How to Lose Fat: 14 Diet, Exercise, & Lifestyle Tips

We’ve all heard that diet and exercise are the keys to losing fat and building the body you want. But what is the best way to eat, and what type of exercise is best to meet fat loss goals?

Even bodybuilders can struggle with unwanted body fat. For decades, even during the Golden Era, bodybuilders have used bulking and cutting to achieve their ideal physique. For the rest of us, these techniques aren’t the answer.

If you’re looking to lose body fat, we’ve got some tips today to show you how to do it. Sure, some of them will be diet and exercise-related. But we’ve also got some other tips that can help you burn the fat off – and keep it off.

First, let’s talk about exercise and diet, providing practical tips that can jumpstart your journey to losing body fat. Then, we’ll give you some lifestyle changes that might also help you avoid plateaus and reach your goals.

1. Mix Up Your Workouts

Some people think that there’s a certain type of exercise you can do that guarantees you’ll lose fat fast. In reality, mixing up your workouts throughout the week will give you the best chance to lose belly fat naturally.

Whether focusing on belly fat or overall body fat, you’ll want to work out four to five days each week, sometimes more. Mixing it up to really burn fat fast is doable, and depending on the workouts can be done at home.

Here’s an idea of a sample five day workout plan:

• Monday: Cardio/HIIT for 30 minutes
• Tuesday: Strength Training (full body)
• Wednesday: Cardio/HIIT for 30 minutes
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: Strength Training (upper body)
• Saturday: Strength Training (lower body)
• Sunday: Rest

Depending on your body type, you may want to put more focus on cardio than strength training. Include HIIT as an alternative to cardio. It might help you lose body fat, including visceral and belly fat, even without changing your diet or lifestyle.

Circuit Training

Strapped for time? Consider circuit training, which is a great way to incorporate cardio, HIIT, and strength training in one.

When combining HIIT with resistance training using a hydraulic resistance system, men in this study burned calories the fastest. If you’re trying to figure out how to lose belly fat, even as soon as a week or 2 weeks from now, consider HIIT.

We can’t discount the benefits of cardio to help you lose body fat, especially in those without metabolic-related disorders. In this review of 16 studies, researchers found that cardio exercise several times weekly greatly reduced visceral fat and overall weight.

Spending even as little as 20 minutes daily doing some sort of movement can help you to lose fat. Even on your rest days, light cardio like biking, walking or swimming can help you reach your goals.

2. Get Up and Get Moving

Many Americans are now sitting at desks for long stretches of time, working for eight or more hours each day. One of the things you can do to help lose fat is to get up and get moving.

Sitting too much can slow your metabolism, causing you to gain weight, even if you eat healthily. What’s worse, it can actually tank your productivity and increase your chances of disease and premature death. 

To keep your health in check and lose fat, make sure you are moving for at least five minutes per hour. Here are some ideas on getting moving:

• Walk over to your coworker to chat rather than send an email.
• Get up to make copies.
• Go to someone’s office to ask a question rather than call.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Stand up any time you’re on the phone. Bonus if you can pace or walk around to get more steps in.
• Take the long route back to your desk.
• Park further away so you have to travel further to the front door.

Take it a step further and walk or bike to work if you can. Cycling has more health benefits than walking, but either would work to help you lose fat. There are also environmental and social benefits as well.

These exercise tips are a great way to help you lose that unwanted body fat. Now, let’s see what diet changes can be done to improve your fat loss.

3. Fight Fat with…Fat??

It sounds crazy but it actually works. The important thing to note is that in order to fight fat with fat, you have to eat the right fats.

That means removing unhealthy fats like trans fat in favor of healthy fats:

• Avocado (both the fruit and oil)
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Nuts
• Seeds 

What makes fat so great at helping with weight loss? For one thing, it takes longer to digest and move through your system. This can help you stay fuller longer and reduce your appetite. 

If you’re unsure about how much fat you should be consuming each day, take a look at this.

4. Refined Carbs Have Got to Go

Another way you can alter your diet to lose unwanted body fat is to ditch refined carbs for complex carbs. Refined carbs are highly processed, making them lost nutrients and fiber. Whole grains, which are complex carbs, retain the bran and germ layers, helping you to lose fat.

• Refined carbs: processed foods, pasta, pizza crust, pastries, cookies, cakes, white bread.
• Complex carbs: whole grains – barley, quinoa, whole wheat, oats, buckwheat, brown rice, legumes.

