😩 Stressed? Here’s Why Your Body is Holding Onto Fat

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you’rerunning on fumes, drowning in to-do lists, and constantly feeling behind…

…only to step on the scale and see the numbergo UP instead of down?

Frustrating, right?

But here’s the thing—stress is one of the biggest culprits behind stubborn fat.

How Stress Literally Makes You Store Fat

When you’re stressed, your body releasescortisol, your main stress hormone.This is what happens next:

❌Cortisol tells your body to store fat(especially around your belly).

❌Blood sugar spikes & crashes, leading to cravings for sugar and carbs.

❌Muscle breakdown increases, slowing down your metabolism.

❌Sleep quality tanks, and with it, your ability to burn fat.

Basically,your body goes into survival mode—holding onto fat and making you crave all the wrong foods.

And the worst part?You don’t even have to feel “stressed” for this to happen.

Even things likepoor sleep, overtraining, and under-eatingcause cortisol spikes that keep you stuck.

How to Lower Cortisol & Burn More Fat

✅Move, But Don’t Overtrain
Walking, strength training, and mobility work = good.Excessive HIIT and endless cardio? Not so much.More is NOT better when your body is stressed.

✅Eat More Whole Foods & Protein
Eating whole, nutrient-dense foods keeps blood sugarstableand cortisol in check. Focus onprotein, healthy fats, and fiberat every meal.

✅Create a Stress-Relief Routine
Your body needs time toshift out of “fight or flight” mode.Trybreathwork, stretching, yoga, or even 5 minutes of deep breathing.

✅Fix Your Sleep (No More 5-Hour Nights!)
One bad night of sleep can spike cortisolby 50% the next day.Set a sleep schedule and stick to it.

Your Challenge: Reduce One Source of Stress Today

Pickonething to work on today:

Take a 10-minute walk after lunch.

Swap a high-intensity workout for a strength or mobility session.

Set a 5-minute “stress relief” timer and just BREATHE.

Small shifts add up fast.And when you lower stress, your body naturally startsburning fat again.

Make today incredible!

Brian

About The Author: Brian Meisenburg is a Buffalo Personal Trainer helping women over 40 repair and reset their sluggish metabolism to unlock unlimited weight loss. Learn more at www.fatlossbuffalo.com