How To Lose Belly Fat Overnight? (15 Fat Burning Hacks)

Weight Loss & Diets | Written by Nathan Petitpas | Updated on 21 March 2024

Medically Reviewed By Dr. Margaret Trashian, MD

Someone lies in bed, wishing to wake up tomorrow with a flatter stomach.

While you won’t lose 10 pounds overnight, you can trim some belly fat, diminish bloating, and avoid fluid retention for a flatter stomach come morning. Additionally, you may experience improved bowel movements upon waking up!

Whatever the event, try these 15 fat-burning hacks and tips to find out how you can awaken to a slimmer, tighter stomach!

1. Green Tea & Honey

Green tea is the perfect drink to rev up your metabolism and it’s especially beneficial as soon as you wake up. This beverage is rich in antioxidants like catechin, which increases the rate at which your body burns fat and improves exercise performance (this will come in handy later!)1

It also contains caffeine, acting as a natural appetite suppressant so you can control your cravings all through the day as you learn how to get skinny fast.2 Plus, both the refreshing taste of green tea and the caffeine freshen you up in the morning, so you likely won’t miss your sugary cup of coffee.

Go down to the grocery store, and you’ll probably find multiple varieties of green tea. If it tastes too bitter for your liking, you can always add some honey to sweeten it up.

Honey is a natural sweetener with no fat, sodium, or cholesterol, so it’s the perfect way to make your tea more palatable.

2. Shed Belly Fat With a Protein Heavy Breakfast

After your morning tea, try to include as much protein as you can in your breakfast. Breakfast holds utmost importance every day, especially when you’re striving to trim belly fat overnight!

A filling breakfast can prevent hunger pangs till dinnertime.

Eggs, protein smoothies, lean protein, oatmeal, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and sugar-free yogurt are excellent options for a high-protein breakfast. Having enough protein will fill you up faster and keep you satiated for longer, so you end up snacking less throughout the day.

People who up their protein intake to just 30% of their total calories end up consuming 441 calories less on average, experiencing more weight loss, so be sure to fill yourself up!3 It’ll also help you recover from any exercise you perform afterward.

Don’t overeat, though, and try not to include too much added sugar either.

If you’re someone who likes pancakes for breakfast, try protein pancakes without syrup to cut down on sugar and still get a delicious breakfast.

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3. Limit Refined & Artificial Sugar for Weight Loss

Artificial sugar gives you never-ending cravings for sweet treats while refined sugar is addictive since it activates the pleasure receptors in the brain.

A single tablespoon of sugar has about 50 calories, and most desserts use significantly more than a single tablespoon, so they’re incredibly calorie-dense and hinder weight loss. Not only that, it causes irregular insulin spikes, which mess up your satiety (fullness) response and make you crave food even when you should be satiated.

The American Heart Association recommends that you only eat 24-36 grams of added sugar a day.4 A high-sugar diet correlates with higher amounts of belly fat.5

On the other hand, artificial sugar also promotes the propagation of harmful bacteria in your gut and may make you gassy and bloat you up. Because it’s low in calories, artificial sugar can be a great sugar substitute for those who have a sweet tooth and can be an effective method for losing belly fat so long as you don’t have adverse reactions.

All in all, try to limit added sugar during the day so your body can work its magic overnight. And when possible, avoid artificial sweeteners due to their controversial health effects.

4. Eat a Light Salad for Lunch

Your breakfast should keep you full for a while so that you can make a big, filling bowl of salad for lunch with foods like lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, kale, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, bell peppers, olives, avocados, etc. Any combination of these foods and other non-starchy veggies gives you a low-calorie, high-fiber meal.

The fiber in fibrous foods keeps you satiated for a long time and aids in good digestion and weight loss. If your belly looks rounder because of constipation, this salad should help next time you pay a visit to the toilet!

Most of these foods contain soluble fiber, which becomes a gel-like substance in the stomach and prevents hunger pangs – a 10-gram increase in fiber can up weight loss by 3.7%.6

You can also eat a large amount of salad recipes without adding too many calories to your roster. For the dressing, check the label and use a low-calorie store-bought dressing, squeeze a lemon on top, or use some balsamic vinaigrette instead of something calorie-dense like ranch.

Lemon speeds up fat burning and vinegar discourages fat storage, so either dressing is a great choice.7, 8

5. Sip on Warm Water

You’ve covered breakfast and lunch, but despite all the protein and fiber in the world, you may still feel bloated if you don’t drink enough water. When you’re dehydrated, your body retains fluids and stores them between the cells, swelling up your belly and creating fluid retention.

While drinking more water to get rid of water may sound counterintuitive, it’s the most effective way to fight fluid-induced bloating. When you drink enough water, your body  lets go of excess fluid through urine or sweat, slimming down your belly without having to reduce fat.

