Well, I have lost two pounds since the weigh-in, GO FIGURE! Just got done talking with Cori and discussed how influential stress can be on weight loss.  My problem is cortisol. Yes, I was highly stressed in April. So here is how cortisol may effect you. Cortisol has a job and that is to replenish our body after stress has passed, unfortunately, it hangs around a lot longer than it should. It can remain elevated for a long time, and this is what increases our appetite and ultimately driving us to eat more.  Of course cortisol is a good thing when in a stressful situation and one is in physical danger, it allows us to fight or flee, unfortunately since our system cannot differentiate between danger and stress, it responds to the stress with the hormonal signal to replenish nutritional stores - which is what makes us eat. Yes, I will admit, I was rabid for donuts. Now that my stress has been relieved, I have lost two pounds and feel like I am back to were I should be.