05/20/2026
Daily Health Tip: Reducing Belly Fat
What is belly fat?
Belly fat is the fat that accumulates around your abdomen. Belly fat also includes visceral fat, which wraps around your internal organs to help cushion and protect them. But having too much belly fat can be harmful to your health. ,
Too much belly fat can lead to health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke and dementia.
Why is belly fat worse as you age?
As you get older, you lose muscle. And if you’re sedentary or don’t exercise, it’s even harder to stay at a healthy weight.
You also need fewer calories a day in your 50s than you did in your 30s. But if you don’t cut back on your caloric intake, you’ll gain weight.
If this sounds like you, wrap a tape measure around your stomach above your hipbone and pull it snug. A measurement of 35 inches or more for women or 40 inches or more for men could be a sign of unhealthy belly fat.
Experts say that the only way to get rid of belly fat is a comprehensive plan that incorporates both diet and exercise. “The ideal approach involves addressing your overall lifestyle, including eating a balanced diet of whole, naturally fiber-rich foods, being regularly active, prioritizing sleep, not drinking excessively and managing stress,” says Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian from Los Angeles who specializes in nutrition and plant-based eating.
What you eat matters. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet,” says Michele Promaulayko, author of Sugar Free 3: The Simple 3-Week Plan for More Energy, Better Sleep & Surprisingly Easy Weight Loss!. “Eating a healthy diet and working out are great companions.”
The good news is that you can lose belly fat if you make changes to your diet and exercise regularly. Here’s how to revamp both for a flatter belly.
1. Exercise
Regular, consistent exercise like walking, running and swimming has been shown to help burn calories and some fat.
Walking or running at a slow pace
Speeding up and Repeating
2. Cut down on sugar
Sugar — particularly simple sugars — is one of the leading causes of fat and, specifically, belly fat, according to Promaulayko. “Excess sugar is a major driver of belly fat and fat in general because we only need very little for energy. The rest is stored as fat. And the fact is, we’re getting way more than we need via added and hidden sugars,” Promaulayko says. Sass also recommends cutting down on sugar in the form of refined carbs found in breads, bagels, muffins and sugary drinks, all of which contribute to belly fat.
3. Eat a plant based diet
Sass recommends eating a healthy, balanced, plant based diet. “Plant foods rich in monounsaturated fat — avocado and avocado oil, extra-virgin olive oil, whole Mediterranean olives and olive tapenade, nuts and nut butter — as part of a healthy balanced diet may help reduce belly fat,” she says. These healthy fats have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation, two conditions that are also linked to belly fat, she adds.
4. Limit ultra-processed foods
More than half the calories adults eat are from ultra-processed foods, according to a 2025 report published in The Journal of Nutrition. And an earlier study published by NYU Global School of Public Health said that eating foods such as sodas, frozen pizza, fast food, salty snacks and sugary breakfast cereals.
So cut way down on frozen meals, fast food, chips and sugary drinks. Fill up instead of heart-healthy foods like:
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Legumes
Lentils
Nuts
Whole grains
Lean meats like poultry and fish
5. Try intermittent fasting
There are many types of intermittent fasting from time-restricted eating (limiting your eating window to a certain amount of time per day) to alternate-day fasting (where you limit calories to 500 or 600 two nonconsecutive days a week) to brief continuous fasts, Sass says.
Although some studies have found intermittent fasting helps people lose weight, a six-year study published in the The Journal of the American Heart Association found that calories mattered more than meal timing for weight gain.
So no matter how you are timing your meals, a healthy eating pattern with plant-based foods and limited processed foods seems to be the way to go to get that flat belly.
AARP Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Aug. 19, 2019. It has been updated to reflect new information.