You might even see a weight loss of a couple of pounds!

Warm water can help with constipation and increase body temperature, encouraging it to burn belly fat. Still, water at any temperature is good for you since it encourages your body to flush out toxins and waste.

Try to have 8-10 glasses of warm water during the day right up until you go to bed. You can set hydration reminders on your phone or use an app to remind you to drink water before meals since it can fill up your belly and make you naturally consume fewer calories.9

6. Avoid Alcohol & Soda

Both alcohol and fizzy drinks dehydrate your body and promote fluid retention, bloating up your belly. Too much alcohol also makes you throw up, so you lose electrolytes that are vital for energy and essential bodily functions. 

This dehydration is why it’s common to drink lots of water when you’ve had too much alcohol since it restores the fluids in the body. Alcohol hinders weight loss since it’s also quite calorie-dense, and you can get carried away during a night of drinking, so it’s best to avoid it and sip on some seltzer water if you go out today.

Regular sodas are even higher in calories than alcohol while also containing a lot of added sugar, making them so sweet and addictive. These beverages not only make you crave more sweets and take up a significant part of your calorie budget, but the carbonation also gives your gas and a bloated belly.

Diet sodas will also bloat your belly due to carbonation, and since they activate the same areas of the brain as regular drinks, they may make you crave sweets, too.10 The same goes for any beverages with added sugar, including commercial fruit juices.

If you’re looking to shed belly fat overnight, consider swapping sugary beverages for healthier options that can promote belly fat loss.

7. Sip on Fat-Burning Beverages

If regular water is too dull for your taste, sip on these drinks to boost your metabolism while quenching your thirst:

  • Lemon-infused water – Zero-calorie drink with the refreshing taste and fat-burning properties of lemon and water’s hydration.
  • Kombucha – A mixture of black tea, fruit, and spices containing probiotics that relieve indigestion and bloating.
  • Ginger and chamomile tea – Combines ginger, an antioxidant that helps stabilize blood sugar levels and promotes thermogenesis or fat burn,11 and chamomile, a herb that relaxes your body.
  • Seltzer or sparkling water – Gives you the feeling of a carbonated drink without the sugar and calories, so it’s perfect if you’re used to drinking sodas every day.
  • Protein smoothie – Made with water, protein powder, honey, fruits like banana and blueberries, and other ingredients of your choice like chia and flax seeds, it gives you a constant supply of protein and fiber without too many calories.

8. Take a Walk Around the Block

While doctors recommend getting in at least 10,000 steps a day for heart health, even taking a couple of short walks is a good start.12 Try to take 3-4 walks of about 10-15 minutes each, walking as fast as you can manage.

The rapid pace means you’ll cover more distance in less time and burn more calories. Visceral belly fat primarily affects your cardiovascular health, but walking keeps your heart healthy.13

It also kick-starts your metabolism while increasing your stamina, so it’s a win-win in any case.

Try timing one of the walks before breakfast and one after dinner to lose belly weight. The early morning stroll will burn fat as your body won’t have carbs to burn for energy, and the after-dinner walk will aid with digestion, so you don’t wake up gassy and bloated.

You can even pace around your house if you prefer not to go outside! Download a pedometer app if you want to track your steps, too, and get moving!

9. Get Some Cardio In

If you’re aiming to wake up with a trimmer belly and are keen on learning how to lose belly fat overnight, focus on burning more calories than you consume throughout the day.. While this may be hard to do with just dietary changes, adding cardio exercises will increase fat burn.

Any form of cardio works for weight loss – walking, jogging, running, skipping rope, swimming, cycling, etc. Aerobic exercise can boost your metabolism for up to 14 hours and promotes fat burn.14

10. Do a Few Ab Exercises To Burn Fat Overnight

The abs are the corset of your body – if you tighten the abs, they pull in and shape your belly and back. Besides, strong abs also promote good posture, which can make your stomach look flatter without losing any weight.

Ab exercises strengthen your core muscles and pull your belly inwards. If you do some ab movements today, you might start seeing results in the morning!

Even if you don’t, you’ll feel stronger and be in a better mood because of the endorphins or feel-good chemicals released during exercise.

These exercises also help you burn more calories for weight loss and gain muscle mass. More muscle means more fat burn – a pound of muscle takes more energy to sustain than a pound of fat, which increases your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn at rest).

Some ab movements that target both the upper and lower abs, as well as the waist, include:

  • Sit-ups
  • Crunches
  • Bicycle crunches
  • Planks
  • Plank jacks
  • Russian twists
  • Alternating leg-raises
  • Butterfly kicks
  • Plank twists
  • Roll-ups

Try to do 10 minutes of any ab exercises you can, and you’ll feel the difference in the morning.

