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How do you lose belly fat?

Reviewed 4 November 2026 · How these numbers are calculated

You lose belly fat the same way you lose fat anywhere: a steady calorie deficit, with strength training to keep muscle, daily walking or cardio, enough protein, good sleep and less alcohol. You can't choose where fat comes off, and crunches don't burn the fat on top of your abs, but belly fat, especially the deeper visceral fat, often responds well once you're in a deficit. Track your waist rather than only the scale: a waist under half your height is the healthy target.

Is your belly fat a health risk?

Waist-to-height ratio: the waist for your height
HeightHealthyunder 0.5High risk0.6 and over
155 cm 5′1″under 78 cm 30.5 in93 cm 36.5 in
160 cm 5′3″under 80 cm 31.5 in96 cm 38.0 in
165 cm 5′5″under 83 cm 32.5 in99 cm 39.0 in
170 cm 5′7″under 85 cm 33.5 in102 cm 40.0 in
175 cm 5′9″under 88 cm 34.5 in105 cm 41.5 in
180 cm 5′11″under 90 cm 35.5 in108 cm 42.5 in
185 cm 6′1″under 93 cm 36.5 in111 cm 43.5 in
190 cm 6′3″under 95 cm 37.5 in114 cm 45.0 in
Waist measured at the navel (or halfway between the lowest rib and the hip bone), relaxed, after breathing out.

Waist-to-height ratio (waist ÷ height) is the simplest check: under 0.5 is healthy, 0.5–0.59 means increased risk, 0.6 or more high risk. It predicts heart disease and diabetes risk better than BMI because it picks up fat around the organs. Waist alone works too: risk rises above 94 cm (37.0 in) for men and 80 cm (31.5 in) for women, and is high above 102 cm (40.0 in) and 88 cm (34.5 in). Use the box above, and the body fat calculator for your body fat percentage.

Why you can't spot-reduce belly fat

In a trial where people did 7 ab exercises 5 days a week for 6 weeks, belly fat didn't change any more than in people who didn't. Your body releases fat from all over, in an order mostly set by your genes, sex and age. Ab exercises build the muscle underneath; the fat on top goes when your overall body fat falls (body fat to see abs).

What actually works

  1. A calorie deficit of about 0.5–1% of your weight a week (calorie deficit calculator). For a man of 95 kg (209 lb) that's about 2,070 calories a day at 8,000 steps; for a woman of 80 kg (176 lb), about 1,600.
  2. Strength training 2–3 times a week, so the weight you lose is fat, not muscle (cardio vs weights).
  3. Daily steps or cardio: aerobic exercise reduces visceral fat even when the scale barely moves.
  4. Protein at every meal, about 1.6–2.2 g per kg of a healthy weight (protein calculator).
  5. Less alcohol and sugary drinks, more sleep: both are linked with more belly fat, and both make a deficit harder.

The best exercises for belly fat

Extra calories per hour for an 80 kg (176 lb) person
ExercisePer hour
Brisk walking4.8 METs305
Running, 6 mph9.3 METs665
Cycling, moderate8 METs560
Swimming laps5.8 METs385
HIIT7 METs480
Weights, compound lifts5 METs320
Sit-ups, crunches, planks3.8 METs225
Extra calories above resting, 2024 Compendium METs.

The best exercise is the one that burns the most over a week and that you'll keep doing: walking, running, cycling or swimming for the calories, plus weights for muscle. Ab work strengthens your core, which is worth doing, but it barely burns calories.

How long does it take to lose belly fat?

At 0.5% of body weight a week, the man of 95 kg (209 lb) loses 5 kg in about 11 weeks and 10 kg in about 23. As a rough guide many people lose around 1 cm (½ in) of waist per kg lost, though it varies a lot, and the lower belly is usually the last place to slim down. Measure your waist every 2–4 weeks, same time of day, and judge the trend.

Belly fat in women

Before menopause women tend to store fat on the hips and thighs; after it, more goes to the belly as oestrogen falls. The fix is the same, with extra weight on strength training and protein to hold on to muscle: see menopause weight gain. A "hormonal belly" isn't a separate kind of fat, and no supplement targets it.

Belly fat in men

Men store more fat around the organs (visceral fat) at the same weight, which is why a man's waist matters more than his BMI. The upside: visceral fat is often the first to shrink in a deficit. More in visceral fat: what it is and how to lose it.

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