How to lose belly fat
Belly fat is the fat stored around your internal organs such your liver and pancreas. It’s also known as visceral fat and can negatively impact your health, and your confidence. Here, I’ll share some tips for losing belly fat safely.

What belly fat tells you
Whether you’re overweight or not, carrying excess belly fat is linked to several serious health problems such as:
- heart and circulatory problems
- high blood pressure and stroke
- insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
- bowel cancer
- sleep apnoea
Even if you are a healthy weight for your height, you might still have excess belly visceral fat around your inner organs.
You should aim lose weight if:
- you are a man with a waist measurement of 94 cm (7 inches) or more.
- you are a woman with a waist measuring 80 cm (31.5 inches) or more.
Your risk of serious health problems will greatly increase if
- you’re a man with a waist measurement 102 cm (40 inches).
- you’re a woman, with a waist measuring higher than 88cm (34 inches).
If your waist measurement is in the higher risk category, see a doctor for some advice. You might also find it helpful to contact a dietitian, who will help you to develop a personal plan for a healthier lifestyle.
How belly fat develops
As you get older, you’ll need less calories to keep your body working well. This makes it easier to gain weight if you eat the same amount as you used to.
Also, hormonal changes mean you’ll start to lose muscle and gain fat. This makes it harder for you keep to a healthy weight - but it’s not impossible.
Changing your lifestyle habits, especially diet and exercise routines, can really help.
Which foods burn belly fat?
If you want to reduce your belly fat, you will need to burn more energy (calories) and eat the right kinds of food. Make sure you eat a balanced diet. Try and include the following:
- at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day
- high fibre starchy foods such as oats, brown rice and wholegrain breads.
- reduced fat dairy or soya drinks fortified in calcium.
- beans, pulses, fish, and eggs.
- small amounts of unsaturated fats such as olive oil.
- six to eight glasses of water each day.
Finally, reduce or remove sugar sweetened drinks and other foods that have a lot of added sugar in them. Avoid adding sugar to your meals. Be aware that low-fat options might have high amounts of added sugar in them.
Increase protein in your diet
Increasing your protein can be a helpful way to lose weight. Protein foods make you feel fuller than carbohydrates do. By including a lean source of protein with your meals and snacks you may find that you’re not as hungry, and so eat less.
Make sure you include protein with each meal. A portion of protein is about as big as the palm of your hand.
Good sources include:
- chicken breast
- tuna
- mackerel
- salmon
- eggs
- milk
- nuts
Plant-based sources include:
- red lentils
- chickpeas
- brown bread
- nuts
- soya
Alternatively, there are lots of protein products available, such as supplements and powders. But if you decide to use these make sure a dietitian or nutritionist is supervising your diet.
Eating fruit, vegetables and healthy fats such as those found in the Mediterranean diet can also help you stay healthy and prevent the build-up of visceral fat.
Which exercises reduce belly fat?
Any form of exercise for at least 30 minutes a day is good for you. Use every opportunity to move your body more, whether you are at home, work or with friends. This could include cycling to work or getting off the bus or train one or two stops early.
The best types of belly fat exercise, combines resistance exercise (such as strength training) and cardiovascular exercise . Resistance exercise can help maintain your muscle mass and your glucose metabolism (the way your body processes sugar and uses it for fuel). This is important for managing your weight. Resistance training has also been shown to reduce fat around your tummy area.
If you would like a boost for your exercise regime, then why not try some high intensity interval training (or HIIT for short)? This will really get your heart rate up and help you to burn some fat. HIIT basically means that you go all out and give it everything you’ve got for a short burst. You then follow with lower intensity exercise or rest – and then repeat. This form of training is good for people with very busy lifestyles as they can get similar health benefits in a shorter amount of time.
HIIT at home
High Intensity Interval Training | Home workout | Watch in 11:54 minutes
Try our 10 minute follow along high intensity interval workout at home.
Hi, I'm Harrison and welcome to the Bupa HIIT workout we've got for you today.
What we're gonna be performing is five bodyweight exercises and they're going to be utilising all of the major muscle groups.
When we're performing the exercises, we're going to be working for 30 seconds, we're going to be resting for 30 seconds and we're going to perform the exercises two times over.
So it's going to be a 10-minute workout.
Now before we get started, it's imperative that we perform a warm-up.
I'm already warmed up, but I'm just going to demonstrate a few small exercises that you can perform, just to make sure you're ready for the exercise.
You only have to do these for two to three minutes.
So it could just be something simple as running on the spot.
Could just be some star jumps.
Could also do some very quick squats, which we'll actually be doing later on today, or even just some simple lunges.
So the first exercise we'll start off with is the body squat.
So with this one you can have your feet either hip-width apart or slightly wider.
You can even have your arms out in front of you or across your chest.
And what we want to do - I'll just do it from the side - but you want to make sure your heels are flat on the ground throughout the movement.
So rather than just go straight down into that we want to pretend we're about to take a seat - so our hips are immediately going to come out behind us.
From there you want to ease yourself down, as low as you're comfortable with, but ideally want to make sure that your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Keep your head up and just drive up through the heels, squeeze the glutes together at the top as well.
Ease yourself down and then push up through the heels.
So we're going to start off with the squats.
So it's going to be in three, two, one.
.
.
So arms out in front, ease yourself down, driving up through those heels okay, and Bodyweight squats do this for 30 seconds.
From the side angle - again, hips out behind you.
Try to get your thighs parallel to the floor if you can.
