Those with more fat in the belly vs. the hips face higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. If a woman remains active, this shift shouldn't contribute to any significant or life-threatening disease, or major weight gain. But all too often, women are also dealing with chronic, unrelenting stress, which Peeke says produces a flood of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Prolonged cortisol secretion triggers the flow of insulin, a potent appetite stimulant and fat storage hormone that causes even more weight to settle in the waist. The abnormally high cortisol in the bloodstream also triggers an unrelenting appetite for fat and carbohydrates, she says.
People display three distinct eating responses to stress.
There are stress resilient individuals, stress overeaters and stress undereaters. The resilient person adapts to stress, perhaps with exercise or meditation. But both the overeater and undereater sees stress as uncontrollable, which keeps cortisol continually elevated. For these individuals, the goal is to become stress resilient. In her book, Peeke outlines seven-day meal plans customized for each stress eater.