When dieting, it's impossible to target belly fat in particular. But, according to Kerry Stewart, Ed.D., director of Clinical and Research Physiology at Johns Hopkins, losing weight overall will help shrink your waistline; more importantly, it will help reduce the dangerous layer of visceral fat, a type of fat within the abdominal cavity that you can't see but that raises health risks.

Here's how to get to the heart of the subject.

Instead of limiting lipids, try limiting carbs.

 When Johns Hopkins researchers studied the effects on the heart of losing weight on a low-carbohydrate diet compared with a low-fat diet for six months, they found that those on the low-carb diet lost an average of 10 pounds more than those on the low-fat diet—28.9 pounds versus 18.7 pounds. According to Stewart, another advantage of the low-carb diet is that it results in better weight loss quality. Fat is lost as a result of weight loss, but lean tissue (muscle) is often lost as well, which is undesirable. Both diets resulted in a loss of roughly 2 to 3 pounds of healthy lean tissue in addition to fat, implying that the fat loss percentage on the low-carb diet was significantly higher.

 Consider a meal plan rather than a diet.

 Finally, Stewart advises that you choose a healthy food plan that you can stick to. The advantage of a low-carb approach is that it just entails learning to make better meal choices rather than calorie counting. In general, a low-carb diet steers you away from issue foods like bread, bagels, and sodas, which are rich in carbs and sugar and low in fiber, and toward high-fiber or high-protein options like vegetables, legumes, and lean meats.

Continue to move forward.

 Physical activity aids in the reduction of belly fat. One of the most significant advantages of exercise is that you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of body composition, Stewart explains. According to him, exercise appears to work off belly fat in particular because it lowers circulating insulin levels, which would otherwise tell the body to store fat, and causes the liver to use up fatty acids, particularly those found near visceral fat deposits.

 The quantity of activity you need to lose weight is determined by your objectives. This can require 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to strenuous activity practically every day for most people.

Work out using weights.

 Even moderate strength training combined with aerobic activity increases lean muscle mass, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day, both at rest and during exercise.

 Become an expert at reading labels.

 Make a brand comparison. Some yogurts, for example, claim to be low in fat, but they have more carbs and added sugars than others, according to Stewart. Gravy, mayonnaise, sauces, and salad dressings are examples of foods that are heavy in fat and calories.

 Reduce your intake of processed foods.

 Trans fats, added sugar, and added salt or sodium are all common elements in packaged goods and snack foods, making it difficult to lose weight.

 Rather than reading a scale, concentrate on how your clothes fit.

 The reading on your bathroom scale may not vary much as you gain muscle mass and shed fat, but your jeans will be looser. That's a more accurate indicator of progress. To lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes, your waistline should be less than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.

 Hansameg hangs out with health-conscious pals.

 According to studies, you're more likely to eat the same foods.

 If your friends and family are doing the same, you should exercise more.

Sugary beverages should be avoided.

Excess sugar consumption appears to be a major contributor to weight gain, particularly in the abdomen area.

Sugar consumption may raise visceral fat levels by inducing insulin resistance and causing inflammation throughout the body.

It's simple to consume excessive amounts of sugar in drinks without even realizing it. Check the sugar content of sweetened tea and coffee, as well as soda.

Many people can eliminate extra sugar from their diets by limiting the quantity of sugar in hot drinks and eliminating soda.