If you can't go as low as that that's perfectly fine.
Just remember to squeeze those glutes at the top.
So not long left - three, two, one.
.
.
and rest.
Okay so we've got thirty seconds rest now.
Next one's going to be the burpees.
Just a reminder on the technique - arms down, legs back, legs forward, and jump.
If you want to make it more difficult immediately - hands down, legs back, down into a push-up, and up.
So ten seconds left.
Three, two, one.
.
.
and go!
And again, for the more difficult one - down, up, and jump.
Down, up and jump.
From the side angle.
.
.
Okay not long left.
.
.
one second, and rest.
Right so the next one again is the mountain climbers.
You're going to be on the floor for this one again.
It's always a good opportunity in these rest periods to take on a bit of water as well.
Okay so ten seconds left.
.
.
Right three, two, one.
.
.
and start driving those knees.
Keeping the Mountain climbers back nice and straight.
We'll be working the abdominal region here.
Certainly gonna be working your upper body, having to hold your body weight up as well.
Again from the side angle - driving those knees.
Okay that's it, keep going.
So this last few now.
.
.
thirty seconds rest.
The next exercise is going to be running on the spot - so again, just to reiterate, nice upright posture.
Driving the knees up and using our arms to do that as well.
So you've got fifteen seconds left.
Doing really well guys!
Ten seconds.
.
.
Alright not too long.
.
.
four, three, two, one and go!
High knees Really try and drive those knees up there.
That's it!
Really drive those knees up.
Pumping those arms!
From the side angle - keep going, try and keep those knees driving upwards!
Okay keep going.
.
.
ten seconds left.
.
.
keep going.
.
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last little bit.
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three, two, one and rest.
So just a reminder for the last exercise, the push ups.
So you start on the floor, from the side angle, again hands either side of your shoulders, off the toes, push yourself up, engage the glutes and the muscles in your tummy area - and as I said, if it's too difficult, go off the knees instead.
Okay so that's our 10-second warning.
So just from this angle - okay three, two, one, and up!
Again, from the side angle.
About 20 seconds left.
Down, keep those glutes squeezed together - the muscles in your bottom - try and get down so your chest is almost on the ground.
If it does get more difficult, go off the knees.
Right so three, two, one, and rest.
Right well done guys!
That's one circuit done.
So we've got another 25 seconds to go and then we repeat it again.
As I said, imperative you get the water on board.
I don't know if like myself you fancy doing it in the garden.
Right, 10 seconds left.
.
.
Alright so back into the squats.
Three, two, one and down.
Okay squeeze the glutes up, come up through the heels.
If you do fancy making it a spot more difficult, you can add a jump.
So as you drive through the heels, jump up, and down.
Ten seconds left!
Eight, seven, six, five.
.
.
and rest.
Next one is burpees.
20 seconds.
Keep with me guys.
If you do feel like you need a little bit longer, you can take a little bit longer than the 30 seconds rest.
Certainly if you are doing it in the heat, it is going to increase your core temperature a little bit quicker.
Okay, so three, two, one.
.
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hands down, legs back, down and jump.
Burpees That's the last round, we're really going to push it now, really try and get that heart rate up.
Again, from the side angle.
10 second warning.
.
.
last one.
.
.
And another one, sneak it in!
And rest.
Three exercises left guys, come on!
So back down into the mountain climbers.
Ten seconds left.
So get back down into position now, holding that high plank, and you really drive the knees for this one.
And go!
That's it, really drive those knees up!
From the side angle.
That's it, keep going, 10 second warning.
.
.
keep pushing, you're almost there!
Again 30 seconds rest.
Last two exercises guys, come on!
15 seconds so halfway through the rest period.
Again high knees - give it our all on this one!
And three, two, one and go!
Keep driving those knees up!
Upright posture.
Keep pushing, keep going!
That was our ten second warning.
And stop.
Right so last 30 second rest period.
Down into the push up position again.
As I was saying, if you want to make it easier, go from the knees.
I might have to join you on that one!
10 seconds left.
Okay so get down into position now, we'll count you down - so three, two, one and go!
That's it!
Try and maintain good technique if you can, certainly if you're doing it this way.
Push ups Again, side angle - keep the glutes engaged, good for the bottom, and the core.
That's our 10 second warning.
On to my knees for this last bit.
Last few seconds.
Well done guys, that's it, that's it completed!
As we've been exercising at such high intensity, we're gonna see that those waste products are going to start to build Cool down up in our muscles.
It's going to be imperative that we try and get the blood flowing through the muscles again, to help to flush those out.
And that can just be done through some gentle running on the spot, okay.
We'll try and couple that with some static stretching as well.
You can do that in your own time, just going to stretch out the muscles that we've used.
So bearing in mind it's a full body workout, I recommend you try and hold each stretch for 30 seconds.
And do that for at least a few minutes.
But whilst you're doing this, I'm going to leave it there.
Thank you very much for joining me again, hope you found it beneficial and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Thank you!
Putting it all together
A few small changes in your lifestyle can make a big difference and reduce your waist circumference. Try to reduce your portion sizes and cut out sweet treats and alcohol. Also increase the amount of physical activity you do and eat more fruits and vegetables. Do some strength training exercises at least twice a week.
Do you know how healthy you truly are? Bupa health assessments give you a clear overview of your health and a view of any future health risks. You'll receive a personal lifestyle action plan with health goals to reach for a happier, healthier you.
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Sources Sources
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