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Can yo-yo dieting cause belly fat after 40?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Nikkiey says it can. On Ep. 179 she explains that years of losing and regaining the same weight push cortisol up, and elevated cortisol leads to more fat storage, especially around the abdomen. Many women in their 40s and 50s blame menopause for that belly fat, when yo-yo dieting can be one factor.
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Nikkiey on how years of yo-yo dieting drive up cortisol and fat storage
Plays from 10:36 · Ep. 179: Why Yo-Yo Dieting Keeps You Stuck After 40
Why belly fat blamed on menopause may be elevated cortisol
Plays from 11:12 · Ep. 179: Why Yo-Yo Dieting Keeps You Stuck After 40
How repeated loss and regain affects thyroid, insulin and cortisol
Plays from 8:59 · Ep. 179: Why Yo-Yo Dieting Keeps You Stuck After 40
Why cortisol is the marker most often elevated in her clients' tests
Plays from 10:24 · Ep. 179: Why Yo-Yo Dieting Keeps You Stuck After 40
The full answer
On Ep. 179, Nikkiey explains that the problem isn't one diet. It's the repeated cycle of losing weight and gaining it back, which she says disrupts your hormonal balance in several ways:
On top of that, she points out that when you cut calories hard, your body adapts by slowing your metabolism to conserve energy.
- Your thyroid, which regulates metabolism, can become less efficient, leading to a slower metabolic rate.
- Insulin sensitivity decreases, which she links to weight gain and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Stress hormones like cortisol rise.
Cortisol is the piece she keeps coming back to. Through WarriorBabe's partnership with Equal Life, every woman gets stress, mood and metabolism testing on the way in, covering thyroid, A1C, sex hormones and cortisol. Nikkiey says that of all those markers, cortisol is the one that most often comes back elevated. Everyday life stress plays a part, but she says years on the dieting roller coaster do too. When cortisol is elevated, she explains, fat storage increases and tends to settle around the abdomen, where it becomes really hard to lose.
She adds some nuance. Elevated cortisol "could be one of a couple of different things," and yo-yo dieting is one factor, not the only explanation. Her point is that many women label sudden belly fat as menopause without considering what decades of restrict-and-regain may have done. If you want to know where your own cortisol, thyroid or blood sugar actually stand, that's a conversation to have with your doctor. Either way, if you've lost and regained the same weight many times, the belly fat isn't a sign you failed. The cycle itself is what keeps you stuck, not a lack of effort.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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33 minWhy Yo-Yo Dieting Keeps You Stuck After 40
Episode 179 · Aug 9, 2024