It happens that fat accumulates mainly in the abdomen, on the sides and back (such a belt), and the rest of the body almost does not get fat at all or generally remain normal. At the same time, neither dietary restrictions, nor physical exercise, nor any other methods of losing weight help almost at all, but on the contrary, you continue to get better. What is it? What is it called and how to deal with it?
This fat, which accumulates only at the waist, is called cortisol. As you might guess, this name comes from the name of the hormone cortisol. It is a stress hormone.
In addition, there may be accompanying signs: severe irritability, even aggression, fatigue, apathy, unreasonable hunger, sleep problems (frequent awakening, difficulty falling asleep), trembling hands, muscle pain.
It works like this:
if any danger is suspected, the adrenal glands produce cortisol, which in turn helps tone the muscles by supplying them with glucose. After that, there should be active actions, where the muscles will be mainly involved - running, hitting, jumping, lifting weights, in general, various physical activities and a waste of strength and energy.
But in case of psychological danger, physically it is not necessary to spend energy. The energy accumulated in the muscles is not wasted anywhere and it cannot be there all the time. Therefore, its further path is transformation into fat! If stress does not pass at all and a person lives in it constantly, then gradually the body gets used to it and it becomes the norm for him. In this case, the body will constantly produce cortisol and maintain its level. From this, the endocrine system suffers first of all, the production of hormones is disrupted and a general failure occurs.
Cortisol (a stress hormone) affects appetite - you always want to chew something!
What it leads to:
overweight, type II diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system, osteoporosis.
How to solve the problem:
as already mentioned, diets and exercise are ineffective for such a problem. Here, first of all, you need to normalize the production of cortisol and remove hormonal disruption. To do this, you need to do the following:
1. Establish a sleep pattern. During lying down and getting enough sleep.
2. Remove coffee from the diet. And drink about 1.5 liters of plain water per day (no juices, tea, fruit drinks, namely, water).
3. Adjust your diet:
add fatty fish, dried fruits and nuts, citrus fruits, basil, sea salt, cereals and legumes, various meats and dairy products to it.
4. We'll have to give up confectionery, baked goods, flour products, and for a while from chocolate.
5. If the problem is very serious and it is difficult to cope with it yourself, then visit an endocrinologist. He can advise a competent diet and, as a last resort, prescribe medications (but this is the last thing, since there are a lot of side effects).