How to Burn Stomach Fat at Home

Having fat in the stomach area increases your risk for a stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Uncontrollable food cravings and stress are common causes of stomach fat. Doing numerous crunches and situps will build muscle, but it is not going to get rid of that fat layer. The only way to burn stomach fat is by eating a proper diet and incorporating exercise into your lifestyle. There is no such thing as "spot-reduction" or losing fat from just one area of the body, so to lose stomach fat, you will have to reduce the fat all over your body.

Step 1:

Eat five to six small, nutritious meals per day. By eating every three hours, you force your metabolism to keep working and you are less likely to crave result-sabotaging foods. Thirty percent of the calories you consume throughout the day should come from protein, 25 percent should come from healthy fats, and 45 percent should come from carbohydrates. Good choices include fiber-rich and whole grain products, lean protein and unsaturated fats. Substitute unhealthy fats with healthy fats such as avocados, nuts and olive oil.

Step 2:

Perform interval training three or four days of the week. Instead of doing long periods of cardiovascular exercise at the same intensity, you can do 20 minutes of interval training. Interval training burns fat faster and builds up your endurance and strength. Jog for three minutes at low intensity before accelerating to high intensity for one minute. Go back and forth, from low to high intensity, until you complete 20 minutes. Interval training can also be done on the elliptical machine, stationary bike or stair-climber.

Step 3:

Do compound weight lifting exercises for maximum muscle mass increase. Muscles keep on burning fat even when you are at rest, so the more muscle you have, the more fat you can burn. Compound exercises target multiple muscles at the same time. Do exercises such as bench presses, overhead presses, barbell squats and deadlifts. Workout all muscles of the body, but divide them over your workout days so each muscle group gets enough recovery time. For instance, workout arms and shoulder on Mondays, legs and chest on Tuesdays and back and abs on Fridays.

Step 4:

Target abdominal muscles with exercises such as crunches, situps and side-bends which will tone the stomach. Once the fat layer has melted off your stomach, these muscles will be on display.

Step 5:

Reduce stress in your life. An increase in stress levels triggers the stress hormone cortisol, which has been associated with fat in the stomach area. Good ways to reduce stress can include meditation, breathing deeply and delegating tasks at work.

Step 6:

Get eight hours of sleep per day. While you sleep your body restores itself and provides you with energy for your next workout.