Lose Your Stress Belly: Eric Westman, MD, Shares His Keto Diet Trick for Tripling Ab Fat Loss
Top expert on how the stress hormone cortisol plumps our middles—and his keto diet fix
More than 50 million of us report feeling more worried and anxious than ever—and Yale research shows it’s making our bellies bigger. The phenomenon is all too familiar for pediatrician Maria Paradisis, M.D. Maria says the more high-pressure days she had at work, the more weight she carried in her middle. “No matter the diet I tried, it failed once I got too stressed or fatigued.” Luckily, she discovered stress-soothing strategies recommended by Duke University weight-loss expert Eric Westman, M.D. Today, Maria’s waist is 14 inches smaller. And she and Dr. Westman are sharing secrets to help the rest of us work magic on our waistlines.
Why does stress lead to belly fat?
“It starts with cortisol, a hormone released to help the body handle whatever stressors life has thrown,” Dr. Westman explains. One of the first things cortisol does is get blood sugar up, because blood sugar is an easy fuel to use if we have to, say, fight off or run from a mugger. To do this, cortisol makes us crave sugar and refined carbs; it then keeps the hormone insulin from lowering sugar levels as fast as it normally would. Eventually, cortisol helps store unburned blood sugar as fat for later use—mostly around our middle, where fat tissue is most responsive to cortisol.
If this pattern repeats often enough, our belly plumps up since frequently elevated blood sugar causes chronic inflammation inside us. Inflammation further stresses our systems and leads to many health issues, including blood-sugar problems that make us resistant to weight loss. “Stress can be a huge factor if you can’t lose weight,” says Dr. Westman.
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But please don’t let any of this stress you out. Because Dr. Westman’s ultra-simple approach can reverse the problem quickly.
How keto helps you lose a stress belly
We can’t control all stress in life, but one huge stressor “can be improved immediately,” says Dr. Westman. He’s talking about inflammation secretly raging in our tissues and cells, kind of like an allover sunburn that keeps getting burned again. To allow it to heal and shift your system out of crisis mode, “just decrease your main trigger for inflammation, which is carbohydrates,” says Dr. Westman.
Proof it’ll work: A Boston University study published in the journal Metabolism found low-carb dieters not only lost weight but saw markers of inflammation decrease about 800 percent faster than low-calorie dieters. Impressive! And as a bonus, soothing inflammation helps your brain and whole body feel and function better.
Are you a stress eater? How keto can help
Dr. Westman, author of End Your Carb Confusion, recommends what he calls “prescription-strength keto,” allowing for just 20 grams of total carbs a day. While strict, “it’s a version of a keto diet studied so much, we’re sure it’ll work for basically everyone,” says the doc, who has published more than 40 studies, runs a Duke University clinic and teaches thousands via online programs. He adds that prescription-strength keto works in part by slashing hunger and even comfort-food cravings.
How is that possible? Well, it keeps you from making enough blood sugar to be your main fuel, so your body begins turning fat into an alternative fuel called ketones. Ketone production helps fat burn up to 900 percent faster. Plus, “ketones are powerful appetite suppressants,” the doc says. In fact, studies show keto dieters automatically eat fewer calories yet feel more satisfied than other dieters.
It gets better: Both ketones and reduced inflammation are so good for the brain, a new British study found going keto makes us less stressed, calmer and improves emotional well-being all around.
“People are often surprised by how quickly they stop having strong urges to eat their usual comfort foods,” says Dr. Westman. “But it starts happening within a couple of days.”
Proof you can triple your belly burn
As mood lifts, appetite shrinks, inflammation eases, health improves and fat burns faster, you can escape the stress cycle that makes belly fat so hard to lose. And so it disappears. There’s even evidence from a 2020 Frontiers in Endocrinology study that you’ll lose about triple the belly fat on keto compared to other diets! Adds Dr. Westman: “Even if nothing has worked for you, consider my version of a keto diet. It’s very, very powerful.”
