After 35, abdominal fat is often linked not only to calories, but to stress hormones, blood sugar swings, inflammation and metabolic overload.
When cortisol stays elevated, it may:
– increase cravings
– promote fat storage around the waist
– worsen insulin resistance
– affect sleep and appetite regulation
With type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, this pattern may become stronger.
Some foods may support stability. Others may feed the cycle.
What often helps:
✔ legumes and fiber-rich foods
✔ regular meals
✔ healthy fats
✔ balanced carbohydrates
✔ foods that improve satiety
What often worsens belly fat:
– ultra-processed foods
– sugar spikes
– constant snacking
– excess refined starches
– chronic stress + irregular eating
My approach has never been restriction.
It is stabilization.
Not “eat less.”
But:
balance the system.
Sometimes a simple meal — like lentils, potatoes and vegetables — can support more than another “diet food.”
This is part of the Tessa Stabilization Method:
support metabolism,
calm the system,
reduce extremes.