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Muffin top. Belly pooch. Love handles. There are plenty of ways to describe lower belly weight gain, most of them with less-than-desirable nicknames! Everyone would love the secret of how to get rid of a lower belly pooch fast.

If you’re ready to say goodbye to lower belly fat, it’s not enough to try a few sit-ups and call it a day (unfortunately). The hard truth? You can’t spot-reduce belly fat. If you want to lose fat, you have to lose it all over.

Getting rid of stubborn belly fat and sculpting the muscles underneath requires a healthy diet and ramping up your workouts. 

Here are 10 helpful lifestyle and exercise tips to get rid of a lower belly pooch, including a 15-minute lower ab workout to kickstart your fat burning:

1. Get 150 Minutes of Heart-Pumping Cardio Per Week

To successfully lose weight all over, you have to shed your “extra layer” of visceral fat to see the muscles underneath. Cardio is a part of this weight-loss equation.

The CDC recommends 150 minutes of heart-pumping cardiovascular exercise per week, which can include anything from jogging, jumping rope, cycling, or a spin class. The good news? There is no “right” way to raise your heart rate, so pick what you like to do!

The bonus is you will strengthen your heart muscle and your stamina. Since heart disease is the number one killer of women in America, taking care of your heart should be high on your self-care list for overall health and calorie burning.

Related: 7 best cardio workouts for weight loss.

A group of items on the floor, including a pair of pink and green running shoes, a water bottle, two yellow dumbbells, and a smartphone with attached headphones.
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2. Fit in HIIT 1-2 Times Per Week

If you are willing to try High-Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT) as part of your cardio prescription, it is a top choice for anyone looking to get rid of that lower belly pooch. It increases your heart rate and improves your cardiovascular fitness level while burning more fat and calories in less time!

Here’s how it works: You give maximum effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise followed by short recovery periods. HIIT workouts include some of the best exercises to train and condition your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.

Consider HIIT your intense workouts, which you only need two to three times a week. Combine them with low-intensity exercise to maximize weight loss. 

3. Do Ab-Toning Workouts

While you can’t spot-reduce fat in any area of your body, you can absolutely work to tone (or spot-sculpt) specific areas (especially your lower abs) by using strength training and toning exercises.

A woman in bright orange workout leggings doing sit-ups on a black workout mat.

Doing core exercises and lower ab workouts will strengthen and tighten your abs and allow you to age gracefully. Strong core muscles are important for better balance and most daily activities.

Related: Belly Fat Blast Challenge

4. Create a Calorie Deficit

It’s fairly straightforward: If you want to lose excess fat and get rid of that lower belly pooch fast, you need to burn more calories than you take in! This is what is referred to as a “calorie deficit”.

Bird's-eye view of a person writing in a journal next to a cup of coffee and a half-eaten croissant.

In addition to exercise, here are the top three tips for creating a calorie deficit in your diet: 

  • Maintain a balanced diet, including real foods such as fruits, vegetables, plants, and foods with five ingredients or less.
  • Cut down on processed foods, such as frozen meals, deli meats, chips, cookies, donuts, and other snacks, which are sources of hidden sugars and unhealthy additives.
  • Watch your liquid calorie intake, including teas, sodas, and alcohol. 

Journaling about your food intake will help you get a sense of what you’re eating and the calories in each meal. If a journal isn’t your thing, try an app like MyFitnessPal.

5. Increase Your Protein and Fiber Intake

Fiber has a wide range of benefits, including aiding in weight loss. Some types of fiber slow the absorption of nutrients, allowing you to feel full longer, therefore consuming fewer calories throughout the day and helping achieve a deficit.

Foods high in fiber include:

  • Fruits such as raspberries, bananas, avocados, and pears
  • Vegetables such as peas, broccoli, and turnip greens
  • Grains such as whole wheat pasta and quinoa 
  • Legumes such as lentils and black beans

Protein is made up of amino acids and helps feed and repair our muscles, among other parts of our body; however, it’s where you get your protein that matters most.

Good sources of protein include: 

  • Fish
  • Poultry
  • Eggs
  • Low-fat dairy 
  • Leafy greens such as kale and spinach
  • Broccoli and asparagus
A large bowl of quinoa, salmon, sliced cherry tomatoes, and green beans next to smaller bowls of cherry tomatoes and pesto.

