Create a Calorie Deficit

Find out how many calories you need per day to maintain your weight, either by meeting with a dietitian or by using this formula [5]. Then figure out how many calories you need to lose weight [6] — go for a moderate calorie deficit, not a major one, to avoid extreme hunger. Creating a calorie deficit [7] — without going below 1,200 calories [8] — will absolutely help you lose weight.

Learn Your Hunger Scale

Many of us eat out of habit to satisfy cravings because we're bored, or because it's a certain time of day. So registered dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition [9] said to get to know what true hunger feels like [10]. If you're not hungry for breakfast at 8 a.m., it's OK to push it to 10 a.m. when you are actually hungry.

Eat Until You're 80 Percent Full

Down with the clean-plate club! Instead of putting down the fork when your plate is empty, eat slowly and pay close attention to how your belly feels so you can stop eating when you're satisfied [11] but not stuffed. When eating at restaurants, try this tactic: ask for a to-go container as soon as your meal is served, and pack up half right away to save for tomorrow's lunch.

Increase NEAT

NEAT stands for "nonexercise activity thermogenesis," and it's the calories you burn moving around throughout the day (not through exercise). Increasing NEAT will increase your metabolic rate, which means you'll be burning more daily calories, helping you lose weight.

If you sit all day, make a point to get up and walk around a few minutes every hour, to take a walk during your lunch break, or to walk up a few flights to get to the bathroom on a different floor in your office building. Wearing a fitness tracker can track your steps — see if you can get 10,000 a day [12].

Add HIIT Workouts to Your Fitness Plan

Cardio burns calories, but to maximize your workouts, do high-intensity interval training [13] (HIIT) — this is especially effective at reducing belly fat [14]. "The whole workout, including warmup, doesn't need to be more than 45 minutes to be effective," said ACE-certified fitness trainer John Kersbergen. He added that three to four times a week is enough.

Here are some HIIT workouts you can try:

• 30-Minute Jumping Rope and Strength-Training Mashup [15]
• Feel Your Strongest From This 45-Minute Flat-Belly Running and Strength Workout [16]
• This 45-Minute HIIT Workout Will Help Shrink Your Belly [17]
• This 45-Minute Treadmill Workout Is the Cardio Your Body Is Begging For [18]
• 30-Minute Cardio and Core Workout For Strong Abs [19]

Eat MUFAs

Eating certain foods, like monosaturated fats (MUFAs), may help diminish belly fat [20] and can make tackling that belly fat through diet even more effective. Choose MUFA-rich foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, and olive oil.

Monitor Your Macros, Especially Protein

It's important to eat a well-balanced diet that includes healthy sources of carbs, fats, and protein. Here's the formula you need to figure out your macros for weight loss [21].

You might find more success eating fewer carbs and more protein [22]. Registered dietitian and personal trainer Jim White, ACSM, told POPSUGAR that the standard dietary reference for protein intake is approximately 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein [23] per kilograms of bodyweight. Not getting enough protein could lead to weight gain since protein helps you to stay satisfied. If you're worried about getting enough, aim to eat it at every meal and snack.

Manage Stress

Stress plays a big role in creating a leaner waist because it triggers the production of cortisol [24], which is a stress hormone that's linked to an increased appetite and more belly fat.

Find healthy ways to relax and bring more joy to your life each day. Get 10 minutes alone to read, listen to music or a podcast, create some art, or do this tension-melting yoga sequence [25]. If you're anxious or worried, call a friend, write in a journal, or seek the help of a therapist. And go ahead and treat yourself to a manicure or a massage when you're really stressed. It's good for your emotional health — and your belly.

Don't Consume Trans Fat

"Trans fats could make you fatter than other foods with the same number of calories," Maddie Kinzly, RD, said to us, which is shocking. New research indicates that trans fats increase the amount of fat around the belly [26]. These are man-made fats, and our bodies have a very hard time digesting them, so avoid hydrogenated oils found in manufactured baked goods such as cookies and crackers, cake frosting, some brands of margarine and shortening, and candies.

Try Intermittent Fasting

If restricting calories is not your thing and you tend to want to eat all day long, try intermittent fasting [27]. It's when you have a specific eating window and a specific fasting window. One common protocol is 16:8 [28], where you eat during an eight-hour window every day, like noon until 8 p.m. [29]. Not eating all day long takes a few weeks to get used to, but you may find you naturally eat fewer calories, which helps you lose weight [30] without giving up your favourite foods.

Strength Train

While cardio burns extra calories, lifting weights builds more lean muscle [31], and having more muscle means you'll burn more calories and fat [32] throughout the rest of the day. Don't be afraid to lift heavy! You won't bulk up [33], and you'll lose weight faster. Trainer John says aim to strength train three to four times a week [34], using bodyweight moves [35] and a variety of pieces of equipment, including kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands, and medicine balls.

Join a Fitness or Weight-Loss Community

Whether it's a national program like WW [36] or an online website like MyFitnessPal, being part of a weight-loss community is a great way to find support on this sometimes-difficult journey. Aside from utilizing the program's tools, many sites allow you to leave comments and messages on other members' profiles.

If a weight-loss program isn't your thing, join a gym and use the community there to inspire your healthy lifestyle. Or try an online fitness community like the BBG [37]. Or find a friend on their own journey so you can text or call each other for motivation or to meet up for a workout.

