Belly fat can be harmful, even if you look thin. One type of belly fat, visceral fat, is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions. Many health organisations use body mass index (BMI) to classify weight and predict metabolic disease risk. However, this is misleading because people with excess belly fat are at an increased risk even if they look thin. You can reduce excess abdominal fat by exercising regularly and eating well. So, here are 19 scientifically proven tips to lose weight and belly fat.

1. Eat Fiber Rich Food
Fibre absorbs water and forms a gel that helps slow down food as it passes through your body, so you feel full and eat less. It may also decrease the number of calories your body absorbs from food. Fibre may help you lose belly fat. In a study of 1,100 adults over 5 years, researchers found that those who increased their intake of soluble fibre by 10 grams per day reduced belly fat by 3.7%. To add more soluble fibre to your diet, include these foods in your daily meals: avocados, blackberries, brussels sprouts, flax seeds, legumes, and shirataki noodles.

2. Cut Back on Food That Contains Trans Fats
Hydrogenation is a chemical process that turns unsaturated fats, such as soybean oil, into something more solid and saturated. Trans fats are also called partially hydrogenated fats, or shortening. They’re used to make some margarine and spreads and are often added to packaged foods. These fats have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, insulin resistance, and abdominal fat gain in observational and animal 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. To help reduce belly fat and protect your health, read ingredient labels carefully and stay away from products that contain trans fats. These are often listed as partially hydrogenated fats.

3. Avoid Drinking Alcohol
While a small amount of alcohol has health benefits, drinking too much can make you gain belly fat. Research shows that heavy alcohol consumption is linked to central obesity or excess fat around the midsection. Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink in a single day may help reduce your waist size. You don’t have to give it up completely, but making healthier beverage choices can help reduce calories and improve your overall health.
A study involving 2,000 people showed that those who drank 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 More High Protein Food
Protein is an essential nutrient for weight loss. It helps you feel fuller, boosts your metabolic rate and helps you retain muscle mass while dieting. Include a protein source at each meal to keep your metabolism revving and your body burning fat such as beans, fish, meat, dairy, eggs, and whey protein.

5. Get Rid of Stress
Stress can cause you to gain belly fat by triggering the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, a hormone that’s also known as the stress hormone. High levels of cortisol cause you to feel hungry and store extra fat around your middle. Plus, when you already have a large waist, stress tends to make your cortisol levels go up even more. To help reduce belly fat, try doing activities that relieve your stress. Practicing yoga or meditation is one good way.

6. Avoid Eating Too Much Sweet
Excessive consumption of sugar, particularly the refined kind, can lead to heart disease and many other health problems. Studies show a direct link between excess sugar intake and the development of abdominal fat. But that’s not all even healthier sugars should be used sparingly when trying to lose body fat.

7. Do Regular Workout

There’s a lot of evidence that workout or aerobic exercise can help you lose weight and be healthier. One study found that postmenopausal women lost more fat from all areas when they did aerobic exercise for 300 minutes per week, compared with those who exercised 150 minutes per week. Other research has found similar results that are, higher-intensity exercise isn’t better than lower-intensity exercise when it comes to reducing belly fat or losing weight in general.

8. Reduce Carbs
If you’re trying to lose fat, including belly fat, reducing your carb intake can help. Diets with under 50 grams of carbs per day have been shown to cause loss of abdominal fat in people who are overweight, have type 2 diabetes, or have polycystic ovary syndrome. Instead of cutting carbs, try replacing refined carbs with unprocessed starchy carbs. The famous Framingham Heart Study found that people who ate the most whole grains were 17 percent less likely to have excess abdominal fat than those who ate diets high in refined grains.

9. Start Lifting Weights

Weight lifting, also known as resistance training or strength training, is an important part of any exercise program. Studies have shown that people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease who lift weights twice a week for 12 weeks can reduce abdominal fat.

10. Stay Away from Sugary Drinks

If you drink sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas and fruit juices, it’s likely that you’ll get fat. Sugar-sweetened beverages are loaded with liquid fructose, which your body processes differently than solid foods. In fact, one study found that high-fructose beverages cause abdominal fat gain more than high-sugar foods like doughnuts or pastries do. Studies also show that consuming sugary drinks can lead to increased fat in the liver. To lose belly fat, it’s best to completely avoid sugar-sweetened beverages such as sweet tea, punch, soda, and alcoholic mixers containing sugar.

11. Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for many aspects of your health, including weight. Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep tend to gain more weight, which may include belly fat. A 16-year study involving more than 68,000 women found that those who slept less than 5 hours per night were significantly more likely to gain weight than those who slept 7 hours or more per night. If you suspect you may have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, speak to a doctor and get treated.

12. Keep Track of Your Food and Exercise
Many things can help you lose weight and belly fat. Eating fewer calories than your body needs for weight maintenance is key. Monitoring your intake of protein, carbs, fibre, and micronutrients with a food diary or online food tracker can also help. You can also use a tracking tool which also allows you to record your exercise and physical activity.

13. Consume Fatty Fish is Healthy
Fatty fish are great sources of high-quality protein and omega-3 fats. The omega-3 fats may also help reduce your visceral fat. Fish oil supplements can help reduce liver and abdominal fat in adults and children with fatty liver disease. Try to get 2–3 servings of fatty fish per week. Good choices include sardines, salmon, anchovies, herring, and mackerel.

14. Avoid Fruit Juice
Fruit juices are a source of vitamins and minerals, but they are also packed with sugar. An 8-ounce serving of unsweetened apple juice contains 24 grams of sugar, half of which is fructose. To help reduce belly fat, replace fruit juice with water, unsweetened iced tea, or sparkling water with a lemon or lime.

15. Adding Apple Cider to Your Diet
Apple cider vinegar has been shown to reduce abdominal fat and may lead to modest weight loss. It’s generally safe for most people and easy to use. Simply dilute it with water, then drink it before meals. However, undiluted vinegar can erode the enamel on your teeth.

16. Boost Your Body with Probiotic Foods or a Probiotic Supplement
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria found in certain foods and supplements, including yoghurt. These bacteria provide many health benefits, including helping improve the health of your gut and boosting your immune system. Researchers have found that different types of beneficial bacteria play a role in weight regulation and that having the right balance can help with weight loss, including the loss of belly fat. One strain proven to reduce belly fat is Lactobacillus gasseri, which is available in probiotic supplements as well as some dairy products such as yoghurt.

17. Do Intermittent Fasting
As a weight loss method, intermittent fasting has become very popular in recent years. It involves periods of eating and periods of fasting. One popular method, which involves 24-hour fasts once or twice a week, has been shown to reduce abdominal fat by 4–7% within 6–24 weeks. Fasting may not be as beneficial for women as for men. Although modified methods appear to be better options than others, stop fasting immediately if you experience any negative effects.

18. Try Green Tea
Green tea is a healthy beverage with two ingredients that may boost your metabolism. One of those ingredients, EGCG, is a catechin that researchers believe may help you lose belly fat.

19. Change Your lifestyle and Experiment with Different Methods

Losing your belly fat and keeping it off requires a combination of different methods, especially those that are generally associated with a healthy lifestyle. One of the best ways to lose belly fat is to change your lifestyle for the long term. By making healthy choices, such as eating real food and getting regular exercise, your body naturally tends to shed excess weight over time.
Losing belly fat is always a challenge, but these strategies and lifestyle goals can help you get that flat stomach you’ve always wanted.