Posted on June 04, 2015 by Kate Halsall
We all know that when we are under stress, healthy eating habits and our normal training regimes are hard to maintain. It almost goes without saying that when we become less active and stop being able to make time to prepare our healthy meals, our weight is likely to be affected and increase, or if you’re on a weight loss mission this might hit a plateau.
Whilst research shows that there is a tendency to eat calorie dense foods under stress – and apparently it affects men more so, it has also showed that there is just as much of a tendency to not feel hungry and therefore significantly reduce calorie intake. So, is stress causing you to gain weight?
Well, if we ignore how we deal with stress from a food and exercise perspective, we need to look at the simple fact that weight gain as a result of stress may also be due to our hormones.
When we are stressed, a number of hormones are released in our body including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is released to help the brain and body deal with the immediate stressors – it’s our fight or flight instincts. This normally would illicit a “not hungry” response. Once this wears off, excess cortisol stays in the system and signals the body to replenish it’s energy supplies. Unfortunately, as stress can cause us to be inactive, we start to reach for that comfort food and do nothing to help work it off: hello weight gain! You should also be aware that some research has shown that stress and elevated cortisol tend to cause fat to be stored differently – specifically in the abdominal area.
So, if we look at the affects of cortisol the simple answer to the question is stress causing you to gain weight would be, yes! Combine this then with the tendency to want to do less exercise and eat comfort food and it’s a recipe for disaster….those pounds will soon creep on!
So what can we do to help ourselves to overcome the effects of stress?
* Get out of the house or out of work and take a break or go for a walk.
* Try to stick to your normal exercise routine – you know those feel good hormones (endorphins) will make you feel 100 times better. If you feel so frazzled that you can’t face your normal workout do a shorter session or workout with a friend to encourage you to do some exercise.
* Eat the foods which will help. Studies have shown that there are specific foods and nutrients that can help stabilize our various hormones as our body starts to produce the excess adrenaline and cortisol. Foods which include vitamin C and B, zinc, selenium, are a must.
* Look at ways of reducing your stress and therefore lowering cortisol as this is key to minimising weight gain. Try an activity such as yoga or meditation which will hel you switch off and relax.
* Seek professional advice – speak to a counsellor, your doctor (Leeds Mental Health Service do a weekly group stress management class which is fantastic about helping you recognise your stressors and deal with them) or maybe a life coach or business coach might help.
We all experience stress at different levels and stages in our life but don’t suffer in silence….talk to someone about it.
http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v30/n6/full/0803229a.html
http://consumer.healthday.com/encyclopedia/food-and-nutrition-21/food-and-nutrition-news-316/stress-and-weight-gain-645929.html
http://www.naturopathichealthcarecentre.co.za/news/stress-and-weight-gain
http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU%3A30007279/torres-relationshipbetweenstress-pp-2007.pdf