How to Reduce Belly Fat and Improve Your Health in 8 Steps

Reducing carbs instead of fats

The low-carb diet dropped 28.9 pounds compared to 18.7 pounds in a six-month Johns Hopkins study comparing the cardiac effects of two low-calorie diets.

Eating plan, not diet

Stewart promotes eating well. Low-carb is about eating better, not tracking calories. Bread, bagels, and soda are replaced by vegetables, lentils, and healthy meats in low-carb diets.

Keep moving

Exercise burns belly fat. One of the biggest benefits of exercise is that you get a lot of bang for your buck on body composition.

Lift weights

Even moderate strength training with aerobic exercise builds lean muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest and during exercise.

Be a label reader

Contrast branding. Stewart notes that some low-fat yogurts have more carbs and sugar. Gravy, mayonnaise, sauces, and salad dressings are high in calories and fat.

Avoid processed meals

Packaged products and snack meals often contain trans fats, added sugar, and salt or sodium, which make weight loss harder.

More than weighing yourself, focus on clothing fit

Your bathroom scale may not alter much as you gain muscle and lose fat, but your jeans will loosen. 

Hang out with health-conscious buddies

If your friends and family eat and exercise well, you will too, according to research.

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