Why Stress Could Be Affecting Weight Loss, Mood, Energy and More
- AimeeH
- 2 hours ago
- 11 min read
Meet Cortisol: Your Body's Stress Hormone
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let's get acquainted with the body's primary stress hormone, cortisol. It plays a crucial role in our fight, flight or freeze response but cortisol isn't the enemy. It's an essential hormone that helps us wake up in the morning, regulate our metabolism, respond to challenges and recover from illness or injury. It's only when stress becomes prolonged that cortisol can begin to affect our health and wellbeing. Chronic stress doesn't just affect your mental health - it can also influence sleep, appetite, energy levels and weight management.
If we go back to our primitive days, our stress response was instinctive - whenever we sensed danger or threat to life, our bodies would engage our fight, flight or freeze mode; releasing cortisol and preparing us to fight or flee. However, over time, our brains have evolved to emotional and psychological stressors in much the same way they once responded to physical threats.
Not only that, but we now trigger this response when our early morning alarms go off (instead of our bodies waking naturally), when we're stuck in traffic, we're behind on a deadline at work, have an event we don't want to attend, are running the children around, have issues with technology or even when there are people we're trying to avoid.
Stress can be physical too - living with chronic pain can have a huge knock-on effect to our emotional state and how we get through the day. High-intensity exercise naturally increases cortisol during and shortly after training. This isn't a bad thing—in fact, it's part of how our bodies adapt and become stronger. However, if we're already carrying high levels of stress and rarely allowing ourselves to recover, constantly pushing at maximum intensity can contribute to feeling physically and mentally drained. In other words, what we might see as daily micro stresses, our nervous system often reacts as though we're facing a grizzly bear. Sounds dramatic, right?
So, what happens to our bodies in fight, flight or freeze mode?
When we're in that life-or-death situation, our bodies prioritise the systems we need most for immediate survival. Digestion slows down, we don't need to fight off colds, flu or infections so parts of our immune system become less effective, especially if stress is prolonged. We definitely don't need our libido and our brains become much more focused on survival than reflection, creativity or empathy. In alert mode, we don’t need quality sleep either. So, while we remain under stress, our bodies function in their own version of computer safe mode - yet we need them to function at full capacity.
Why stress could be affecting your weight loss journey
So, how exactly does cortisol interfere with your weight loss goals? Well, it all boils down to biology. When stress becomes chronic, elevated cortisol can make weight management more challenging. It can influence appetite, increase cravings for high-energy foods, affect sleep, reduce recovery and make us more likely to store excess fat around the abdomen. Why? Because in the wild, stress usually signifies imminent danger (think hungry lions or impending doom), prompting your body to stockpile energy reserves in case of an emergency. Over time, prolonged stress may encourage the body to store more fat around the abdomen as part of this survival response so even if you're ticking all of the right boxes, if your goal is fat loss and muscle gain, it's going to feel like a never-ending uphill climb.
One of the biggest misconceptions I see is people believing they're simply not trying hard enough. In reality, many people are already juggling demanding jobs, family responsibilities, poor sleep and a constant mental load. When we focus only on calories and exercise, we often miss the bigger picture. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do for your health isn't another workout — it's finding ways to reduce the stress your body is carrying.
Breaking the Cortisol Cycle
The good news? Your nervous system is adaptable. Small, consistent habits can make a real difference over time.
So, how do you break free from the clutches of prolonged stress and reclaim your weight loss mojo? All hope is not lost. Here are a few tips to outsmart your natural default response and kickstart your weight loss journey:
1. Chillout: Easier said than done, I know, but finding healthy ways to manage stress is key. Whether it's yoga, meditation, breathwork or indulging in your favourite hobby or movie, prioritising self-care to keep cortisol in check and doing this guilt free is so important in a world where we're told we have to use every second of the day to be productive. Give yourself permission to stop, breathe, release the tension in your body, remove everything that is stimulating you and just enjoy getting in tune with yourself. How does your body feel, what can you hear, see and smell around you? If you struggle with time management or giving yourself permission to stop, set an alarm on your phone to allocate time or make an appointment with yourself in your diary. We keep to appointments so making one with yourself should be just as important.
