Why Does Cortisol Cause Weight Gain?

[@ZohaEnglishLab]

the best explanation ever for understanding cortisol and insulin resistance (diabetes )... very well simplified

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!

[@giankarlomacapagal815]

This has been very helpful and informative.

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thank you, I'm so glad!

[@ashutoshsrivastava3618]

EXCELLENT VIEO............ THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LISTEN TO A KNOWLEGEABLE PERSON. EVERY INFORMATION WAS SPOT ON AND I LEARN MANY THINGS. THANK YOU

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

[@carolbuckner1647]

Great info well presented- thanks

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thanks so much! 🌞

[@aspiresk8boarding]

I really think cortisol can suppress appetite too. That’s why most people aren’t hungry in the morning. Cortisol being naturally high after fasting all night and blood sugar going very low. But it’s best to replenish liver glycogen in the morning to blunt the cortisol wave. Oh and people tend to get a voracious appetite in the evening when cortisol is lowest, especially when they haven’t properly nourished themselves throughout the day

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Hello, cortisol increases appetite, and does not suppress it. There are a few reasons why you've observed what you wrote here. When we wake up in the morning we also have a surge of adrenaline and noradrenaline, both of which are appetite suppressants, which is why we may tend to be less hungry when we wake up in the morning. Cortisol is at its lowest in the middle of the night around 2-4am, which makes sense because we want to suppress hunger during the night, not stimulate it. People sometimes get more hungry in the evening due to underfeeding during the day, emotional eating, and other things. There are also other hunger-related hormones (like ghrelin and leptin) that fluctuate with circadian rhythm, so we can't point to cortisol as the explanation for all of it. To put it simply, there are many variables (hormonal and otherwise) that factor into hunger and hunger suppression, but cortisol increases appetite.

[@aspiresk8boarding]

@@DrVeronicaFoster Yeah you’re right. It’s the adrenaline that suppresses appetite. When you’ve been running on cortisol for backup fuel maybe cortisol even runs low and u run on adrenaline. I had major issues with this growing up. Major anxiety and anorexia that fed each other. It wasn’t until addressing nutrition that any anxiety was manageable. Sadly the professionals just gave me SSRIs

[@sueh4282]

Cortisol may be high, but insulin is lower due to not eating throughout the night.

[@AwareZen]

Very helpfull, thank you!

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thanks, Igor! You are very welcome

[@growden100]

The bear is now scarcity in this climate of Covid. I lost my job due to Covid and didn’t go back. Homeless can be eminent if I find myself without a job. This is stressful. Now many of us have to learn the new AI environment.

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Hi Genevieve, I am so sorry that you are going through that. Yes, that is definitely very stressful, and you make a good point that it is like our modern "bear" that we are fighting off. I appreciate you sharing

[@liurodriguez5964]

I truly hope your found a new job and were able to have your little home. May God bless you and protect you!

[@EastEndSongStudio]

This video provided me with a breakthrough in understanding how 6 cups of coffee per day was making me feel fat and miserable and giving me horrible pms. I am in the process of quitting coffee entirely.

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thanks so much for sharing! I am really glad that you are finding clarity and making good changes to help yourself feel better, and that my video could help you get there!

[@iamthefiremanjj]

Excellent I noticed horrible sleep quality worrying over stuff that doesn’t matter mood swings etc . I also saw on scans that my body fat percentage went up over a month and muscle mass went down . This is keeping calories and workouts the same . I lost 1kg muscle and gained 2kg fat which is shocking to me . I am dropping this poison out of my life . As a male I would also experience fevers or hot flashes out of no where. Even getting sick easily

[@markprin7347]

Hi. Are you medically diagnosed for having elevated cortisol?

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Like Mark also asked, have you been medically evaluated to determine if your cortisol level is high? I ask because what you are describing here could be the result of a number of different things, so be careful not to assume that the problem is cortisol if you haven't been tested. If your cortisol has been tested and you are sure that is what the problem is, then I'm glad you are on the right path to solving the problem! Thanks for watching my video!

