Cortisol is one of the latest scapegoats for stubborn belly fat.
If you search for How To Reduce Cortisol Belly Fat on Instagram, there are thousands of posts with titles such as:
“Signs your body is running on cortisol”
“5 signs you have too much cortisol”
“Gaining fat in your face and stomach is the first sign of too much cortisol”
None of these posts are from endocrinologists, doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the endocrine system, such as:
- Diabetes
- Infertility
- Thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary gland problems
- Metabolic conditions
- Bone health
- Parathyroid disease
- Gender health
- Issues with male and female hormones
In other words, social media shouldn’t be your go-to for hormonal health advice.
And to be honest, I am by no means an expert on hormones.
I’m Chris & I fell into fitness in college. I had no plans to work as a trainer and nutrition coach. Yet here’s my transformation from skinny, bullied type 1 diabetic to a level 10 caffeine fiend & strong dad.
How To Lose Stubborn Belly Fat
You’re reading this because you want to lose stubborn weight like my friend, Carrie.
She is a long-time online coaching client who was sick and tired of struggling with her weight.
After going through medically induced menopause, her goal was to regain her health, improve her relationship with food, and be able to do the things she loved doing.
She credits her 40+ pounds weight loss to just staying consistent.
Every time she has made a mistake.
Every time, the scale was up.
Every time, she fell off track.
She didn’t quit.
According to Carrie, “It’s hard to think the only answer was an extreme diet or weight loss meds. You’ve helped me see that’s not true. And it’s been the best choice I’ve made for myself in a long time. So, thank you!”
Carrie is just one of the folks who have achieved their weight loss goals while leading stress-filled lives. You can read more about their success here.
But, if you want to learn more about cortisol belly fat, let’s dive in.
What Is Cortisol
Cortisol is often called the STRESS hormone.
More specifically, cortisol is a steroid hormone, considered the main glucocorticoid.
Glucocorticoids (steroid hormone) play significant roles in glucose, fat, and protein metabolism, have anti-inflammatory properties, and help regulate the immune system and body tissue homeostasis.
Cortisol can affect most organ systems, making it essential for the human body.
But what causes cortisol to spike, and can it lead to stubborn belly fat?
What Causes Cortisol To Spike?
Cortisol will naturally ebb and flow throughout the day because of its circadian rhythm.
First thing in the morning, there will be a dramatic increase in cortisol levels & by the evening, the levels should reach their lowest point before going to bed.
Common reasons you will see cortisol levels rise could be mental stress, low blood glucose, exercise, and waking.
Other examples include:
- Restricting calories
- Drinking caffeine on an empty stomach
- Traveling
- Getting angry
- Getting scared at a movie
When it comes to fat loss and cortisol, folks are just trying to get you riled up; in other words, bitches be trifling.
However, it’s not wrong to say elevated cortisol levels can influence body fat.
Cortisol Belly Fat
Cortisol is actually necessary for successful fat loss.
In fancy science terms, cortisol helps with lipolysis, the breakdown of fat into usable energy, known as free fatty acids, and the oxidation of those fatty acids.
Cortisol specifically aids in the breakdown of the fatty tissue of the arms and legs. (Huzzah!)
The only con is that cortisol seems more fat-sparing in subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat. (Boo!)
However, if you have good hormonal health, all of this is entirely normal and isn’t necessarily responsible for belly fat unless, of course, you are someone dealing with Cushing’s Disease.
But again, if you are in good health, chances are that’s not you.
Stress plays a more significant role in your ability to lose stubborn belly fat.
Is Stress Making You Gain Weight?
The only way you will gain weight is if you are eating in a calorie surplus.
Cortisol doesn’t cause you to eat in excess.
Cortisol should have the opposite effect since cortisol can increase the production and release of leptin.
Leptin is a hormone responsible for appetite suppression, aka the fullness hormone.
Have you ever noticed that someone under stress may forget to eat? This is due to their level of leptin sensitivity and increased leptin production thanks to cortisol.
But what about stress eating?
Some people will respond to stress differently.
One group will forget to eat, and another will turn to food.
As mentioned earlier, cortisol leads to increased leptin production, which should result in curbed hunger.
Someone more leptin-sensitive will be less likely to turn to comfort food to deal with stress/emotions.
However, someone who has more body fat runs the risk of becoming leptin-resistant.