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6. Limit Added Sugars and Refined Carbs

It’s true: you can’t out-exercise a bad diet! To maximize weight loss, especially in your lower belly, you should significantly limit or eliminate added sugars and refined carbohydrates (or “empty” calories) from your diet.

Foods high in refined carbs include: 

  • White flour (including pasta)
  • White bread like bread, bagels, and rolls
  • Pastries, cookies, cakes, muffins
  • Breakfast foods like waffles and pancakes
  • White rice
  • Pizza dough
Woman in blue shirt eating a donut.

Added sugars like those in sugary drinks (such as soda and juice), cookies, muffins, processed meals, fast food, and candy increase your hunger and desire for more sugar, neither of which makes weight loss easier. 

That said, natural sugar found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products is okay since these foods also include other components that slow down how quickly sugar is digested, preventing the harsh spike and drop in blood sugar levels.

7. Drink More Water

Water has plenty of benefits, including maintaining a healthy weight, aiding in digestion (thus reducing belly bloat), improving energy, and reducing hunger.

Woman in blue workout clothes resting against a tree holding a bottle of water.

And consider this: in a living, moving body, skeletal muscle is 75 to 80 percent water. To put healthy muscle on your body, drinking water is a necessity!

On average, you should be drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. If you exercise regularly, add another glass or two to that.

8. Minimize Stress Levels

Woman doing a yoga pigeon pose on a yellow yoga mat.

Although it’s not necessarily the first step in reducing belly fat, chronic stress can certainly be counterproductive to weight loss. Research suggests there is a correlation between high cortisol levels (also known as the stress hormone) and increased abdominal fat. 

Some ways to help manage stress include meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, self-care, therapy, and exercise.

9. Get 7-9 Hours of Sleep

You may not think sleep is connected to your weight loss journey, but research shows otherwise!

A woman sleeping on a white pillow.

A study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that when dieters got a full night’s sleep, more than half of their weight loss was fat, as opposed to sleep-deprived dieters whose fat loss only accounted for one-fourth of their total weight loss.

Adults should regularly get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep to stay healthy, alert, and energized.

10. Incorporate This 15-Minute Ab Workout To Get Rid of That Lower Belly Pooch

Now that you’ve learned the diet and lifestyle changes needed to reduce fat, here is the 15-minute workout that completes the picture.

Perform this workout 2 to 3 times per week to burn fat and get rid of that lower belly pooch for good!

Perform each of these moves for 1 minute. Take a 1-minute rest afterward—then start from the beginning and do another 1 minute for each move.

Oblique Burners

Use oblique burners to get rid of your muffin top.
  • Stand with feet a little wider than hip-distance apart, knees bent, and hands held behind the back of your head.
  • Bend to the right, reaching right hand toward the floor behind your leg. Keep spine long.
  • Return to center and repeat on the left side.

Froggy Crunches

froggy crunches to  get rid of lower belly fat female
  • Start lying on the mat with fingers at the base of your head and elbows pointed out. Bring the soles of your feet together, knees pointed outward.
  • Tilt your chin slightly forward and squeeze abdominals to lift your chest upward. Keep arms and neck relaxed. Slowly lower down and repeat.

Side Plank Lift and Lower

Use moves like the side plank lift and lower to get rid of lower belly fat for females
  • Start by laying on your right side with forearm below shoulder, body lifted and legs long, and feet stacked. Keep body straight, abs tight, and place left hand on hip.
  • Dip your hips down towards the mat and lift back up, using your obliques and core muscles.

Sweeping Scissors

sweeping scissors - get rid of lower belly fat workout move
  • Start lying on the mat with arms over your head and legs long.
  • Sweep arms out to sides and bring head, neck, and shoulders off the mat reaching arms long and lifting one leg up and in towards the chest. Reaching arms forward on the sides of the leg. Rollback to mat lowering the leg, and repeat on the other side.

Ab Reverse Curl

Try ab reverse curls for a flatter stomach.
  • Lie on the mat and extend your legs straight up towards the ceiling.
  • As you exhale, tighten your low belly to push your feet straight into the air. Hips will lift slightly off the mat.
  • Return your hips and lower back to the mat with control. Use your abdominals vs. momentum to create the movement and avoid rolling onto the neck.

Plank Jacks

Try this move to sculpt a leaner core.
  • Begin in a forearm plank position with your body in a straight line and abdominals contracted.
  • Step your left foot out to the left; step your right foot out to the center.
  • Step your left foot back to center; step your right foot back to the center.

