The Best Way to Lose Weight Around the Waist

By Bridget Coila

Fat that accumulates around the waist is more dangerous than fat that accumulates on other areas of the body, according to MayoClinic.com. Belly fat may raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, and it can also be indicative of a high level of visceral fat, which is fat buried inside the body and surrounding the organs. Many women notice an increase in fat around the waist as they go through menopause, but an increase in belly fat is common in both sexes as people age.

Step 1

Stop overeating and maintain a healthy diet. A healthy diet mainly consists of complex carbohydrates, lean protein and a small amount of healthy fats such as olive oil. According to Medline Plus, it takes a decrease between 500 to 1000 calories a day to successfully lose one to two pounds a week. Women should not drop below 1200 calories daily and men should keep above 1500 calories daily.

Step 2

Exercise for 30 minutes at moderate intensity at least three times a week. Moderate intensity exercise is best for losing weight overall, and fat around the middle is usually lost first during this type of exercise. Exercising more often or for slightly longer periods of time, up to an hour, may bring about quicker weight loss in the waist area.

Step 3

Include three or more short bursts of high intensity activity during your moderate intensity exercise. A 1994 study in the journal "Metabolism" found that bursts of high intensity mixed in with moderate exercise help burn abdominal fat better than moderate intensity exercise alone.

Step 4

Incorporate strength training into your exercise regimen. MayoClinic.com maintains that including strength training with weights as part of your weekly exercise regimen can help eliminate belly fat and keep the waist thin.

Step 5

Continue an exercise program that includes a minimum of 40 minutes of exercise twice a week even after you've lost weight in the waist. A study published in April 2010 in the journal "Obesity" followed people who had lost visceral fat, and it determined that those who exercised at this rate kept their visceral fat from returning, even if they regained some of their overall weight. Both aerobic and resistance exercise worked to keep off the belly fat.

Tips and Warnings

• While crunches or other abdominal exercises alone can't get rid of fat in the waist region, these exercises may be useful to tone the muscles of the abdomen, making your core stronger and making the waist look better when combined with exercises that do take off abdominal fat.

Things You'll Need

• Weights

References

• MayoClinic.com: Belly Fat in Women
• PubMed.gov: Exercise training prevents regain of visceral fat for 1-year following weight loss
• PubMed.gov: Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism
• Medline Plus: Tips for Losing Weight