Posted on February 17, 2012 by Jenny Cromack

Stress & Weight Loss

Stress can often lead to weight gain. This isn’t just due to the way stress affects our eating habits but also the affect if has on our hormones and how these influence weight gain.

Comfort Eating

In times of stress many people will comfort eat, and whilst this may make you feel good for about 10 seconds after, you will then be ridden with feelings of guilt. For some this may even prompt further emotional eating, a vicious cycle which will at least cause a plateau in your weight loss or at most cause further weight gain.

Fast Food

People often say they are too busy to cook properly and so will choose nutritionally poor takeaways, fast food or ready meals. These will nothing other than cause weight gain. The only way to get break this habit is to prepare your own food and making healthy eating a priority.

Cortisol

When stressed, we produce higher levels of the hormone cortisol, therefore cortisol is often nicknamed the stress hormone. Increased levels of cortisol can lead to increased appetite levels but also slower metabolism, which combined will lead to a gain in weight. Not only that but cortisol makes you crave the most readily available sources of energy – high fat, simple carb foods that your body can use quickly. Therefore that is why you are more likely to be tempted to snack on sweets, crisps, chocolate in times of stress.

Increased levels of cortisol may not only promote weight gain, but can also affect where we store fat. Some research has shown that elevated cortisol levels can cause fat deposits around the abdominals rather than the hips. Storing fat around the abdominal area is dangerous as it puts the vital organs under extra pressure to function correctly and therefore is strongly correlated to diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.

To minimise the effects of stress try the following:

–        In times of stress find another coping mechanism or distraction – go for a walk, hit the gym…..think of how many calories you’ll burn instead of eating them!

–        Pick up the phone and have a moan to your best friend! You’ll feel much better, just don’t do it over coffee and a cake!

–        Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation

–        Get enough sleep (see below) as lack of sleep can cause stress

–        Ask yourself if you are really hungry or just eating because you are stressed….if you’re not genuinely hungry then don’t eat!