Eat Veggies With Every Meal and Snack

Eating more veggies [38], at meal and snack times, is one of the easiest ways to start losing body fat. Vegetables are the food group [39] you want to be filling up on the most. "They are high in volume and weight and fill up our stomachs, which helps us register the feeling of fullness," said registered dietitian and cocreator of Beachbody's 2B Mindset [40] nutrition program Ilana Muhlstein [41], MS, RDN.

Registered dietitians Stephanie Clarke, RD, and Willow Jarosh, RD, of C&J Nutrition [42] agree and say that veggies are also high in fibre [43], so they'll satiate your hunger longer [44], helping you consume fewer daily calories.

Food Journal Via Photos

Monitoring your calorie intake through portion control [45] is key to losing weight. Keeping a food journal is one way to keep you accountable, but if you have a hard time remembering every bite, taste, and sip you've had, take pictures of everything you eat. Then, at the end of the day, just add them all up. And better yet, email your food journal or stats to a friend to help you stay honest.

Treat Yourself Once a Day

Don't give up any foods or food groups entirely because denying yourself the bites you crave can backfire, causing you to feel deprived, resulting in binging. So make a point to keep yourself happy and your cravings satisfied by allowing a small treat every day [46], such as a square of dark chocolate, one of these mini vegan strawberry cheesecakes [47], a handful of chips, or a small glass of wine. Remember: slow and steady wins the race! You want to make lifestyle changes that support your goal to trim down the weight that has gathered in your midsection.

Get Enough Sleep

Make sure you're getting enough sleep! Women who don't sleep enough are at risk for excess belly fat [48], Mikka Knapp, RDN, LDN, CLT, founder of Bright Body Nutrition [49] in Sarasota, FL, told POPSUGAR.

On a daily basis, sleepy people eat more [50], and since the body functions poorly when sleep-deprived, it ends up storing more fat — inadequate sleep can lead to an extra three pounds a year [51]! Besides, think about all the workouts you skip when you're too tired to get to the gym.

"The sweet spot for sleep and less abdominal fat falls between seven to eight hours a night [52]," Knapp says. "Too much or too little sleep results in cravings for simple carbs and an imbalance of the hormones ghrelin and leptin, which help signal hunger and fullness." Here's a trick to help you drift asleep faster tonight [53].

Meal Prep and Plan Ahead

Abs truly are made in the kitchen [54], which means a healthy diet is essential to your weight-loss success. Instead of being at the whim of choosing (not-so-healthy) meals in the moment, planning out and prepping [55] a week's worth of meals and snacks will help you stay on track.

Here are some genius meal-prep hacks to help you lose weight [56], such as making freezer soup packs [57] or freezing cooked whole grains [58].

Don't Just Use the Scale

The numbers on the scale can be deceptive, which means your body can start transforming but the scale numbers won't budge [59]. To see your true progress, taking photos of yourself [60] throughout your journey can help you see that your hard work is paying off. Take a photo today and then take one every month. Seeing the results staring back at you will inspire you to keep going!

Skip These

It's not just the empty calories you need to worry about when it comes to junk food; it's how these foods affect your insulin. Jason Fung, MD, a nephrologist, explained that processed carbs and sugary foods such as doughnuts and white bread spike your insulin levels, which can cause weight gain [61]. Keeping your insulin levels low will help you reduce your overall body fat percentage, and that means belly fat.

Aside from being high in carbs, these foods also tend to be high in calories. That's not the only problem, though — eating them doesn't offer your body any nutrition, so you end up feeling hungry, which makes you eat more. Eating sugary foods also increases your cravings for them, again, making you eat more. If you cut down on these types of food, you'll definitely notice a difference in how you feel and how your belly looks.

Go Vegan . . . Until Dinner

Eat balanced vegan meals [62] loaded with veggies, fruits, and whole grains for breakfast, lunch, and snacks — and once dinner rolls around, you can eat meat and dairy again. Studies show that eating a plant-based diet [63] will not only help you lose weight (though no specifically around the middle, since you can't spot-reduce fat), but it also gives you more energy. Here are tips on how to eat a more plant-based diet [64].

Follow the 80/20 Rule (or Maybe Even 90/10)

Follow the 80/20 rule of eating. Eighty percent of the time [65], eat meals and snacks that are healthy; then indulge the rest of the time, if you feel the urge.

Swapping most of your meals for healthier options is an easy way to "diet" without feeling deprived. For even greater results, Beachbody trainer Autumn Calabrese, creator of the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme fitness and nutrition programs, recommends the 90/10 rule [66].

Limit Alcohol (or Avoid It Completely)

That glass of wine [67] or bottle of beer [68] every night with dinner isn't doing your waistline any favours. Each drink is around 80 to 150 calories (or more!), and aside from that, Vermont-based registered dietitian nutritionist Maddie Kinzly, MS, LD, said that drinking can dull your willpower [69] and make you more likely to say yes to food when you're not hungry. She added, "Excessive alcohol will cause the liver to stop metabolizing fat [70] and carbohydrates in order to metabolize the alcohol first." If you don't want to give it up entirely, choose one or two nights a week to enjoy a drink.

Stay Hydrated

Often thirst is mistaken for hunger, so staying hydrated all day can help you know when you truly need to eat. Drink at least 64 ounces a day, or try an experiment and drink a gallon of water a day [71] to see how it affects your energy and hunger levels.