How to Lose Body Fat, According to a Dietitian

If you are aiming to lose body fat, there’s one big thing you’re up against: The chatter on social media. So much of it promotes drastic diets, weight-shaming and toxic diet culture that it’s easy to be misled, especially when it comes to losing body fat in a healthy way.

Body weight isn’t the only indicator of health, and someone in a smaller body isn’t necessarily healthier than someone in a larger body. However, having more body fat, especially increased visceral (abdominal) fat and less muscle mass, is associated with higher risk of disease, and there are healthy ways to lose body fat without taking extreme measures. Learn about healthy and realistic strategies to reduce body fat long-term.

Setting Realistic Goals

Before jumping into a weight-loss plan, set realistic and achievable weight-loss goals. Starting off with an unattainable goal makes it harder to create long-term change and sets you up for failure. Instead, think small and short-term. Setting a small goal that you may be able to achieve in the next week or month gives you something to look forward to and helps keep you focused on your health goal.

After the small goal is achieved, set your next one. This approach creates habit change that leads to sustainable weight loss. Plus, when you lose body fat slowly, you may also be able to retain more muscle mass during weight loss and improve your metabolic health, too.

Create a Healthy Eating Plan 

Building a healthy eating plan is the cornerstone to losing body fat. Here are two small—but impactful—changes you can make that will help you create healthier eating habits over time.

Eat More Fiber

Most Americans don’t consume enough fiber, but it’s incredibly important for fat loss. Fiber keeps you full between meals, which prevents you from overeating. A 2019 study in Nutrients found that dietary fiber intake promotes weight loss in overweight and obese adults following a calorie-restricted diet. Fiber fills you up and contributes to feelings of satiety, helping you feel less need for snacks between meals.

Fiber is abundant in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes. Fill half your plate or bowl with fruits or vegetables at every meal, including breakfast, to reap fiber’s benefits.

Get Protein at Every Meal

Protein is another nutrient that plays a role in satiety. It also contributes to muscle growth, and more muscle mass may improve your metabolic rate (the speed at which you burn calories). A 2020 review in the Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome concludes that high-protein diets are a useful tool for weight loss due to these reasons.

Protein-rich foods include poultry, eggs, dairy products, soy foods, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. Spread your protein intake evenly throughout the day, so that you feel the satiating effects at every meal and snack.

Incorporate Physical Activity

Staying active is crucial for fat loss. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, plus strength (resistance) training at least two days per week. Examples of moderate-intensity activity include brisk walking, elliptical, cycling, swimming or jogging. All of these types of activities promote fat loss, but research suggests that high-intensity interval training may actually boost your metabolism and aid in fat loss. Including a short HIIT workout in your weekly exercise routine may help rev up fat burn.

Another way to promote fat loss is to include movement into your daily activities. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis refers to the calories your body burns through daily activities such as walking to the store, going up stairs, cleaning your house or standing to cook a meal, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine. These small activities add up to fat loss over time, so it’s generally beneficial to try to move more during the day.

Lifestyle Modifications for Fat Loss

Two words: sleep and stress. Not sleeping enough can hinder your fat-loss goals. Without the proper seven or more nightly hours of sleep, as advised by the CDC, you’re more likely to feel hungry throughout the day. Sleep deprivation increases the hormones that make you feel hungry and decreases the hormones that cause you to feel full.

In addition, as anyone who has reached for ice cream or chips after a tough day knows, stress can affect eating habits. A meta-analysis on 54 studies in Health Psychology Review in 2022 concluded that stress causes you to eat more unhealthy foods and less healthy foods.

Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation, yoga or deep breathing, can help you manage stress on a daily basis. What’s more, reducing stress may also positively impact sleep.

Monitoring Progress

It can be difficult to know if you’re losing body fat, since it is hard to measure without the proper machinery. At-home scales that assess body fat percentage aren’t always accurate, and they can be easily skewed by factors like hydration status.

That said, losing weight or inches off of your body is a good indicator of fat loss. In addition, an increase in muscle mass may also reflect fat loss. Make note of your progress. You can use an app to track body measurements or write down your progress in a notebook or on your phone.

Over time, you may notice that fat loss also has other positive health implications, such as increased energy levels, improved sleep and more strength in addition to its metabolic benefits, such as improved cholesterol levels.

Frequently Asked Questions 

How do you lose body fat quickly? 

You don’t, in our opinion! Slow and steady weight loss helps you build healthy habits over time that will stick with you. Shift your goal from how quickly you can do it to how you can do it in a sustainable way.

What burns the most body fat? Are there certain foods or a particular type of exercise?

Activities like running, walking on an incline or HIIT workouts are excellent for burning body fat. Particular foods do not burn body fat, but eating a healthy and well-balanced diet can help you achieve your weight-loss goals.

How do you lose fat from your face? What about your arms or thighs? 

You cannot pick and choose where you lose fat from the body. Fat loss happens from all areas of the body, and some people hold fat in different places than others. However, if you want to build muscle in certain areas of the body, focus on strength-training those muscles.

How long does it take to notice body fat loss?

It’s realistic to target losing 1 to 2 pounds of body fat per week. With this gradual fat loss, it may take a month or more to notice body fat loss.

The Bottom Line

Losing body fat is important for health and energy levels. Setting realistic and achievable goals, as well as creating healthy eating and physical activity habits, is crucial for gradual and sustained fat loss. Sleep and stress also play a role in fat loss. To lose fat in a healthy way and keep it off, make small changes in all areas of your lifestyle.