Can Too Much Exercise Make Your Body Hold Onto Fat?

If you’re exercising more, eating carefully, and still struggling with stubborn fat, you’re not alone. For many people — especially women — too much exercise can actually make fat loss harder, not easier.

Here’s why.

When Exercise Becomes Stress

Exercise is healthy stress in the correct dose. But excessive exercise — high-intensity, long duration, or minimal recovery — can push the body into survival mode.

When this happens, cortisol (your primary stress hormone) stays elevated, sending signals to the body that it’s not safe to release stored energy.

The result? Your body holds onto fat for protection, often around the abdomen.

Overtraining and Fat Storage

Overtraining combined with under-fuelling is one of the most common reasons people experience stubborn fat.

When the body senses:

• High energy output

• Low energy intake

• Ongoing stress

…it responds by slowing metabolism, preserving fat, and breaking down muscle to conserve energy.

Hormones and Metabolism

Chronic exercise stress can disrupt:

• Cortisol – increasing fat storage

• Thyroid hormones – slowing metabolism

• Leptin – impairing fat-burning signals

• Sex hormones – affecting energy and body composition

When these systems are out of balance, fat loss stalls — especially the last stubborn kilos.

Fat Loss Happens in Recovery

A key shift in sustainable fat loss is understanding this:

Fat loss happens during recovery, not during the workout.

For fat loss to occur, the body must feel fuelled, rested, and safe.

A Smarter Approach

For many people, better results come from doing less, but better:

• Strength training 2–4 times per week

• Walking or low-intensity cardio

• Planned rest days

• Adequate calories and protein

• Nervous system support

Often, reducing intensity allows the body to release stored fat finally.

It's your Biology

If your body is holding onto fat despite your best efforts, it’s not a lack of willpower — it’s biology. When you shift from punishment to support, your body stops fighting you and starts working with you.