Losing fat in your belly requires losing fat all over your body. Weight loss and fat burning are, ultimately, a matter of burning more calories than you consume. A combination of a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and regular cardiovascular exercise can help you lose unwanted pounds and inches from your belly. Although there are plenty of fad diets and exercise programs that claim to target belly fat, there is no way to spot-reduce. Getting your entire body in shape is the way to develop the toned abs you want.
Step 1
Maximize the nutritional value of the calories you take in. Substitute high-fiber whole grains for white bread, rice and pasta, and cut back or eliminate refined sugar. Fiber, plentiful in fruits, vegetables and nuts, helps regulate your digestion and keep you feeling full longer between meals.
Step 2
Start your day with a healthy breakfast to boost your metabolism and curb cravings all day. Choose whole-grain cereals like oatmeal or shredded wheat, adding a handful of berries for added fiber and antioxidants.
Step 3
Exercise five days a week for at least half an hour. For maximum fat-burning power, try interval training. In an interval workout, you alternate short periods of high intensity exercise, such as sprinting, with segments of moderate exercise, like a slow jog.
Step 4
Add weight training to your workouts for muscle building. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which means it burns calories even when you're at rest. Resistance exercises that harness the power of your body weight, such as push-ups, pull-ups and crunches, count as strength training.
Step 5
Drink plenty of water. A 2008 study at the Virginia Tech University Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise showed that adults who drank 17 ounces of water before each meal lost more weight over a three-month period than those who followed the same low-calorie diet, but without the water.
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