![\"How](\"https:\/\/howtobefit.com\/coach-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/How-to-Get-Rid-of-Stress-Belly.600.jpg\")
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“Stress belly usually refers to that weight gain around your midsection that occurs when there has been a change in your daily stress level, emotions, and life changes,\u201d says Emily Tills<\/a>, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been stressed lately and you\u2019ve noticed your pants aren\u2019t fitting quite the same, you may be wondering if they\u2019re related.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many reasons for weight gain including increased caloric intake, decreased physical activity, and stress,\u201d says Cody Braun, CPT, Assistant Manager of Fitness at Beachbody.<\/p>\n \u201cOur bodies are complex machines, which makes it hard to find the root cause of weight gain for each individual. The best we can do is assess our environment and find where we can make improvements,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s no denying that we\u2019re feeling excess stress right now.<\/p>\n You\u2019re likely aware if you\u2019ve been eating more than usual, even if you\u2019re not sure\u00a0why you stress eat<\/a>.<\/p>\n But weight gain isn\u2019t always as simple as that.<\/p>\n Stress is associated with weight gain, and you may be dealing with a case of stress belly.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough this weight gain usually feels like it is from excess eating, which is a big contributing factor to stress belly, it also has to do with our body\u2019s physiological response to stress,\u201d says\u00a0Emily Tills<\/a>, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N.<\/p>\n Dana Hunnes<\/a>, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., a senior dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, adds that not all stress is likely to cause stress belly.<\/p>\n Short-term stressors are unlikely to lead to weight accumulation, whereas excessive and chronic stressors (like working a toxic job) can turn on and keep on a hormonal cascade that promotes weight gain.<\/p>\n Ultimately, there are two hormones at play here: cortisol and insulin.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say that cortisol is a bad thing. We need some of it. Though cortisol is commonly known as the \u201cstress hormone,\u201d it also helps us get up and go.<\/p>\n A cortisol spike in the mid-morning, called the cortisol awakening response, helps us be alert enough to tackle that to-do list, for example.<\/p>\n The problem comes when\u00a0there\u2019s chronic stress. Your cortisol levels are constantly high and the body shuts down other bodily processes until the \u201cstressor\u201d is resolved.<\/p>\n But in this case the \u201cstressor\u201d doesn\u2019t go away and your health is impacted.<\/p>\n When you need to fight or run to survive \u2014 how our ancestors\u2019 stress happened \u2014 our bodies pump out cortisol.<\/p>\n This hormone does several things that help you survive: It\u2019s a\u00a0powerful anti-inflammatory agent<\/a>\u00a0(to help you keep running even if you break your foot). It turns off non-vital body functions (you don\u2019t need to digest, you need to run).<\/p>\n And it mobilizes glucose in order to get your muscles the fuel they need.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the problem with that?<\/p>\n Our bodies are primed to run or fight \u2014 but we don\u2019t. In fact, many times we just sit at our desks.<\/p>\n So our bodies call for more fuel to escape, but as Tills points out, \u201cthe body is already in a fed state and actually suppresses digestion as a response to stress, therefore causing the body to store this excess energy as fat, causing stress belly.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunnes explains that this is because the combination of cortisol and insulin creates lipoprotein lipase, \u201cwhich is an enzyme that tends to increase the amount of fat we store in our midsections.\u201d<\/p>\n These effects of cortisol are so hard to escape because cortisol\u00a0is released for hours after you experience something stressful<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the amount of stressors we experience daily,\u00a0many researchers hypothesize<\/a>, is far higher than that experienced by our ancestors.<\/p>\n Hormonal issues or transitions\u00a0can also cause fat to accumulate around your belly<\/a>.<\/p>\n For women, this often means fat gain in the abdomen during perimenopause or menopause.<\/p>\n Lower thyroid function<\/a>, increased cortisol production, and estrogen out of balance with progesterone all tend to happen as women age and may contribute to gaining belly fat.<\/p>\n Though fat storage is the primary driver of \u201cstress belly,\u201d there may be digestive problems at play, too.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is possible that digestive problems can add to a small fraction of weight gain,\u201d Braun says. \u201cIf you notice bloating or other digestive problems it is important to reassess your nutrition and your stress levels.\u201d<\/p>\n You may have\u00a0stress constipation<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s making weight gain from stress look bigger.<\/p>\n Although more human research is needed, preliminary animal research shows that\u00a0psychological stress can also negatively impact the balance of bacteria<\/a>\u00a0in the gut, thus potentially leading to weight gain.<\/p>\n \u201cCortisol has been linked to the storage of visceral fat,\u201d Braun points out \u2014 and this is where the health risks come in.<\/p>\n Unlike subcutaneous fat, the kind that accumulates under your skin (you can pinch it), visceral fat forms around your organs in your abdomen.<\/p>\n Subcutaneous fat storage is more individual: Some people tend to gain weight around their midsections, while others may accumulate it on their hips, thighs, and butt.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is predisposed to store fat differently, but visceral fat inside the abdomen can be more detrimental to health when you accumulate too much,\u201d Braun explains.<\/p>\n And there are risks to having visceral belly fat even if you\u2019re at a normal weight.<\/p>\n Women with higher abdominal obesity \u2014 fat gain in the abdomen specifically \u2014 had a higher risk of having asthma and their asthma was more severe than women with smaller waist measurements,\u00a0one study found<\/a>.<\/p>\n The risk was still higher for those with waist measurements pointing to visceral fat even if their weight was normal.<\/p>\n The potential dangers of visceral fat aren\u2019t simply because it\u2019s found around the internal organs.<\/p>\n Visceral fat\u00a0is actually hormonally active<\/a>, which means it can interfere with many of our bodies\u2019 natural processes.<\/p>\n This type of fat\u2019s effect on circulating hormones is one of the reasons why it\u2019s associated with so many health conditions.<\/p>\n The more visceral fat you have, the less of a compound called adiponectin you have circulating in your body, researchers have found.<\/p>\n Low levels of this hormone are associated with\u00a0type 2 diabetes, elevated glucose levels<\/a>,\u00a0high blood pressure (hypertension)<\/a>, and\u00a0even certain types of cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Getting specific about the type of fat matters. (Even though you can gain subcutaneous fat around your stomach, it\u2019s visceral fat\u00a0that\u2019s linked to diabetes risk<\/a>.)<\/p>\n From the Beachbody On Demand Blog – ![\"Tired](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Stress-Belly.stressed.600.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhat Is \u201cStress Belly\u201d?<\/h2>\n
![\"Stressed](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Stress-Belly.600.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Stress Response and Weight Gain<\/h3>\n
Other factors that contribute to \u201cstress belly\u201d<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nWhat Are The Risks of Having Stress Belly Fat?<\/h3>\n
Potential Dangers of Visceral Fat<\/h3>\n