[@Nosh_Feratu]

such an excellent video, just the facts!!!

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thanks, Nosh!

[@DolliMoonArt]

so how do you lose weight ?

[@AwareZen]

Regular physicall activity lowers stress and improves insulin sensitivity and body composition.

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

If you mean, how do you lose weight if your cortisol level is high, then the goal is to lower cortisol. If cortisol is high due to chronic daily stress (not an isolated situation), then exercise can help tremendously. When the body is chronically in a fight-or-flight state, good, hard, exercise can help the body "close the loop" on the stress response. Think of it like you are tricking your body into thinking that the stressful event is over by exerting physically like you would if you were fighting or fleeing from the stressor. I hope this helps!

[@wafahanbale4073]

what r the references, bc I’m doing a research

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Thanks for asking! I just added the references for this video to the description, so please take a look. I hope it helps, and thanks for watching

[@wafahanbale4073]

@@DrVeronicaFoster thank youuuu

[@thedeekabides]

Dang. Seems like there’s no simple method to avoid cortisol. What’s a good way to reduce cortisol production? I do my best to get enough sleep, and often wake up before an 8 hour block feeling refreshed and ready. Any tips?

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Hi there, a great way for most people to reduce cortisol is with exercise. To lower cortisol, the root of the problem needs to be addressed. If cortisol is high due to chronic daily stress (not an isolated situation), then exercise can help tremendously. When the body is chronically in a fight-or-flight state, good, hard, exercise can help the body "close the loop" on the stress response. Think of it like you are tricking your body into thinking that the stressful event is over by exerting physically like you would if you were fighting or fleeing from the stressor. If cortisol is high due to other reasons (besides chronic stress), then medical intervention might be needed. In that case, it is a good idea to talk to your doctor to determine the root cause and a treatment plan. I hope this helps!

[@josiemadrigal7419]

I looked into grounding. I watched grounding movie on KZbin. I spend time on my lawn (no weed killer, etc) and I also use a grounding mat. I can’t do without it. It helped me lower my cortisol and sleep better.

[@jingulu]

​@@josiemadrigal7419 Hi, how long it took you to see a difference once you started using the mat?

[@Supreme91007]

Sorry whats the fix to lower cortisol

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

It depends on why someone's cortisol is elevated. To lower cortisol, the root of the problem needs to be addressed. If cortisol is high due to chronic daily stress (not an isolated situation), then exercise can help tremendously. When the body is chronically in a fight-or-flight state, good, hard, exercise can help the body "close the loop" on the stress response. Think of it like you are tricking your body into thinking that the stressful event is over by exerting physically like you would if you were fighting or fleeing from the stressor. I hope this helps!

[@aayrabillie]

I have a question I’m fasting for 23 hours a day for 6 days now and eating in like 1200 calories also I’m doing 45 jogging in place followed by 10 minutes dumbbells workout but I’m still not loosing weight even I noticed my belly bloted all time I’m struggling with sleep as well. Please help me out with this. I’m 21 and I’m literally struggling with my weight .

[@markaguilera493]

Look up nutrition with victoria

[@manwithsomeplans]

I would focus more on pranayama (slow breathing) and calming the nervous system. It is impossible to lose weight when the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) is dominant and vigorous exercise will likely hinder and not help. Try walking for an hour instead and see how you go. You can walk every day whereas sprinting and weight training requires rest and recovery. All the best

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Hi there, it sounds like you are placing an enormous amount of physical stress on your body with everything you are doing, which is likely elevating your cortisol level. Fasting to that extreme, combined with extreme calorie restriction, plus exercise, is too much on your body. You will find that if you get more sleep, it more calories (aim for closer to 1500-1800), and do less restrictive fasting (try eating for 6-8 hours per day instead of only 1) you will probably feel much better and have more success. You may also find it beneficial to see your doctor. It could be helpful to have blood work done to find out what your hormone levels are like, and see if you are addressing the right problem. There are several hormones that can interfere with weight loss if they are out of balance, so a deeper look into the situation could help you find the answer. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best!

