Science Reveals How To Lose Stubborn Belly Fat!

It has been scientifically proven that individuals who are chronically under stress are more likely to carry excessive amounts of stomach fat. Is this because stressed out people tend to "stress eat"?

Well this certainly may be the case for a percentage of these individuals. After all, stress eaters typically binge on sugary junk foods during periods of stress, which of course would lead to unwanted gains in body fat.

This would clearly explain the connection between being stressed and having extra body fat in general. The discussion would end here but we know that even the stressed individuals who are particularly lean still have a tendency to carry an disproportionate amount of stomach fat compared to other areas on their body.

So, if you are stressed out, why does the bulk of the fat you gain find its new home right on your belly?

Recent studies have found an answer to this question. Researchers have found a strong correlation between high cortisol levels and increased belly fat.

For those of you who don't know, cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced by the adrenal glands and is released in the body in response to stress.

So how does cortisol create this negative effect?

Well, due to its undesirable effect on insulin and blood sugar metabolism, it promotes massive sugar cravings.

But even worse than that, cortisol decreases the normal spike in your metabolism that usually occurs after eating a meal. Unfortunately, this leads to burning less total calories per day thus making you more susceptible to gain body fat.

But wait a second, it gets worse.

Cortisol also breaks down muscle tissue. Since muscle tissue is directly responsible for your metabolic rate, breaking down muscle makes losing belly fat extremely difficult.

Alright, so this explains why a person with high levels of cortisol would carry more body fat generally. But what about the connection with cortisol and ABDOMINAL fat?

Well, it turns out that abdominal fat has approximately five times more cortisol receptors than body fat from other parts of the body. Therefore, the more cortisol you have in your body, the more your body will want to have more receptors, thus prompting it to store more and more belly fat.

It is also speculated that once cortisol has bound itself to the receptors found on abdominal fat, it prevents that fat from releasing fatty acids to be burned as fuel, even during a fat burning workout.

In other words, the fat that lands on your stomach is "stubborn", and doesn't want to go antwhere. It basically has a vested interest in keeping your stomach nice and plump!

Now that you are convinced that keeping your cortisol levels in check is a huge component in any successful fat loss program, you're probably wondering how to go about doing that.

Well, many supplement companies sell cortisol blocking pills. The primary ingredient in these formulas is phosphatidylserine.

The bad news (and don't hold your breath waiting for the supplement companies to admit this) is that these formulas do NOT work. They are a total waste of time and money.

Fortunately, there are some natural things you can do to keep your cortisol at an acceptable level. Here are some effective strategies:

1) Reduce stress- This may seem easier said than done. But any attempt to deal with life's situations in a calm manner will help.

2) Reduce alcohol consumption- Alcohol intoxication will increase cortisol levels at a rapid rate. Can anyone say beer belly?

3) Reduce caffeine intake- I know, I know...First no booze, and now no coffee!?!? Look, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you simply need to drop that latte if you are serious about losing belly fat.

4) Eat smaller meals- Eating one or two big meals per day puts preventable stress on the body. This also leads to increases in cortisol levels.

5) Laugh a little- Most people don't realize that laughter can lower your cortisol levels profoundly. So lighten up!

6) Don't over train- Yes, the very training you are doing to burn belly fat can actually be encouraging your body to store it. You need to balance training volume with intensity and know when to take a rest.

There you have it! In addition to a well-designed nutritional protocol and a properly designed training program, integrate these cortisol lowering strategies and make losing belly fat easier than you ever dreamed possible!