How to lose visceral fat: The diet that has a ‘rapid and effective’ impact on belly fat

Dr Zoe Williams discusses visceral fat on This Morning

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Subcutaneous fat absorbs all the attention because it sits just under the surface of the skin. However, appearances can be deceiving. The fat to watch is ironically the fat you cannot perceive with your eyes. Visceral fat lurks near vital organs in the body, such as the liver and intestines. Its positioning means it can hamper vital processes, spurring on the development of chronic complications, such as heart disease.

The threat visceral fat poses means you must take active steps to reduce its build-up.

Diet is one of the most effective tools for reducing visceral fat and specific dietary plans have shown particular promise.

One that consistently crops up in research is the ketogenic diet.

The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that aims to put your body into “ketosis” – a state whereby your body breaks down stored fats.

The purpose of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology sought to examine the effects of a short-term keto diet on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in overweight/obese Chinese females.

CRF is the ability of the body to supply oxygen to skeletal muscles during sustained activity.

Twenty young females consumed four weeks of a normal diet as a baseline and then switched to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, and adequate protein keto diet for another four weeks.

The results showed that, without impairing the CRF level, the four-week keto diet intervention significantly reduced body weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and body fat percentage.

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“These findings suggest that KD [keto diet] can be used as a rapid and effective approach to lose weight and reduce abdominal adiposity in overweight/obese Chinese females without exacerbating their CRF,” the researchers concluded.

Key food groups

Protein has been touted for its belly-busting effects.

That’s because it “can be a helpful way to lose weight because it makes you feel fuller than carbs and fat do”, explains Bupa.

“If you include a lean source of protein, such as skinless white chicken, in your meals you may find that you’re not as hungry, and so eat less.”

The health body says to make sure you include protein with each meal.

Good sources include chicken breast, tuna, mackerel, salmon, eggs, milk, red lentils, chickpeas, brown bread, nuts and soya.

To maximise the benefits of eating well, you should also engage in regular physical activity.

Any form of exercise for at least 30 minutes a day is good for you but certain exercises have been shown to accelerate belly fat loss.

Studies have shown that you can help trim visceral fat or prevent its growth with both aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) and strength training (exercising with weights).

According to Harvard Health, spot exercises, such as sit-ups, can tighten abdominal muscles but won’t get at visceral fat. Exercise can also help keep fat from coming back.

“Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days, such as brisk walking or bicycling at a casual pace,” advises the health body.

It adds: “Also create opportunities to add motion to routine tasks.”

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