How to Lose Belly Fat After Age 50

How to reduce belly fat

Experts say the only way to get rid of belly fat is a comprehensive plan that incorporates both diet and exercise. “The ideal approach involves addressing your overall lifestyle, including eating a balanced diet of whole, naturally fiber-rich foods, being regularly active, prioritizing sleep, not drinking excessively and managing stress,” says Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian from Los Angeles who specializes in nutrition and plant-based eating.  

What you eat matters. “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” says Michele Promaulayko, author of Sugar Free 3: The Simple 3-Week Plan for More Energy, Better Sleep & Surprisingly Easy Weight Loss!. “Eating a healthy diet and working out are great companions.”

The good news is that you can lose belly fat if you make changes to your diet and exercise regularly. Here’s how to revamp both for a flatter belly after 50.

1. Exercises for belly fat

Regular, consistent exercise like walking, running and swimming has been shown to help burn calories and some fat. But high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) — also referred to as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — is a more efficient way of working out, getting more results in less time.

HIIT is a form of cardiovascular exercise that alternates between short bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity moves for the duration of the workout, which is usually 30 minutes or less.

High-intensity interval training includes:

• Walking or running at a slow pace
• Speeding up
• Repeating

It can also include aerobic, boot-camp-style cycling, or any classes that alternate between slower- to moderate-intensity and high-intensity movements.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults spend at least 150 minutes on moderate aerobic activity — think a brisk walk or bike ride — or 75 minutes on vigorous aerobic activity, like running. It also suggests strength training exercises at least twice a week.

Starting slowly, as you would with any exercise, is essential for older adults.

2. Cut down on sugar

Sugar — particularly simple sugars — is one of the leading causes of fat and, specifically, belly fat, according to Promaulayko. “Excess sugar is a major driver of belly fat and fat in general because we only need very little for energy. The rest is stored as fat. And the fact is, we’re getting way more than we need via added and hidden sugars,” Promaulayko says. Sass also recommends cutting down on sugar in the form of refined carbs found in breads, bagels, muffins and sugary drinks, all of which contribute to belly fat.

3. Eat a plant-based diet

Sass recommends eating a healthy, balanced, plant-based diet. “Plant foods rich in monounsaturated fat — avocado and avocado oil, extra-virgin olive oil, whole Mediterranean olives and olive tapenade, nuts and nut butter — as part of a healthy balanced diet may help reduce belly fat,” she says. These healthy fats have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation, two conditions that are also linked to belly fat, she adds.

Add pulses, the umbrella term for dry beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas, for a nutritious source of protein. “The unique combination of fiber and plant protein found in pulses makes them an excellent food for regulating blood sugar and insulin,” Sass says. “Pulses have been shown to help reduce body fat, and regular pulse eaters have smaller waist measurements and a more than 20 percent lower risk of obesity.”

Research has also shown that people who eat whole grains lose more belly fat than those who eat refined grains. “Whole grain eaters also experienced greater improvements in C-reactive protein, a blood marker for inflammation, which is tied to belly fat,” says Sass, adding that soluble fiber is also key.

Foods that provide soluble fiber include oranges, apples, pears, figs, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, oats and avocados.

A plant-based diet can help you not only reduce belly fat but also live longer. A 2023 study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that eating a plant-based or Mediterranean diet was linked with about a 20 percent lower risk of early death.

4. Limit ultra-processed foods

More than half of calories adults eat are from ultra-processed foods, according to a 2025 report published in The Journal of Nutrition. And an earlier study published by NYU Global School of Public Health said that eating foods such as sodas, frozen pizza, fast food, salty snacks and sugary breakfast cereals “may be a key driver of the U.S. obesity epidemic.”

Other studies have linked processed foods to higher risks of dementia, cancer and death from heart disease, as well as your risk of gaining belly fat. So cut way down on frozen meals, fast food, chips and sugary drinks. Fill up instead of heart-healthy foods like:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Legumes
• Lentils
• Nuts
• Whole grains
• Lean meats like poultry and fish

5. Try intermittent fasting

There are many types of intermittent fasting — from time-restricted eating (limiting your eating window to a certain amount of time per day) to alternate-day fasting (where you limit calories to 500 or 600 two nonconsecutive days a week) to brief continuous fasts, Sass says.

“Intermittent fasting has been shown to help reduce belly fat,” she says. But what you eat when you’re not fasting is key to whether you’ll lose weight.

Although some studies have found intermittent fasting helps people lose weight, a six-year study published in the The Journal of the American Heart Association found that calories mattered more than meal timing for weight gain.

So no matter how you are timing your meals, a healthy eating pattern with plant-based foods and limited processed foods seems to be the way to go to get that flat belly.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Aug. 19, 2019. It has been updated to reflect new information.