How Cortisol Affects Weight

Learn why stress can make weight loss harder. And know there is hope.

What Is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a stress hormone. It is released by your adrenal glands when your brain senses danger or emotional stress.

Cortisol can help you in short bursts, such as waking up and feeling alert, handling challenges, and regulating blood sugar.

The problem is when stress becomes constant. Stress could be what is happening in your environment and how your body is reacting to certain foods. (white flour products, for example) If your cortisol remains high, it will work against you.

Chronic Stress Affects Weight

If your cortisol remains elevated, it triggers several reactions in your body. This will stall your weight loss.

Examples of high Cortisol:

Blood sugar rising. You will experience a quick release of glucose for quick energy. This, unfortunately, leads to hunger and cravings.

Your cravings will increase. It is the high-fat comfort foods we reach for that Results could lead to emotional eating and overeating.

Over time, this leads to fat storage around the belly area. You will also experience slower weight loss.

High cortisol disrupts sleep. Unfortunately, when we are sleep deprived, we have more hunger hormones and fatigue.

And finally your metabolism slows down. Your body is trying to conserve energy. This is how it thinks it can survive stress.

Don’t worry, your body isn’t broken. It is working hard to protect you from what it detects as a threat.

The good news is you can lower your cortisol naturally. To manage your cortisol, you need to create a daily routine with small, doable changes. Small changes create big results.

What you can do for environmental stress is use reset tools. Take a ten minute walk and enjoy nature.

Deep breath. Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, let out for 4. Science has proven that if your brain is getting enough oxygen, it will relax and not be in fight or flight mode.

Start a journal

Listen to your favorite music. (Maybe dance )

Reach out to friends and family. A talk with a loved one might be what you need.

Try to get quality sleep. (yes, I know, that isn’t easy. That is a good future blog topic.)

If your body feels safe, then it will stop holding onto stress, tension, and even extra weight.

Your body will release weight when it feels safe, nourished, and cared for, not when it’s under pressure. Calm the mind, and the body will follow.”

Diet effect on cortisol

What you eat will either stabilize your cortisol levels or trigger a spike. To help keep cortisol in check, eat regular, balanced meals. When you skip a meal, it can trigger cortisol release to maintain your blood sugar levels.

Eating protein, fiber, and healthy fats will help your blood sugar levels. Include lean meats, or plant-based protein (beans, legumes). The fiber needs to come from whole grains, such as beans and lentils, as well as fruits and veggies. This will slow glucose absorption and reduce cortisol levels, triggering blood sugar spikes.

Magnesium-rich foods also help regulate your blood sugar. Leafy greens, nuts & seeds, avocados, dark chocolate. (in moderation  )

Vitamin C, oranges, bell peppers, kiwi to name a few.

Omega-3, flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds, and salmon all help reduce inflammation and improve cortisol balance.

Staying hydrated is very important. Even mild dehydration can increase your cortisol levels. Make sure you drink water throughout the day.

Foods that will increase your cortisol are: Refined carbs(pastries, soda, sweets.) These will cause a sugar spike and will release cortisol to balance it out. Too much caffeine on an empty stomach will raise cortisol.

When we go on a low-calorie or restrictive diet, it triggers stress in our bodies. This, in turn, raises your baseline cortisol and will slow your metabolism.

Consuming high-sodium processed foods will affect your adrenal function. It contributes to higher blood pressure as well as cortisol.

Inspire WellnessReset. Refocus. Renew.www.inspirewellness.info |  Amy Burtt, Certified Health & Life Coach