The Shortest “How to Lose Belly Fat” Article You’ll Probably Ever Read
Distilling 5+ years of personal experience and the latest research into 2 minutes
Research shows the only way to lose body fat is through an energy deficit. But to achieve it healthily, you need to maintain a proper hormone balance. Also, tons of studies have proven that spot reduction is a myth.
So, to shed belly fat, you need to lower overall body fat by getting into a calorie deficit while maintaining a healthy hormone profile. Here’s how:
- Calculate Your Daily Calorie Target. Use an online calculator to find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Then subtract 400 to 750 calories from your TDEE — the result is your daily target.
- Track Your Calorie Intake. Using MyFitnessPal, track the foods and beverages you consume. Use a kitchen scale to weigh your foods. Slightly off track is okay, but don’t go 50 to 100 calories more than your target.
- Prioritize Strength Training. Contrary to what most believe, studies have found that strength training burns more calories than cardio through increased muscle and EPOC. So, focus on squats, deadlifts, pullups, pushups, bench presses, overhead press, barbell rows, etc.
- Eat (Mostly) Clean. While you can lose fat eating only junk food, it will affect your health. But salads alone can get boring. So eat in an 80/20 fashion — 80% clean whole foods such as nuts, meats, milk, greens, veggies, fruits, and legumes. The rest 20%? Whatever you want.
- Drink a Lot of Water. This will curb your appetite, improve digestion, elevate metabolism, and better organ functioning—all of this means better fat loss. Get a gallon water bottle and carry it everywhere you go.
- Sleep 8+ Hours. A study found sleeping 8.5 hours to cause a 55% higher fat loss than a 5.5 hours group. Tons of other studies have shown the same. So, develop and stick to a proper sleep routine.
- Tweak as Necessary. As long as you’re losing weight, change nothing. But if it stalls, drop your calories by 100. Rinse and repeat.
- Stay Patient. You didn’t gain all that fat in a day, so neither will you lose it in one. Trust the process and stay patient. Those abs are on the way!
