Want to know the secret on how to lose inches off your waist fast?

I know how frustrating it can feel trying to lose those 2 to 3 inches off your waist that seemingly never want to come off. And just because you’ve lost some weight doesn’t mean that those last few inches are going to go away.

Lots of people work tirelessly with their diet and exercise only to find those last stubborn inches of belly fat on their waists will not come off. Most people know spot reduction in certain areas of the body isn’t an effective way to lose targeted fat.

But this doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can burn more stubborn fat which will, in the end, mean more inches off your waist. You can lose 2 to 4 inches of stubborn fat on your waist faster than you think just by making some simple upgrades to your diet, exercise, and lifestyle.

Here you’ll find everything you need to know to lose those last few inches of stubborn fat off of your waist fast.

Why You Can’t Lose Inches Off Your Waist

Your genetics are one of the main causes of stubborn belly fat and extra excess inches on your waist (1). Some people are born with an apple or pear-shaped body that can promote the storage of excess fat on their waist (2).

Women tend to more likely have a pear-shaped body while men tend to have an apple shape (3). But both can contribute to storing excess fat on the waist. This can also make it that much more difficult to lose in the end.

Along with an unsightly appearance having excess belly fat can be quite dangerous for your health. Studies have found deep visceral fat to be linked to increased mortality (4). Those with visceral fat had more cases of heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (5,6,7).

This is because visceral fat surrounds your organs and places excess stress on them. This can cause serious health problems over time. But the good news is studies have found when waist circumference has reduced the problems associated with visceral fat go down significantly (8).

Where your body tends to store excess fat is what makes getting rid of those last few inches off your waist so difficult. When you think about it your ancestors had a go for days or possibly even weeks without food at a time. This means their bodies had to adapt to store fat for future energy requirements when there wasn’t food available (9). So you’re going to have to overcome the survival mechanism in your body to lose those stubborn few inches off your waist.

Finally, some people who lose weight but won’t lose inches off their waist. This is because fat loss isn’t the same as weight loss. Some people who lose weight will lose it in the form of muscle and water weight (10).

This causes them to end up looking “skinny fat.” This where they appear thin but have a much higher body fat percentage. And because of this they tend to store excess fat in their waist and can’t seem to get rid of it. Plus those who may have a normal BMI but high body fat percentage could still have health problems associated with it (11).

So the trick is to not only lose some weight but to reduce your body fat percentage. This is the secret sauce to losing excess fat off your stomach.

Exercises to Lose Inches Off Waist

One of the best ways to get rid of inches off your waist is to increase how much fat your body burns via exercise. Studies have found low fitness activity to be linked to an increase in waist circumference (12). That as well as more inflammation in the body.

And the best thing you can do to burn excess fat off your belly is to do Afterburn workouts. These workouts combine high-intensity interval training in the form of cardio to achieve a higher total amount of fat burned.

Studies have found high-intensity interval training burns a significant more amount of fat than traditional cardiovascular exercise (13). One study found it burned 900% more fat over a 15 week period compared to another group over 20 weeks (14).

Depending on your current fitness level intense exercise can mean many things. If you’re a total beginner then going for a hike or brisk walk will be better than sitting on the couch. But if you’re already working out consistently then you’re going to have to crank up the intensity of your exercise. This is the only way to get more results from your workouts. Your body adapts quickly to exercises as well as the intensity you do them at.

Then it’ll be a good idea to combine high-intensity exercise with specific exercises for your abs. This way you’ll be able to build some lean toned muscle on your abs. This will help to shrink the inches off your waist even more.

You can also check out some of my best ab exercises as well as belly fat burning exercises.

Diet to Lose Inches Off Waist

You won’t be able to lose or get rid of those last couple inches off your waist if you’re not focusing on upgrading your diet. One of the hardest parts about losing inches off your waist is improving your eating habits.

Start by kicking out the bad foods that are causing belly fat in the first place. Usually, sugar and bad carbs are the worst offenders (15,16). Eating refined carbs, processed foods, vegetable oils, and sugar will cause you to never lose those inches off your waist.

