The Fat-Cortisol Connection in Dieting

Diets, diets, diets. One out of three Americans is known to take part in this arduous process of “slimming down”. 

Bikini season…

Bikini season – though nowhere near – is always a thought on people’s minds, as we all want to look good in a bathing suit. (After all, it is human nature to desire attraction; we are raised on the concept). 

But whether we’re talking weight loss diets, phentermine pills, or simply not eating, it must be noted that these diets only work if the individual can accept the reality that they will lose weight.

Cutting the fat? The fat-cortisol connection

Though fat is often thought of as being “just for the overweight”, it is actually a natural way to lose fat, according to scientists. Your metabolism is known to slow down during periods in which you digress your eating habits. This means that the less you eat, the more your body will try to “preserve” what little fat you to receive, and reproduce it. To top it off, cortisol levels will rise (which is known as the “stress hormone” and is 50% responsible for weight gain) during periods of low nutrient or low fat diets.

The point is this: No matter which diet method you choose, if you think too much about it, this stress hormone will increase, and you can eat literally one meal a day, yet you will still gain weight.  Why? As I said before, cortisol is known for an increase in fat cells because your body thinks it is being starved, so it increases this hormone in order to support growth and development. Your body knows you best!

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Weight loss misconceptions

To make things worse, there are literally thousands of misconceptions on how to properly lose weight. It is a multimillion dollar industry that grabs at any possible fact (even if that fact is truly fiction) in order to sell the product of “miracle weight loss”. The only real way to successfully lose weight is to ignore the trends, and do it the right way. 

We have all heard the saying: “The simplest answer is usually the right one”.  This is the case with losing weight too.

So what is simplest in this circumstance?  Eat healthy, go to the gym or work out frequently, and watch your fats, but do not cut them out of your diet!  They are necessary in losing weight, not the other way around. Take this into consideration!  

If you want to get more from your life, and are looking for concrete action steps to get you there, check out our Request a Coach page. It’s a “cut the fence-sitting and take action” way to tackle your issues and actually find success. You’ll be matched with the coaches most suited to you to get you from where you are to where you want to be. To get off the fence and start to take action, click or tap here.