How to Lose Belly Fat Fast: 5 Rules For Results

Few things are more frustrating than seeing your abs covered in a layer of stubborn fat. You watch your calories and train hard, but you still can’t get rid of flab. 

The truth is, you cannot spot-reduce fat. If your abs aren’t showing, it’s time to reconsider your diet and training routine. All those crunches and sit-ups won’t help you cut out your gut. 

Today, we’ll dig deeper into it and share some quick, effective strategies to burn fat faster and build shredded abs. 

First, forget about those fancy ab machines and “miracle pills”. If these things worked, everyone would walk around with a six-pack. What you should do instead is follow the core principles of workout nutrition and bodybuilding. 

Losing belly requires not just a great workout but a long-term commitment to clean eating. In fact, your diet accounts for over 80% of your results. Keep your meals simple, ditch junk food and track your macros. 

Remember, the magic happens when you make it a 24/7 lifestyle. One week of clean eating and heavy training isn’t enough to get results.

Why Belly Fat Is So Stubborn

As you’ve probably noticed, belly fat is often the last to go. This issue has a lot to do with your genetics, sex, and ethnic background — besides your diet and training plan. 

Where you gain or hold onto body fat depends largely on your genes. Some people tend to store fat on their hips and thighs, while others hold more in the abdominal area.

Body fat distribution also differs between men and women, according to the journal Biology of Sex Differences. Women have about 10% more body fat than men, especially in the lower body. These fat stores serve as a lipid reservoir for excess energy, among other functions. 

Men tend to store fat in the abdominal region. For this reason, they are more likely to develop cardiometabolic disorders, such as diabetes and insulin resistance. Visceral fat, a type of adipose tissue surrounding vital organs in the abdominal cavity, is responsible for these metabolic disturbances. 

So why is belly fat so hard to lose?

As it turns out, the loss of visceral fat following exercise is mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6), a multifunctional cytokine. A 2019 study published in Cell Metabolism explains that IL-6 blockade may cancel out the fat-burning effect of exercise. 

But that’s not all. Aging promotes abdominal fat storage too. As you age, you lose lean mass and gain fat. Muscle is denser but weighs more than fat, so your weight may remain the same. 

Abdominal obesity rates in the U.S. increased from 46 to 54% percent between 1999-2000 and 2011-2012, according to a review featured in JAMA. This phenomenon is largely due to aging and bad eating habits. 

But you can counteract the effects of aging on body weight and metabolism through lifestyle changes. 

Why You’re Not Losing Belly Fat 

Since you’re reading our blog, you probably know more about clean eating and training than the average Joe. Therefore, you’re familiar with nutrition and workout strategies like carb cycling, cutting and bulking, the keto diet and more. 

So what stops you from losing belly fat? 

As we’ve mentioned before, it’s the small things that matter. Common mistakes, such as doing too much or too little cardio and skimping on sleep, can hamper your progress. 

Overtraining, for instance, might be the reason you’re not losing belly fat. While it’s true that exercise burns calories, too much of it can mess up your hormones. 

According to BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, overtraining affects the immune, hormonal, neurological, and metabolic systems. This condition results from an imbalance between training and recovery. 

A side effect of overtraining is an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels promote the accumulation of abdominal fat and vice-versa, points out the American Institute of Stress. 

Strict dieting, sleep deprivation, and chronic stress all have the same effect. 

To put it simply, stress raises cortisol levels, which in turn, causes your body to store fat in the abdominal area. The stress may result from overtraining, underfeeding, life events, lack of sleep, and other factors. 

But stress isn’t the only culprit. Other potential causes of belly fat may include:

• Sugar consumption
• Too much alcohol
• Smoking
• Metabolic damage
• Hormonal imbalances (especially low testosterone)
• Poorly structured workouts

Cigarette smoking, for example, has been shown to increase abdominal and visceral fat mass. Although it doesn’t directly cause weight gain, it affects fat distribution.

