Struggling to lose stubborn belly fat despite dieting and exercising? Dr. Josh Axe, a doctor of natural medicine and founder of draxe.com, shares his comprehensive, science-backed approach to help you shed that belly fat fast—through diet, supplements, exercise, and lifestyle adjustments. Having guided thousands of patients towards lasting fat loss, Dr. Axe reveals 11 effective strategies rooted in natural health principles.
1. Eat More Fat-Burning Foods: Fiber, Protein, Healthy Fats, and Herbs
One key to losing belly fat is including the right ingredients in every meal. Aim for:
- Fiber: Helps cleanse the colon, supports detoxification, and keeps you full longer.
- Protein: Builds muscle, which in turn burns body fat by boosting metabolism.
- Healthy fats: Encourages your body to switch from sugar burning to fat burning by lowering carb intake.
- Phytonutrient-rich herbs: Spices such as turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, and basil contain thermogenic compounds like capsaicin that activate fat-burning mechanisms.
For example, your breakfast smoothie could include bone broth protein powder (protein), chia seeds (fiber), coconut milk (healthy fat), and cinnamon or ginger (herbs). Similarly, a fat-burning lunch could be a vegetable salad (fiber) topped with salmon (protein and fat), olive oil (healthy fat), and seasonings like garlic or rosemary.
2. Avoid Sugar and Processed Grains
Sugar and refined grains cause your body to store fat, especially around the belly. Sugar is deceptively common, found not only in sweets but also fruit juices, white bread, pastas, and potato chips. Eliminating these hidden sugars and processed carbohydrates can dramatically impact your fat loss efforts.
3. Practice Mindful Eating
Dr. Axe highlights lessons learned from Olympic athletes: eating with intention and awareness is crucial. Instead of asking what foods satisfy cravings or quick hunger fixes, ask, “What do I need to eat to perform at my best?”
Choose organic, natural, whole foods and focus on nourishing your body rather than just satisfying it.
4. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting involves eating within a limited time window—often six hours—and fasting during the rest. For instance, you might eat your first meal at noon and finish by 6 p.m., skipping breakfast entirely.
This approach allows your body to cleanse and heal, boosts human growth hormone production, and promotes faster fat burning.
5. Incorporate HIIT Workouts
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) mimics sprinting—short bursts of maximum effort followed by rest or lower intensity. Unlike steady-state cardio, this style builds lean muscle and efficiently burns fat.
Examples:
- Sprinting and walking alternations on a treadmill or track.
- 30 seconds of intense cycling followed by 30 seconds of easy pedaling.
HIIT workouts produce a leaner, more defined physique similar to sprinters rather than marathon runners.
6. Reduce Stress
Stress elevates cortisol, a hormone that encourages belly fat storage while reducing beneficial hormones like melatonin and human growth hormone.
Stress reduction techniques include:
- Daily walks in nature.
- Writing down stressors and joyful activities, then scheduling more of what you love.
- Finding practical ways to eliminate or reduce stressors.
Lowering stress helps regulate hormones and supports fat loss.
7. Get More Quality Sleep
Sleep deprivation under seven hours increases body fat storage. Prioritize going to bed early—ideally by 10 or 11 p.m.—to align with your body’s natural rhythms.
Research suggests sleep before midnight is especially restorative. Quality sleep supports fat metabolism and weight control.
8. Experiment with a Ketogenic Diet
By drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing healthy fats, a ketogenic diet encourages your body to burn fat continuously—even during sleep.
Key ketogenic foods include:
- Coconut oil
- Avocado
- Wild salmon
- Moderate protein and fiber from low-carb vegetables
Switching to fat burning can reshape your waistline effectively.
9. Add Metabolism-Boosting Foods and Supplements
Bone broth protein provides amino acids that support metabolic rate. Herbs like cayenne, cinnamon, and ginger boost thermogenesis and support glucose metabolism.
Adaptogenic herbs such as holy basil, ashwagandha, and rhodiola help balance stress hormones, promoting weight loss by rejuvenating adrenal and thyroid function.
10. Focus Exercise on Large Muscle Groups and Core
Combining weight training with HIIT is ideal, focusing on:
- Leg muscles: Squats, deadlifts, lunges.
- Back muscles: Pull-ups, rows.
- Core workouts: Planks, leg raises.
Building muscle in large areas increases calorie burn, enhances metabolism, and sculpts a lean abdomen.
11. Work Out on an Empty Stomach
Exercising first thing in the morning before eating taps into stored fat for fuel. After your workout, you can enjoy a nutrient-rich meal to refuel.
Final Thoughts
Dr. Josh Axe’s 11-step strategy is a natural, holistic roadmap to eliminating belly fat. Combining fat-burning foods, mindful eating, intermittent fasting, HIIT exercises, stress management, better sleep, metabolic boosters, and targeted workouts not only trims your waistline but also sets you on a path of sustainable health.
By adopting these steps, you can transform not only your waistline but your overall vitality—getting healthier, fitter, and feeling your best for life.
