‘Stress Belly’ Is a Thing. Here Are 5 Ways to Help Flatten One

‘My belly just got very large, and it felt hard’ recalls one sister about a sleepless, stressful time. But she lost 60 pounds in six months with these habits.

Published August 14, 2024

Is there a telltale sign that helps you recognize that you're stressed, and you need to relax? For some it's weight gain; or repeatedly losing things; or withdrawing socially; or temporary difficulty in doing a puzzle; or even a change in handwriting or tone of voice. If we heed them, these signs are a gift. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

In 2017, Halona Black was dealing with “a lot of anxiety,” a job she “was not happy about,” and a stressful relationship, she says. She also had brain fog, had fibroids that had started to grow back after a myomectomy, and felt grief after the loss of her mother.

“I was up at all hours of the night because I couldn’t turn my brain off. I would not be able to lay down to go to sleep until five or six o’clock in the morning,” she says.

All of these things affected her life. “I was about 100 pounds overweight at that point,” she says. “My belly just got very large, and it felt hard on the outside.”

But she made changes. In 2018, at age 40, Black moved from the United States to Thailand because she’d always wanted to live abroad. As she started going to a Buddhist temple and learned the basics of meditation, worked with herbalists, started journaling again, and changed her eating habits, things looked different.

“I had lost, at that point, probably about 60 pounds by the end of the six months,” she says today at age 47. “I was much clearer. I had a lot of energy.” And as she managed her stress and kept up her updated lifestyle habits, including a focus on eating a (mostly) vegan diet, her progress continued. Today Black reveals she lives in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, has lost about 100 pounds (and gone from a pants size of about a 20/22 to a 10/12/14), and works as a writer/author, coach, and meditation teacher.

How can stress relate to weight gain?

Mention any spike in waist circumference to your health care provider, who can rule out related conditions separate from weight gain. A “stress belly” isn’t a medical diagnosis, but it can describe how stress can affect your body, according to healthline.com. Physical activity and other habits matter for mid-section weight gain. But so can your stress hormones.

“If you think of your fight or flight response, your body is like a machine. It releases hormones that go to work on your body,” says Shari Andrews, M.D., a board-certified emergency physician, certified personal trainer, and certified nutritionist based in Glen Cove, New York. Adrenaline is a stress hormone that people may know, but it’s also important to know about cortisol, she says.

Also of note: “Black women report higher levels of psychological stress than White women and carry a disproportionate burden of chronic conditions associated with psychological stress, including obesity,” wrote researchers in a 2022 issue of Women’s Health Reports, pointing to research that suggests Black women experience generic stressors as well as “race- and gender-related stress.”

“If you’re under high amounts of stress, your body’s increasing that cortisol level because it increases the [glucose] in your body, and that’s what you need for energy. But it’s a double whammy because if you are under a lot of stress most of the time, then you’re always releasing cortisol,” Dr. Andrews continues. “Therefore, you’re always releasing [blood] sugar and that causes you to be more insulin resistant. And then you can develop fat around your midsection.”

Increased abdominal circumference can signal a deeper issue. “That’s actually a sign of how much fat could be around your organs, [which]…increases your risk for cardiovascular disease, for diabetes, for stroke,” Dr. Andrews says.

How can you manage a stress belly?

“God knows I’ve done a ton of short fixes before I truly got into health and well-being for myself,” says Black. “Dedicate to learning what is healthy for you. That is self-love.”

Ready? Dr. Andrews suggests the “CHILL” approach. (Cool and easy to remember.) Each letter stands for something you can start now as part of the bigger picture.

C: Control your cortisol. “Since cortisol is our stress hormone, then we need to reduce stress,” Dr. Andrews says. “Some people like…deep breathing, meditation, yoga. I like reading a book, taking a walk. I like going to the gym. Know what can keep you level,” she explains. Developing relaxation rituals can help you manage stress in the moment and also learn to de-escalate your response to future stressors, she explains.

If you’re feeling really anxious or tired, a culturally competent mental health professional can help.

H: Have healthy eating habits. “You want to avoid processed foods and sugary foods,” says Dr. Andrews, noting cookies, donuts, and other foods high in sugar can spike your blood sugar and increase your fat storage. She adds that you should aim to eat whole foods found on the perimeter of the supermarket like vegetables, fruits, and (lean) meats.

I: Increase your physical activity. You probably saw this coming. “You want regular exercise. I usually love recommending cardio, but I also, I really love recommending strength training because it helps to burn calories and it reduces stress,” says Dr. Andrews. “If you’re trying to reduce fat, then you need to be in a calorie deficit. I’m not saying to starve yourself, but you want to make sure you’re burning a lot of energy. Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes for most days of the week.”

And no need to do the most or overly focus on your mid-section. “You can’t spot reduce fat. There is no magic exercise. There’s no ab cruncher, there’s no specific machine, there’s no electronic device you can strap onto your waist,” Dr. Andrews says, explaining a “holistic approach” for your whole body is what helps.

For instance, although Black is now training for a half marathon, she says she started out walking in Asia.

L: Look at your lifestyle balance. Your aim doesn’t have to be perfect, Andrews advises, but “Aim for balance between your work life, your personal life, your playtime and your rest, that’s important. Sleep is important. You want to get adequate sleep—at least seven to nine hours.”

“Sleep is a big thing,” says Black after her weight loss, noting she’s now tucked in by 11 pm. “I have an entire ritual to be able to help me to sleep and includes having a good shower at night, using things that help—certain scents that help me to sleep.”

L: Limit drinking alcohol and smoking (if you do). No shame in toasting sometimes. But, you’ve “got to make sure you’re limiting alcohol because excessive alcohol can disrupt sleep—it can increase stress levels,” says Dr. Andrews, noting you can increase your water intake instead.

Also limit smoking because nicotine triggers cortisol production as well, she says.

Annnd that’s your basic blueprint for reducing a stress belly. It’s could take some time, and you may have to experiment and adjust along the way. What’s important is getting started and getting healthier.

Leslie Quander Wooldridge is an award-winning writer and editor whose work has reached tens of millions of readers. She is the former senior editor of Sisters From AARP, where her work included reporting, writing, commissioning, editing, and posting content; advising on strategy; and developing and hosting live social media events. As a freelancer, she covers topics related to health and wellness, relationships, personal finance, and more, with her articles also appearing in outlets including AARP the Magazine, Business Insider, Consumer Reports, and Men's Health. Connect with her on social media platforms @lesliequander and at lesliequander.com.