Another potential cause is low testosterone. As you age, your testosterone levels drop, leading to an increase in visceral adiposity. But there are ways to naturally boost your T levels and lose stubborn fat. 

Ideal Body Fat Percentage for Six-Pack Abs 

First things first, make sure your expectations are realistic. We get it — you’re tired of endless cardio sessions and clean eating and want to lose belly fat fast. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work this way. 

Like it or not, you won’t get rid of flab in a week or two. Depending on how much fat you carry, it may take you months to build six-pack abs. Maintaining the results is just as difficult. 

No matter how hard you try, you can’t be shredded year-round. Your favorite bodybuilders and fitness models achieve a six-pack before competitions or photoshoots. They don’t look stage-ready 24/7. 

The thing is, your body needs a small amount of fat (about 5% for men and 8% for women) to function optimally. This type of adipose tissue is called essential fat and has the role to protect your organs, keep your temperature stable, and provide energy. 

Instead, focus on losing excess fat. If you’re a guy, you’ll start seeing upper abdominal definition at around 10-14% body fat. Go below 9%, and you’ll be lean enough to see your abs popping. 

These numbers are slightly higher for female athletes. As a woman, you’ll notice ab definition, especially in the obliques, at 15 to 19% body fat. Aim for 10 to 15% body fat for greater muscle definition. 

Wondering How to Lose Belly Fat? Follow These Rules! 

Losing belly fat takes more than just cutting calories and carbs. If it was that easy, you’d already have ripped abs. As discussed earlier, extreme dieting can actually stall your progress. 

Instead, follow these five rules to burn stubborn fat and uncover your abs. Let’s get into it!

1. Eat Small, Frequent Meals 

The key to washboard abs is to follow a strict bodybuilding diet. This means no junk food or an occasional beer. Your meals should include whole foods that deliver all of the nutrients needed to build and preserve lean mass. 

Eat small frequent meals to leverage the thermic effect of food (TEF) and keep your metabolism up. TEF is the increase in metabolic rate following a meal. 

As you already know, some foods require more energy to digest and process than others. 

Protein, for example, has the highest thermic effect and promotes satiety. This means your body will burn more calories to process high-protein foods compared to high-fat or high-carb foods. 

Furthermore, whole foods have a greater thermic effect than their processed counterparts, points out the journal Food and Nutrition Research. How much you eat in one sitting matters too. 

Eating several small meals throughout the day rather than one or two big meals will repeatedly stimulate your metabolism. This strategy also makes it easier to control your insulin and blood sugar levels, which can further aid in fat loss. 

If, for some reason, you can’t eat more than two or three meals a day, add protein shakes to the mix. Use them to replace one or more meals or snacks. 

For example, if you’re too busy to eat dinner, drink a protein shake instead. Just make sure you choose a quality formula, with no added sugars. The last thing you want is to add empty calories to your diet and spike your blood sugar. 

2. Clean Up Your Diet 

From granola bars and flavored yogurts to dried fruit, there are plenty of seemingly healthy foods that can do more harm than good. Many of them are nothing but candy in disguise. 

Dried fruits, for instance, are loaded with sugar (in the form of fructose). While it’s true they contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber, there are better ways to get these nutrients in your diet. 

Let’s take dried prunes, for example. A 3.5-ounce serving provides 240 calories, 63.3 grams of carbs, and 38.1 grams of sugar. 

The same amount of raw plums only 46 calories, 11.4 grams of carbs, and 9.9 grams of sugar. That’s quite a difference! 

Just because fructose is a natural sugar doesn’t mean it’s healthy. 

This compound is metabolized by the liver, which makes it particularly harmful. When consumed regularly, it may lead to weight gain, increased appetite, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and elevated cholesterol. 

If you’re wondering how to lose belly fat fast, start by cleaning up your diet. Stick to lean meat, fish, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and small amounts of fruits. Consider switching to the Paleo diet, which promotes the consumption of whole foods. 