Bird Dog Crunch

Learn how to do a bird dog crunch - et rid of lower belly fat workout move
  • Kneel on the mat on all fours. Reach one arm long, draw in the abs, and extend the opposite leg long behind you.
  • Bring the elbow and knee in towards your center as you round your back remember to draw in your abs. repeat on another side.

Full Body Roll-Up

full body roll-up exercise - get rid of lower belly fat workout move
  • Start lying on mat with arms extended overhead, legs long, and feet flexed.
  • Inhale as you lift arms up and begin curling chin and chest forward. Exhale as you roll the entire torso up and over legs keeping abs engaged and reaching for toes.
  • Inhale as you begin rolling your spine back down one vertebra at a time and exhale as the upper portion of the back lower and arms reach pack overhead. 
  • Repeat moving slowly and using the abdominals to lift and lower, not momentum.
What causes belly fat?

Belly fat is the result of various factors, including lack of exercise, poor diet, excess alcohol, stress, genetics, smoking, or poor sleep. For women, extra belly fat may appear as you age due to a decreasing level of estrogen.

How many calories a day should I cut to lose body fat?

For most people, a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is sufficient for weight loss and unlikely to significantly affect your hunger or energy.

A great way to create a calorie deficit is to fill half of your plate with veggies and the remaining parts with lean protein (salmon, chicken) and some healthy carbs (quinoa, rice.) This will help you with portion control.

How many calories a day do I need?

Women need 1,600 to 2,400 calories a day, and men need 2,000 to 3,000 calories, according to USDA Dietary Guidelines. However, women generally should not consume fewer than 1,200 calories per day, and men no fewer than 1,500 calories.

How many grams of fiber do I need per day?

Men need between 30 and 38 grams of fiber per day, and women need between 21 and 25 grams per day.

How many grams of protein do I need per day?

For adults, you should get approximately 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. If you are extremely active or an athlete, you can increase to 1 gram per pound of body weight.

Learning how to get rid of belly pooch fast is just the start! If you’re looking for a full-length 30-minute workout that incorporates both cardio and core movements then you’re going to want to try this workout video below.

Bringing to you a full 30-minute Cardio + Core Workout that will torch calories and focus on hitting every muscle in the abs!

Read This Next: 15 Best Ab Exercises for Women

About Chris Freytag, CPT

Chris Freytag is an ACE certified personal trainer, TV personality, author and motivational speaker. She has been sharing the message of healthy living for 30 years while teaching fitness classes, writing books, creating workouts and sharing her knowledge in magazines and online.

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53 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for sharing this 15 minute flat ab workout. I really wanted to lose my lower belly pooch because it grew bigger and bigger before I knew it. Now, I exercise regularly doing cross fit training but it’s still not flat yet. I guess I need to look out on the food I eat as well and do more exercises like the ones provided above. I am also doing some balanced exercises and will wait for 1-2 months more.

    1. Hi Khayrie –
      Well first off it sounds like you are doing all of the right things and you are staying active! So congratulations to you and do not underestimate how important it is to move your body! I always tell my clients and people asking for a tighter tummy that the key to a tighter core is what you put into your body. We can exercise all day, but at the end of the day it’s all about what we put in our mouths. You can’t out train a bad diet. So make sure you are eating lots of whole foods, fruits and veggies are my favorite, and definitely getting in your sources of protein since you are working out. Good luck and keep living that healthy and active lifestyle!

  2. Hello, I’m writing because I just had total knee replacement surgery about 7 weeks ago and I would like to learn to eat healthy and figure what are some good exercises for me at this moment trying to tone up midsection, arms and other areas that have extra fat because I’ve gained about 10 pounds and also would like to lose the pounds off straining my knees

    1. Salida –
      Thank you so much for your question. I hope that you are on the upward swing and recovering from your total knee replacement surgery. This will take some time so make sure that you are listening to your doctor and also listening to your body.
      I am going to give you some links to a few of my blogs in regards to good exercises you can do to tone up your midsection, arms, etc. pieces of advice for eating healthy, and how it all works together. Just remember that it all starts with what you are eating and taking in and then exercise will also play a big role as well. Hoping some of these blogs will help you get off to a start. Let me know if you have any further questions!

      https://gethealthyu.com/how-to-get-rid-of-muffin-top/

      https://gethealthyu.com/how-to-lose-arm-fat/

  3. Hi, I recently had a baby eleven months ago I have lost a lot of weight but have a pooch of a belly, I’m currently hitting the gym five days a week three days cardio and two weights however I’m struggling with the lower belly all together it doesn’t look like it’s decreasing, my waist is slowly and I am seeing improvements there but I was wondering where I may be going wrong, I clean eat and have the occasional treat at the end of the month.

