Cortisol is a stress hormone, but more than a challenging stress type—a test, a meeting, a date—it is related to that negative stress when we see everything particularly dark, everything is negative and you think you will never find a solution or will end that particular situation. I am sure you have heard this type of thinking has negative repercussion in your body. Well, cortisol released on those situations can have something to do with it. Cortisol not only increases the cravings for high-carbohydrate and high-fat food, but also lowers the leptin hormone—the one telling us that we are not hungry anymore—and increases the Neuropeptide Y—the one that makes us rabidly hungry—therefore increasing our appetite.

 

Also, Cortisol favors the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area. And guess what, the more abdominal fat, the more cortisol released. Another “funny” cycle!

 

Here we have a good reason to keep our mind positive to control cortisol, have a balanced diet high in protein, and get good sleep, all to help to keep cortisol levels under control, to help us with our objective for weight loss and therefore weight management.