Why does the excess fat stick to your stomach like glue. This fat doesn't want to budge despite being faithful to even the most effective fat loss programs. Read on to learn why this fat is so stubborn and what YOU can do about it!
It is a well-known fact that chronically stressed out individuals are at a greater risk of having excessive amounts of stomach fat. Could this be because people who are stressed tend to "stress eat"?
Well this definitely may be the case for some of these individuals. After all, stress eating usually involves binging on sugary junk foods, which of course could cause swift gains in body fat.
This would make clear the link between being persistently stressed and having extra body fat in a broad sense. The conversation would end here but we know that even stressed out individuals who are basically lean still have a tendency to carry an unbalanced amount of abdominal fat compared to other areas on their body.
So, why does a majority of your body fat seem to find its new home right on the abdomen of stressed out individuals? Luckily, science has found an answer to this question.
Scientists have found a link between high cortisol levels and increased belly fat. For those of you who are unfamiliar with cortisol, it is a hormone that is produced by the adrenal glands. It is considered a stress hormone and is released in response to a stressful situation.
You're probably wondering, "How does cortisol make fat stick like glue to your stomach?"
Well, due to its negative effect on insulin and blood sugar metabolism, it promotes massive sugar cravings.
But perhaps even more damaging than that, cortisol can significantly decrease the natural increase in your metabolic rate that normally occurs after eating a meal. This leads to burning fewer total calories per day thus making you predisposed to gain more body fat.
But the negative effects of this hormone don't stop there.
Cortisol also destroys your lean muscle tissue. Since your lean muscle dictates the speed of your metabolism, losing muscle makes losing belly fat very difficult.
This clarifies why an individual with high levels of cortisol would hold more fat in general. But what about the connection with cortisol and BELLY fat specifically?
Well, it turns out that abdominal fat has approximately five times more cortisol receptors than body fat from other areas of the body. Therefore, the more cortisol you have in your body, the more your body will want to have more receptors, thus prompting it to store more belly fat.
Most experts also believe that once cortisol has bound itself to the cortisol receptors found on abdominal fat, it prevents that fat from releasing fatty acids to be burned as a fuel source, even during a fat burning exercise routine.
In other words, the fat that lands on your stomach is "stubborn", and doesn't want to leave. It has a vested interest in keeping your stomach nice and plump!
Alright, I know that you are convinced that keeping your cortisol levels in check plays a significant role in any successful abdominal fat loss program. But how do we go about doing that?
Well, some supplement companies sell cortisol blockers. The primary ingredient in these formulas is phosphatidylserine. The bad news (and don't hold your breath waiting for the supplement companies to admit it) is that these formulas do NOT work. They are a total waste of time and money.
Fortunately, there are some natural things you can do to keep your cortisol at an acceptable level. Here are some effective strategies:
1) Reduce stress- This may seem like it is easier said than done. But any attempt to deal with life's situations in a calm manner will help.
2) Reduce alcohol use- Drinking booze will increase cortisol levels at a fast rate. Can anyone say, "beer belly"?
3) Reduce caffeine intake- I know, I know...First no booze, and now no coffee!?!? Look, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you simply need to drop that latte if you are serious about losing belly fat.
4) Eat small meals throughout the day- Eating one or two big meals per day puts unnecessary stress on the body. This too leads to increases in cortisol.
5) Lighten up! - Most people don't realize that laughter is one of the best remedies to lower your cortisol levels profoundly. So laugh a little!
6) Don't overtrain- Yes, the very training you are doing to burn belly fat can actually be encouraging your body to store it. Too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing!
So there you have it. In addition to a a properly designed nutritional and training protocol, integrate these techniques and make losing belly fat easier than you ever thought was possible!
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