10 healthy ways to lose belly fat

Combine strength training with cardio to burn fat and build muscle. Good sleep helps your body recover and keeps your hormones balanced. A meal plan to lose belly fat is more than just a guide—it’s a powerful way to take control of your health and achieve sustainable results. In addition to a healthy diet, an exercise routine that incorporates both aerobic and strength training can help reduce belly fat in men. When you are constantly stressed, your brain’s ability to control your appetite is diminished, leaving you in a perpetual state of hunger.

This can lead to fat loss throughout the body, including the abdomen. Recovery extends beyond sleep; active recovery strategies enhance muscle repair and reduce soreness. On rest days, engage in low-intensity activities like walking, swimming, or yoga for 20–30 minutes. Foam rolling or using a massage gun can improve blood flow to muscles, speeding up recovery. Hydration is equally vital—aim for 3–4 liters of water daily, especially after workouts, to flush out metabolic waste. For men lifting weights 4–5 times a week, incorporating 1–2 active recovery sessions can prevent burnout and improve long-term progress.

Focus on Strength Training

If you’ve been searching for the most effective fat loss diet plan for male, your journey starts here. A successful fat loss approach for men requires eating in a calorie deficit, consuming enough protein to preserve muscle, and combining smart training with proper recovery. “The Mediterranean Diet focuses on lean meat/fish and limited red meat, as well as consuming fruits and vegetables, healthy fats/oils, herbs and spices, and whole grains,” White explains. Men tend to accumulate more abdominal fat, specifically internal fat, which is more dangerous to their long-term health if not managed with a healthy lifestyle. Your doctor and registered dietitian can help you navigate your fat loss journey as you work towards your healthy weight. Cardio isn’t just about logging miles on the treadmill—it’s a strategic tool for shedding belly fat while preserving muscle mass.

Day Belly Fat Burner Workout Book

To maximize coffee’s health benefits, avoid adding large amounts of cream and sugar. Caffeine has also been shown to enhance fat burning during aerobic exercise, particularly for those who are untrained or sedentary. A 2022 review of 15 studies tied increased aerobic exercise to decreased waist circumference in middle-aged women. To support a healthy sleep cycle, consider sticking to a regular sleep schedule, limiting your caffeine intake in the evening, and minimizing your use of electronic devices before bed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night to support weight management and overall good health. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get 10% to 35% of their daily calories from protein.

Afternoon Snack (210 calories, 4 g fiber)

A diet tailored for men looking to lose belly fat should prioritize lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of vegetables, while limiting processed foods and sugary drinks. Planning meals ahead of time keeps your diet on track, reduces temptation, and ensures your body gets the nutrients it needs for optimal fat burning. Proper meal planning not only accelerates weight loss but also fosters healthier habits in the long run.

Focus on low calorie foods

Strengthening your core with exercises like crunches and planks will do your body a world of good. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. If you are not getting eight hours of sleep, that could be affecting your belly fat. A person can try replacing higher calorie foods with nutritious, low calorie options, such as fruits, vegetables, pulses, and whole grain foods. Get expert tips, workout guides, nutrition hacks, and the latest trends delivered straight to your inbox every week. No spam — just actionable insights to help you live stronger, healthier, and better.

Day 18 Fat Loss Diet Chart

Expand your repertoire by trying new types of beans—discover your healthiest choices here. Plus, hormonal changes can affect appetite and fat distribution, often favoring abdominal fat gain. As Ingram says, reduced physical activity, changes in dietary habits, and the potential for emotional factors like stress or emotional eating can also contribute to weight gain. Health conditions and medications may cause complications, too. Unfortunately, belly fat can’t be torched in a matter of days, and solutions proclaiming success in a short period of time often unimeal app reviews don’t lead to long-term success. The key is to lose weight healthily and sustainably, adapting your diet to make healthier choices, exercising more regularly, and adopting a healthier lifestyle in general.

Day 6

Other dietary aspects of this diet that affect body weight include minimally processed whole foods and fruits and vegetables. If you’re nuts about nuts and can’t stop at a serving, you’re going to want to pass on this one. Even better than a steady-state cardio workout is interval training, which combines periods of intense work followed by periods of lighter activity. If it’s been a while since you worked out, consult a personal trainer to assess your mobility so you know where to start.

Other types of exercise, such as weight training, yoga, pilates, and seated exercises, can also help with losing belly fat. This can help to create a calorie deficit, which https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/fodmap-diet-what-you-need-to-know describes when a person uses more calories than they consume. Refined carbohydrates are low in nutritional value but high in calories. These carbs are found in white bread, refined grains, and sugary foods and drinks. Research has also linked refined carbs to the development of visceral fat. Also, low calorie foods are often more nutritious than high calorie foods.

Cutting or greatly reducing these foods makes your fat loss diet plan for male much more effective. Any diet that is highly restrictive in terms of calories or food groups should be avoided. “This can lead to nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, ‘yo-yo’ dieting mentality, and rebound weight gain,” Castro explains. There are lots of reasons someone might choose to eat a vegetarian diet, including personal ethics or preference, cultural reasons, or weight loss. Vegetarian diets are plant-rich and exclude meat, but often include other animal byproducts. “These diets are low in saturated fats, add whole plant-based foods, and have protein options as well,” Castro explains, adding that for these reasons the diet can aid with weight loss efforts.

A.M. Snack (164 calories)

belly fat loss diet plan for male

Whereas if you’re a relatively lighter individual or closer to 15% body fat, you’ll want to multiply your body weight by 0.8 and, at a minimum, eat that many grams of protein per day. The first stage of the belly fat diet is designed to kickstart the fat loss process and keep it going until you get to about 15% body fat. Throughout this stage, your hunger levels will be low, your risk of muscle loss will also be low, and physiologically it will be the easiest stage to get through. While whole foods should always be the foundation of your diet, supplements can make a good fat loss diet plan for male even more effective, especially for gym-goers. Providing your body with essential nutrients is necessary for not only weight loss but also your overall health.

Breakfast (490 calories, 18 g fiber)

Note, though, that a “nutritionist” is not always a credentialed provider. If you’re not sure what kind of person to look for, read up more here. In a Tufts University study, when people between ages 40 and 65 ate whole grains instead of refined grains such as white bread, they burned more calories and excreted more fat (yes, in their poop). Whole grains contain fiber, which promotes the growth of a diverse mix of bacteria in your gut, which may help your metabolism. In one study, thin people who watched their diets but didn’t exercise were more likely to have too much visceral fat.

Week 1

Refined grains are stripped of their bran and germ during processing, resulting in a product low in fiber and nutrients. They also tend to have a high glycemic index (GI), which may cause spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels that lead to increased hunger. Olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds are some examples of foods that contain healthy fats.

However, the proper exercise routine is essential when you want to lose belly fat. The most recent research shows that high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is one of the most effective ways to decrease belly fat. You can be mindful of your food choices, but remember even too many calories from healthy foods can cause weight gain.