Next, try eating a higher protein diet. Studies have found those eating more protein in their diet ended up reducing their waist circumference (17). Your body will not only burn more fat with a high protein diet but it’ll also keep and even build some lean toned muscle (18). This will help to lower your overall body fat too.

Also, don’t be afraid to eat some good fats in your diet to lose those last couple of inches off your waist. Some of my favorite good fats include avocados, eggs, and extra-virgin olive oil. You’ll better be able to control your blood sugar and insulin by eating good fats (19). You can check out my full list of good fats and protein sources on my Food List Cheat Sheet.

Last but not least you should be watching your caloric intake every day. I highly recommend keeping a food journal for at least a few days to track and measure how much you’re eating daily. Then plug in this food into a calorie macronutrient counter such as Myfitnesspal.

Many people overestimate how many calories are eating daily (20). This can throw off your progress towards losing inches off your waist. If you’re still having trouble losing those inches off your waist then try reducing your daily caloric intake. Use a calorie tracker app to make sure you’re staying within your required ranges.

Intermittent fasting is also a way to accelerate your results towards losing inches off your waist. Studies have found those using intermittent fasting were able to burn more fat while keeping lean muscle (21).

Many people see even better results when combining intermittent fasting with a low carb diet. When combined they’ll create a powerful fat burning dieting plan for many people who have trouble losing excess inches off their waist.

Sleep More and Stress Less to Lose Even More Inches

Last but not least there are a few lifestyle factors you should know about that can impact how many inches you’re able to lose off your waist.

Making sure you’re getting enough quality sleep per night will have a big long-term impact on your waist size. Studies have found those not getting enough sleep have a bigger waist circumference than those who do get enough sleep (22,23).

If you feel like you’re chronically stressed out all the time then make sure you’re lowering your stress levels the best you can. Chronically elevated stress levels can cause your body to release the stress hormone cortisol. Studies have found too much cortisol to be linked to increases in abdominal fat (24).

If you’re having trouble improving the quality of your sleep or lowering your stress levels then I highly recommend taking some CBD. Studies have found CBD to be effective for improving how fast you’re able to fall asleep as well as into a deep sleep (25,26). Plus CBD is science-backed to help reduce anxiety and stress (27).

Another way to drop inches off your waist is to reduce your consumption of sugary beverages. Instead, replace them with drinking coffee or tea. Studies have found drinking coffee to be linked to a reduction in overall waist circumference (28). Also, the catechins in green tea have been linked to decreases in waist circumference (29).

If you have trouble drinking enough green tea then try supplementing with a green tea extract like the one you can find already inside MetaboGreens.

How can I make my waist smaller overnight?

Now, this is kind of a trick question because losing inches off your waist overnight will not be in the form of fat. With that said you could theoretically and temporarily lose a couple of inches off your waist “overnight” by sweating it out.

As a trainer and fitness coach, I do not like recommending this. But if you just have to lose a couple of inches fast for an event then it could help you sweat out some water temporarily. You can try fasting for the day drinking only water and protein shakes, jumping into the sauna for 20-30 min and practicing vacuum exercises. And worst case you can always wear a waist belt to help make it appear you lost a couple inches overnight.

What is the best exercise to lose inches off your waist?

The best exercise to lose inches off your waist is one that combines high-intensity cardiovascular exercise with a targeted ab exercise. You can check out my favorite belly fat burning exercise in the video below.

The Last Word

At the end of the day losing inches off your waist is going to come down to your diet, exercise and lifestyle upgrades. Many people are born with the genetics that wants to stubbornly hold on to excess belly fat but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with them forever.

The truth is whatever you’re doing right now isn’t going to be enough to lose those last stubborn inches off your waist. Your belly fat is staying there because your body wants to cling onto it. So you’re going to have to take things up a notch if you want to lose those inches off your waist.

Having belly fat is not only unsightly but it’s linked to some serious health problems such as heart disease and type II diabetes. So best to get rid of it as soon as you can for not only your appearance but also your health.

If you’re looking for a total body exercise and diet plan that combines all of the above strategies then be sure to check out the flat belly formula.

Now that you know the real secret on how to lose inches off your waist it’s time to put them into action. This will be the only way to lose inches off your waistline fast and get the results you want as soon as possible.