In other words, those leptin-resistant individuals are less likely to realize they are full and will consume more food that, for the most part, is higher in calories and more palatable.
It becomes a cycle, and breaking the stress eating pattern can be challenging.
Stress eating and emotional eating are learned behaviors, and it is possible to change them.
The Cure For Stress
It would be silly to claim that you never will get stressed. As I write this, one of my kids is blowing their nose on the wall.
Many of my online clients have found success in identifying their emotional triggers.
Eating is merely the symptom, not the cause.
No matter the emotion you are experiencing, whether it be stress, anxiety, depression, or boredom, food can be a comfort.
Eating sends a signal to your brain to release dopamine, which creates a sensation of good feelings.
So, it makes complete sense to say that eating feels good. It allows you to forget and separate from the emotions you are experiencing.
Unfortunately, food is only a bandaid for your emotional suffering, and when the bandaid falls off, the cycle starts all over again.
But here’s how you can start to break the cycle.
How To Know If It’s Hunger or a Craving
Every person has hunger and fullness cues to help decide when and when not to eat.
Cues for hunger:
- The feeling starts in your stomach
- The feeling increases over time
- You’re hungry for a meal
Number three is the most important cue for hunger.
Cues for cravings:
- The feel isn’t in the stomach
- The feeling comes and goes in a wave
- You want a “treat.”
If you give yourself 10-15 minutes, cravings will pass.
When you are a stress eater, you’re experiencing cravings and not true hunger. It would help if you noticed when that happens.
Practice Noticing and Naming
You have full permission to stress eat.
But when you catch yourself doing it, you must pause and ask yourself a critical question.
“What happened right before I started to eat?”
Example: You eat three doughnuts every Wednesday afternoon and notice it happens right before your weekly meeting with your boss.
You can recognize that you feel anxious and overwhelmed.
Now, you can take that information and devise a different game plan.
Reduce Stress Eating With Obstacle Planning
You need to obstacle plan for the constant stressors in your life.
In his book Lean & Strong Eating Skills, Psychology, and Workouts, author and coach Joshua Hillis calls this If/Then Planning.
“If obstacle ____ shows up, then I’m going to do ____ to overcome that obstacle.”
The goal isn’t to ignore your feelings; it’s quite the opposite.
Aim to let yourself experience the feeling while being present, not distracting yourself by eating hyper-palatable food.
That’s how you can begin to curb your stress eating.
Here are a few examples my clients like to use:
- Going for a 10-minute walk.
- Drinking a glass of water.
- Listening to a favorite podcast.
- Working on a puzzle.
- Performing one stretch.
- Play with a pet for 10 minutes.
- Reading to their child.
- Sitting on the couch and watching Netflix.
This might seem like a random list of things, but that’s because you need to get used to practicing multiple types of self-care.
Reduce Stress & Cortisol With Self Care
When you read self-care, you might think of bubble baths and a luxurious massage.
And while no one is complaining about a bit of self-pampering, those aren’t the only forms of self-care.
There are three types of self-care:
- Relaxation
- Skill-based & effortful
- Taking care of things
Relaxation-based self-care is what you usually think of, such as:
- A bubble bath
- Taking a walk
- Intercourse
But these are not things you can use at 2 pm in the office…unless your workplace has that type of vibe.
That’s why you need to have other options.
Skill-based & effortful self-care will require your concentration and will take effort, such as:
- Playing an instrument
- Exercising
- Meditating
Because these skills require you to concentrate, they force you to be in the present moment.
Being present will help you stop dwelling on the stress and allow you to be more productive with your time.
But maybe you are stressed because you are avoiding tasks you must finish.
Taking Care Of Things is a form of self-care you might otherwise not consider self-care. For example:
- Setting healthy boundaries
- Planning for the future
- Paying the bills
When you complete those tasks, a burden is off your shoulders, and while they might be difficult, you will feel a sense of accomplishment when you finish them.
Final Thoughts
The only way you will gain weight is if you are eating in a calorie surplus.
Cortisol isn’t to blame for your weight gain; you can lose your stubborn belly fat by being in a calorie deficit.
If you’re unsure how many calories you need to eat to lose weight, click here for my free calculator.
Above all else, remember that if you are concerned about your cortisol levels, contact an endocrinologist for a professional opinion.
And if your primary concern is losing weight, click here and apply for online fat loss coaching.
You’re not broken, and you can do hard things.
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