How to lose belly fat overnight sounds like a fantasy. Every woman dreams of flashing her sleek, toned abs, while men fantasize about six-packs. Ultimately, the dream is to burn belly fat overnight. Unfortunately, that isn’t realistic, but the good news is that you can burn belly fat with some effort.
You’ll find realistic information that won’t flood your mind with fairytale endings. Sadly, many rapid weight loss strategies do more harm than good, and burning fat overnight has no science behind it. However, here are some things you can do to gradually lose belly for that gorgeous six-pack or toned abs you seek.
Can you lose belly fat overnight while you sleep? Unfortunately, you can’t burn overnight, which likely took some time to gain. However, some changes and habits might help you gradually lose belly fat, including:
However, discover what causes belly fat before toning down those abs.
Knowing how to lose belly fat overnight requires learning about the two main types. Harvard explains belly fat as a subcutaneous and visceral layer (28). Subcutaneous fat is the layer directly under your skin, comprising around 90% of your abdominal fat.
However, visceral fat is the 10% layer deep within your abdomen, surrounding your organs. Visceral fat is part of the endocrine system and influences your hormones. Harvard University says the influence and position of visceral fat raises your risk for heart disease, hypertension, and cholesterol (28).
Meanwhile, WebMD says the causes of excess visceral abdominal fat include (33):
Furthermore, sleep has a strong influence on your belly fat. Let’s see the main reasons sleep and belly fat relate.
The Mayo Clinic examined how shorter sleep periods affected visceral abdominal fat (8). People who sleep less have more belly fat because they replenish energy later at night. Your body needs fuel, and you crave calories and carbs before bed, resulting in a broader belly.
Canadian researchers found that people who take a long time to fall asleep are 57% more at risk of suffering from insulin resistance (16). Meanwhile, Taiwanese scientists found that insulin resistance influenced visceral fat deposits and distribution (29).
Social jetlag is when people work a night shift or additional hours. British researchers found that social jetlag may cause higher body fat percentages (25). Higher body fat leads to a bigger belly. Not sleeping when you should may disrupt your internal clock to store more fat.
Finally, your internal clock relies on and determines when you eat. Researchers at the University of Cambridge confirmed how eating times affect the body clock and vice versa (13). Insulin consumption and production determine your appetite and resting periods.
In summary, you must know these causes of belly fat to use methods that focus on reducing fat storage and avoiding these concerns. Furthermore, you’ll find amazing tricks with specific evidence to burn belly fat realistically.
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Knowing how to lose belly fat overnight is a myth. You won’t lose ten pounds overnight, but incorporating these nutritional changes over 24 hours may help you move closer to the start of burning fat gradually in the coming weeks while some bloating may subside to make your stomach look flatter.
Harvard suggests changing your diet to complex carbohydrates, like whole grains and polyunsaturated fats (3). Trans fats, saturated fats, simple carbs, and sodas may cause belly fat. Instead, eat more whole grains, vegetables, and fruits daily.
Sugar is another problem. Loma Linda University says to avoid refined sugar because it spikes insulin and promotes abdominal fat (21). Insulin encourages visceral fat storage in the abdomen and around the heart. Processed foods don’t work, either. Get rid of these foods:
Higher-calorie breakfasts and lower-calorie dinners may start to burn fat. Your circadian rhythm includes eating, sleeping, and hormonal patterns. Researchers in Israel found that changing the time you consume calories may promote better sleep and reduce belly fat (12).
The researchers found that people who eat higher-calorie breakfasts and lower-calorie dinners had a smaller waist circumference. Those who ate high-calorie meals at night had larger waists. This habit may also improve your insulin and glucose to control your appetite.
Eating the right food can help you burn fat gradually, but the wrong foods can cause more visceral fat deposits. British researchers found that diet influences gut bacteria and vice versa, even influencing visceral fat accumulation (4). What you eat determines gut bacteria.
Meanwhile, gut bacteria influence hormones, appetite, metabolism, and whether you gain visceral fat in your belly. So, eating gut-friendly food may gradually burn belly fat. Medicine Net recommends burning belly fat with a few gut-friendly options (34):
Read more: 10 Exercises to Flatten Stomach, and What Else You Should Do to Lose Belly Fat
The Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center examined how soluble fiber burns visceral fat (26). Researchers found that adding 10 grams of soluble fiber can burn up to 3.7% of belly fat over 5 years. That sounds like ages, but the individuals only simply added fiber. Those who also exercised lost 7.4% of their visceral fat. It’s a marathon to toned abs, not a race.
Here are sources of soluble fiber you can eat in afternoon salads and dinners:
Probiotics before bed reduce bloating and may burn belly fat. Scientists in Texas studied the effects of probiotics on visceral fat (24). Probiotics before bed may reduce visceral fat while decreasing inflammation and disease risk. Reduced bloating may make your belly appear flatter in a shorter period, but burning fat realistically happens more slowly. Natural food probiotics include (9):
You may want to burn belly fat overnight with exercises that burn the visceral fat region around your abs and core. Again, it’s a gradual process but worth every moment you see those gorgeous abs. You need strength training, ab toning, and cardio to see results (3).
Harvard recommends adding 30 minutes of moderate activity daily to target visceral fat (3). Ab exercises won’t get to the visceral fat deep inside the belly, even though they tone the area. It helps to add cardio workouts to burn deep abdominal fat. Some ideas include:
An independent researcher and one from New Zealand found an exciting result when studying the physiology of aerobic functions (22). The maximum fat-burning potential of cardio workouts follows low to moderate-intensity exercises.
Your body burns more fat than carbs for energy if you stick to low or moderate-intensity exercises for longer. With that in mind, spend 30 minutes on a moderate workout instead of 20 minutes of HIIT to burn fat. Timing is everything, including the duration of exercise.
