Cortisol · Body composition

Chronic cortisol makes you gain weight even at unchanged calorie intake: it preferentially stores on the abdomen, breaks down muscle, disrupts hunger and primes insulin resistance. Cutting food no longer works — sometimes it makes things worse.

This exploration lays out the metabolic mechanics, tells visceral apart from subcutaneous fat, and offers a realistic plan that starts by calming the HPA axis before touching the diet.