[@michaelharned8741]

Stress caused severe weight loss in me caused nausea made eating difficult

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

I'm so sorry to hear that! It is true that even if you're stressed and producing cortisol, it won't cause weight gain if you aren't eating enough in the first place. Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@Starrr-ro8hg]

I’m getting mushroom coffee today and seeing if this helps I remember when I didn’t drink so much coffee I found it easier to lose weight

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

I hope it helps!

[@iMaGiNaTiOnWpAsSiOn]

I thought insulin was needed to transport glucose to the cells for energy? So if the glucose is sitting in the bloodstream because there’s no insulin or limited insulin to take it into the cell to be used for energy, how can that glucose in the bloodstream be beneficial?

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

In a stressful situation in which cortisol is produced, glucose in the blood stream is beneficial because its presence will stimulate secretion of insulin, which will transport the glucose into the cells for them to use as energy to meet the demands of the stressful situation. When this is occurring chronically, it causes weight gain because if the cells don't need additional energy at that time, then the insulin causes the excess blood glucose to be stored as fat. I hope that helps!

[@jasonmackay1928]

quit coffee/caffeine. your life changes after going through the withdrawals. especially AA metabolizers.

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Good advice!

[@SimplicityForGood]

I like to know this topics relation to fat rheumatism, or also called Dercum's disease after hip operation and not able to sleep, not able to get rid of pain like rose fever from the sacarettisue and extreme obesity witht fat nods that are highly painful and develop very fast in size and grow on nerve areas under armpits and groin area and lover belly area on one side and at sometime fat in belly that came from nowhere.now not sleep for more than year .. and hear tis behaving stengly, the blood in the neck.. sorry English is not my language and go too glasses to see now.. hope you get the topic.. trauma after surgery, weight gain no sleep at all... failed hip muscle tissue trauma surgery with develop fat nods and scares, and serom access liquid , lymph edema.. he normal general doctor says he know nothing of fat rheumatism and is the most arrogant shit bag od a doctor I ever met.. one year with zero follow up on all this.. I cannot walk for a whole year.. just lying down 90 % of the day for a year with extremeburning pain and pain in heart area and eel lik evomit

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

Hi there, it is awful that you are having this experience and that you haven't found a resolution yet. If you don't like your current doctor, then my best advice to you is to keep trying new doctors until you find one that you like who can help you figure out what is going on. Don't give up, and advocate for yourself until you find a doctor who can help you manage your condition better. Best of luck to you!

[@SimplicityForGood]

@@DrVeronicaFoster thanks , I have tried four fiveclincs.. all read what the previous doctor said that I imagine pain and that there is no such disease as I say as Dercum's disease or similar and that is just fat and fat is not dangers .. I cannot even bend my arm due to these fat nodes going into the biceps and arm pit... and I feel warm , and vomit and cannot sleep at all.. and it grow a lot in a few months.. the fat node or tissue is a lot larger now.. they neglect all I say due to the punctation saying is not cancer.. I did not ask if is cancer I showed how and why is painful and showed them info of Dercum's disease as one example.. they treat me like shit, like a psych patient that imagine things but now one can see the fat node growing right out of the skin.. so it grow a lot.

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

@@SimplicityForGood I am very sorry to hear that. You need to persevere and find someone who specializes in your condition. It may take a lot of effort (and driving) to find someone who specializes in the condition, but it will be worth it

[@SimplicityForGood]

@@DrVeronicaFoster I found a clinic but hey want about 300 dollars to just meet me.. I am sick , alone at home and cannot work.. we are supposed to have free health care here in Sweden.. but the free ones just mock you and pretend you got no symptoms but imaginations.. and the serious ones want all your money just to see you but got no plan for treating you at all, only diagnoses..but if the diagnoses are not accepted by the free health care what use is it?"

[@foxiefair123]

It causes weight gain because it’s evil and out to get you.😂Just kidding, but that’s what it feels like.

[@DrVeronicaFoster]

I'm with you on that, haha