If you are on a journey to lose weight, it can be stressful to make sudden changes in your eating and exercise habits. All of this new pressure triggers your body to release the hormone cortisol – which is responsible for why you feel stressed. Cortisol causes the body to go into fat storage mode instead of fat-burning mode, which can cause your weight loss to become stagnant or even intensify. It also can cause you to have more cravings making eating healthy that much more difficult. These are a couple of the reasons why we must recognize the triggers for Cortisol and try to minimize them where we can. This week, my guest on the show, Cassie Christopher, is a Registered Dietitian and Mom to a busy toddler. She supports postmenopausal women to get a handle on emotional eating to feel more confident in their bodies without depriving themselves of what makes them happy in life. In this episode, we discuss triggers that can raise your cortisol, how weight loss is affected by cortisol levels when you are going through menopause, and how to make shifts in your life and routine to lower cortisol in your body. Click here to listen! Rating, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “Heike’s insights are so helpful in creating a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle! Loving every episode of the Pursue Your Spark podcast!” ← if that sounds like you, consider rating and reviewing my show here!  Not sure how to leave a review? Open the Podcasts app. Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes) Scroll down past the first few episodes until you see Ratings & Reviews Click “Write a Review” underneath the displayed reviews from other listeners. You’ll then have the option to rate us on a 5-star scale and write a review if you choose (you can rate without writing if you’d prefer) Where to subscribe: APPLE PODCAST / STITCHER / SPOTIFY How you can reach Cassie: Cassie's Website Facebook Instagram Balance Hormones to Curb After Dinner Overeating  Links  mentioned in the show: 5 For 50 Kickstarter For more episodes, click here.