🟣 Is this "cortisol face"?

Picture 1 was taken January this year. Picture 2 was taken this week:

Bosh haha.

But in January I was proper stressed.

I’d just launched my app, and the months before that were a blur of 7-day work weeks, caffeine dependency, and the emotional stability of sock stuffed with custard.

Now I could tell you that all that stress “fucked my face with cortisol.”

But I’m not a complete cock,

So I’m going to bullshit you :)

Here’s what actually happened:

When I was stressed, my sleep was crap.

I was training but absolutely going through the motions.

But it was steps and nutrition that was the real kicker - barely scraping 5k step average and my Deliveroo expense for the month was fucking eye watering..

So yeah, stress had a role - but it wasn’t the cause of my face looking more puffy.

Just where my habits slipped I ended up in a pretty consistent calorie surplus for a good chunk of last year.

What’s changed between then and now has nothing to do with “fixing my cortisol”, skipping my morning coffee and getting exactly 17 minutes of daylight before my first wank of the day

But has everything to do with giving myself damn grace that I took on one of the biggest projects of my life

Then followed up with the grit of “ya gotta change things if you want to feel your best ya lil egg x”

And bit by bit, that’s what I did

January I focused on building better boundaries. Outsourced some work, cut my scroll time, made walks non-negotiable, and stuck to bedtime.

February I started building back structure and routine with my nutrition so plants and protein were making a strong base while reducing mindless snacking

Then March - September, with the foundations sitting stronger, I went into a proper calorie deficit and consistently stuck to it for 4 months

As a result? I’ve dropped over 20lbs of body fat since January. Maintaining it since I popped back to maintenance in September.

And now my face looks a bit different

So no, I don’t have a sexy secret “cortisol-fixing” diet to sell you.

Just a reminder that it takes consistent, imperfect action with the basics if your goal is to see you progress towards your goal.

If you’re sick of the noise and want a clear plan to sort your shit out without losing your mind

Whether that to be build muscle, lose body fat or just feel a bit fucking better

The the app I nearly killed myself building is exactly what you need.

You can join for a free 7 day trial here

Pick up a program and wiggle through the nutrition crash course in there so you know exactly where to focus your energy these next couple months

Big love

Rachel