Visceral Fat: What It Is and How to Lose It Safely
Visceral fat is the fat stored deep inside your belly, around organs such as your liver and intestines. It is different from the soft fat you can pinch under your skin, and carrying more of it is linked to a higher risk of health problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The main ways to lose visceral fat are overall weight loss, regular physical activity, better sleep and less stress, often with medical support for people who need it. Body contouring treatments like SculpSure work on the fat under your skin, not on visceral fat, so they help with shape rather than with this kind of health risk.
This guide covers what visceral fat is, how it differs from the fat under your skin, why it matters for your health, how to lose it, and where body contouring fits in. If you want a refresher on why the scale only tells part of the story, our guide on why body composition matters more than the scale is a good companion read.
What is visceral fat?
Your body stores fat in different places. Most of the fat you can see and pinch sits just under your skin. Visceral fat sits much deeper, inside your abdomen, where it surrounds and pads your internal organs.
You cannot pinch visceral fat, and you cannot always see it. Two people with the same weight can carry very different amounts of it. A larger waist, especially a waist that is bigger than your hips, is one of the most common signs that you may be carrying more than is healthy.
A small amount of fat around your organs is normal. The concern is when there is more of it than your body needs.
Visceral fat vs. subcutaneous fat: what is the difference?
The fat under your skin is called subcutaneous fat. Here is how it compares with visceral fat:
Visceral fat | Subcutaneous fat | |
|---|---|---|
Where it sits | Deep in the abdomen, around your organs | Just under the skin, all over the body |
Can you pinch it? | No | Yes |
Link to health risks | Closely linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes | Less closely linked |
How it is reduced | Overall weight loss, activity, sleep, stress management | Overall weight loss, plus body contouring for specific areas |
What body contouring does | Does not treat it | Can reduce stubborn fat in treated areas |
How it is tracked | Waist size, waist-to-hip shape and body composition | Measurements, photos and body composition |
Most people have both. Losing weight in a healthy way usually reduces both kinds of fat over time.
Why does visceral fat matter for your health?
Visceral fat matters because of where it sits. Fat stored around the organs is more closely tied to health problems than fat stored under the skin.
MedlinePlus explains that obesity can lead to health problems including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. It also notes that women with a waist size greater than 35 inches and men with a waist size greater than 40 inches have an increased risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and that people whose waist is bigger than their hips have a higher risk too.
That is why your waist measurement is such a useful number. It gives you a simple way to keep an eye on the kind of fat that matters most for your long-term health, even when your weight looks fine on paper.
The deciding factor: is your goal health, shape, or both?
When people say they want to lose belly fat, they usually mean one of two things, or both:
A health goal: reducing the deeper fat around your organs and lowering your risk of weight-related health problems.
A shape goal: reducing a stubborn pocket of fat under the skin that does not respond to diet and exercise.
The answer to this question changes which approach makes sense. A health goal calls for overall weight loss and lifestyle changes, often with medical support. A shape goal may call for body contouring once you are at or near a weight you are happy with. Many people want both, and a good plan handles them in the right order.
How do you lose visceral fat?
There is no single trick that targets visceral fat. It responds to the same steady habits that support healthy weight loss in general.
Lose weight gradually. Overall weight loss reduces visceral fat. The NIDDK suggests that losing 5% of your body weight over 6 months may be a good first goal. Our guide on healthy weight loss per week explains what a realistic pace looks like.
Move every day. Regular activity, from brisk walks to cycling or swimming, helps your body use stored energy, including fat around your organs.
Add strength training. Two or three sessions a week help protect muscle while you lose fat, which supports your results. Our guide on fat or muscle and how to keep muscle while losing weight explains why that matters.
Build meals around protein, vegetables and fiber. These foods help you feel full and make it easier to eat a little less without constant hunger.
Cut back on sugary drinks and alcohol. They add calories quickly without keeping you full.
Protect your sleep. The NIDDK notes that not getting enough sleep is linked to weight gain and may make you hungrier. Our guide on sleep, stress and weight shares practical tips.
Manage stress. Ongoing stress can drive cravings and make healthy routines harder to keep.
These changes take time. Visceral fat usually goes down as part of a steady weight loss plan, so focus on habits you can keep for months, not quick fixes.
Can body contouring remove visceral fat?
No. This is one of the most common questions we hear, so it is worth being clear.
