Struggling With Belly Fat and Stress? Melt a Cortisol Belly Without Giving Up Your Favorite Foods
Spoiler alert: You don't need a strict diet or grueling workouts to blast belly fat
A jam-packed schedule and everyday stressors (both big and small) have a way of catching up with you. Often you’ll find yourself wiped out and on edge. And when you do have a free moment, you can barely summon the energy to scoop some ice cream into a bowl and veg out in front of the TV. And now you’re struggling to button your jeans. Yup, you’re dealing with a case of cortisol belly.
While simply getting older can make us more prone to weight gain around our midsection, chronically enduring heavy stress can make the problem worse, says Lon Ben-Asher, MS, RD, LD/N, a registered dietitian/nutritionist and educator at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami.
The good news: Reining in levels of the stress hormone not only boosts your mood, it helps melt pounds too. And it doesn’t have to involve spending hours meditating or splurging on a personal trainer. (Because who has the time or money?) These easy, feel-good tips get the job done while boosting your metabolism so you burn more fat.
Woman's World Answers
What is cortisol belly and why does it happen?
Cortisol belly, also known as stress belly, isn’t a formal medical term. But it’s often used to describe the excess weight that builds up around our midsection when we’re dealing with chronic stress, says Cindy Chang, IHNC, a certified integrative nutrition health coach practitioner at the Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center in New York City. When it comes to keeping belly fat at bay (or getting rid of accumulated pounds), “stress management is the number-one thing,” she says.
When you’re tense, your body responds by producing more cortisol. Higher cortisol levels keep you on alert so you can respond to threats (like a car veering into your lane). But they also trigger shifts in hormones that can lead to excess hunger and insulin production, which can facilitate increased visceral fat storage around your belly, according to a study in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine.
And if you’ve ever felt the urge to scarf down a bowl of mac and cheese or a brownie sundae after a tough day, you know how stress can ramp up your appetite for high-calorie fare. “When someone has prolonged elevated cortisol levels, they’re more likely to choose processed foods that are high in sodium, refined sugars/sweeteners and unhealthy fats, which offer little to no nutritional value and can increase overall calorie intake and impact weight management goals,” explains Ben-Asher.
It also comes as no surprise that menopause adds fuel to the stress belly fat fire. As estrogen levels decline, the body shifts from storing fat primarily in the butt and thighs to storing it around the belly. “It’s the perfect storm, unfortunately,” Ben-Asher says.
Expert tips to get rid of cortisol belly without dieting
When it comes to shrinking a cortisol belly, the key to calm and a trimmer waist is often one and the same, say Ben-Asher and Chang. Start with these easy tips to reduce stress and manage cortisol production.
Indulge in dark chocolate
It may sound too good to be true, but enjoying dark chocolate is a study-backed way to dial down stress and shrink a cortisol belly. In fact, British investigators found that eating 25 grams of the confection daily (slightly more than half of a 1.5-ounce bar) for four weeks decreased cortisol levels in study participants by 29 percent. The rich supply of polyphenol compounds in dark chocolate blocks the activity of an enzyme that converts cortisol into its active form.
Go green
Sipping green teas like matcha can help curb stress and anxiety, suggests a review in Current Research in Food Science. And unlike a sugary coffee drink, green tea brims with flavonoid compounds called catechins that rev your metabolism and burn fat. In fact, those who consumed green tea extract daily burned 183 more calories per day than those who didn’t have the extract, a study in Physiology & Behavior found.
Take a nature break
Spending time in nature lowers cortisol in as little as 15 minutes, according to a Japanese study. And experts reporting in the journal Frontiers found that when people enjoyed nature experiences for 21 to 30 minutes three times weekly, their cortisol dropped significantly within eight weeks. Communing with nature sends signals from the brain to the adrenal glands that reduce their cortisol output.
Swap sitting for a stroll
Usually scroll social media during your downtime? Trying heading out for a brisk walk instead. A 15-minute jaunt does more than just zap stress. It actually curbs cravings for sugary treats, suggests a study in Appetite, which can help shrink a cortisol belly. “Simply walking is one of the best exercises you can do,” Ben-Asher says.
Meet pals for pickleball
“Exercise releases endorphins into your bloodstream to lift mood and ease stress,” says Ben-Asher. He adds that workouts you enjoy (like a pickleball match with friends) are easier to stick with and lead to long-term adherence than ones that feel like a slog.
The active hobby supercharges your metabolism, too. And that’s key for shedding a cortisol belly and keeping it off. In fact, an hour of pickleball torches a whopping 500 calories for a 160-pound woman.
Reclaim commercial breaks
You already know that we tend to lose calorie-torching lean muscle mass as we age. And chronically high levels of cortisol from unchecked tension can make the problem even worse. Thankfully, exercises that assist in building muscle such as strength training and resistance exercises help fight cortisol belly. Plus being active bumps up your production of tension-taming endorphins, says Ben-Asher.
And you don’t need to trek to the gym to see results. Instead, simply maximize commercial breaks next time you’re watching TV. Each time your show takes a pause, use the break to tote clean laundry upstairs, grab the mail or simply march in place.
Tip: When you are sitting down to watch TV, make it a sitcom. Loma Linda University research shows that the laughter invoked by watching a 30-minute humorous video lowers cortisol 38 percent.
‘Offload’ your worries
“Getting eight hours of sleep each night is one of the keystones for losing weight,” Chang says. The problem is, it can be tough to drift off when you’re massively stressed. One way to quiet your mind and improve your sleep quality: Spend five minutes jotting down your to-dos for tomorrow before bed.
A JAMA Internal Medicine study found that the simple practice helped stressed-out adults doze off faster and consume 270 fewer calories the next day. Offloading your thoughts and worries makes it easier to nod off and keep a cortisol belly at bay.
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