Jillian Michaels Says Ditch These Foods and Do This Workout to Say Goodbye to Belly Fat

While doing ab exercises like crunches will strengthen your abs, they won't reduce belly fat because you can't spot-reduce fat from certain areas of your body. "Reducing overall body fat will help you decrease belly fat" in order to see your abs pop, Jillian said. Do this through a combination of diet and exercise. For more tips on how to lose body fat, check out these nine tips from experts.

One piece of the puzzle that's necessary to reduce overall body fat (in order to lose belly fat) is to focus on your diet. Jillian said a clean, calorie-controlled diet is important for reducing belly fat, and be careful not to overeat.

Make sure your diet is low in processed sugars and flours. "Don't drink too much alcohol," she advised. "Really try to bring this to four drinks a week, tops." Jillian also said to keep sodium intake down in order to avoid water retention, and make sure to drink plenty of water to help reduce water weight.

We asked Jillian what type of exercise is the most effective for reducing overall body fat, and she said the exercises that burn more calories, and therefore burn more stored fat, are HIIT, resistance training, functional fitness (exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups), and circuit training.

Jillian went on to explain that while you're working hard to burn overall body fat, you'll want to condition the muscles underneath the fat so when you lose that top layer, your tummy will be toned. She recommended doing "functional exercises like push-ups, mountain climbers, planks, lunges with chop (torso rotation), etc." These moves all "burn calories and condition your core."

"I also recommend prioritizing sleep," Jillian said. Sleep and weight gain are closely linked since a lack of sleep will raise cortisol levels (your stress hormone), as well as grehlin (the hunger hormone), and increase cravings, which will prompt you to eat more.

A lack of sleep will also make you too tired to get up for that early morning workout or have the energy to push hard if you do make it to the gym. Plus, a lack of sleep makes you want to eat more and is more likely to give into you junk food cravings. Jillian said to aim to get between seven and nine hours nightly, or whatever you feel your body needs.