As a Nutritionist, These 20 Ways to Flatten Your Belly Fast Actually Work

As a registered dietitian nutritionist and author of Read It Before You Eat It – Taking You from Label to Table, I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of people transform their lives and lose weight by offeriing practical, science-backed nutrition advice. I believe that weight loss shouldn’t feel like a punishment. It simply requires making gradual, healthy swaps that you can sustain long-term. That’s why I put together these 20 easy ways to flatten your belly fast.

In my experience, the word “diet” truly means a way of life—it’s something you live with, not something that deprives you. With these principles in mind, I’ve developed straightforward, effective strategies specifically designed to flatten your belly quickly. These aren’t just quick fixes—they’re about making small, manageable changes that lead to lifelong benefits. So, whether you’re looking to revitalize your eating habits or just trim down your belly fat, these easy-to-follow tips are here to guide you toward a healthier, slimmer you.

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Portion control is the one food-related habit that I wish got more traction. The practice allows you to eat anything and everything you enjoy… but within the amounts that your body needs.

It’s a more realistic approach to enjoying how you look and feel without needing to follow “good” and “bad” food lists, or jumping onto a trendy diet that’s unbalanced and unhealthy.

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We all know how important it is to consume water, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

Jazzing up this beverage is key to healthfully and deliciously hydrating. I love to keep a big pitcher of water filled with ripe cut fruit in the fridge. Not only does it look beautiful (I serve this at dinner parties), but it also provides hydration with benefits from the nutritional value the fruit brings.

Watermelon, strawberries, and ripe peaches work particularly well. You can also add cut fruit, like lemon, lime, and orange slices.

Swap out high-calorie, low-value ingredients for lower-calorie, healthier versions. Some examples include using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or using mashed avocado instead of butter in quick breads and baked goods.

Reading food labels and comparing products is key to choosing less caloric and healthier products.

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Add a little heat or sweetness to boost the flavor of your food.

For example, sprinkling some cinnamon sugar (which hardly has any sugar) atop cottage cheese and fruit can help make that cottage cheese taste better—and help curb your sweet tooth.

To cut the calories of your typical salad dressing in half, add balsamic vinegar to your favorite bottle in equal parts.

No matter how much you think skipping your favorite foods will save you in calories, it’s more likely that the practice will end up costing you in the end.

Instead, don’t glorify food. Include a reasonable portion of your favorite dish within your weight-loss journey, because this is your new lifestyle. Waiting till your “done” dieting is not a real option.

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Make snack time fun and delicious. Think: yogurt with fresh fruit, hummus and veggies, and trail mix with nuts.

Snacks are speed bumps that help you stay energized between meals and activities—keep them high in protein, fiber, and flavor.

If you love sugar-sweetened cereal, you don’t necessarily have to stop eating it.

Just combine your usual brand with equal amounts of another that hardly has any sugar. This can help slash the sugar content of your morning meal.

Journaling what you’re eating and how you’re feeling throughout your day can help you capture important information about your habits and your eating patterns.

In my experience, my clients who keep food diaries lose weight just by seeing what, when, and how much they’re really eating in a day.

Making meals at home can increase your odds of eating clean and healthy. If you have a big family, suggest meal prep sessions where everyone picks a healthy ingredient to include in the meal, making it a fun and inclusive activity.

You can also challenge yourself to create recipes using a set number of ingredients or specific nutritious foods as a fun experiment to switch things up in the kitchen.

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You’d be surprised how using less sugar and unhealthy fats in desserts can still create a delicious, low-calorie treat.

One of my great go-tos is a high-fiber Nutty Apple Pear Cobbler filled with whole grains and made with no added sugar. It’s a healthy sweet treat you can feel good about eating! Or, freeze a banana for a tasty frozen treat.

Promote the practice of eating without distractions and savoring each bite, which can lead to better portion control and a more enjoyable eating experience. 

Yes, this means eating more mindfully, which is not a new concept, but I don’t think it’s a practice that even needs a classification. It’s just a healthy habit that can help make your weight-loss results last.

Make a habit of combining low-calorie foods with some of your favorite higher-calorie dishes.

For instance, add lots of veggies to a pasta dish or clear bone or chicken broth to a creamy soup recipe.

Too many people fall prey to trendy restrictive diets that suck them up into the tornado of eating too little and then too much, leading to a weight chart that resembles the pattern of a rollercoaster. This yo-yo dieting can take a serious toll on your body, both physically and emotionally.

The best diets include a variety of foods without vilifying any particular food group. Diets that have this level of flexibility are more sustainable, so you can keep unwanted belly fat off for good.

I’ve been counseling clients for decades, and most of them come to me after being on a multitude of restrictive diets that brought about weight loss, followed by weight gain once the diet was done. They feel defeated and lost, which is understandable.

Rather than depriving yourself of the nutrients and energy your body gets through food, make subtle, realistic changes that you can keep forever.

Did you know that poor sleep can disrupt hormones that regulate your appetite and metabolism?

Being too tired is like being too hungry or too drunk. All of those compromised states can lead to apathy when making healthy food choices. That’s a recipe for disaster when you’re trying to lose weight. So, make sure you’re getting quality sleep every night.

RELATED: 11 Bedtime Routines to Get Your Best Sleep Ever

Working out is not an invitation to eat larger portion sizes, but physical activity, including dancing, walking your dog, and everyday activities can help you look and feel your best.

To stay active every day, use tools like apps, music, fitness trackers, and more to make exercising more trackable. When you show up for yourself and follow a healthy new eating lifestyle, you’ll lose weight faster—and be able to keep it off for good.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, is the host of the Media Savvy Podcast, creator of BetterThanDieting.com, and author of Read It Before You Eat It – Taking You from Label to Table, You can find her @bonnietaubdix on Instagram.