If I Wanted to Lose Belly Fat Fast, Here Is Exactly What I Would Do (Copy Me)

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5NJKrcrMU0

If I wanted to get rid of my belly fat the fastest way possible, I would not go about it the way I did back in the day. I am not willing to sacrifice my health to reach my dream body in a short time, especially when the pressure of the holidays or a special event is on. Many of us are ready to do anything and everything to look exactly how we want. I have been there. It almost cost me my kidney, and that is why I will never do it again.

So here is the list I have prepared for you: what I would do, step by step, if I wanted to lose belly fat as fast as is sensible.

First, know which layer of belly fat you have

Before you apply any game plan, you need to identify what type of fat you are dealing with. There are three layers in the belly: superficial fat, deep fat and visceral fat.

Superficial fat is the soft layer you can pinch with your hand. A lot of what looks like fat here is really water retention. Most of the food in today's market is ultra-processed and full of ingredients the gut struggles to digest, and some of them can take a long time to clear. Processed meat is a big one. If you want to look leaner, keep a close eye on how much ultra-processed food you eat.

Deep fat is the layer your body draws on during training. When you run or do zone 2 cardio, you tend to burn more of the fat stored around your belly to fuel the effort. This is the layer your body uses for performance, so you do not want to push your body fat too low. I would not go under 10% body fat.

Visceral fat is where the real damage happens. It is the fat that wraps around your organs. When you see someone with a big belly on an otherwise small frame, visceral fat is often the reason, and alcohol, beer in particular, is a common cause. Not every body metabolizes alcohol well, and alcohol is basically ethanol working on your body from the inside. It is not the only cause of visceral fat, but if you drink, pay close attention to how your body responds.

1. Build a fasting window

If I really wanted to lose belly fat fast, I would highly recommend fasting. I am not telling you to go 36 or 48 hours without food, or days. I am talking about building a fasting window into your everyday life and carrying on with your lifestyle around it.

I have never really stopped fasting. The only time I ate more was when I started high-performance training for marathons and Ironman races, where I needed the extra fuel. Otherwise, to look good, I fast from around 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., and sometimes I push it a little longer. The reason is simple: I like to give my body time to digest the food properly.

2. Look after your gut and your calories

The second point is your nervous system and your calorie intake. To lose fat you need a calorie deficit. That is simple science. But what you eat inside your eating window matters just as much, so focus on real food with plenty of fiber, because fiber helps you digest better.

The most important thing to understand is that your gut is your second heart. Your stress and cortisol, your sleep, your recovery, your productivity and your energy all operate from the gut. If your gut is not healthy, it will not help you lose fat, because the most important nervous system center in your body is not working properly. That is why I would pay close attention to my gut first.

Do not stay in a deficit for too long

This is the mistake many people in the fitness industry make: they stay in a calorie deficit for a very long time. Your body gets tired, you drain the glycogen from your muscles, you cannot perform, and you end up frying your metabolism.

My rule is simple. Do not run a deficit for more than a few days in a row. I use five deficit days, with a refill day in the middle and another at the end of the week. Here is how a week looks for me:

Monday, 1,900 calories. Tuesday, 1,800 calories. Wednesday, 2,500 calories, which is a refill day. Thursday, 1,800 calories. Friday, 1,700 calories. Saturday, 1,600 calories. Sunday, 3,000 calories, the second refill day.

If you draw it as a chart, you dip into a deficit, rebound on Wednesday to restore glycogen and energy so you can perform, dip again toward the end of the week, then rebound on Sunday so you start the new week properly. This is the system my clients and I use, so we can keep it up in the long run without hurting ourselves or damaging our organs. Looking good does not automatically mean you feel good or are healthy on the inside.

On the refill days, raise your carbs. Anyone who tells you to cut carbs out completely is probably wrong. There are so many diets out there, carnivore, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and it is confusing. Pick something you actually enjoy and can stick to. If you like to eat more fat, go keto and drop the carbs if that suits you. I love pizza, pasta and Italian food, and I get a lot of joy from eating carbs, so I am not giving them up.

What works for me is balance. Across the week I eat two days of fish, two days of red meat, two days of chicken and one vegetarian day. Diversity is key.

3. Protect your sleep, and train in cycles

The third point is sleep. Sleep is the most important element of any transformation, and plenty of scientific studies back that up. If you train hard for 45 minutes, six times a week, for six months without a break, you will fry your metabolism and your nervous system. They will not be able to repair the muscle tissue. Muscle is built when you rest and recover, so without recovery do not expect to lose belly fat and build muscle at the same time.

For the last couple of years I have trained in cycles of three months. For the first month and a half I go all in, training four to five times a week for 45 minutes. Not two hours. Forty-five minutes, intense and focused, no distractions, no talking, and then I go home.

Then I take a deload week, with high repetitions and no heavy loads. After that, one week completely off from the gym. In that week I walk a lot, around 20,000 to 25,000 steps a day, and sometimes I run five kilometers, because cardio matters too. I like to do it fasted, because fasted cardio tends to draw more on your own fat than on the food in your stomach. Keep it short, around 30 minutes or five kilometers. You are not aiming for long-distance running here.

Do it this way and your nervous system gets the time it needs to recover. You come back performing better and feeling much stronger than before.

