In the process of fat loss, we prefer to choose intuitive means, among which the most common ones are diet and exercise, the purpose of which is to achieve the goal of calorie intake < consumption, because diet can help You limit your daily calorie intake, and exercise will increase your consumption, but for fat loss, it is not such a simple process. On the contrary, fat loss is a rather complicated process, because many factors will affect In the state of calorie balance, even if you think that there should be a calorie deficit, but in fact there is no, this is also one of the questions that many friends are puzzled about. But not thin.
So, What causes the actual calorie deficit to be lower than expected, or even less than expected, during fat loss? The calorie deficit doesn’t appear? To sum up, there are probably several reasons, such as underestimating the calories of food, overestimating the consumption of exercise, ignoring metabolic adaptation, inability to fight hunger, subjective motivation, hormone levels, and so on. Among these factors, in addition to hormone levels, we can basically understand other factors, so how do hormone levels affect the effect of fat loss?
Of course, when it comes to the effect of hormones on fat loss, there will be several involved, such as testosterone, insulin, thyroxine, and of course cortex. Alcohol, I will not introduce them one by one here, mainly to talk about the impact of cortisol on fat loss and how to balance cortisol.
First: What is cortisol?
Cortisol is the main glucocorticoid, secreted by the adrenal glands, which regulates the metabolism and utilization of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and more physiologically or psychologically. stress, and anti-inflammatory properties. Many times, we also refer to cortisol as the “stress hormone” because the secretion of cortisol is related to stress. When the body is under stress, the body releases cortisol.
In addition, our bodies secrete cortisol throughout the day and follow a circadian rhythm, with cortisol levels highest throughout the day when we wake up in the morning and lowest in the evening, and Levels rise during high-intensity exercise and drop after exercise is over.
Second: Is cortisol good or bad?
Cortisol has a bad reputation among fitness people because high cortisol levels can have negative health effects, and for fitness people, cortisol levels are too high It’s also not good news, such as:
High cortisol levels can make you more likely to gain weight, mainly because it blocks satiety signals, and you feel more fat than usual It is easy to be hungry, and it will stimulate your appetite, especially foods rich in starch and sugar. For example, when we are stressed, we are more inclined to choose sweets to relieve stress;
Excessive cortisol levels can make it difficult to lose fat or gain weight easily, while gaining weight, fat tends to accumulate in the abdomen;
Cortisol levels Too much can make building muscle difficult because it inhibits protein synthesis and accelerates protein breakdown, which can lead to lower testosterone levels and, in general, make building muscle difficult.
In addition to these factors, persistently high levels of cortisol can lead to water retention and puffiness problems, which of course refer to chronically elevated cortisol levels. The effect of high levels on muscle gain and fat loss does not mean that normal levels of cortisol are not good. On the contrary, cortisol has certain benefits for health and muscle gain and fat loss. For example, cortisol can fight against Inflammation, can decompose fat, regulate stress, stabilize blood pressure, regulate immunity, etc.
In other words, cortisol is not absolutely good or bad, the reason why it is bad is that It is because of the negative impact on health, muscle building and fat loss when cortisol levels are consistently high, so for people who lose fat, how to balance cortisol levels is particularly important.
Third: fat loss, how to regulate cortisol levels?
In the process of losing fat, when you can manage your diet well and keep exercising but see no effect and ask a coach or a related person, you may get Such an answer is that cortisol levels increase, which leads to difficulty in losing fat. Although this answer is not entirely correct, it is indeed one of the important factors that lead to difficulty in losing fat. Therefore, in the process of fat loss, in addition to controlling diet and In addition to adhering to exercise, we should also pay attention to regulating cortisol levels, so as to reduce the impact of this potential factor on fat loss. So, what needs to be done?
1. The calorie deficit should not be too large
It can be said that in the process of fat loss, control Diet is what the vast majority of people do, not only that, but a considerable number of people will be on a diet, because in this case, the possibility of a calorie deficit will be greater, but when calorie intake When it’s too low, cortisol levels rise.
So in the process of fat loss, even if you control your diet, don’t let the calorie deficit be too large. The general recommendation is about 300-500 kcal, and it is the same to maintain a balanced nutrition.Important, especially carbohydrate intake, the reason why carbohydrates are taken out separately is because many friends will greatly reduce carbohydrate intake during the process of fat loss, and even reach a state of zero carbon, while carbohydrate intake Too little intake can also lead to elevated cortisol. Of course, in addition to ensuring carbohydrates (recommended daily intake is 45-55% of total caloric intake), protein intake should also be emphasized.
In addition to ensuring the balance of nutrition, in order to avoid the continuous increase of cortisol, do not stay under the calorie deficit for a long time, and regularly maintain a balance of calories It is also important, of course, for fat loss, it is not necessary to be in a state of calorie deficit every day, as long as it is achieved within a certain stage, the average calorie intake is less than the consumption.
In addition, it is necessary to ensure the intake of vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits can not only supplement vitamins and minerals, but also reduce inflammation in the body and alleviate the negative effects of cortisol, especially after exercise. Vitamin C can significantly reduce cortisol levels.
2. Avoid excessive exercise
High-intensity exercise can cause cortical Alcohol levels rise, and in the process of fat loss, exercise seems to be essential, because without the participation of exercise, the efficiency of fat loss will not be good, and exercise itself is also a form of directly increasing consumption , but over-exercising in order to lose fat faster can backfire.
Therefore, in terms of exercise time, usually keep it at about 1 hour. If you choose high-intensity exercise, shorten the exercise time appropriately. Not only that, pay attention to rest, and make sure your body is fully recovered. Carry out the next exercise, in addition, pay attention to the relaxation time after exercise, which can relieve physical and mental tension.
3. Pay attention to sleep
Lack of sleep can lead to cortisol On the contrary, high-quality sleep will help cortisol recover. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to sleep. Ensure 7-9 hours of sleep every night. In order to improve sleep quality, you can do this before going to bed. Some soothing exercises, such as yoga, stretching, etc., if you don’t sleep well at night, you can pay attention to naps, which can also play a certain role.
4. Regulate emotions
Stress, especially long-term chronic stress, will It leads to excessive secretion of cortisol. Under long-term stress, it is usually accompanied by various bad emotions, fatigue, insomnia and other problems, and it will also increase abdominal fat, and other negative effects.
Therefore, it is very important to learn to actively control your emotions. Don’t always focus on one thing, learn to divert your attention, consciously listen to music, go out, chat with family and friends Chatting, learning to release your emotions, plays an important role in regulating cortisol. Of course, we all face the pressure, big or small, and the key lies in how we deal with the pressure.
Summary:
In general, cortisol is not wrong, the key is when cortisol When levels are too high, it can have a variety of negative effects on the body, and for fat loss, high levels of cortisol can affect our body composition. Therefore, it is more important to regulate cortisol levels. Of course, from a method perspective, it mainly lies in good eating and exercise habits, paying attention to sleep, and maintaining a good mood.