Myth busted: sit-ups and crunches can not burn belly fat. In-fact spot reduction is not possible. A common misperception is that you can specifically target the area of the body where you want to lose fat," explains Leanna Ross, PhD, a researcher at Duke's Molecular Physiology Institute and assistant professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. "The entire body will contribute to weight loss when it is achieved through diet and exercise."The only way to reduce abdominal fat is to reduce overall body fat, and then tone the abdominal muscles through core-strengthening exercises. To burn overall body fat, you need to burn calories.