11. Have an Early, Nutritious Dinner

After a day of exercise and weight loss, you’ll want to eat protein for recovery. For dinner, it’s optimal to incorporate some lean protein such as chicken breast, turkey breast, salmon, tuna, or plant-based protein, paired with wholesome carbs.

These foods include whole-grain pasta, brown bread, brown rice, oats, etc.

Whole-grain carbs contain fiber and don’t cause insulin spikes like refined carbs. This combination will keep you full till the morning and prevent midnight snacking.

Having an early dinner will give your body more time to digest food before you go to sleep, reducing the chances of you waking up with constipation and a bloated belly. It also means that you can pace around the house or take a walk after dinner, further aiding digestion.

Don’t eat food that bloats your belly at dinner, even if it’s nutritious. If veggies bloat you, opt for some brown rice instead.

If your belly feels heavier after eating pasta, grill some vegetables or make a toast with brown bread.

12. Drink Apple Cider Vinegar After Dinner

Apple cider vinegar with warm water is the perfect post-dinner drink for weight loss. Sure, it might not be the most delicious, but you can always add some honey or experiment with keto-friendly ACV Goli Gummies to sweeten the deal.

Acetic acid, one of the integral compounds in vinegar, is an anti-inflammatory agent that keeps you satiated for a long time, curbing late-night cravings.15 It also discourages fat storage and regulates insulin levels, meaning you feel hungry less often and gain less fat.8, 16

13. Take a Probiotic Before Bedtime

While apple cider vinegar reduces fat storage, probiotics restore the balance of good bacteria in your gut, promoting healthy digestion and alleviating constipation.17 This effect makes sure that you feel less bloated and your stomach looks flatter by the morning.

The lactic acid in probiotics might also improve your weightlifting and other exercise performance since it’s produced in the muscles during strenuous, vigorous exercise, strengthening them so you can go on exercising for a longer time.18

You can either eat a cup of unsweetened Greek yogurt before bed or find a probiotic drink at your local grocery store – they usually taste great!

Furthermore, try blending up berries and yogurt for a healthy and sweet bedtime snack.

14. Hot Showers Promotes Stress-Free Sleep

Taking a warm or hot shower before you go to bed relaxes the body and reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone, so you can fall asleep faster and get deeper, better sleep when it leaves your bloodstream.

Longer, better sleep also means less stress and cortisol in your blood.

People who are chronically stressed constantly have cortisol in their bloodstream. While it reduces appetite short-term, it throws off the balance of the hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin, and creates hunger pangs if it remains in your blood for a while.19

Besides, a hot shower also brings up the body’s core temperature and increases the rate it burns fat. Apart from that, you don’t have to take a shower on cold winter mornings if you’ve already had one at night!

15. Don’t Sleep Too Warm

Finally, you can try making your room colder to burn some extra calories and sleep more restfully. Don’t get so cold that you’re shivering and wake up with a stuffy nose – just be sure it’s a little chilly before you snooze.

Your body will work through the night to keep your body’s core temperature at an average level, fighting against the cold. This process is called thermogenesis and consumes more calories than remaining very toasty and warm.20

How Do I Lose Belly Fat ASAP?

Understanding the strategy behind rapid belly fat loss, possibly within 3 days, revolves around managing the calorie balance: calories consumed should be less than calories burned. Some have even found ways to achieve weight loss within a few hours, but it’s important to remember that certain quick fixes may not be sustainable in the long term.

However, as long as you reduce the number of calories you eat and work on burning more, you will reduce some belly fat and wake up a little slimmer in the morning. These tips aim to boost your metabolism, curb the calories, and burn more to maximize fat loss while simultaneously getting rid of bloating, gas, and water retention, so your belly looks as tight as possible.

Consult a doctor before trying this guide if you have any medical conditions. Alternatively, maintain your motivation for just a single day and night, and you’ll discover that you’ve learned how to shed belly fat overnight, reaping your well-deserved reward!


References

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2Mayo Clinic. (2020, March 20). Caffeine: Can it help me lose weight? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from <https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/caffeine/faq-20058459>

3Weigle, D. S., Breen, P. A., Matthys, C. C., Callahan, H. S., Meeuws, K. E., Burden, V. R., & Purnell, J. Q. (2005). A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 82(1), 41–48. <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16002798/>

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About the Author

Nathan Petitpas

Nathan has been a fitness enthusiast for the past 12 years and jumps between several types of training such as bodybuilding, powerlifting, cycling, gymnastics, and backcountry hiking. Due to the varying caloric needs of numerous sports, he has cycled between all types of diets and currently eats a whole food diet. In addition, Nathan lives with several injuries such as hip impingement, spondylolisthesis, and scoliosis, so he underwent self-rehabilitation and no longer lives with debilitating pain.