If you are like most people you've probably gone through difficult periods in your life, if you have, you may have noticed that you put on weight, even if you were actually eating less. The fact is that stress can make you fat.

Here's Why...

Research scientists have discovered that the hormone cortisol, loves stress and basically the main job of cortisol is to degrade your muscles and cause you to put on weight. It is impossible to stop cortisol from being released from your body and it would be unwise to do so. However there are a few things that you can do to help keep cortisol levels in check and under control.

So What Is Cortisol?

Cortisol is actually released from the pituitary gland in the brain; its primary role is to help regulate your blood pressure. So when you get stressed, cortisol is released in large levels to help keep your blood pressure under check. The bad thing however is that is also breaks down protein and converts it into fat. It does so by breaking down the protein to amino acids, these are then broken down to give you energy. The problem is, if you are stressed over nothing, then you aren't using the energy, so it gets converted to fat and you lose muscle as well.

Ways To Control Cortisol Levels

There are a number of ways in which you can control cortisol levels; the easiest is simply by thinking positive and thinking happy thoughts. Don't forget that stress is physical as well as mental, so if you are overtraining you are putting extra stress on your body and muscles which can induce your body to release more cortisol.

It is quite uncommon for your body not to be able to control cortisol levels or to consistently produce too much. However you can get medicines to help control cortisol levels for people who blame their weight gain on cortisol. But before you try these, give the natural methods a try first as you'll be much healthier for it. Just relax, chill out or even try yoga or meditation.

It is almost impossible to avoid stress and if you do find yourself stressed don't stop eating. Eat healthy snacks to provide your body with the energy it needs in these stressful situations, which should help reduce excessive cortisol release. If you maintain healthy eating and sleeping habits you should be able to reduce your stress levels. If you still think that your cortisol levels might be excessively high, speak to your doctor and get a proper consultation.