2. Take a Breath: Our breathing is one of the quickest ways we can influence our nervous system and help our body feel safe again. Try this:
Sit comfortably.
Breathe in gently through your nose for four.
Breathe out slowly for four.
Repeat for two minutes.
Notice what changes.
Keep your breath calm and fluid and do it as often as you need to, the longer the better. This count creates harmony in the body and allows you to continue with your day in a much calmer and more focused manner. You're signalling to your nervous system that all is good and you're safe.
3. Do Something Creative: Back in our caveman days, we only had the four seasons, fire, water, stars and the beat of a drum. When you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed, get yourself outside into nature and take a breath. It's our original art palette and will quickly ground and soothe your body and mind. You could also try doing something creative like singing in the shower, drawing or dancing in the kitchen while cooking! These activities stimulate a part of the brain that brings us joy and creative activities help interrupt the stress cycle and shift our attention away from whatever is causing us to feel overwhelmed. For that moment at least, our mood, energy and spirit will lift. What’s your favourite song? What song did you play on repeat in your teens? Stick that on and see how it makes you feel… What moments does it take you back to?
4. Talk to someone: Talking things through is one of the quickest ways we can begin to calm our stress response. Trying to resolve things in our head only triggers a part of the brain that enjoys negative self-talk and it can take us on a frustrating downwards spiral. Getting the words out literally takes the load off and even though talking to someone we trust doesn't magically remove cortisol, it can significantly reduce our stress response and help us process what's weighing on us. If you don’t have a person you feel safe talking with, write down how you feel. It doesn’t have to be fancy journaling – just write it as it comes out. If it’s something you need to let go of, read it allowed and throw it away afterwards, physically showing yourself to let it go. Many situations are outside our control, but we often have more choice over how we respond than we realise.
So how much of your energy do you want to give away and is it worth it?
5. Move Your Body: Movement is one of the most effective ways to help regulate your body's stress response. While cortisol can be detected in sweat, the main benefit of exercise isn't that you're "sweating stress out", it's that regular movement helps your nervous system become more resilient, improves sleep, boosts mood and supports a healthier balance of stress hormones over time. Whether it's a brisk walk or swim, a dance class or a sweaty spin session, find activities that bring you joy and make you feel alive. If you've had an especially stressful day, you might find your body responds better to gentler movement like walking, stretching or yoga. On other days, higher-intensity exercise can still be a brilliant outlet. Listening to what your body needs is key.
Try this… Instead of slumping on the sofa after a stressful workday, attempt some ‘body shaking’ (and get ready to look a bit silly doing it!). Put on an energetic piece of music you enjoy and starting with your feet, slowly tap the floor to the beat. Make those moves bigger and more energetic and begin to take the movement up your body through your legs, into the hips, trunk, arms and head. By the peak of the song, you’ll be having a full-on rave and encouraging energy to flow through your body upwards, releasing tension through your crown and out into the world. (I'm sure you're smiling just thinking about doing this!) Remember that energy breeds energy – sit and slump all day and night and that’s all you’ll want to do. Move your body to energise yourself and you’ll crave more of it. Which do you think you’ll benefit from most?
There's some evidence that rhythmic movement can help people feel calmer and if you feel safe to try it, you’ve got nothing to lose.
6. Eat Well, Feel Well: Fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods that support your body’s ability to cope with stress. Aim for regular, balanced meals containing fibre-rich vegetables and fruit, lean protein like fish, white meat, eggs, dairy and legumes, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates (grains and root veggies). Allow those indulgences too but make a conscious choice to have them and not out of habit or emotion. Also be mindful of portion sizes if you are having a treat – you want to taste the cake and savour flavour but portion size doesn’t have to be huge to enjoy the cake. The same goes for any indulgence – if your goal is improving stress and health, be mindful of what you put into your body – it’s the fuel that keeps you ticking over so the quality matters.
