fatty fat

Lyadeia

Why don't you just come out with what's happening to you specifically that you need help with? I'm confused by the question and you're not proving enough details about why you think there must be some other reason for belly fat than the obvious ones.

well my basic intention of asking this question is to figure out whether depression is the reason behind my stubborn belly fat or some other reason which might not be within my knowledge............

Depression can often lead to unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. Stress may play a role as mentioned before, but if you are eating in a calorie deficit and exercising, stress shouldn't totally stop your progress...unless you are on medication for said stress which can throw things out of whack as well.

Alta2000

i am depressed at the moment ........ and i have been depressed for a while .......... but i do not overeat during such periods........ I avoid eating and usually end up with calorie deficit instead of surplus.........

so how is it related to gaining of weight inspite of under eating??

It is the type of food that you eat, not the quantity.
From the psyweb: "People who undergo stressful situations on a daily basis constantly release adrenaline and cortisol into their blood streams. The problem with this is that while adrenaline goes away when the anxiety eases, cortisol lingers in the body and causes people to want to eat more carbohydrates as a means of quenching the empty feeling that was left by the original energy exertion, linking cortisol levels and weight gain.

Typically, high cortisol levels and weight gain tends to collect around the stomach. Because fat cells in the stomach are especially sensitive to cortisol and store energy at most, this is where the fat that comes from high cortisol levels tends to accumulate."

Another study related to depression:

A new study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) confirms the relationship between depression and abdominal obesity, which has been linked to an increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
"We found that in a sample of young adults during a 15-year period, those who started out reporting high levels of depression gained weight at a faster rate than others in the study, but starting out overweight did not lead to changes in depression," said UAB Assistant Professor of Sociology Belinda Needham, PhD. The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

"Looking at the CARDIA sample data, we found that everyone, as a whole, gained weight during the 15-year period of time that we examined," said Needham. "However, the people who started out reporting high levels of depression increased in abdominal obesity and BMI at a faster rate than those who reported fewer symptoms of depression at year five. In year five, the waist circumference of the high-depression group was about 1.6 centimeters greater than those who reported low depression."

She added, "By year 20, the waist circumference of the high-depression group was about 2.6 centimeters higher than those who reported lower levels of depression. In contrast, a high initial BMI and waist circumference did not influence the rate of change in symptoms of depression over time".

Needham said there have been reports showing that cortisol, a stress hormone, is related to depression and abdominal obesity. "So, there is reason to suspect that people who are depressed would have higher levels of abdominal obesity versus other parts of the body because of elevated cortisol," she said.

jmzz1

Depression can often lead to unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. Stress may play a role as mentioned before, but if you are eating in a calorie deficit and exercising, stress shouldn't totally stop your progress...unless you are on medication for said stress which can throw things out of whack as well.

i am not on any medication

iqnas

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ms_leanne

Refined sugar from sweets, chocolate, alcohol, fizzy drinks.

Ed98043

I've never heard of depression having a direct effect on body fat distribution. It can definitely affect your eating habits and activity level so in that way it would affect overall physical fitness, but the most likely cause of stubborn belly fat on a 25 year old is probably diet, exercise and genetics.

jmzz1

i am depressed at the moment ........ and i have been depressed for a while .......... but i do not overeat during such periods........ I avoid eating and usually end up with calorie deficit instead of surplus.........

so how is it related to gaining of weight inspite of under eating??

It is the type of food that you eat, not the quantity.
From the psyweb: "People who undergo stressful situations on a daily basis constantly release adrenaline and cortisol into their blood streams. The problem with this is that while adrenaline goes away when the anxiety eases, cortisol lingers in the body and causes people to want to eat more carbohydrates as a means of quenching the empty feeling that was left by the original energy exertion, linking cortisol levels and weight gain.

Typically, high cortisol levels and weight gain tends to collect around the stomach. Because fat cells in the stomach are especially sensitive to cortisol and store energy at most, this is where the fat that comes from high cortisol levels tends to accumulate."

Another study related to depression:

A new study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) confirms the relationship between depression and abdominal obesity, which has been linked to an increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
"We found that in a sample of young adults during a 15-year period, those who started out reporting high levels of depression gained weight at a faster rate than others in the study, but starting out overweight did not lead to changes in depression," said UAB Assistant Professor of Sociology Belinda Needham, PhD. The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

"Looking at the CARDIA sample data, we found that everyone, as a whole, gained weight during the 15-year period of time that we examined," said Needham. "However, the people who started out reporting high levels of depression increased in abdominal obesity and BMI at a faster rate than those who reported fewer symptoms of depression at year five. In year five, the waist circumference of the high-depression group was about 1.6 centimeters greater than those who reported low depression."

She added, "By year 20, the waist circumference of the high-depression group was about 2.6 centimeters higher than those who reported lower levels of depression. In contrast, a high initial BMI and waist circumference did not influence the rate of change in symptoms of depression over time".