    1. Hi Chrissy –

      It sounds like you are on the right track and are making the right steps to getting your pre-baby body back! It is hard on all of us mamas as we try to get back to “pre-baby” weight or body and just know that you are killing it as a new mamma! It will take some time, but you are taking all the steps in the right direction. While crunches and abdominal workouts are good for the “belly pooch” continue to make sure you are pushing your workouts with higher intensity workouts like HIIT workouts or maybe it’s time to pick up heavier weights.

      I always tell my clients that strength training often time does more for the core and abdominal region than crunches themselves! I have provided you with a few articles for getting your body back post-baby below. I hope these help answer some of your questions and also give you a few more ideas of exercises to incorporate in your workouts.

      https://gethealthyu.com/rock-your-body-after-baby/

      https://gethealthyu.com/10-minute-postpartum-power-workout/

  4. Hello! Thank you for the post! Lately, I have noticed that I have a lot of lower body fat. I think it might have came from stress (last few semesters of school and finals). I also have noticed that my body has been changing (growing hips, etc) and it seems like I’m at a point of my life where I have to watch what I eat. My question is, do you have any food recommendations that would be within a student budget (something fast since I work and go to school)? Lastly are there a few other workout tips that you could give me so I can stay on top of my lower stomach? Thank you so much!

    1. Hi Sandra –
      All wonderful questions so hopefully I can give you some answers that you find helpful for you 🙂 Stress will definitely play a factor in how your body is changing. As finals and school are very stressful my advice would be to try and find ways to relieve some stress as much as you can. For instance, taking workout breaks, a quick 15 minute walk around the park, meditation, or even journaling are all great options. But remember, do something that you enjoy!
      With that being said, I am going to also include some other blogs with healthy snack and food options that are some of my favorite:

      https://gethealthyu.com/healthy-and-portable-snacks-for-weight-loss/

      https://gethealthyu.com/55-healthy-easy-snacks/

      When it comes to workout tips for the stomach – don’t be afraid to pick up some weights and do some strength training. A lot of people believe that the best way to work the stomach is by doing crunches. But in reality moves such as squat curl press, lunges, standing and holding a bicep curl all work the core as well. Here are some workouts I would try doing and make sure you are squeezing and engaging the core muscles!

      https://gethealthyu.com/30-minute-anywhere-bodyweight-workout/

      https://gethealthyu.com/the-busy-woman-strength-workout/

      Hope this helps!

  5. I’m wondering what the approximate calories burned would be for this workout so I can log it in my calorie counter app

    1. Hi Kaela –
      This is a great question! Please keep in mind that everyones calorie burn is going to be different depending on their stats. Your age, height, weight, intensity of working out, level of activity, are all going to be factors that come into play for calorie burn. So for example, an abdominal workout done by a woman who weighs 140 lbs may burn around 70 calories in 15 minutes. However, a man who weighs 200 lbs who completes the same 15 minute ab workout may burn close to 100 calories.
      For the average female doing a 15 minute ab routine, I would say they could approximately burn somewhere between 40-50 calories. I hope this helps!
      =

  6. Amazing way of excercise it seems you made a playful way of workout. Its more entertaining to do physical activities in a fun way.

    1. Hi Faith –
      Well consistency is going to be key! I always advise people to really watch what they are eating as well when it comes to the dreaded lower belly area. So if you are eating relatively clean (try to get rid of sugar) and incorporating movement and good healthy habits you should start seeing small results within a few weeks. Remember, change doesn’t happen over night. It’s all about consistency!

  7. I got a lower belly fat ,,,,and it looks disgusting ,,,I try all exercise it still same, what are the home remedies I needed for it

    1. Hi Jessica –
      Well that lower belly area is a hard place for all women in general. But the “home remedies” would be nutrition and exercise! When it comes to nutrition – I always advise to stay away from any extra sugars in your diet. Eliminate any unnecessary foods or sugars other than what you get from fruit, vegetables and healthy foods. Then of course you need to be working out and moving your body!