Why Your Body Is Stuck In Fat-Storing Mode

joelbrownwellness
1 day ago
3 min read

Stress keeps fat locked down

Here’s a common problem I hear from clients:

They went on a diet, starting going to the gym to do all the cardio, but after a while noticed they weren’t really losing any inches from around the middle.

It’s the basic formula we’ve been taught to follow to lose weight and get healthy:

Eat less + Move more

And look, if you’ve been here for a minute you know that I agree that calories are important.

But this formula is missing some important things.

Because your body may not think losing the fat is a good idea.

When your body feels threatened, or stressed, or isn’t sure when food will come next, it tends to lock down fat storage.

This is a survival mechanism: Your body holds on to fat in case you don’t get food for a while, or if you have to pull up and move camp again.

We call it “survival mode”.

In the past it would be because you didn’t have a reliable source of food or your tribe was threatened.

Now, we’re in survival mode all the time.

Why your body goes into survival mode (and holds onto fat):

⚡ Chronic stress – high cortisol signals your body to hold fat, especially around the belly
🌙 Poor sleep – disrupts hormones like leptin and ghrelin, making you hungrier and less metabolically efficient
🧃 Too much sugar and refined carbs – spikes insulin and keeps your body stuck in fat storage
🏃‍♂️ Overtraining or under-recovering – too much intensity without rest raises stress hormones
📉 Low muscle mass – less muscle = less glucose storage so your body hangs on to fat
🔁 Caloric restriction – Excessive caloric deficits signal to your body to hang on to fat because there’s not enough food coming in
🧠 Inflammation – chronic low-grade inflammation interferes with insulin and fat metabolism
⏰ Lack of meal timing or fasting windows – never giving your body time to enter a fat-burning state

So, how do you get out of “survival mode”?

For some, it might seem counter-intuitive, but part of the answer might be to eat more.

Bring your metabolism back up and help make your body feel safe again.

Of course, it’s about eating the right foods, moving your body, reducing stress and getting quality sleep each night.

How to get out of survival mode (and finally lose fat):

🥩 Eat more protein – balances blood sugar and helps rebuild muscle
🕒 Shrink your eating window – give your body time to burn stored fat
🚶‍♂️ Walk after meals – lowers blood sugar and reduces insulin spikes
💤 Prioritize 7–8 hours of sleep – restores hormones and lowers cortisol
💪 Lift something heavy 2–3x/week – builds muscle, boosts metabolism
🍳 Eat enough food – Stop crash dieting and eat whole, nutrient dense foods that fill you up
🧘‍♂️ Do one thing daily to lower stress – deep breathing, sunlight, or even just silence