Needham said there have been reports showing that cortisol, a stress hormone, is related to depression and abdominal obesity. "So, there is reason to suspect that people who are depressed would have higher levels of abdominal obesity versus other parts of the body because of elevated cortisol," she said.

how to reduce cortisol level?

Ed98043

A 1.6 centimeter difference in waist circumference between the study groups after 15 years? And this is supposed to be significant?

jmzz1

what are the methods or food items for reducing cortisol level in the body?

Alta2000

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how to reduce cortisol level?

Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone. The main vitamins for that are the vitamins in the B complex. Also, some studies have shown that lemon has helped. Magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids. Keep exercising. Magnesium is very important and athletes even take it to reduce the stress of the body from high exercise which increases cortisol. Green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds are rich sources of magnesium.
Beans, liver, wheat bran, tuna, bananas, oats, potatoes, turkey, avocados, salmon, lentils, chile peppers, spinach, turnip greens, eggs and whole-grain cereals, are just some of the natural sources of B-complex vitamins.
Squeeze fresh lemons on food. Get the vitamins by eating clean, not vitamin and supplements. Also, try to eat at a good caloric level, because otherwise you put your body under stress.

princessd84

Are you a smoker? Smokers are apparently more likely to store fat around the abdominal region.

Caligirl_92

It can be for many reasons, including genetics and lifestyle. The more scientific answer for abdomen fat is that when gaining weight, by eating foods to high in sugar, processed junk, etc., the excess goes to the liver (back-up fat storage). Then if you keep the same lifestyle the liver quickly becomes backed up which then causes fat to be stored in the abdomen causing the awful effect of muffin top, pot belly, etc.
http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/unclog_your_liver_lose_your_abdominal_fat_leptin_diet_weight_loss_challenge/

neandermagnon

what are the methods or food items for reducing cortisol level in the body?

lifting heavy weights, or any exercise (the more strenuous the better) reduces the levels of stress hormones in your system.

carla8270

Do you have PCOS? Women with PCOS usually carry extra weight around the belly.

Lupercalia

what are the methods or food items for reducing cortisol level in the body?

lifting heavy weights, or any exercise (the more strenuous the better) reduces the levels of stress hormones in your system.

This. You would also need to stop being depressed.

Nicki_101

Inactivity and lack of target exercises.

nataliescalories

I'm not sure if you have PCOS or not (we're friends and most of my friends do, so this is why I am automatically going there), but such women are more prone to belly fat. I'm quoting WEB MD here, but it matches what I've had doctors say.


"PCOS makes it more difficult for the body to use the hormone insulin, which normally helps convert sugars and starches from foods into energy. This condition -- called insulin resistance -- can cause insulin and sugar -- glucose -- to build up in the bloodstream.

High insulin levels increase the production of male hormones called androgens. High androgen levels lead to symptoms such as body hair growth, acne, irregular periods -- and weight gain. Because the weight gain is triggered by male hormones, it is typically in the abdomen. That is where men tend to carry weight. So, instead of having a pear shape, women with PCOS have more of an apple shape."

3laine75

Eating too much. Period. If that is where your body decides to gain weight, that is where it will gain weight. You can't spot gain, just as you can't spot reduce.

as i have already mentioned ...... i eat at a calorie deficit during my depression period......... and in normal days tend to eat at my calorie goal not surplus.........

I'd agree with the cortisol theory if you are doing everything else right. Doctor can test your levels.

SanteMulberry

i am depressed at the moment ........ and i have been depressed for a while .......... but i do not overeat during such periods........ I avoid eating and usually end up with calorie deficit instead of surplus.........

so how is it related to gaining of weight inspite of under eating??

Are you on antidepressants? There is a mega-association between antidepressants and gaining a lot of fat (they mess with your blood sugar) and Type II diabetes. I have a young friend whose doctor never told her when he put her on Seroquel that she would likely gain a lot of weight and be very likely to end up Type II diabetic. She had been painfully thin (and ill) from anorexia before he put her on Seroquel. She has since gained 100 pounds (and from the look of her, a lot of it went on her belly) and she also became a Type II diabetic.

kristafb

I'm not sure if you have PCOS or not (we're friends and most of my friends do, so this is why I am automatically going there), but such women are more prone to belly fat. I'm quoting WEB MD here, but it matches what I've had doctors say.


"PCOS makes it more difficult for the body to use the hormone insulin, which normally helps convert sugars and starches from foods into energy. This condition -- called insulin resistance -- can cause insulin and sugar -- glucose -- to build up in the bloodstream.

High insulin levels increase the production of male hormones called androgens. High androgen levels lead to symptoms such as body hair growth, acne, irregular periods -- and weight gain. Because the weight gain is triggered by male hormones, it is typically in the abdomen. That is where men tend to carry weight. So, instead of having a pear shape, women with PCOS have more of an apple shape."

I also have PCOS ( Hi Nat!) and also went through a very stressful year last year and during that time I added about 5 inches on my waist and gained about 30 lbs. I agree with the info about pcos,if you have that, and also about cortisol. I've always had an hourglass figure and now i'm definitely an apple. Not my favorite fruit.