Belly fat is something a lot of us are self conscious about and wanting to work on but it can also be a SYMPTOM of an over-stressed body.  If you’ve struggled to lose fat from your midsection or gained fat in this area, it might be your body’s way of letting you know that your cortisol levels are out of balance. The number one cause of unwanted belly fat is chronic stress. Abdominal fat cells have four times more cortisol receptors than fat cells located in other parts of the body. That means high cortisol contributes to abdominal fat and extra abdominal fat contributes to excess cortisol! A vicious cycle. Stress isn’t entirely bad, it is something that your body actually needs, however too much can cause a lot of damage. This is just a glimpse into what we are going to cover in today's episode, discussing the 4 ways stress can cause belly fat and what to do about it. We'll cover everything from overeating and stress eating, logic vs emotion when it comes to food choices, the role chronic inflammation could be playing, disrupted sleep and insomnia, and more! Time Stamps: (1:12) Stress and Belly Fat (2:32) Cortisol and Belly Fat (6:45) Top 4 Ways Belly Fat Accumulates (6:56) #1: Overeating and Stress Eating (10:32) Why We Head For Highly Palatable Foods During Stress (12:54) How to Mitigate Stress Eating (15:27) Logic vs Emotion (16:37) #2: Harder to Make Rational Food Choices (19:40) Side Note: Stop Skipping Breakfast (20:32) Cell Damage (24:42) #3: Chronic Inflammation (27:30) The Hot Stage (35:14) Talking Your Diet (39:42) Stress Management Tactics (41:20) #4: Disrupted Sleep and Insomnia (45:32) Tips for Improving Sleep (46:37) DM Consult Call ---------------------Follow @vanessagfitness on Instagram for daily fitness tips & motivation. ---------------------Download Our FREE Metabolism-Boosting Workout Program---------------------Join the Women’s Metabolism Secrets Facebook Community for 25+ videos teaching you how to start losing fat without hating your life!---------------------​Click here to send me a message on Facebook and we’ll see how I can help or what best free resources I can share!---------------------Interested in 1-on-1 Coaching with my team of Metabolism & Hormone Experts? Apply Here!---------------------Check out our Youtube Channel!---------------------Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know what you think and leave a 5⭐️ rating and review on iTunes!