For more from Dr. Westman, check out his book End Your Carb Confusion or explore the courses and other resources he offers at AdaptYourLifeAcademy.com.
Real success—Maria lost 14 inches off her waist!
Maria recalls eating to distract herself from stress ever since she was a Pepsi and Snickers–loving kid. Through medical school and long hospital shifts, her stress ratcheted ever higher. “I lived at 240 pounds for years.” As a doctor, she knew the extra pounds—especially in her midsection—were harming her health. She had severe back pain and was borderline prediabetic. “I would try diets and routinely lose 20 pounds. But it was always a struggle, I was always hungry—and I didn’t have the tools to overcome failure once I was facing a stressor,” she shares. “I spent a year doing ‘internet keto’ and fasting. I kept gaining weight. I was anxious, lonely and depressed.”
An obesity specialist who trained with Dr. Westman turned her on to prescription-strength keto. She loved the simplicity of it, eating foods like cheese, eggs, steak, green veggies and berries while staying under 20 grams of carbs daily. Not only was weight coming off, but “for once I wasn’t hungry.” As Dr. Westman predicted, the urges for comfort food faded, even when stress hit.
Maria says the appetite reduction from a keto approach played a big role in her journey to manage stress eating. She also had the chance to work with Siobhan Key, M.D., who specializes in teaching doctors to manage their own weight. “She helped me learn I could sit with my feelings instead of eating to avoid them,” says Maria. A favorite technique: When stress hits, Maria imagines it as a beach ball floating in water. “I wait and let it bump up against me, as thoughts are apt to do. Then it usually floats away.”
Maria, who had her thyroid removed years ago, lost slowly but steadily. In two years, she shed 98 pounds,10 sizes and 14 inches from her waist. Her back pain is gone and her blood sugar normal. Her mood and self-confidence are soaring. As for stress? She can now take it in stride. Maria, 58, adds: “This way of eating helped me achieve my goals and feel better than I dreamed possible!”
The stress belly diet
Want to try prescription-strength keto? Read labels and limit yourself to 20 grams of total carbs (not ‘net’ carbs) per day. Dr. Westman encourages you to emphasize protein, include veggies and don’t go overboard on fat. Look for keto-friendly substitutes for carbs you love. Maria loves Egglife brand wraps (made with egg whites!) as a bread substitute. And Dr. Westman is a fan of chaffles. And here’s a hack to find a keto version of any food you’re craving: search for the food plus the words “keto recipe” and you’ll almost always have great options pop up! Find more resources at AdaptYourLifeAcademy.com.
Recipe: Keto-friendly pasta bolognese
You can enjoy Egglife wraps as as low-carb pasta swap with any sauce you like—but we’re fans of this yummy meat sauce
Ingredients:
2 packs original Egglife wraps
1 lb. ground beef
24 oz. jar no-sugar-added marinara sauce
1 onion, minced1 large carrot, minced
1 stalk of celery, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions:
1. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and sauté until onion is softened.
2. Add ground beef and break apart in pan, browning fully.
3. Add marinara sauce, parsley, Italian seasoning and salt/pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. While sauce is simmering, bring a small pot of water to a boil.
4. Cut Egglife original wraps into strips. Add ‘noodle’ strips to water, boil for 1-2 minutes, then strain.
5. Add noodles to a bowl, top with sauce. Finish with parmesan cheese.
Recipe: Easy keto burger bites!
All your favorite burger flavors—in a portable portion!
2 lbs. ground beef
1 Tbs. seasoning salt
2 Tbs. sugar-free ketchup
Low-carb toppings, such as cheese, mushroom and bacon
Mix meat, seasoning and ketchup. Form 12 balls. Press balls evenly into a muffin tin with a well in center. Add toppings to wells. Bake at 375ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer registers 160ºF. Remove meat with fork; let rest 3 minutes on paper towels. About 1 gram of carbs each
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