How to lose belly fat

Specialist Dietitian at Cromwell Hospital
28 July 2025
Next review due July 2028

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.

Working out at the beach

What belly fat tells you

Whether you’re overweight or not, carrying excess belly fat is linked to several serious health problems such as:

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.


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.

Maya Aboukhater
Specialist Dietitian at Cromwell Hospital
    • Sahakyan KR, Somers VK, Rodriguez-Escudero J, et al. Normal-Weight Central Obesity: Implications for Total and Cardiovascular Mortality. Annals of Internal Medicine. Published November 2015
    • National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2024.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Niddk.nih.gov, accessed July 2025.
    • Why your waist size matters. British Heart Foundation. bhf.org.uk, accessed July 2025
    • Noncommunicable diseases. World Health Organisation. who.int, updated December 2024
    • “IDEAL” Aging is Associated with Lower Resting Metabolic Rate: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 April; 62(4): 667–672. doi:10.1111/jgs.12740
    • Physical changes with aging. The MSD Manuals.msdmanuals.com, modified April 2025.
    • Healthy eating. The British association of dietitians.bda.uk.com, reviewed September 2024.
    • Eatwell Guide. Public Health England.nhs.uk, last updated January 2024.
    • Protein. British Nutrition Foundation. www.nutrition.org.uk, last reviewed October 2023
    • Ten common mistakes individuals who are trying to lose weight make. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal. November/December 2008 - Volume 12 - Issue 6 - p 52 doi:10.1249/01.FIT.0000312437.00227.56
    • Start active, stay active. Gov UK.gov.uk, last updated January 2020
    • Strasser B, Schobersberger W. Evidence for resistance training as a treatment therapy in obesity. J Obes 2011. doi: 10.1155/2011/482564.
    • Is interval training the magic bullet for fat loss? A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing moderate-intensity continuous training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) Viana RB, et al. Br J Sports Med 2019;53:655–664. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099928
    • Boutcher SH. High-intensity intermittent exercise and fat loss. J Obes 2011. doi: 10.1155/2011/868305.
    • Kesztyüs D et al. Therapeutic Treatment for Abdominal Obesity in Adults. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2018. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2018.0487.

About our health information

At Bupa we produce a wealth of free health information for you and your family. This is because we believe that trustworthy information is essential in helping you make better decisions about your health and wellbeing.

Our information has been awarded the PIF TICK for trustworthy health information. It also follows the principles of the The Information Standard.

The Patient Information Forum tick

Learn more about our editorial team and principles >

Did you find our advice helpful?

We’d love to hear what you think. Our short survey takes just a few minutes to complete and helps us to keep improving our healthy lifestyle articles.

Content is loading