We’re living in a world where we’re constantly on the move. Hectic work schedules and things like getting caught up in traffic, standing in long lines and having no personal time, leaves us irritable and stressed.
Have you ever wondered what relation stress has with weight loss? Well, for some, stress may cause them to lose weight and for some like me, stress causes me to put on weight, loads of it. You see, when I’m stressed, my body starts crying out for comfort food. Ice-creams, crisps, chocolates – you name it, I have it. All this temporary distraction does make me feel better, for an hour or so, then I’m plagued with guilty feelings and feel stressed at the fact that I’ve put on weight again, thanks to the all the calories I’ve consumed. Can you see what a vicious circle it is?
Basically the relation between weight and stress is rather complex. In order to maintain a healthy weight, various factors are taken into consideration – such as: how active you are, eating your meals on time, skipping breakfast, what types of food you eat etc. I wanted to look at this in-depth.
Why does stress cause you to put on weight?
Many books and researchers claim that when a person is stressed out they find it tough to maintain healthy eating habits. Many people tend to eat more food during stressful times so they can fulfill their emotional needs. As a result they gain weight.
Another explanation is that cortisol, a hormone secreted by our bodies during stress, is the actual cause of weight gain. Research has shown that prolonged exposure to extremely high levels of cortisol does result in weight gain. Take the example of Cushing’s syndrome, a medical condition wherein your adrenal glands produce too much of cortisol.
It has been claimed that to some extent, emotional stress causes a temporary increase in the level of cortisol, which may cause food cravings. Many researchers claim that a habit of eating in response to stress becomes a learned habit, which is encouraged by the chemistry of the brain.
“During the first couple of days following a stressful event, cortisol is giving you a clue to eat high-carbohydrate foods,” Perfetti tells WebMD. “Once you comply, you quickly learn a behavioral response that you can feel almost destined to repeat anytime you feel stressed.”
No matter what the reason is for stress leading us to put on weight, we can do something about it. We have the power to change. Begin by getting familiar with some techniques that can combat stress. Exercise, mediation, yoga are all ways that can control stress. In addition, start eating healthy. If you’re stressed out and are reaching for a bag of chips, go for a bag of baked crisps which are lower in fat and salt. Try not to lose sleep and make it a point to relax and not get worked up about every little thing, as hard as it may seem.
Nothing is impossible, so try and make your life as stress free as possible.
To your health,
Kim Duess
www.You-Be-Slim.com
Your Natural Weight Loss Solution
Tags: 7-keto, banaba, Caralluma Fimbriata, diet coke mentos, diet pills, diet podcasts, diets, easy exercises, easy weight loss, exercise, exercises and weight loss, fat loss, fucothin, fucoxanthin, guggul, guggulsterones, light weights, lose weight midlife, lose weight quickly, lose weight summer, loss weight fast, metabolic rate, metabolism, metabolism and weight loss, mid life weight gain, natural weight loss, natural weight loss pills, new diet pills, new weight loss aid, nintendo wii, Oprah thyroid weightloss, resistance training, salad, salads, Slimaluma, soup, thyroid, weight loss, weight loss pills, weight loss podcasts, weight watchers, You Be Slim