How to Lose Belly Fat Fast (For Women)

Co-authored by Laura Flinn

Last Updated: January 13, 2021 References Approved

Stores of visceral fat, or belly fat that sit around the internal organs can increase a woman’s risk of diabetes and heart disease. Luckily, visceral fat is metabolically active and can be reduced quickly with a dedicated combination of diet, exercise and stress relief. You can lose belly fat fast by regulating stress hormones and boosting your metabolism.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Eating Strategically

1
Follow the adage “abs are made in the kitchen.” Most personal trainers suggest that losing belly fat is 90 percent diet and 10 percent exercise. If you do not eat a well-balanced diet, this step is extremely important.
2
Cut out processed sugars and grains. Reducing sugar and empty calories from white processed carbohydrates will allow you to burn fat faster.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.}
- This includes liquid calories like sodas, coffee drinks and alcohol.
- Most nutritionists consider it impossible to lose belly fat quickly and healthfully without removing processed foods.
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3
Plan your meals based on servings of fruits and vegetables.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.}
- A woman between the age of 19 and 50 needs at least 2.5 cups of vegetables per day.
- Choose your vegetables for their color. Try to make a colorful plate, and you will get more nutrients.
- Women between the ages of 19 and 50 need between 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit per day. *Eating your favourite fruits will help boost your appetite for healthy foods.
4
Add in whole grains. Choose grains like quinoa, brown rice and barley over whole grain bread. The less processed the grain is, the better it will be for your body.
- Choose whole grains that have a low glycemic index. This means they don’t spike your blood sugar, and they will make you fuller for longer.
- Go to glycemicindex.com to view how your favorite foods fit onto the glycemic index.
5
Plan your protein.
- Eat quality protein, like salmon, tuna, turkey, chicken and legumes every day (women who are pregnant, nursing, or considering getting pregnant should be careful about the amount of mercury in their diet and avoid eating excessive quantities of some fish).
- Add in low-fat dairy in the form of yogurt. Yogurt helps lower cortisol levels with calcium. Greek yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt, and 1 serving per day, as part of a balanced diet, can help you burn off belly fat faster.
6
Drink 2 to 5 cups of green tea daily.
- Studies have shown that people who ingested 600mg of catechins, an antioxidant found in green tea, lost 16 times more visceral fat than those who did not drink it.
- Look for green tea that has high levels of anti-oxidants.
- You must drink it hot to receive these benefits.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Exercising Strategically

1
Do 1 hour of cardio exercise daily for fast fat loss. Although 30 minutes of moderate cardio exercise daily can stop the production of additional visceral fat, a full hour is required to burn it. You cannot “spot reduce,” or simply burn stomach fat without burning other body fat.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Expert Interview. 18 November 2019.} However, 90 percent of people notice a reduction in belly fat first.
2
Opt for interval training. Short (1-5 minute) bursts of high-intensity cardio during a 1-hour session will boost your metabolism and reduce fat faster.
- Try a boot camp, circuit training or fat burning class, to learn how to incorporate high intensity exercises into your routine.
- You can also look for interval settings on most cardiovascular machines.
3
Do bodyweight exercises before you do traditional crunches. Do planks, side planks, push-ups, squats and lunges every other day.
- Try to incorporate 30 minutes of bodyweight exercises every other day.
- These static and dynamic exercises burn more fat than crunches because they engage your core muscles, such as the abdominals longer and more intensely.
- Add in strength training with machines or free weights when your body is used to the increased exercise. Do 30 minutes of weightlifting, with abdominals flexed, 3 times per week.
4
Stretch your abs before you exercise them. Try to do your cardio before you do abdominal exercises and stretch, so that more of the work will focus on your core, rather than tight hips, legs or the neck.
- Take a Pilates class to learn how to target the deep abdominal muscles.
- Do 15 to 30 minutes of abdominal exercises every other day.
- Make sure to include exercises that work the obliques (side-abs) and transverse abdominis (lower abs). Good exercises include side plank dips, reverse crunches, the bicycle and roll downs.
- Consult your doctor before doing any exercise if you had a C-section.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Balancing Stress Hormones

1
Identify causes of stress in your life. Stress has been linked to increases of visceral fat in both men and women.
- Stress causes your body to produce more stress hormones like cortisol.
- Cortisol sends signals to your body to store fat. The stress is a signal to your body that food may be scarce in the future.
- Many studies suggest women show more physical symptoms of stress than men, including weight gain in the belly.
2
Reduce stressful situations at home and at work immediately. Regulating stress in your life will help you lose belly fat faster than diet and exercise alone.
3
Start deep breathing exercises.
- Do 10-second breaths. Sit in a comfortable position. Inhale for 10 seconds, and then exhale for 10 seconds. Breathe in this manner for 2 to 5 minutes.
- People who are stressed usually breathe rapidly in and out and take shallow breaths, without even realizing it.
- Do 10-second breathing every time you are stressed or at 5 different interval throughout the day.
4
Take Vitamin C supplements. If you are not able to get enough Vitamin C through food, taking a Vitamin C supplement can help manage the cortisol in your blood and regulate the effects of stress on your body.
- Try to eat more cantaloupe, oranges, red and green peppers, kiwi, broccoli or tomatoes. A serving of each has between 40 and 100mg of Vitamin C.
- Eat 500mg of Vitamin C daily. Try to get the majority of your Vitamin C from food sources.
- Take a 200mg supplement of Vitamin C if you are not reaching your 500mg goal. You may take a 500mg supplement for a week, if you feel you are getting very little Vitamin C in your diet.
5
Devote 7 to 8 hours to sleep. Sleeping well manages stress and hormone levels.
- People who sleep less than 7 hours per day can also raise cortisol and ghrelin levels, causing you to gain belly weight.
- Ghrelin is a hormone that brings cravings for sweet and fatty foods.
6
Try yoga or meditation. If deep breathing is helping, then yoga and meditation may be the best way to regulate cortisol, ghrelin and other hormones that produce weight gain.
- To lose belly fat fast, you should try doing several different types of yoga for exercise and stress reduction. Flow yoga burns fat while reducing stress.
- If you choose to try meditation, it can also help you sleep. It should be added to your schedule in addition to increased exercise.

Expert Q&A
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Question

What exercises will help me burn belly fat?

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Laura Flinn is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer, USA Olympic Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach and Certified Fitness Nutritionist, with an additional qualification as a TRX Suspension Trainer. Laura runs her own personal training program based in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in topics such as weight loss, muscle growth, cardiovascular training, and strength training.

Laura Flinn

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

While you can't specifically target belly fat, doing cardio exercises can help you burn fat on your body.
Question

How can I tone my belly?

Laura Flinn
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Laura Flinn is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer, USA Olympic Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach and Certified Fitness Nutritionist, with an additional qualification as a TRX Suspension Trainer. Laura runs her own personal training program based in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in topics such as weight loss, muscle growth, cardiovascular training, and strength training.

Laura Flinn

NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Try to cut your sugar and simple carb intake. Switch to a diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables instead.