If stubborn belly fat is causing you to want to make changes, then complex carbs and whole grains can help. Weight, waist circumference, and total cholesterol can all be improved by choosing whole grains rather than refined.

5. Fiber is Your Friend

There are two types of fiber: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Here’s the difference between the two:

• Insoluble fiber: Does not dissolve in water. It helps food pass through the digestive tract and can help regulate bowel movements, relieving constipation.
• Soluble fiber: Does dissolve in water. It helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol, and can also help with keeping you fuller longer.

If you struggle with regular bowel movements and gut health, you may want to increase your insoluble fiber. To help with losing fat, increase your soluble fiber intake.

Ideally, you should be getting 25 – 30 grams of fiber in your diet each day.  Here are some foods that are high in fiber:

Incorporate some of these foods each day to reach your daily fiber intake to help aid in losing body fat.

6. Add Something New

Chances are, there is something new you can add to your diet that may help you lose unwanted body fat. If you aren’t using vinegar to its advantage, then you’re missing out.

Vinegar has been known to:

• Reduce bodyweight
• Reduce waist circumference
• Improve serum triglyceride levels

It may also help curb hunger and reduce the overall amount of calories ingested. As we all know, one of the best ways to lose fat is to reduce the calories taken in.

We aren’t suggesting you put some vinegar into a shot glass and drink it. But, if that’s your thing, go for it! Just make sure you dilute it with water to make it more palatable. 

We suggest you use apple cider vinegar (ACV) with the mother for the highest benefits.

If that’s not your thing, then you can add it to your foods. Use vinegar and a healthy oil to make salad dressing. Include it in marinades and sauces. Add it to your water or other healthy beverages.

7. Probiotics Can Help

If you aren’t taking probiotics or eating foods rich in these bacteria, you might want to reconsider. 

Probiotics may not help you lose body fat percentage in a week, but you might see changes in a few. They alter your gut microbiota, reducing body fat percentage and BMI.

While you can take probiotics in pill or capsule form, you can also get them in foods:

• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Kefir
• Kimchi
• Kombucha (which also contains vinegar)

Any foods that are fermented have healthy bacteria strains that can help improve gut health. And improving gut health isn’t just good for losing fat, it can also help your immunity and overall health.

The strains in the Lactobacillus genus seem to work the best in terms of reducing body fat. Make sure to check the label on any supplements so you’re getting the most beneficial strains.

8. Increase Your Protein

Another way you can adjust your diet to help you lose fat is to add in more protein. Not only will it reduce your overall body fat, but it can also help improve metabolism and muscle mass.

Protein powders are one way to add protein into your diet, but shouldn’t be used exclusively. Make sure to include high-protein foods that can help you burn fat:

Like healthy fats, protein can help you feel satisfied longer, curbing hunger pains. This can help you keep your calories in check. 

Also important to note that the higher the quality of the protein source, the better it is at combating belly fat.

9. Is Your Diet the Right One for You?

Not everyone adheres to a specific type of diet, choosing to just watch calories instead. Regardless of how you eat now, if you are looking for how to lose fat, a change may be worth it.

We’ve discussed intermittent fasting before, and there are lots of studies showing the benefits of weight loss. 

This way of eating involves cycles of eating and fasting, and each method is different. Due to the variety available, you are almost guaranteed to find a method that works for you.

Intermittent fasting is a good way to preserve muscle mass while losing unwanted body fat. You can choose different methods:

• Eating during a specific window of time
• Alternate day fasting
• Eating certain days and not others

You may need to experiment to see which method works best for you and your lifestyle. 

10. Choose Your Beverages Wisely

What type of drinks are you drinking on a daily basis? If you think water is the only thing that can help you lose fat, you’d be wrong. 

Sure, you’ve heard that getting rid of sugary drinks like sodas and juices can help. You also want to avoid most sports drinks as well to avoid weight gain. Alcohol can include unnecessary calories and also lower your inhibitions, causing you to overeat.

So what else besides water is safe to drink to aid in weight loss and fat reduction? Green tea and coffee can actually work in your favor.

Green Tea & Caffeine

The antioxidants and caffeine in green tea can help promote weight loss and reduce future weight gain. It contains catechins that help improve fat oxidation. A review of 15 studies shows that epigallocatechin gallato (EGCG) content contained in green tea may be the reason.

