Starch + Sugar + Lack of Sleep + Stress (Cortisol)
You feel like you exercise, you keep your calories in check, you are even making your green smoothies but nothing is changing in the mid-section. Maybe you have to chill out.
What you can control for yourself is your stress level; you may not be able to eliminate the stress but you can control how you process it and react to it.
Find out what's happening in Westfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
When you have stress, your body releases certain "fight-or-flight" stress hormones that are produced in the adrenal glands: cortisol, norepinephrine and epinephrine. When you first get stressed, these hormones kick in. Norepinephrine tells your body to stop producing insulin so that you can have plenty of fast acting blood glucose ready. Epinephrine will relax the muscles in your stomach and intestines and decrease blood flow to these organs. Once the stressor has passed, cortisol tells the body to stop producing these hormones and to go back to digesting regularly. It's normal for your cortisol levels to go up and down throughout the day, but when you are chronically stressed your cortisol level goes up, and stays there. When you are in your 20’s your cortisol goes up and can come down fairly quick, when you are in your 40’s, it goes up and stays up much longer. You need to employ practices to bring it down.
When your stress and cortisol levels are high, the body actually resists weight loss. Cortisol is associated with overeating, craving high caloric fatty and sugary foods, and relocating fat from the circulation and storage areas in the body to the deep internal abdominal area where there are more cortisol receptors. When your body thinks times are hard and you might starve, it holds on to the fat you eat or have present on your body. In the process, it turns once healthy peripheral fat into unhealthy visceral fat (the fat in your abdomen that surrounds your organs) that increases inflammation and insulin resistance in the body. This belly fat then leads to more cortisol because it has higher concentrations of an enzyme that converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol. The more belly fat you have, the more active cortisol will be converted by these enzymes — yet another vicious cycle created by visceral fat.
Find out what's happening in Westfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As women age they have less estrogen and progesterone, this allows women to be more insulin sensitive and less cortisol reactive. Stress has been shown to lower estrogen and progesterone while elevating testosterone and cortisol. This is not what you want. To counteract, the focus should be on stress reducing activities and a more moderate calorie and carb intake. Leisure activity and 2-3 days of weight training sprinkled with yoga, meditation and walking are ideal activities. Remember you want to build muscle because muscle is what burns fat and keeps the metabolism humming along.
A diet high in sugar, starch and fat (hello fast food) results in higher calories and weight gain. Insulin and fat raise fat storing hormones and if you add stress on top of that type of diet, you multiply the effect. Avoid the combo: fat + sugar + starch + stress.
What is effective for lowering cortisol?
Fish oil and omega-3 foods, sex, laughter, hot showers, long baths, tai chi, yoga, meditation massage and walking in nature all have favorable effects on cortisol.
Steer clear of alcohol. Alcohol is a calorie dense liquid, making it an easy pass to calorie excess. Excess alcohol consumption can increase cortisol. It breaks down into acetate, which is the same end product that fat and sugar metabolism produce and which the body sees no reason to burn, only store.
Exercise. The best exercise for lowering insulin and burning calories is any exercise. Short, intense exercise bursts that elevate testosterone, HGH and cortisol that push the body and then recover are effective. Since the effect is short in duration, it pushes toward growth rather than stress. This is favorable for belly fat reduction.
There is no magic formula; you have to try different permutations for yourself. If you have a trainer, discuss types of exercise with them, if you are taking classes, try to mix it up and get some interval mix in there. Above all, doing the same workout repeatedly won’t challenge the body after awhile.
What can you do?
The idea is to modify starch and sugar intake to provide energy and stabilize blood sugar while at the same time lowering insulin over time and keeping cortisol stable.
Smart carb and sugar management is essential. Avoid processed food. Consume protein and fiber over starch and sugar. Both visceral and subcutaneous fat respond to this approach. Choose carbs that have a lower glycemic load, like complex carbs. Higher protein with a lower carb (not no carb) diet has a favorable impact on belly fat.
Protein and vegetables create a high volume, hunger-suppressing punch with minimal insulin production. This results in fewer calories, higher nutrients and enzymes, balanced blood sugar and favorable hormone balance.
Good sleep and stress management can help to manage cortisol. Getting enough sleep, proper calorie intake and focusing on recovery from stress either after a workout (recovery) or in everyday life are key. Supplements like rhodiola rosea have been helpful with chronic high cortisol levels. A cup of tea and a walk in nature can work wonders to ‘break the cycle’.
