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What is visceral fat, and how do you lose it?

Reviewed 4 November 2026 · How these numbers are calculated

Visceral fat is the fat stored deep in your belly, around the liver, gut and other organs, as opposed to the soft subcutaneous fat under your skin. Too much of it raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver. You can't see it directly, but a waist bigger than half your height is a good sign you're carrying too much. It responds well to change: regular exercise and a calorie deficit both reduce it, often faster than other fat.

Visceral vs subcutaneous fat

The two kinds of belly fat
Visceral fatSubcutaneous fat
WhereInside the abdomen, around the organsUnder the skin, the part you can pinch
FeelsFirm belly that pushes outSoft, pinchable
Health riskHigh: linked to diabetes, heart disease, fatty liverLower, especially on hips and thighs
Who has moreMen; women after menopause; older adultsWomen before menopause
How it respondsShrinks early with exercise and a deficitShrinks more slowly

How to measure visceral fat

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.

How to lose visceral fat

  1. Move every day. In a large review, aerobic exercise reduced visceral fat even with little weight loss; walking counts (steps to lose weight).
  2. Eat in a calorie deficit. Diet causes more weight loss than exercise; together they work best (calorie deficit calculator).
  3. Lift weights to keep muscle while you lose fat.
  4. Cut back on alcohol and sugary drinks, both linked with more fat around the liver.
  5. Sleep 7–9 hours: short sleep is linked with more visceral fat and more hunger.

The full plan, with exercise calories and timelines, is in how to lose belly fat.

How fast does visceral fat go?

Faster than most fat. Scans show visceral fat falling within weeks of starting regular exercise or a diet, and losing about 5–10% of your weight often cuts it by a larger share than that. Your waist is the practical way to follow it: measure every 2–4 weeks.

Visceral fat and body fat percentage

Total body fat and visceral fat usually move together, but not always: some slim people carry a lot of visceral fat (sometimes called "thin outside, fat inside"). Relative fat mass, from your height and waist only, estimates total body fat: a woman of 165 cm with an 88 cm waist comes out at about 39%, a man of 178 cm with a 102 cm waist at about 29%. Compare methods in the body fat calculator; for the ranges, see healthy body fat percentage, and for normal-weight people with high body fat, skinny fat.

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