Toning the lower abdomen or core with exercises may help you tone the area to appear flatter, but you won’t have rock-hard abs overnight. Instead, it’s a fitness goal for which you should reach. WebMD recommends the following exercises to tone the lower stomach (31):
Furthermore, WebMD suggests using weight training with these exercises for lower belly fat (31):
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Let’s assemble a workout that includes cardio, resistance training, and ab exercises to cover the daily requirement for a belly fat-burning session. You won’t shred your abs overnight or magically reduce belly fat, but you’ll start burning visceral fat with daily practice. Complete two sets of each ab or resistance exercise, not the cardio. WebMD inspires the reps and sets for this workout (31).
You saw the evidence suggesting sleep disruptions may cause visceral belly fat (8, 16, 25). Now, let’s discover how to polish your sleep habits to lose belly fat. Stop late-night snacks and nightcaps, control the temperature, and take a hot shower before bed to sleep better.
The Mayo Clinic found that longer sleep could burn fat by suppressing your desire to eat more calories late at night (8). Catching more shuteye may help burn belly fat by reducing your pursuit of caloric energy before bed.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that late-night snacking may cause belly fat because you can’t expend the energy (8). Limit snacks at night unless you do enough cardio to burn calories. Insider says a 150-lb person burns 288 calories in 30 minutes running at five mph (14).
Also, avoiding nightcaps may burn fat and improve sleep. WebMD suggests losing the after-work beer may reduce belly weight (30). Beer bellies result from visceral fat. You’ll find fat-burning drinks to add to your sleep routine soon instead.
Having a colder room temperature may burn more belly fat. The Sleep Foundation assures that your body burns around 50 calories naturally during sleep (15). It doesn’t count much, but it may burn fat. Body temperature must drop to promote calorie burning, so keep a cool bedroom, but don’t freeze.
The temperature note also leads to the final sleep hygiene tip to burn belly fat. Austin researchers analyzed how hot showers 90 minutes before bed improve sleep (27). Hot water regulates your core temperature, sustaining the rise and fall at night. More sleep equals less fat.
Improved sleep, better eating habits, and proper workouts start the cycle of burning belly fat. Doing it right, you even burn visceral fat while sleeping (17). However, more tricks in the first 48 hours toward your toned abs goals can help you realistically start to burn more belly fat.
Teas are an excellent replacement for alcohol at night and help in various ways.
Chamomile tea improves sleep (1). New York researchers found that adding ginger to tea may cause thermogenesis while you sleep (11). Thermogenesis is how your body produces heat by burning fat for energy. Adding a teaspoon of ginger to chamomile tea may burn more fat.
Medicine Net explains how green tea may burn visceral fat (5). Green tea can decrease fatty acid synthase (FAS), slowing fat production. Instead, green tea may speed up thermogenesis while you sleep to burn fat for energy. Add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it. No evidence suggests honey burns visceral fat, but it sweetens tea nicely.
Apple cider vinegar can’t magically burn fat overnight, but you can add it to the gradual pursuit of perfect abs. Medicine Net recommends drinking diluted apple cider vinegar in the morning, as it may burn belly fat (34). Apple cider vinegar also detoxes the liver. Dilute one part apple cider vinegar with two parts warm water to prevent tooth enamel erosion. Alternatively, drink it right after dinner to fight late-night cravings (7).
Did you know Kombucha may burn visceral fat around your belly (19)? It won’t erase belly fat overnight but will help you move closer to your ab goals. Kombucha is also a source of fresh probiotics and matches the benefits of green tea. Here’s how to make Kombucha (18):
Read more: Best Home Workouts To Lose Belly Fat In 2023: What To Do To Get A Flat Stomach
Discover how to lose belly fat with a simple wrap, but it doesn’t burn fat overnight. It will, however, help you toward your flatter belly goals. Portuguese scientists found that body-wrapping while exercising may help burn more abdominal fat (23). However, Livestrong rightfully warns of the safety of doing this at home (6).
Belly wrapping works by elevating your thermogenesis during sleep and making you sweat when you exercise. The wraps often come with special herbs; you wear them for 20-60 minutes. However, please use these wraps while exercising caution, as limiting your movements may cause injuries.
Also, please drink plenty of water to rehydrate after using a wrap. Besides, Medical News Today suggests water is essential to burn fat (2). Without water, your body can’t metabolize fat properly, so the wrap becomes pointless once dehydrated.
The sleep quality, duration, and caloric intake ratio may burn fat while sleeping. Arizona researchers studied sleep restrictions on low-calorie intakes and weight loss (17). An hour of lost sleep over five nights can stop you from burning fat, even if you’re losing weight. Sleep is essential to burn fat while restricting calories.
Medicine Net suggests apple cider vinegar may reduce visceral fat around your belly (34). Drinking it in the morning may detox the liver, or have it right after dinner to prevent late-night hunger (7). Dilute one part apple cider vinegar with two parts water to prevent tooth enamel erosion.
The good news is, yes, coffee may burn belly fat. Japanese researchers proved how continuous coffee consumption might burn visceral belly fat (32). Polyphenols, particularly chlorogenic acids, have visceral fat-burning effects. Harvard recommends 4 cups of black, unsweetened coffee daily to burn fat gradually (10).
Lemon water may also realistically burn belly fat. Researchers in the UK and USA examined lemon extract for its weight loss benefits (20). They found that lemon extract directly influences lipolysis in the adipose or visceral tissue to break down fatty acids and use them for energy in mice. It isn’t an overnight rage, but it will start burning belly fat.
Knowing how to lose belly fat overnight is a myth. However, you can change your sleep, nutrition, and exercise before adding special drinks to burn more fat gradually and realistically. Pick your methods and start burning stomach fat for your desired abs.
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