7. Prioritise Sleep: Ah, sweet slumber, the ultimate cortisol antidote. We’re advised to aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to keep stress levels in check and support our body's natural processes in repair and growth. If you're someone who struggles sleeping or wakes up regularly, take a look at your bedtime routine, when you put gadgets down and what environment you're trying to sleep in. If your racing thoughts keep you awake, journal, do some breathwork or play some white noise in the background. Even use calming essential oils to help you unwind. Elevated levels of cortisol can play havoc with our sleep and even when we've had 8 hours, we can wake up feeling groggy and worse than when we went to bed – this can actually increase cortisol the following day. If that is you, stop to look at possible stress causes and how they might be affecting you on a day-to-day basis.
One thing I do every night is play a SOMA Breath piece of music containing delta brainwaves. It’s a 30-minute instrumental piece that transports me far away from daily stresses and I never hear the end of the track. My husband loves it too and we fall asleep in what feels like a spa treatment room! I’ll attach a link to their app at the end of this blog.
8. Let Go of the Reins: We can't control it all, so stop trying to. You don't care less if you control less. Things won't fall apart if you control less. No one is judging your home, so it doesn't need to look like a show house 24/7. The more you try to control it all, the more stress you'll endure and you'll see things affecting your body and mind - feeling run down, aches and pains, poor sleep, low energy and mood, poor focus and not being able to think clearly, the list goes on. This is how you'll be left feeling every day living with chronic stress - it's time to look at why you value the control and what you can do to manage your daily life with less of it - especially in a world that is already so demanding of our time and energy. Take a moment to fill your energy cup – it’s hard to give 100% of you from a cup that’s only filled up halfway.
For long term impact that matters.
This is an absolute game changer in more ways than one.
Something I encourage all of my clients and friends to try when feeling completely overwhelmed, lost or low is the outward glance or "micro-gratitude".
Being told to just be grateful when you feel like this can seem dismissive and often impossible. When stress hits, our focus tends to shrink, trapping us inside an echo chamber of our own anxieties. The secret isn't to force a massive shift in mindset, but simply to change your point of view.
Look outwards instead of inwards.
When the world feels like it's on top of you, pause and look around for the absolute smallest, neutral things to acknowledge. I call them glimmers. The warmth of the mug in your hands. A green leaf on a plant outside your window. The fact that a friend sent you a funny message earlier. By shifting your attention to these tiny, external details, you break the internal stress loop and instantly lighten the mental load. It’s a quick, powerful circuit-breaker for a panicked mind.
If you want to take this one step further, be the glimmer in someone else's life. Chances are, if you're feeling low, behind their smile, someone you know is too - even if they don't share that with you. Tell them you appreciate them be it a work colleague or friend and that you value them in your life. Ask them for recommendations and engage in meaningful conversation away from the stresses of the world or simply smile at a passer by.
All of these very small glimmers will take the focus away from your negative self talk and give that warm boost to someone who might also genuinely need it. It will help deepen your connections in a world where we're lacking it more than ever and remind you that happiness is a choice - maybe we've just forgotten that it's in the smallest of details and most often, right there in front of us. One day at a time, one glimmer at a time. Try it and see how you get on.
Final Note
There you have it - an introduction to cortisol and its pesky effects on your weight loss and wellbeing journey. Remember, losing weight and gaining muscle isn't just about counting calories and hitting the gym - it's about understanding your body's intricate dance with hormones and finding balance between your physical health, your mental wellbeing and your daily life.
Progress is about creating an environment where your body feels safe enough to thrive and in slowing down, we create enough capacity to breathe and listen to what our body really needs from us right now.
So, take a deep breath, show yourself some love and trust that with patience, perseverance and a sprinkle of self-compassion, you'll master self-awareness on a level that keeps you on the road to success; noticing those amber warning lights and stopping to breathe before hitting the red lights with the emergency brake!
If this sounds familiar, take a moment this week to ask yourself where stress might be showing up in your own life. Sometimes the biggest step forward isn't doing more—it's giving yourself permission to slow down, recover and look after yourself with the same kindness you'd offer someone else.
If you'd like support creating a healthier, more sustainable approach to your wellbeing, I'd love to help.
A little extra context
This blog is written to educate and support general wellbeing and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you’d like to explore this topic further, here are some helpful, evidence-based resources:
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