What works better against belly fat: eating less or moving more?
Eating less has, on average, a slightly larger effect on belly fat than moving more, but the combination works best. Choose aerobic exercise when you work out, and avoid overly aggressive diets because of the risk of bone loss.
Eating less works slightly better than moving more when you compare them in isolation. Caloric restriction produces, on average, a greater reduction in visceral fat than exercise alone. Exercise also has a clear effect, but a somewhat smaller one, and the benefit scales neatly with how much you do: burning more energy through sport produces more reduction.
The combination is more powerful than either approach on its own. This was clearly visible in people with type 2 diabetes: diet alone already produced a substantial decrease in visceral fat, but those who combined it with intensive exercise (six times per week) lost well over twice as much belly fat. An additional advantage of that combination is that you lose less muscle mass while losing weight.
What you should definitely not do is targeted abdominal exercises such as crunches or sit-ups to lose belly fat. Six weeks of daily training does improve the strength of the abdominal muscles, but has no demonstrable effect whatsoever on the fat surrounding them. Belly fat disappears only when there is an energy deficit, not by working one muscle group hard.
A word of caution about strict diets: a very strict diet (65–75% caloric restriction) produces more visceral fat loss than a moderate diet, but also costs significantly more bone density in the hip. That is a real risk, especially for women after menopause. So do not push your caloric restriction too aggressively.
Strength training is useful, but works differently. On its own, it reduces visceral fat in adults and older people. Adding it to a diet, however, does not provide proven additional fat loss on top of diet alone. The value of strength training lies more in preserving muscle mass while losing weight. For fat mass reduction, aerobic training, such as walking, cycling or swimming, is considered the most effective form of exercise.
This answer rests on two large reviews of dozens of randomised studies in people with overweight or obesity, supplemented by smaller randomised studies in specific groups (people with diabetes, postmenopausal women, a small pilot study with a ketogenic diet). The findings on diet versus exercise are solidly supported. The findings on strength training and on children are less robust: in children, well-controlled evidence for an independent effect of exercise on visceral fat is lacking.
Does eating low-carb make a difference for belly fat?
Eating low-carb probably helps with belly fat, but the effect depends strongly on how strictly you follow it and whether you are also eating fewer calories at the same time. If you specifically want to target belly fat, a meal time window or a combination of strategies appears more effective than reducing carbohydrates alone.
What are effective ways to lose weight?
The combination of eating fewer calories and exercising for more than 250 minutes per week is the most proven effective approach; add behavioural support if sustaining it proves difficult, and discuss medications or surgery with your doctor if lifestyle changes alone are not producing sufficient results.
Does the timing of meals throughout the day affect your weight?
When you eat matters: meals earlier in the day appear more favourable for your metabolism than eating late, although the effect varies from person to person and the strongest evidence is still based on short-term studies.
Is brown fat really different from regular fat, and can I activate it?
Brown fat is genuinely different from regular fat and you can activate it, with cold exposure having the strongest evidence. Supplements and medications do not yet exist, but spending time in a cooler environment regularly is a concrete, achievable step.
Does drinking water help with weight loss?
Drinking water probably helps with weight loss, especially when done before meals or when used to replace sugar-containing drinks. The effect is modest and works best as part of a broader diet.
Does the order in which you eat your food affect your digestion?
Yes, the order in which you eat affects your blood sugar and digestion speed: eating protein or vegetables first and carbohydrates last is most beneficial, especially if you have type 2 diabetes or want to prevent it.