Is your diet making you gain BELLY FAT?! (Weight Loss & Cortisol FACTS)
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Thank you to Eric Williamson, who is a dietitian and PhD who specializes in sports and weight management.
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DISCLAIMERS
1) The information in this video is for education and entertainment purposes only, so you should always speak to a health care provider about your unique health needs.
2) Please use this video (as with all of my review videos) as educational, not as unique recommendations.
3) Please be kind in the comments.
4) Trigger warning to those with disordered eating tendencies.
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You know it’s a good day when Abbey posts! Thank you ♡
Awww
I look forward to your posts every week! I learn something new with every video! ☺️
so glad!!
What’s even more a stressful thing dealing with cortisol is,you can become addicted to stress.🙄
-come over
and see-‘The
Audio
Recording Where
Amber Heard
Almost Died’
Me with Severe trauma that doesnt even know what it Feels like to be Safe: TRUE
Abbey, would you mind expanding on RED-S Syndrome? I feel like you touched on some of the impacts in this video and it might be enough to warrant its own discussion.
Thanks so much Abbey!!!🥰 I’ve been waiting for this one. You are the greatest and should be so proud of how many of us ( Canadian or not🇨🇦😊) you help every day!
Aw thank you so much
I just recently became aware of cortisol and how it was affecting me.
One, I have two diagnosed psychiatric disorders, and two, I recently had some big hits to my personal life that put me in crisis mode.
Besides having been experiencing belly fat for several years that was not really a thing before, I also started having extremely oily skin and hair.
Which is why I researched the cause and discovered that pesky hormone cortisol is a key factor.
I’ve been fully immersed in self-care since this discovery and the oils chilled out as well as some weight loss.
Reading a book called Feeling Good, light exercise, mindful eating, less alcohol, and having meditative moments with my relationship to God. That has been helping me.
Cortisol also made me blow up sometimes so it definitely needs to be checked.
I’m glad you’ve found strategies that help!
I love this woman! She explains everything so easily! ❤
I was listening to a Podcaster that said to cut out HIIT training for peri/menopausal women (because of cortisol). Glad to hear that philosophy is false. What you say makes good sense Abbey.
I love your videos!❤ can you do another one on PCOS and how to regain one’s period?
I have PTSD and escaped an abusive unit recently. In addition to a lot of improvements in my health, the things you mention at 12:38 are things I suffered from as well. PTSD takes a big toll on the body and can manifest physically, so I wonder if that’s what I’ve been experiencing. I also experienced them during intense periods of burnout.
I know you said that there isn’t much of a link between cortisol and loss of period but what about overall stress that does cause women to lose their period? Am I misunderstanding cortisol and stress? Are they different or a cause and effect type thing? Thanks for the great, scientifically backed videos and calling out the health myths being pushed on social media!
When stressed your body has a greater need for cortisol. If you can’t produce enough, you will then crave sugar to replace it.
My daughter has complete adrenal insufficiency. She produces zero cortisol of her own. She needs medication three times a day to replace it, but if she’s sick, falls, is worried, needs an anaesthetic etc, she needs IV cortisol. The first time we realised something was very wrong was when she was 17 months old and ate a whole packet of chocolate biscuits – she was trying to replace her cortisol.
You are more sensetive to stress the week before your period so I think to much stress then can mess your period up.
I have been a bit in crisis mode for over a year and definitely have an increase in belly fat. I also have PCOS and have heard a bunch about that increasing corisol too.I have been interested in this topic for a while and it has almost made me nervous that trying to loose weight be diet and excuse will not work. Thanks so much for the info!
I’m in the same boat. I have been slowly losing weight though by just eating a balanced diet when I’m hungry and exercising lightly. Each meal has a fat, a fibre and a protein. I also do an exercise I like every day. For instance, I get off the bus from home a few stops early so I can walk 20 minutes a day and spend that time listening to music. The weightloss is slow going but it’s going. We’re all definitely different but I just wanted to let you know that healthy balanced food choices and 20 minutes of exercise a day could be a good starting place for you to try, since it sounds like we have similar problems.
I appreciate you so much ❤️ i recently found out i am autistic and this might be why I tend to ignore my own body needs. I need to learn how to better self manage to avoid getting cortisol off balance
Hello! Muslim follower from the UK here. it was really interesting what you said about Ramadan fasting. The increased cortisol at night time would actually benefit us in Ramadan as many Muslims try to dedicate time throughout the night to prayer. And of course getting up before dawn to eat before beginning the fast.
On another note. I really ejnoy your videos and have benefitted so much from what I’ve learned about HCCs and looking at dietary changes through a lens of abundance instead of restriction. I’ve been slowly changing my lifestyle and loosing weght after putting it on for the past 6 years. I’ve been able to really enjoy this process and I can feel my hunger/ craving/ binge desires changing/ decreasing.
I’ve learned how interconected my poor diatary choices and mental health were too, so another thank you for talking so openly about mental health.
Thanks for your content Abbey!
I tend to personally lose a lot of weight when stressed in the short term because I find that stress makes me more fidgety and hyper focused and speeds up my regularity . However I don’t think it is a good long-term solution because I think of cortisol as a body’s precious energy reserves best conserved for times of true need .
Thanks for bringing science to that discussion and explaining, what is nonsense and what is not :-).
Could you maybe make a “what to eat on depression days” video:
Let me elaborate: So on a really bad depression day, making food is not an option, sometimes eating is not an option either… Anyway… I still try to eat something on bad days, as eating literally anything is better then eating nothing… So in those cases, I usually have something ready in the freezer, that is halfway healthy and just pop it in the microwave and that’s that.
But on the bad days, where I have a little bit of energy left for actually making something quick, I’m looking for inspiration for healthier things, but also tasty things, that I can make in like 5 minutes, that are not a smoothie. I think that would be a great video, that would also help other people I guess.
I seems to have opposite effect when my cortisol levels rises. I stop eating and only can drink water. I can go for a days without eating and end up loosing too much weight which doesn’t suits me as I’m already 50kg. I definitely have to keep an eye on my stress level.
love this! i’m actually soon a certified HA practictioner and see people with HA deal with high cortisol a lot!
but I don’t agree with the eating more due to high cortisol is the reason to weight gain. When I had high cortsol I had noooo hunger and had to force feed myself
Abbey! Could you touch on the effects of night shift work on cortisol levels? Lots of us nurses noticed the weight gain in the belly area but is there any way around it? 😢
Hi, I found your channel a few years ago while in my ED. I lost it for years and one of your old videos recently popped up again. When I was younger I was trying to trigger myself through your videos and did the opposite of what you recommend on purpose. But looking back they actually really educated me and helped me in my healing process ones I was ready. I appreciate what you do for so many people. I’m now very much a healthy eater and feel surprisingly good in my body. This is also thanks to your work, honesty, knowledge, openness about your own struggles and feelings and your community.