereof. In a book by Adam Campbell called The Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises, Campbell shares 20 reasons why weight lifting is so incredibly beneficial. One such reason is that you burn more calories, and specifically, more fat.
A University of Wisconsin study that Campbell discusses in the book showed that weight lifting elevated participants metabolisms for 39 hours after their session. Another study at Penn State University showed that those who completed weight training in addition to cardio lost the same amount of weight, but shed more pounds of fat during the study. This means that the other groups lost muscle – which isn’t going to give you the results you want.
Moral of the story: weight training is key to weight loss. And don’t worry, I tell you how to do it below!
Secret #5: You’re not sweating/breathing hard enough
Are you performing only light exercise? Barely breathing hard or breaking a sweat? Well, you’re probably not burning fat because of that.
When you lose weight, where does the fat go?
Fun fact! The process of converting fat into energy results in two waste products: carbon dioxide and water. Carbon dioxide is what you exhale, and water is released in your sweat and your urine. The harder you’re working, the harder you breathe and the more you sweat – aka, the more fat you burn!
How to Lose Belly Fat: The Three Components
You must make healthy eating decisions (decreasing calories and minimizing sugar), perform cardiovascular exercise, and perform strength training. Do these three things and soon your friends will be asking you how to lose belly fat themselves.
Nutrition for the win!
Eating is the key, without a doubt. Numerous studies have shown that groups who make effective diet changes will lose more fat.
Consider another study Campbell discusses, conducted at the University of Missouri. They took people who had recently lost weight with diet and exercise and split them into two groups. They then had both groups increase how many calories they ate every day, but one of the groups also continued performing exercise 5 days per week.
Can you guess what happened?
They all gained back their belly fat.
You can’t outrun (literally) a bad diet. You just can’t.
You’re hearing this from a certified personal trainer and someone who worked as a registered nurse for 2.5 years, most of that time spent counseling people on how to lose weight.
Clean up your diet AND watch your calories. That’s the only way you’ll lose the belly fat.
If you’re not sure where to get started with healthy eating, I highly recommend the book 400 Flat-Tummy Recipes & Tips by Good Housekeeping. I have it myself and am extremely impressed by the simple, easy-to-make recipes. All of the meals I’ve made from it have been delicious!
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Exercise: Cardio
Although I say that nutrition is king for losing belly fat, cardio will only accelerate the progress. Not only that, but it will get you so much healthier along the way. By performing cardio, you’ll decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease while accelerating fat loss because you’re using up calories.
Here’s what to do:
Cardio must become your new best friend.
| Frequency | 5-6 days per week (always take at least one day off/week) |
| Duration | 40-60 minutes OR two sessions of 20-30 minutes |
| Intensity | Moderate |
| Modes if BMI ideal or overweight | Walking, jogging, biking, rowing, elliptical, swimming |
| Low-impact modes if BMI indicates obesity | Walking, stationary biking, rowing, swimming |
Check your BMI here. If obese, please perform only low-impact cardio to decrease chance of injury.
Since cardio is going to be your new best friend, make sure you pick something you like! There’s something out there for everyone.
RELATED POST: Exercise of Choice – Why I’ve Been Running Less
Consider cardio as only half of your exercise regimen. The other equally – if not more – important half is strength training.
Exercise: Strength training
With resistance training, it’s important to stay safe. You’ll want to push and challenge yourself, but not get injured.
This table shows some good starting parameters:
| Frequency | 2 days per week |
| Sets | 2-3 sets per exercise |
| Repetitions | 12-15 reps |
| Weight | Heaviest that still allows you to complete all reps |
| Rest | 1 minute between sets |
| Technique | Lift fast and lower slow |
| How many exercises? | 12-25 total sets per workout |
Circuits have been shown to be highly effective for weight loss. A circuit is when you complete 1 set of all the exercises back-to-back, rest, and then repeat. My 10 minute ab workout is a good example of a circuit.
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Having excess belly fat is so frustrating. But I hope I’ve shown you that it is possible to get rid of. You just need to implement proper nutrition, cardio, and strength training and you’ll be well on your way!
