What Everyone Gets WRONG About Cortisol And Fat Loss Over 40
Feb 02, 2026
Ever heard that cortisol is the reason you cannot lose fat? That is probably not true, even if you have a very stressful life, and I believe you do. I am a certified strength and conditioning specialist who has been helping busy professionals get lean for over 25 years. What I have learned is simple.
Cortisol is not the enemy, but being stuck in stress mode could be. In this video, I am going to show you what most people get wrong about cortisol and how to manage the stress factors that actually matter for fat loss.
Why Cortisol Has Become the Fitness Boogeyman
Lately, cortisol has become one of the biggest fear topics in fitness. You hear things like do not do HIIT because it spikes cortisol, do not fast because it raises cortisol, or do not drink coffee because it will raise cortisol levels.
One of the worst claims is that you need an adrenal support supplement to lower dangerously high cortisol. Much of this fear mongering is aimed at women, especially older women, and it scares them away from habits that actually help them lose fat and get stronger.
What Cortisol Actually Does
Cortisol is a vital hormone that helps your body adapt to stress. It helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure. Cortisol is naturally higher in the morning to help you wake up and move, and it lowers throughout the day so you can sleep at night.
People often use the words cortisol and stress interchangeably. In reality, you do not know your cortisol levels unless a doctor measures blood, urine, and saliva multiple times throughout the day.
Exercise, Cortisol, and Context
Yes, lifting heavy weights raises cortisol temporarily. Strenuous exercise raises cortisol in the short term, just like it raises heart rate and blood pressure. With regular training, your resting heart rate and blood pressure actually improve.
The same applies to cortisol. We need to distinguish between short term spikes and long term elevation. Regular exercise helps manage stress and improves overall health.
Exercise Is Not Making You Fat
People are not gaining fat because they exercise too much. In rare cases, someone who is not conditioned may overdo it, get exhausted, and overeat as a result. But most people are not doing nearly enough exercise, not cardio and not strength training.
Warning people away from exercise is harmful, especially because exercise reduces stress over time. You can be very stressed and still lose fat. You can also have high cortisol levels and still lose fat.
Stress and Cortisol Are Not the Same
You can have a stressful life and not suffer from chronically elevated cortisol if you manage that stress well. Later in this video, I will give you a simple and surprising way to do that. The real issue is how you behave under stress.
I was waking up three times a night to breastfeed my infant son when I got lean enough to win a fitness competition. High stress does not automatically prevent fat loss.
What Actually Matters for Fat Loss
If your stress is high but you still maintain a moderate calorie deficit through nutrition and exercise, you will lose fat. Recovery becomes more important as we get older. We do not sleep or recover from training as well, so those factors need to be prioritized.
Many clients are under constant pressure from work, travel, and poor sleep. They rely on caffeine, do not eat enough protein or fiber, and feel run down. Stress is high, recovery is low, and appetite increases.
Why Appetite Goes Up Under Stress
Cortisol can increase appetite. If stress is not managed, hunger rises and overeating tends to happen, often at night or on weekends. It is not your metabolism slowing down.
You are simply taking on more than you can handle, and food or alcohol becomes the coping mechanism.
Undereating and Fat Loss Myths
Undereating does not cause fat gain on its own. Cortisol does not prevent fat loss. Fat gain only occurs when calorie intake exceeds energy expenditure.
There are extreme cases such as eating disorders where prolonged undereating and excessive exercise disrupt normal physiology. But for most people, the problem with very low calories is fatigue, reduced movement, and eventual overeating.
The Real Problem With Crash Dieting
People restrict calories too aggressively, feel terrible, and then binge. This cycle means they are never in a consistent calorie deficit. I know this pattern well because I lived it for over a decade.
The solution is not more restriction. It is a balanced nutrition and exercise program.
How to Train and Recover Smarter
Avoid extreme calorie deficits and use a moderate deficit that gives you enough energy to train. Plan workouts consistently, but allow rest when you need it. The harder you train, the more recovery time you need.
Gentle daily activity like walking is also important. It supports recovery and stress management.
Stress Management Beyond Exercise
Exercise is one of the best stress management tools, but others can help too. Deep breathing, stretching, mindfulness, meditation, and quiet time all have value. The best option is the one you will actually use.
The Surprising Role of Mindset
Your mindset changes how your body responds to cortisol. In a study of 73 people exposed to stressful tasks like public speaking, those with a strong internal locus of control had higher cortisol spikes but faster recovery.
A faster cortisol rise mobilized energy to handle the challenge, and faster recovery meant less overall stress impact. Smaller cortisol responses were linked to slower recovery.
What This Means for You
Believing that you can handle stress changes your physiological response. See stressors as challenges, not threats. You cannot avoid stress, but you can control how you respond to it.
Your mindset literally changes your hormonal stress response. It is also a far healthier way to live.
Is Cortisol Really Making You Fat?
Cortisol is not automatically sabotaging your fat loss. The evidence does not support the idea that higher cortisol levels cause fat gain on their own. Some research suggests chronically high cortisol may affect fat distribution, increasing visceral fat.
The solution is the same lifestyle approach that reduces visceral fat overall. To get specific steps to reduce that type of belly fat, watch this video here.