High Cortisol Levels and Appetite

There are many symptoms for high cortisol levels. But when it comes to weight loss, cortisol is probably the mosts powerful fat producing hormone. In fact, one of the worst kind of fat, belly fat, is cured simply by reducing the amount of cortisol.

To learn more about cortisol you can go to the "Cortisol and Weight Gain" page to learn about all the effects of cortisol levels on your overall health and your weight loss.

But for the subject of appetite, increased appetite is one of the symptoms of high cortisol levels. But it is not just an increase in appetite. It is an increase in cravings for sugar and sweet foods. Another high cortisol symptoms is an increased appetite for high fat foods as well.^[1]

Another one of high cortisol level symptoms is reduced leptin. Leptin which I talk about in “Leptin, the “I’m Full Hormone” is the hormone that create the satiatey feeling you have. The satisfied feeling after eating a small meal.^[2] High cortisol levels suppress the very hormone that tells you you’re full.

So those intense cravings for cokes, ice cream, fried foods, chocolate, etc. can really intensify when cortisol levels are increased.

What Increases Cortisol?

Stress. Physical stress, mental stress and emotional stress. Cortisol is there to help. It prepares the body to handle an intense stimulus. If you are attacked, get your credit card bill ;0P, have a bad fight, etc. this causes an increase in cortisol to prepare the body for this event.

Stress hardwires your brain to look for very quick energy to handle the increased stress NOW. High sugar foods and high fat foods are very dense foods and are regarded by your nervous system as quick sources of energy.

But the problem is we do not move enough to use that energy. Most of you who have excess weight you can’t get rid off are dealing with this hormome being released by some form of stress that does not have to do with you running away from a saber-toothed tiger =0).

What Can I Do To Reduce My Cortisol?

Sleep more and sleep earlier rather than later. Being tired at night is more stressful on the nervous system. The two hours late at night is more stressful on your nervous system than those two hours in the morning. In the morning you have rested and your nervous system has recuperated.

Reduce the intensity of your exercise routine. If you are not losing weight and you are exercising a lot and even increasing your exercise amount or intensity, your exercise is making you fat. It is stressing your body and creating an acid environment and producing high cortisol levels. To learn more about how exercise is making you fat you can visit “Best Exercise To Lose Weight”

Eat smaller meals and snacks more frequently. You can read the effect of frequent meals in “Nutrient Timing”. But with regard to cortisol, going for long periods of time without eating stresses the body and cortisol is produced.

Eat water-rich alkaline foods. There are lists of foods to eat and not to eat on “Alkaline Foods”

A last note here is that this is one aspect of weight loss. To get the fastest and most permanent results I suggest not using only one thing to be successful with your natural weight loss. It is best if you have a comprehensive program that addresses your entire lifestyle. The many books and diets out there tell you what to eat and how to exercise but they do not address the hidden sources of sabotage.

Using the information here is best used as part of a comprehensive natural weight loss program. If you are interested in getting natural weight loss consulting that is tailored to you, you are welcome to get contact me for an initial consultation here: “Weight Loss Program”