Date: April 13th, 2020
Cortisol and fat reduction
Not long ago, I met a spinning coach from the center, who has 10 years of experience in aerobics and anaerobic. The coach, weighs 84 pounds and 12 percent fat per caliper.
You could actually see the pair of top abs, but that trainer was already completely discouraged and couldn't believe he could actually see sixth abs in his stomach.
Sixth abs "as in magazines" he said.
"For five months I have been toning, I do spinning an hour 4 times a week and another 3-4 workouts I accompany my trainers. I barely eat carbs and put in 2000-1500 calories. I do 4-5 weight workouts and just tear my ass. In any heart rate cardio workout I burn about 1000-1200, I'm just fine, my body has no abs."
Many cases of attempts at weight loss and fat percentage encounter a physical barrier that stops progress towards such a long-term goal.
The numbers just don't move down! The fat percentage does not drop and the weight is stuck.
You've probably also come across stories of someone doing everything to lose weight, and just going crazy for nothing.
When we investigate a little in depth, one can usually find that there is a common denominator for all these stories:
The guy / girl rarely eat anything! (Calorie deficit is too low).
They do a lot of exercise, especially cardio! (Higher intensity).
They are in constant stress and frustration, because they can't lose weight or fat!
Sometimes just one of the cases I mentioned is enough to stop the downward motion ...
And all to notice two main times when this happens:
- In the beginning - a person who has now decided to enter a strict diet regime and exercise a lot of physical activity, can not lose even 100 grams, lose weight and give up or go maniac and cut calories even more, or increase physical activity.
- Halfway - A man who has lost weight and fat percentage, decides to move on and just can't shed the extra pounds. It increases activity even further and cuts some more food, and still can't move even a few grams down.
Have you ever thought why this is happening to these people?
Precisely for those who are entering a diet and training regime so crazy and willing to invest their whole souls to see sharp and fast results?
So what's going on there? Let's talk about cortisol ...
Cortisol is a hormone that is rarely heard of, but not in an orderly and complete way.
Information that does not come unequivocally can be very confusing.
Simple explanation: Cortisol is one of the hormones secreted by the body in response to stress.
Stress states can be varied , including physical activity, significant caloric deficiency and mental stress. Cortisol is secreted at regular pulses during the day and night, and this is important to know, too.
In the fitness and bodybuilding world, cortisol is always seen as a "bad" hormone, the one that is constantly hurting and we want to stay away from it, while testosterone, thyroid hormones, growth hormone and insulin, are seen as "good" hormones that help us achieve the desired results.
This unequivocal statement is not necessarily correct, and we will soon find out why.
Cortisol - chronic versus acute secretion
In general, cortisol secretion can be observed in humans.
Acute secretion of cortisol is characterized by a short and definite time, where the level of cortisol in the blood rises, and then declines back. This is usually a permanent plastic secretion of the body, or a secretion in response to a momentary stress condition caused by the body (eg short physical activity or temporary hunger state).
Chronic cortisol is characterized by prolonged and prolonged cortisol levels over many hours, during the day or night. This episode is characterized by constant stress on the body, caused by significant caloric deficiency throughout the day, or due to multiple physical activity, or due to persistent mental stress.
In general, it may be said that acute cortisol secretion is positive, and that it may occasionally occur during the day, while chronic secretion is the problematic one and which we wish to avoid.
You must have already linked the descriptions we presented at the beginning of this article with a chronic episode of cortisol. If you haven't already, then it's time ...
But what exactly does cortisol do in the human body?
Here, too, we divide the mechanisms into acute versus chronic secretion.
Acute secretion of cortisol increases the utilization of fats by the body and allows the use of fatty acids to generate energy. This is what we are looking for during our slimming or toning period.
Regardless of sport, acute cortisol secretion is also associated with better temporal memory. That's why we are able to remember extreme stress situations for details.
Chronic cortisol secretion (especially in combination with high insulin levels) is characterized by fat accumulation throughout the day, which makes it difficult to reduce fat percentage. Of course we want to avoid that.
High levels of chronic cortisol also cause fluid accumulation in the body, which of course makes it difficult to lose weight.
We can chronically correlate high levels of cortisol, the body's metabolism, with high leptin (additional hormone) levels or some leptin resistance, in the mechanisms we will not take at this time.
Regardless of sports, chronic cortisol secretion causes memory loss.
So how do you break the problematic cortisol cycle?
Quite simply.
Moderate increases in daily caloric intake, some physical exercise, and daily stress .
Stress linked to weight loss are all excellent solutions that can lower body cortisol levels throughout the day.
Sometimes even one of these solutions can break the weight loss and fat percentage.
Notice, it may be that "taking the foot off the gas" and taking it one step back may lead to better results in weight loss and fat percentage.
It is important to note that each individual is different and differ from one another, the trainee's body structure, current condition, level of ability, type of activity, percentage of fat and many other personal data are mandatory for adjusting a balanced diet menu and personal training program for maximum and safe results.
Therefore, this article does not exchange personal advice with a professional and the information should be tailored individually, personally and in a controlled manner.