Green tea extract has also been shown to improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity when consumed during moderate exercise. Consider swapping green tea for water during some of your exercises to see if it helps you.

Of course, coffee also includes caffeine, which can help in some of the same ways that green tea can. Caffeine can help to regulate energy balance to promote weight loss and reduce weight gain.

Over the long-term, both coffee and green tea can help curb weight gain. This study was done over the course of 12 years and followed over 58,000 men and women to determine these results.

To keep it healthy, enjoy green tea without sugar and black coffee. If needed, use a small amount of milk in place of sugary creamers.

Now that we’ve provided some diet and exercise tips, here are lifestyle tips to help you create positive change.

11. Get Outside Whenever You Can

Being in nature has many health benefits, and one of them includes improved weight loss. Stress and disease can alter the way our bodies balance energy usage and food consumption.

One of the ways you can combat these effects is to get outside as often as possible. Get your cardio or HIIT in out in your yard or a nearby park. Choose a hike over running on the treadmill. Grab your weights and see nature’s beauty while you sweat out the bad and inhale the new.

Being outside more will also increase your Vitamin D levels, which can help promote weight loss. The foods we eat tend to lack this important vitamin, so supplementing or taking in some rays may be your only option.

If sugary snacks are your weakness, taking a brisk walk outside can help curb your cravings. Chocolate more your jam? Then taking a walk can help you there, too. 

12. Stress Less

In the fast-paced world we live in, stress seems like it can be unavoidable. And while that may be true to some extent, managing your stress in healthy ways can help to lose fat.

When we’re stressed, our bodies release the hormone cortisol. This hormone can reduce immunity, increase blood pressure, and make you pack on the pounds.

If you’re working on getting outside more as the previous trip recommends, it can help reduce stress. Here are some other ways to reduce stress:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Coloring
• Healthy hobbies
• Switching off your phone
• Taking a bath
• Write in a journal
• Create a gratitude journal

Some of these tips may take more time, but self-care is imperative to help manage stress. When we’re stressed, we tend to use comfort food to help us feel better. For many people, that means unhealthy foods that trigger weight gain.

Instead of reaching for the chips or candy, go for a walk or hike instead. Take a relaxing bath or do a creative hobby. Maybe trying out yoga and/or meditation is something you can try.

Whatever you do to reduce stress, make sure it’s a healthy choice. Reducing your triggers for unhealthy habits will improve your waistline and overall health.

13. Get More Sleep

Sleep is not only essential to building muscle, but it also helps keep the fat at bay. People who regularly get less than seven hours of sleep per day are at higher risk of obesity.

Among other things, hunger and appetite are higher due to the levels of hormones ghrelin and lectin. People who get around six hours of sleep or less tend to have higher BMI and overall fat mass.

Those who choose to sleep longer, nine hours or more, are also susceptible to higher weight gain. To get the right amount of sleep and still lose fat, shoot for seven to eight hours each night.

Maintaining healthy sleep habits can help trim your waistline and keep it off for good.

14. There’s an App for that

Another way you can work to lose fat is by tracking your progress using a fitness app. Ideally, one that will also have a section to log your food.

This way, you can see what you’re consuming and know if there are areas you need to work on. Plus, if you plan to try some tips and then change them up later, you can see what worked best.

Recent studies have shown that people who log their data are more successful than those who don’t. If you have a smartphone or computer, you can get a free fitness app to track your exercise and food intake.

You may need to use the app in conjunction with your doctor’s guidance if self-monitoring isn’t enough. However, using the app won’t hurt and it’s an easier way to hold you accountable and provide information to your doctor.

Final Thoughts

By adding in some of the tips offered here today, you can figure out how to lose fat. These tips can help both men and women who have stubborn belly fat or want to reduce body fat fast.

Incorporating these tips can also help you in other areas, including improving mental and physical health. As you’re able to lose the fat, you’ll find you have more energy and your immunity will improve. You’ll also increase stamina and hopefully find more time to be active and practice self-care.

Learning how to lose fat is on many minds, but the other positive benefits aren’t always considered. To create your best self, both physically and mentally, challenge yourself to make as many changes as possible.

Which tips do you like the most? What do you think you’ll incorporate into your life? We can’t wait to hear what you’re doing and the positive results you’ve seen in the comments below.