While there isn’t much evidence to support the explicit ability to reduce stomach fat, there are a few things you can do (beginning right now) to reduce the appearance of having a large abdominal area.

1. Don’t eat a solid-food meal past suppertime

For most people who train, especially those that work out for the purpose of muscle-building, eating late-night meals is often commonplace. But to what end (besides temporarily satisfying emotional distress)? Perhaps it’s to provide the body with a slow-release protein during a long night of sleep; a viable reason. The problem, though, is that we tend to overeat.

Extra calories (even if derived from high-protein foods) eventually get stored as fat, and it’s simply not great for proper digestion either. As Lou Ferrigno once pointed out, the stomach gradually gets bigger when you go to bed on a full (or even half-full) stomach; I’d add that when your stomach gets bigger, it becomes more difficult to satisfy hunger cravings… meaning, you need to eat more (and more) with every meal.

2. Increase Aerobic Activity

Increasing the amount of cardio (i.e., aerobic activity) performed weekly (in frequency, intensity, and/or duration) helps with reducing stomach fat. While a general solution to fat-burning, leaning down is usually most apparent in the abdominal area — a good thing.

3. Drink (More) Water

Drinking water has a two-fold (positive) effect in regards to reducing stomach fat.

The first, when replacing all other beverages (not including soups/broths), including real fruit juices, is less sugar in your diet (plus a slightly lower caloric intake); this results in a heightened capacity for your body to burn fat, naturally. As a side note, carbonated drinks (even [natural] sparkling [mineral] water) often lead to varying degrees of bloatedness, resulting in larger intestines (and, thus, increased hunger)… similar to overeating.

The second is a detox (also referred to as a cleanse). A water detox, while dangerous if conducted without the consumption of food for an extended period of time (and/or in the case of an excessive amount of water intake), can be introduced with great success in moderation. The former can result in a stroke, while the latter (when complemented with a healthy amount of fiber) offers several digestive benefits along with assisting the proper functioning of the body in general. You’ll be more “regular” (i.e., go to the washroom more regularly), and improve your chances of eliminating intestinal lining waste.

4. Relax

Relaxation throughout the day, every day, in the form of naps, meditation, and/or listening to your favorite music playlist (to name a few examples) helps more to reduce stomach fat than we’d like to admit or care to know. In some countries, it’s virtually mandatory to meditate or enjoy a brief rest period mid-day. This is because they know that, besides increased energy levels, it contributes to overall good health.

When stressed out, abdominal (and colonal [i.e., colon]) tension/compression takes place. For many, this is experienced throughout the entire day, often due to failure to take the occasional pause from stressful activity. It builds up, potentially leading to one of many types of inflammation and/or a form of intestinal disease… let alone significant stomach fat (or what appears to be so, via bloatedness, etc).

In sum, make periodic rest/relaxation a priority.

Conclusion

Since a sedentary lifestyle is likely the primary cause of accumulated stomach fat, regular physical activity should be part of everyone’s daily routine. Therefore, if your shape shows signs of straying from what you’d ideally look like, consider upping the cardio as we’ve already mentioned… or, similarly & at the least, increase your resistance training (i.e., muscle-building) frequency, intensity, and/or duration.