4. Eat for your gut, not for your number

Point four is how I eat. I eat for my gut and not for a number. I pay attention to the food and to where I buy it. I even take a picture before and after a meal to see how that particular food affects my gut. If you end up bloated after every single meal, that is a red flag and you need to start paying attention.

Every body has a different metabolism. Take two examples, Bob and Billy. Both eat 100 grams of potatoes. If Bob digests them well and Billy does not, then potatoes are not the best carb for Billy, and he should look for other carbs that suit his metabolism. You cannot copy an influencer's diet and expect it to work, because it was customized to their body.

Also watch your dairy, your fiber, your protein, and the order you eat your meals in. After a workout I go home and prioritize protein first. Then the fiber, then the fats, and the carbs at the end. Eating in this order pushes your body to digest and take on board the nutrients it needs most at that moment. Give it a try, it can be a real game changer.

There is also a free 30-day recomp plan, linked below. Go and get it, apply it, and come back to me.

5. Train hard, recover harder

The last point is recovery. I train hard, but I recover harder. The goal is to increase blood flow and oxygen transport throughout your body. Stretching, sauna and cold plunges all help with that. Keep in mind that each of them also puts some stress on your body, so I also make sure to have days when I do nothing at all. I sleep, watch a movie or go for a short walk.

I am not trying to complicate things. This is what makes the big difference.

How the whole week fits together

Here is the plan in one picture, so you can see how the pieces connect. Every morning I fast from around 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., and I eat real food, high in fiber, inside my eating window. Across the week I run five days in a deficit and two refill days, so my glycogen and energy come back and I can keep performing. Four or five times a week I train for 45 minutes, focused and with no distractions, and I follow a cycle: a month and a half of hard training, a deload week, then a week off with lots of walking.

Around all of that, I protect my sleep, I eat for my gut instead of chasing a number, and I put real effort into recovery, with stretching, sauna, cold plunges and plain rest days. None of this is complicated. The results come from doing all of it together, week after week, and not from one trick.

Mistakes that keep belly fat stuck

Here are the mistakes I see most, and most of them are ones I made myself.

The first is staying in a deficit for too long. Your body gets tired, your muscles run low on glycogen, you cannot perform, and your metabolism pays for it. The fix is the refill days.

The second is cutting carbs out completely. Someone telling you to drop them entirely is probably wrong. Raise them on your refill days and choose the carbs that suit your own body.

The third is copying an influencer's diet. Every body has a different metabolism, so a plan that was customized for someone else will not necessarily work for you. Watch how your own gut responds, take photos of your meals, and notice when you are bloated.

The fourth is training hard without ever recovering. If you train six days a week for months without a break, you are frying your nervous system and your metabolism, and your muscles cannot repair. Recovery is part of the plan, not a bonus.

The fifth is ignoring alcohol. Beer in particular is a common reason people carry a big belly on a small frame. Not every body handles alcohol well, so be honest about how it affects you.

The sixth is ignoring your gut. If every meal leaves you bloated, that is a red flag. Your gut is your second heart, and if it is not working properly, fat loss will be slow no matter how well you train.

Questions people ask me

Do I have to fast from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. like you? No. That is the window I use. What matters is building a fasting window into your daily life that you can keep up, not fasting for days at a time.

Do I have to eat exactly the calories you listed? No. Those numbers are an example of the shape of my week: lower on most days, higher on two refill days. Your own numbers depend on your body, your size and your training, so use the pattern as a guide and not as a prescription.

Can I lose belly fat and build muscle at the same time? Only if you recover. Muscle is built when you sleep and rest. If you never give your body the chance to recover, you should not expect either result.

What should I do first? Start with the layer of fat you are dealing with, then pick one habit from this list and stay consistent with it. Add the next one when the first feels normal.

Final thoughts

Know your layer of fat. Build a fasting window. Stay in a deficit for a few days at a time and refill in between. Train in cycles, sleep well, eat for your gut and recover harder than you train. I highly recommend you apply it, and I believe it is a game changer. Give it a try and come back to me with your comments. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Get your free 30-day recomp plan here: https://azermahdi.com/

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5NJKrcrMU0

Disclaimer

This article is for general information and education only. It is not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified doctor or other licensed healthcare professional. I am sharing my own experience and what I have seen with my coaching clients. Reading this article does not create a doctor-patient or coach-client relationship.

Bloating, low energy, brain fog, poor sleep, low libido, and constant stress can have many causes, including medical conditions. If you have any health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or have symptoms that are severe or do not go away, speak to your doctor before you change your training, nutrition, supplements, fasting, sauna or cold exposure, breathing practice, or sleep routine. Never ignore or delay professional medical advice because of something you read here. If you think you have a medical emergency, contact your local emergency services right away.

The client stories and results mentioned here are real examples, but they are not guarantees. Results vary from person to person and depend on many factors, including your health, effort, consistency, and circumstances. Supplements, calorie targets, and training programmes are mentioned only to describe what I do and what I have seen, and they are not a recommendation for you personally.

You are fully responsible for your own health decisions and for how you use this information. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Azer Mahdi disclaims liability for any loss, injury, or damage resulting from the use of, or reliance on, this article.