Sometimes implementing just one change is a great starting place. You’ve got this!
It’s true you can’t just lose belly fat, you will have to lose fat as a whole.
Absolutely. That’s definitely the biggest takeaway to get from this post.
As most women I’m sure have, as soon as I came across this topic on your site, I just had to read it. Thanks for sharing your secrets, tips and tricks on how to lose fat in the most stubborn of areas we try to lose on our body!
You’re welcome! I’ve heard so many people voice concerns on this topic, I figured it was time I share some tips!
Great post. I think this is what a lot of people need to hear: you can’t outrun a bad diet. I sometimes say “oh, I ran a marathon last month” just so I have an excuse to eat like crap…
I used to feel that way about running too. We run so much so we can afford the calories, right? But not all calories are equal. This was a very important message I had to get across to the very active people who came through cardiac rehab when I was still working as a nurse. Sometimes diet was their only risk factor.
Very valuable information! Not giving up is definitely key to that long term success!
Yes! Like with anything in life, you’ve got to stick with it to see results!
although I feel like I know all this stuff I definitely needed the reminder!! I keep losing the same 10 lbs and they keep reappearing in the shape of a pot belly!! I’m just trying to plan out my workouts for the next coming months and I’m going to see what I can do to get the cardio and strength sessions more on target and stop eating junk!!
Unfortunately a lot of people experience a vicious cycle of losing and gaining. Planning ahead can absolutely help! That’s why I wrote a whole post on fitness planners! https://www.getfitwithcedar.com/the-best-fitness-planners-to-crush-your-exercise-goals/
That’s a lot of advice. I do think weight training and not giving up are key.
Two great take-aways. Weight training is a wonderful thing to add – I know I’ve seen a huge difference in my body since starting it.
I don’t believe you can target fat loss in any one area of the body. Maybe if you gain or store more fat in your abdominal area, that is where you will notice the loss of overall fat first. Any diet or weight loss program, if followed along with an exercise program will help you lose weight. It’s as simple as that.
Yes, exactly! Healthy eating changes, cardio, and weight training are the way to go!
For the past couple years, I’ve been in the routine of doing some form of activity (almost) every morning, first thing out of bed. Some days I run, other days I do the elliptical. Often times I just go for a 20-30 minute walk around the neighborhood. None the less, this fasted-cardio routine has been a great fit for me…it energizes me and I have noticed my mid-section slowly toning up (more from the fat loss than increased ab-focused exercising). What are your thoughts on fasted-cardio? It works for me, but is it something that every one will see different results?
That’s great! I’m glad you’ve found a routine that works well for you. Fasted cardio is such a highly debated topic. I mean, it makes sense if you think about it. When you work out in the morning before eating, your body has no other reserves to draw from other than it’s own stores. But I’ve yet to find a research study that provides convincing evidence. Most studies just talk about the overall calorie deficit for the day, not how the body uses it’s reserves when in a fasted state. The body’s processes are extremely intricate. So for now I’d say that it’s not so much more effective that you should change what you’re doing if you’ve already found a routine you love. I wouldn’t go out of the way to do fasted cardio. But I do look forward to seeing more research come out about this topic!
I loved the article! So informative and enlightening. You’ve got a great writing style!
Thank you so much!! That means a lot!
I have noticed that I tend to gain weight in my stomach before any place else! I am hoping to zone in on my nutrition to help with this.
Unfortunately that’s what happens to many people! Nutrition will absolutely help you to do that.
I’m lucky to say I’ve never really had to deal with stubborn fat. I’ve always been really active in my lifestyle. Having babies changes things, and I have a tiny bit of belly fat that I don’t try super hard to lose but that I also don’t love having.
Being active is not only a great way to get rid of it, but also a great way to prevent it! And yes, having children can absolutely contribute. Also diastasis recti can be to blame for belly pooch after giving birth! This is an excellent post on diastasis recti: https://wellnessmama.com/60398/diastasis-recti/
I never realized you lose belly fat so first! That is a bonus! Thanks for the great info!
Yes! And you actually lose the most dangerous belly fat first: the visceral belly fat. The belly fat you can see will come soon after!