Body contouring treatments such as SculpSure in Clifton and Contour Light work on fat under the skin. SculpSure is an FDA-cleared laser treatment that permanently destroys treated fat cells in targeted areas, and Contour Light is an FDA-cleared red and infrared light treatment for inch loss on areas like the waist, hips and thighs. Neither one reaches the fat stored deep around your organs, and neither one is a weight loss treatment.
Here is where body contouring does fit:
After you have lost weight, to reduce a stubborn pocket of fat under the skin that remains.
When you are close to your goal weight and want to refine your shape in one or two areas.
Alongside a healthy lifestyle, not instead of one.
If your main goal is to reduce visceral fat and the health risks that come with it, medical weight loss and lifestyle changes are the right place to start. Our guide on whether SculpSure is weight loss explains the difference in more detail, and our guide on body contouring without surgery covers the non-surgical options.
Where medical weight loss support fits
For some people, appetite, health conditions or years of trying make it hard to lose weight with habits alone. A medical weight loss program pairs you with a provider who reviews your health history, sets a realistic pace and checks your progress along the way.
For some patients, the provider may recommend Liraglutide injections, an FDA-approved GLP-1 medication that helps regulate appetite. It is prescribed and monitored by a provider and is not right for everyone. Medication works best alongside healthy eating, regular activity and good sleep.
Women often notice more fat around the middle during and after menopause. Our guide on menopause weight gain explains why and what helps.
How is visceral fat measured?
Visceral fat is hard to measure exactly without medical imaging. For most people, a few simple measures give a useful picture:
Waist measurement. Measure around your bare waist, just above your hip bones, after breathing out normally. Compare it with the MedlinePlus figures of 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.
Waist compared with hips. A waist that is bigger than your hips is a sign of more fat stored around the middle.
Body composition. Tracking body fat and lean mass over time shows whether your plan is reducing fat while protecting muscle.
At Transformative 360, every consultation includes a Fit3D body scan. It captures your body shape and measurements, including your waist and hips, and estimates your body composition in under a minute. Repeat scans show how your waist and body fat are changing over time, which is far more useful than the scale alone. You can read more in our guide to the Fit3D body scan in Clifton.
Serving Clifton and the surrounding communities
Transformative 360 is located on Route 46 in Clifton, a short drive for people across Passaic, Essex and Bergen counties. We regularly see patients from Passaic, Paterson, Garfield, Nutley, Montclair, Bloomfield, Wayne, Totowa, Little Falls, Woodland Park, East Rutherford, Wallington and Rutherford. If you want to reduce belly fat for your health, your shape or both, our Clifton office is easy to reach, and a Fit3D body scan is part of every consultation.
Book your consultation
If you are worried about belly fat and not sure whether you need weight loss support, body contouring or both, a consultation is a good place to start. You will get a Fit3D body scan, a one-on-one conversation about your goals and health history, and a plan that puts the right steps in the right order.
Transformative 360 is proud to be recognized with the BusinessRate #1 award for weight loss services in Clifton, NJ.
Ready to get started? Book your consultation online or call us at (201) 554-3755. Transformative 360, 1117 RT 46 E Suite 203, Clifton NJ 07013.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to lose visceral fat?
Steady overall weight loss, regular physical activity, strength training, better sleep and less stress are the most reliable ways to reduce visceral fat. There is no single food, supplement or exercise that targets it directly.
Can you have visceral fat if you are thin?
Yes. Your weight alone does not show how much visceral fat you carry. A larger waist, little muscle or an inactive lifestyle can all mean more fat around the organs, even at a "normal" weight. A waist measurement and a body composition scan give a better picture.
Does SculpSure reduce visceral fat?
No. SculpSure is an FDA-cleared treatment that targets fat under the skin in specific areas. It does not reach the visceral fat around your organs and is not a weight loss treatment. It works best for stubborn pockets of fat once you are near your goal weight.
Does Liraglutide help reduce belly fat?
Liraglutide is an FDA-approved GLP-1 medication that helps regulate appetite, which can support overall weight loss for some patients. Overall weight loss is what reduces belly fat. Liraglutide is not right for everyone, and your provider will decide whether it fits your health history.
How long does it take to lose visceral fat?
It depends on your starting point, your health and your plan. Visceral fat goes down gradually as part of steady weight loss. Tracking your waist and body composition every few weeks helps you see progress before it shows in the mirror.
Is visceral fat the same as belly fat?
Not exactly. Belly fat includes both the fat under your skin, which you can pinch, and the visceral fat deeper inside your abdomen, which you cannot. Both usually go down with healthy weight loss, but visceral fat is the one more closely linked to health risks.