3. Build Muscle to Burn Fat

Most bodybuilders have relatively low body fat levels in the off-season despite doing little or no cardio. Sure, they’re not as shredded as before competitions, but they’re still leaner than the average person. Here is why. 

Muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat. To put it simply, muscle burns more calories than flab. Therefore, more muscle mass equals a faster metabolism and more calories burned throughout the day. 

Each pound of sedentary muscle tissue torches about 6 calories per day, points out the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). This number is higher when your muscles are active, such as during intense training. One pound of fat tissue, by contrast, burns only 2 calories per day. 

Cardio training helps increase your energy expenditure, but weight lifting is more effective as it helps build mass and elevates your metabolism. If you’re trying to lose fat, prioritize strength training. Add cardio to the mix when you hit a plateau. 

Still not convinced? Go to any gym and you’ll see crowds of people running on the treadmill for hours. Yet, few of them are in shape.

4. Forget About Spot Reduction 

Crunches, sit-ups, and other ab exercises can help you build a strong core and improve your overall fitness. Unfortunately, they have little or no effect on reducing the amount of fat covering your abs. 

Spot reduction is just a myth. As the American Council on Exercise notes, overall fitness, not muscle fatigue, influences your body’s ability to burn fat. 

Additionally, your abdominal muscles are relatively small compared to your quads, glutes, and other major muscle groups. Targeting these small muscles without addressing the bigger ones is a waste of time. You won’t get any stronger, leaner, or more athletic by doing hundreds of sit-ups. 

Need more proof? A 2013 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research tried to reveal the truth about spot reduction. Subjects engaged in a localized muscle endurance resistance training program targeting their non-dominant leg for 12 weeks. 

At the end of the study, no major differences were registered in terms of body mass, lean mass, adiposity, and fat percentage in the trained leg. Subjects experienced a 5.1 percent decrease in fat mass, but the reduction was not achieved in the targeted area. 

These findings show that it’s not possible to lose fat from specific body parts, like your abs or legs. The fat loss will be over your entire body.

5. Try Intermittent Fasting 

Have you tried intermittent fasting (IF)? This dietary pattern cycles between periods of feeding and food restriction. It’s clinically proven to reduce visceral fat mass and improve insulin response. 

Our team has published a complete guide on intermittent fasting and how it works, so check it out! Also, take a look at the pros and cons of fasting to decide whether or not it’s right for you. 

You can lose belly fat without going on a fast, but you’ll get faster results with IF. Better yet, combine it with the keto diet to speed up fat loss and rev up your metabolism. 

According to a review in Current Obesity Reports, nearly all studies on IF resulted in fat loss. In a clinical trial, overweight and obese women who used intermittent fasting as part of a very low-calorie diet experienced a 5.7 decrease in visceral fat mass. 

As an aspiring athlete or bodybuilding, it’s not recommended to go on extreme diets. This could hamper your gains and lead to metabolic damage. However, you can combine intermittent fasting with the Paleo diet, the keto diet, or a traditional bodybuilding diet. 

Beat Belly Fat and Uncover Your Abs 

The above strategies are a good starting point for anyone trying to get leaner. Be prepared to give it time and put in real work. Building a six-pack isn’t something you can do overnight. 

Another aspect to consider is how you train your abs. Diversify your workout routine to prevent plateaus and keep your muscles guessing. Sit-ups and crunches are not your only options. 

Train your abdominal muscles twice a week or so. Use a variety of exercises to hit them from all angles. Try cable crunches, hanging leg raises, ab wheel roll-outs, bent-over twists, Russian twists, and more. 

Most exercises, especially those targeting your lower body, hit your abs to some extent. Squats, deadlifts, and lunges are just a few to mention. These movements engage nearly every muscle and ignite your fat-burning hormones, so incorporate them into your workouts. 

Do you have any questions on how to lose belly fat? Or perhaps you want to share your favorite strategies for shredded abs? Leave a comment below — we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts!