How to DESTROY Visceral Belly Fat (Forever)

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The belly fat you know is visible, and you can literally pinch it. But that’s just one type of belly fat. While everyone focuses on how to lose belly fat, there’s a hidden layer of belly fat called visceral belly fat. It can not only make your gut look bloated but it wraps around your organs, pumping out inflammatory molecules linked to heart disease and even early death. You might be like, ‘Well Jeremy, if it’s so bad, I’ll just zap it with liposuction.’ Nope. Even a surgeon can’t get to it. But, you can! Visceral fat is actually easier to get rid of. With the right plan, you can see and feel visceral fat loss in just 30 days, just like my brother-in-law, Dayton. Here’s how you can get rid of visceral belly fat.

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Dayton is not visibly overweight, but his DEXA scan showed 33% body fat with 1,200 grams of visceral fat hiding in his gut. That’s more than Kevin, who had 38% body fat and 50x more than what I have. But after following the plan I share in this video, his visceral fat dropped by 50% in just 12 weeks.

Unlike normal belly fat, visceral fat can be increased by specific foods even if calorie intake stays the same. First food: saturated fat. In a 2014 study, 2 groups were overfed by 750 calories/day from muffins. Group 1: Muffins made with polyunsaturated fat. Group 2: Muffins made with saturated fat. Result: Group 2 gained DOUBLE the visceral belly fat. Not only that, but Group 1 gained less fat and built more lean mass. How much saturated fat is too much? Experts recommend keeping saturated fat intake under 20–30 grams per day. But Dayton’s favorite ribeye steak dinner? ~50g of fat, nearly half of it saturated. Add breakfast and lunch, and he sometimes exceeded 50 g of saturated fat per day. You don’t need to cut out fatty foods completely. Just balance them. E.g., Ribeye → once or twice a week; swap with fatty fish (rich in unsaturated fats and choose leaner cuts like top sirloin (saves 15g saturated fat). Even grass-fed meats are slightly better, though the difference is small.

Some people store more visceral fat due to genetic. But cultural diets packed with added sugar are also to blame. Case in point: bubble tea can have up to 50g of sugar, and the average Taiwanese adult takes 43g/day (vs recommended 25g). The type of sugar also matters. In a 2009 study, researchers gave participants drinks with equal calories, with one sweetened with pure fructose and the other with glucose. After 10 weeks, only the fructose group saw a significant increase in visceral fat. They also had worse insulin sensitivity. Now, don’t worry about fructose in fruit (it has fiber + water). The real problem: table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and foods like cereal, granola, sweetened yogurt, juice, jam, and even condiments like ketchup.

Instead of just cutting sugar to get rid of visceral belly fat, replace it with protein. A 2005 study found that simply doubling protein intake led participants to naturally eat fewer calories and lose over 10 pounds in 12 weeks, with most of it coming from fat (ideal for reducing visceral fat). E.g., my mom’s coffee habit: she swapped 2 spoonfuls of sugar + cream for ½ scoop French Vanilla Built With Science protein mixed with a splash of milk. Result (per month): -750g sugar, -45g saturated fat, +450g protein. As for Dayton’s Chicago mix popcorn? It’s now made with plain popcorn, salted caramel protein, sugar-free syrup, and cheddar seasoning. Result: -100g sugar, +29g protein.

This is just the nutrition side of the 30-day plan. For real visceral fat loss, you also need to eat in a calorie deficit. Good news: Visceral fat is the first fat to go when you’re in a deficit. Even 10 lbs lost = up to 30% reduction in visceral fat. My app found my sweet spot is 2,300 calories/day. Dayton’s is 2,000. It adjusts as you go.

Finally, if you’re wondering how to lose belly fat, the truth is you can’t spot-reduce belly fat.But you CAN target visceral fat with the right kind of cardio. A 2023 study found that all exercise helps, but moderate-to-high intensity cardio and interval training work best. Why? These raise catecholamines, a fat-mobilizing hormone that visceral fat responds to directly. While this might make it sound like you need to kill yourself with endless all-out sprints, that’s not the case. The exercise types that torched visceral fat in the study required getting above 75% of your max heart rate: not a walk in the park, but far from an all-out sprint.

Here’s how you can do it:
Warm-up: 5 minutes
Work: 30 seconds high intensity
Recover: 90 seconds
Repeat: 6–10 rounds

Do this 2–3× per week. Good options include running, cycling, rowing, and using an elliptical machine. And on your rest days? Aim for 8,000+ steps. It’s low-impact and still chips away at visceral fat.

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