Stress is one of the biggest causes of excess fat, along with bad food and alcohol. Even if you’re eating a healthy diet by avoiding sugar and eating good fats etc, but you’re stressed, you will still be more likely to have a chubby tummy. 

When we become worried, angry or tense, a stress hormone called cortisol as well as adrenaline floods through our bodies. The adrenaline keeps us alert and the cortisol prepares our muscles for a fight or flight response to the danger. This gives us an immediate burst of energy which can be used to either confront the dangerous situation or run away from it. It also helps our body to release sugar for instant energy. This was useful to us in caveman times but for modern day stress it’s not so good. Nowadays it’s usually our busy lifestyles which cause us stress and this is unhealthy for our bodies as it wears our our immune system, causes us to get fat and increases the risk of serious illness. When we’re in physical danger, the adrenaline and cortisol prompt us to either fight the danger or run away from it and so our utilised in our response to it. However modern day stress rarely requires a physical fight or flight response and so all of the sugars and hormones that are released are left unused, eventually ending up as fat around our waist. Additionally they make you crave more sugar as your body thinks it needs more to keep it going.

Cortisol is particularly bad for you. In 2011 a study found that women who reduced their stress levels lost the most stomach fat. So no amount of sit ups will shift that extra belly flab if you’re always feeling stressed. The only way to get rid of it is to ditch that stress in your life!