Why You're Not Losing Belly Fat

Is Cardio Necessary For Fat Loss When Intermittent Fasting?

22 DIY Home Remedies for Weight Loss Last Updated: January 17, 2019 Being over-weight is a condition that generally occurs when you consume more calories in diet and burn very little through physical activity. Physical stress (as triggered by high intensity exercise) and psychological stress (caused by work, family, etc.) both activate the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the fight or flight" response. When you go into fight or flight" mode, your body increases its production of the hormone cortisol. In the short term, that's a good thing; cortisol is a performance enhancer, increasing the concentration of glucose (your body's primary fuel source) in the blood. But if levels never return to normal (e.g., because of chronic stress), cortisol can also promote weight gain. That's why doing high intensity workouts might hamper weight-loss efforts if you're already (and chronically) super stressed" — you're layering stress on top of stress, and cortisol on top of cortisol.