15 Best Foods and Exercises to Reduce Abdominal Fat

Abdominal fat can be stubborn — but not impossible — to reduce. If you want to tighten your core, the right diet and exercise program can help. Here’s what you need to know, regardless of gender.

Can You Truly Spot-Reduce?

When it comes to weight loss, the answer is, unfortunately, no. When you lose weight, your body burns overall fat that leaves your body as respiration, urine, or sweat.

However, you can tone specific body parts with targeted exercises. When you combine this approach with weight loss, you can achieve the lean abs you crave.

What Causes Abdominal Fat?

Some people are simply more prone to store weight around their bellies. Men are more likely to do so than women. However, certain conditions and lifestyle choices can lead to a greater accumulation, including:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): This disorder affecting women results from an excess of male hormones and leads to weight gain around the midsection.
• High-calorie intake: Eating excess calories or a diet high in processed foods and sugar can contribute to fat accumulation.
• Sedentary lifestyle: Those who do not engage in regular physical activity may have a greater chance of developing fat in their abdominal area.

Abdominal Fat Versus Bloating

Both men and women occasionally experience bloating, which isn’t fat, although it can make you feel that way. Bloating results from a buildup of intestinal gas. Additionally, women often experience bloating from water weight gain during parts of their menstrual cycle.

How to Lose Belly Fat: 8 Best Foods

Adding more of the right foods to your diet can make your belly look and feel better. Here’s how to lose belly fat through your diet.

1. Yogurt

Yogurt contains probiotics. This word refers to living bacteria that can replenish the existing colonies in your gut. These microscopic critters aid in digestion, keeping food moving through your tract while absorbing more beneficial nutrients to curb cravings.

2. Kefir

Kefir is like drinkable yogurt. If you struggle to add yogurt to your diet, try a cup of it in the morning for your probiotic fix and observe the effects on your belly.

3. Kombucha

Kombucha also contains probiotics but has different beneficial strains than yogurt or kefir. Plus, it’s a refreshing beverage you can use to replace a sugary cola.

4. Whole Grains

The other key component to gut health besides probiotics is prebiotics. This term refers to types of healthy fiber your intestinal colonies love, which makes them thrive. When they do well, so do you.

Use caution reading labels. Look for those that read “100% whole grain” or “100% whole wheat.” Otherwise, the product may contain primarily bleached flour, an inflammatory food.

5. Deep, Leafy Greens

Deep, leafy greens are fiber powerhouses. Additionally, they contain chlorophyll and other phytonutrients that bolster your overall health.

6. Tuna, Salmon and Crab

Seafood is your best source of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids. You need both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for health. However,  the typical American diet today is saturated with omega-6, which increases inflammation and may increase your susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.

Why tuna, salmon, and crab in particular? It’s a matter of budget. While all seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids, you can typically pick up cans of all three for less than you’d pay for a fillet. Plus, they’re easy to make into salads or add to your lunchtime wrap.

7. Apples

Apples can help reduce abdominal fat thanks to their high pectin content, a type of fiber your gut bacteria love.

8. Assorted Fruits for Dessert

Feel free to mix in other fruits for dessert as an alternative to baked goods or ice cream. While sweet, the fiber in fruit prevents the sugar from causing your blood glucose to spike. It’s a healthier way to end your meal, as sugary baked treats can be inflammatory.

Staying Away From Inflammatory Foods

It’s every bit as important to know what foods to avoid as what you should eat. The following foods can increase inflammation, so consume them sparingly, if at all, when trying to reduce belly fat:

• Alcohol
• Sugary foods
• Bleached, all-purpose flour
• Trans fats

Special Note on Food Sensitivities

If you can’t beat your belly fat no matter what you do, food sensitivity could be the culprit. Consider trying an elimination diet to determine the underlying cause. You can also speak with your doctor about allergy testing. Discovering the source can be a long process, but start with the big eight food allergens and work from there. Food sensitivities can cause bloating and promote other imbalances that lead to weight gain.

Exercises to Lose Belly Fat for Men

You can supercharge your progress by combining the right moves with an improved diet. These exercises to lose belly fat for men work equally well for many women — but there’s a caveat. More on that in a minute.

A strong core stabilizes your center of balance, helping you prevent injury when participating in sports or activities of daily living, like yard work. Add the following three to your strength training routine, performing them at least two to three times per week.

1. Plank

Planks work your transverse abdominal muscles, which wrap around you like a girdle. They look deceptively easy but can challenge you. A basic plank starts from the top of a pushup position — simply pull your core tight and hold it up and in, remaining in this isometric pose for as long as possible. You can also experiment with the following variations:

• Move into a side plank by shifting your body to one side while raising the opposite arm toward the sky. You can stack your feet or leave them staggered for greater stability.
• Perform a plank on your elbows or do a plank walk-up. From a standard plank, drop to your elbows one arm at a time, then return to a straight-arm position, keeping your core tight the entire time.

2. Sit-Ups

Sit-ups take several forms. You can bend your legs and lift your torso toward your knees. You can keep your lower back planted against the earth, raising only your upper chest, shoulders and head in a standard crunch. You can also try a challenging V-up. Begin by lying flat on your back, then lift your legs and arms together to create a V shape with your body.

3. Russian Twists

Begin at the top of a standard sit-up with your torso toward your knees. Drop back until you feel your abdominal muscles engage. Twist from side to side. You can add a dumbbell or kettlebell for additional resistance.

Exercises to Lose Belly Fat for Women

Some women can perform the same moves as men. However, those who have recently given birth might wish to modify their routine. The best exercises for these women to lose belly fat also address diastasis recti.

What Is Diastasis Recti

Diastasis recti occurs when the abdominal muscles separate in a vertical line down the middle. Although it can strike anyone, it is most common in women who have recently given birth. Doing certain abdominal moves while this heals can be counterproductive, creating a pooch that is challenging to go away. Therefore, new mamas may wish to stick to the following moves.

1. Pelvic Tilts With Abdominal Bracing

Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent. Pull your tummy muscles in as if you were trying to suck your belly button toward your spine. Then, perform a pelvic tilt. Your range of motion might be quite small — that’s normal.

2. Modified Plank

Hurray! New mamas get a break from the dreaded plank. However, you can perform a modified version while you heal. Begin on your hands and knees. Extend one leg back at a time into a pushup position, keeping the other leg bent. Wearing socks or using slides over your sneakers helps your foot glide over the floor — pull your belly in as you retract and switch legs.

3. Bird Dog

Bird dogs are similar to modified planks. Once more, begin on your hands and knees. However, this time, raise one leg straight behind you while extending the opposite arm.

4. Heel Slides

Begin lying flat on your back with your knees bent. Slowly slide one heel away from your glutes, straightening your leg. Then, pull it back before switching to the other side. Once again, socks or slides help immensely.

How to Lose Belly Fat: Foods and Exercises

Your first step in learning how to lose belly fat is a reality check. You can’t lose fat solely in a specific area of the body. However, you can lose weight overall and tone your abdominal muscles with the right diet and exercise.

Best of all, you don’t have to do everything at once. You might decide to start by simply eliminating inflammatory foods from your diet. From there, perhaps you add in more probiotic-rich numbers and increase your fiber intake.

Taking it one step at a time is wise — establish one positive habit before moving to the next. By the time you hit the gym and perform the best exercises to lose belly fat for men and women, you’ll be well on your way to a sleeker physique.