Everyone deals with some level of stress on an average day, but if you find yourself feeling like you're constantly frazzled, that may result in the accumulation of belly fat, Nazirber De La Cruz, RDN, CDN, CDE, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at Elmhurst Digestive and Liver Diseases in Queens, NY, told POPSUGAR. According to Cruz, chronic stress promotes inflammation in the body, similar to how too much added sugar does. Fat cells in the belly produce and react to cortisol hormones and other proteins that drive inflammation, which promote cell growth and can lead to weight gain. Try these stress-busting techniques to naturally lower your cortisol levels.