The Shocking Connection Between Stress and Belly Fat (And What You Can Do About It!)

The Model Health Show

Shawn Stevenson

Fitness, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.8 • 7.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today we’re going to dive into the intricate relationship between stress and excess body fat. Managing your stress, along with essential diet, sleep, and exercise inputs, is a critical part of your overall well-being—including your body composition. On this compilation episode of The Model Health Show, you’re going to learn from four incredible experts on the role that stress plays in our bodies. You’re going to learn about the connection between stress and unwanted body fat, as well as how to reduce your stress levels. You’re going to learn from some of the most respected experts in the realm of stress, cortisol, psychology, and healthy aging. This episode covers the difference between good stress and bad stress, how your hormones respond to cortisol, and tips for helping your body manage stress better. Managing your stress might be the overlooked secret to unlocking your body composition goals, so I hope this episode gives you the information and inspiration you need. Click play and enjoy the show! In this episode you’ll discover: What percentage of doctor’s visits are fueled by stress. (0:41) The link between stress levels and visceral fat. (2:56) Why excess cortisol leads to more belly fat. (5:05) What types of exercise are best for your cortisol rhythm. (10:47) The two types of genes that are most likely to be harmed by trauma. (22:06) How your hormones respond to high levels of cortisol. (23:48) What percentage of people have dysregulated cortisol levels. (29:45) One of the biggest misconceptions about stress. (33:50) Three key beliefs that can help you manage stress better. (33:30) Why exercise is essential for mental health. (36:17) What hormesis is. (46:01) The definition of sustress and why it can be damaging. (47:04) What the main goal of your stress response system is. (48:58) How cellular dysfunction leads to modern diseases. (51:50) The role your mitochondria plays in your overall health. (55:54) Items mentioned in this episode include: Paleovalley.com/model - Use code MODEL for 15% off! Piquelife.com/model - Get exclusive savings on bundles & subscriptions! 5 Belly Fat Mistakes with Dr. Sean O’Mara - Hear the full interview here! The Reason You Aren’t Losing Weight with Dr. Sara Gottfried - See the full interview! The Link Between Exercise & Connection with Dr. Kelly McGonigal - Watch here! Why Your Body Needs Stress with Dr. Sharon Bergquist - See the full interview here! Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:  Apple Podcasts Spotify Soundcloud Pandora YouTube This episode of The Model Health Show is brought to you by Paleovalley and Pique. Use my code MODEL at Paleovalley.com/model to save 15% sitewide on nutrient dense snacks, superfood supplements, and more. Go to Piquelife.com/model for exclusive savings on bundles & subscriptions on cutting-edge solutions for your head-to-toe health and beauty transformation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are now listening to The Model Health Show with Sean Stevenson.
0:04.8	For more, visit themodelhealthshow.com.
0:10.1	Today you're going to discover the most overlooked aspect of weight loss and fat loss in our world today.
0:16.2	You can have a great diet, exercise regularly, and check all of the commonly discussed weight loss
0:22.4	boxes. But there's a force that can absolutely sabotage your weight loss plans. And that force
0:30.1	is the powerful and profound impact of stress. It's well established that stress has remarkable influence on our biology overall.
0:41.5	A powerful peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
0:45.5	has established that upwards of 80% of all physician visits today have a primary stress component.
0:56.2	Stress can literally make us sick.
0:59.2	Whether we're talking about cardiovascular risk, risk to our brain and cognition, risk to
1:04.0	our gut health, every organ, organ system and every cell in our bodies are deeply influenced by the power of stress.
1:14.6	But what the heck is stress? What is it really? And is stress really even bad for us? Are there
1:21.7	different types of stress? How can we adapt and make ourselves better so that we are more resilient in the face of stress?
1:29.0	And how can we adapt in a way that helps us to lose the weight that we want to lose?
1:35.7	Because again, you can have your diet dialed in, exercise your face off.
1:41.5	You can check all these conventional boxes.
1:43.9	And I'm here today. I'm standing here
1:46.6	before you to share that every single person needs to know this information today. So many people
1:53.9	today are struggling to lose the weight that they aspire to lose because of the stressors in their
1:59.0	lives. But again, it's not just about the stressors.
2:03.0	It's about our body stress response system and how our perception of the stress is affecting
2:09.5	us. And today we have four of the leading experts in the world in this subject matter to detail
	...

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