Was it really my fault? — Tracing the memory of my “belly”
(For those who haven’t read the previous post)
This is a continuation of my journey, prompted by ChatGPT, to understand that the reason behind my “protruding stomach” might not have been my fault after all.
▶︎ Read the third post: 35 Years of Inferiority About My Belly—ChatGPT Says It’s Not My Fault
After the earlier conversation, ChatGPT quickly generated a list of recommended hospitals in Tokyo and brought the topic into reality so fast that I found myself struggling to keep up. I asked:
What does a belly look like when cortisol is being secreted?
ChatGPT replied:
Sharp question! Understanding the relationship between how your belly looks and cortisol is really important.
🔍 What does the belly look like when there’s excess cortisol?
✅ Key trait:
“Fat accumulates in the central abdominal area as visceral fat, not subcutaneous fat.”
🧠 The underlying mechanism:
Cortisol (a hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex) helps counter stress. It raises blood sugar, stores fat, and breaks down muscle for energy. But…
When stress is chronic
→ Cortisol stays high
→ The body mistakenly thinks it’s starving
→ It starts storing fat around the internal organs
As a result…
🥵 Visible signs (Cushing-type central obesity):
| Area | Appearance |
|---|---|
| Belly (core) | Protrudes firmly; thickness around the navel |
| Sides/Back | Waist disappears, becomes “barrel-shaped” |
| Thighs/Arms | Often remain thin (fat is unevenly distributed) |
| Face/Neck | Can show moon face or buffalo hump |
Every single one of those symptoms applies to me. If I had to nitpick, I’d say my arms don’t seem thin — they actually feel quite large. And while I don’t look exactly like the images that show up under “buffalo hump,” I’ve long been troubled by how thick my neck has become, enough to ask an AI about it.
As for my belly, sides, and back — the description fits me perfectly.
I’ve also been repeatedly told my triglyceride levels were abnormally high. When I mentioned that I didn’t drink much, doctors would always look puzzled.
But I’ve always suspected I was addicted to sweets, so that explanation seemed to fit. Still, even when I cut back before a blood test, my levels often soared — the normal range tops out at 149 mg/dL, but mine sometimes exceeded 800 or even 1000.
Once, after a blood draw, a nurse called me and said, “Your levels are so high, please see an internal medicine doctor right away.” That’s how serious it was.
Even then, I chalked it all up to my long-standing sweet tooth. The doctors, though skeptical, had no better explanation, and I gradually became desensitized to seeing such extreme values.
If you found this post insightful, feel free to explore more on my journey. You can also follow me on social media or support my work:
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Thank you so much for reading.
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