Many of us would like to lose belly fat to look and feel better but excess stomach fat and large waistlines are often linked to serious medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, men with a waist circumference of over 37.1 inches are considered Intermediate risk and those over 40 inches are high risk for weight related health disorders. For Women a waist of over 31.6 inches is considered intermediate risk and over 35 inches is high risk of health problems related to weight.

Here are 5 Tips to Lose Belly Fat Fast

1. Cut Your Daily Calorie Intake

The recommended daily intake is 2000 calories for Women and 2500 for Men but it does vary according to age and physical activity. Monitoring your daily calorie intake is the first step to lose belly fat as it reduces the body turning excess calories into stored fat. A calorie counter is a good idea to start to track your daily intake.

2. Change your diet

To keep your calories down you will probably have to change your diet but eating more fruit and vegetables and cutting down on carbs will help you lose body fat as well as feeling healthier. Eating more fibre in your diet is also beneficial to reducing body fat. 

3. Take More Exercise

A key part of losing belly fat is to increase your exercise. Many of us now have jobs which require sitting for long periods and we are therefore physically less active. Increasing exercise does not mean you need to spend hours in the gym every day but more of a gradual increase in physical activity is required. Walking or cycling to work or taking the stairs instead of the lift are good starting points. Start off slowly especially if you are not used to exercise and increase gradually - the aim is to increase the metabolic rate of the body so it burns fat instead of storing it !

 4. Drink Less Alcohol

Most of us will have seen or heard about a BEER BELLY on a man (or woman) who drinks heavily but is it true that alcohol causes belly fat ? Certainly in one study on the National Library for Medicine  it does show that those drinking larger amounts of alcohol did have increased levels of belly fat than those who drink smaller amounts of alcohol so the message is if you want to reduce belly fat cut down on alcohol consumption.

5. Reduce Stress Levels

It may surprise you that stress levels can have an effect on the amount of excess tummy fat we carry. Our adrenal glands produce cortisol when we are under stress and it this "stress" hormone that is thought to increase appetite. Research has also shown that some women with large waists produce more cortisol under stress and this can result in an increase in excess stomach fat. Stress can be reduced by exercise but some may also find yoga and other relaxation techniques helpful. Sleep is another important factor helpful in reducing stress levels and regular quality sleep has many other health benefits too.

Finally always remember that although it may take some time to lose belly fat you only need to make SMALL changes to your lifestyle to have a BIG effect on your health !