Cortisol

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"Being tired and having too much stress raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and this boost has been linked to overeating" is a comment I found online. My question is - is it the cortisol that makes you store fat in the belly area or is it just the extra food that you eat because of cortisol making you want to eat more????

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,871 Member
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    the stomach area itself is primary fat stores for most people regardless of cortisol.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    Coritsol is one hormone in a complicated cascade of hormones that can affect how much you eat.

    It still comes down to calorie management + willpower.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    The "antidote" for cortisol is oxytocin: go hug someone for a minimum of 30 seconds. :)
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    Fat cells in the stomach have more cortisol receptors, on average, than fat cells located in the hips. So IF you are overeating and therefore storing fat, the level of stress will have some effect on it being stored preferentially in the belly.
    If you're losing weight, your body is going to have a lack of fats to store anyway.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    I don't know. My only major plateau happened when I lost a family member and was extremely stressed and short of sleep. I know I probably had a ton of it in my system.

    Did it cause me to overeat? I really, truly don't think so - not according to my logging records, anyway, and not for more than that initial period after her death. However, I'm totally willing to accept that it devastated my water retention level (and being a hormone, I don't think this is entirely out of the question) and kept the scale up even though I was still losing a bit of fat.

    Once I was through the mourning period and life began to feel normal again, the weight started dropping again.
  • BetesBitch
    BetesBitch Posts: 234 Member
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    WBB55 wrote: »
    The "antidote" for cortisol is oxytocin: go hug someone for a minimum of 30 seconds. :)
    Can i take the pill instead? lol
  • BetesBitch
    BetesBitch Posts: 234 Member
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    I don't know. My only major plateau happened when I lost a family member and was extremely stressed and short of sleep. I know I probably had a ton of it in my system.

    Did it cause me to overeat? I really, truly don't think so - not according to my logging records, anyway, and not for more than that initial period after her death. However, I'm totally willing to accept that it devastated my water retention level (and being a hormone, I don't think this is entirely out of the question) and kept the scale up even though I was still losing a bit of fat.

    Once I was through the mourning period and life began to feel normal again, the weight started dropping again.

    Sorry for your loss.........thank you for this info.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    BetesBitch wrote: »
    I don't know. My only major plateau happened when I lost a family member and was extremely stressed and short of sleep. I know I probably had a ton of it in my system.

    Did it cause me to overeat? I really, truly don't think so - not according to my logging records, anyway, and not for more than that initial period after her death. However, I'm totally willing to accept that it devastated my water retention level (and being a hormone, I don't think this is entirely out of the question) and kept the scale up even though I was still losing a bit of fat.

    Once I was through the mourning period and life began to feel normal again, the weight started dropping again.

    Sorry for your loss.........thank you for this info.

    It was a few years ago, but thank you. :)
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    BetesBitch wrote: »
    WBB55 wrote: »
    The "antidote" for cortisol is oxytocin: go hug someone for a minimum of 30 seconds. :)
    Can i take the pill instead? lol
    Catch-22: being stressed out about having no one to hug to get rid of stress.

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    senecarr wrote: »
    BetesBitch wrote: »
    WBB55 wrote: »
    The "antidote" for cortisol is oxytocin: go hug someone for a minimum of 30 seconds. :)
    Can i take the pill instead? lol
    Catch-22: being stressed out about having no one to hug to get rid of stress.

    Sounds like you need a cat. http://www.rodalewellness.com/living/health-benefits-cats
  • BetesBitch
    BetesBitch Posts: 234 Member
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    WBB55 wrote: »
    senecarr wrote: »
    BetesBitch wrote: »
    WBB55 wrote: »
    The "antidote" for cortisol is oxytocin: go hug someone for a minimum of 30 seconds. :)
    Can i take the pill instead? lol
    Catch-22: being stressed out about having no one to hug to get rid of stress.

    Sounds like you need a cat. http://www.rodalewellness.com/living/health-benefits-cats

    OMG I can't stand cats!!!! lol