Stress Can Make You Fat

The hormone, Cortisol, is very important. It helps with proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, immune function and a lot more!
Cortisol converts protein into glycogen and begins the process of fat storage. Cortisol is a helpful hormone, but when you're dealing with chronic stress... it can cause weight gain. When you stress, this hormone can build up and create a surplus supply around the belly - this translates to belly fat.
Keep in mind, this is stress of any kind - mental, emotional and physical.

*Are you training really hard at the gym day in and day out, yet still can't get that belly to go down? Of course, it could be your diet. BUT... maybe you need to take a rest and give your body a couple days to rrecover. Too much training will stress out your body and can lead to reverse effects.