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Could your Stress Be Sabotaging your Weight Loss?

It is time to get serious about eliminating some of the stress in your life. Stress can cause total havoc on your overall health and quality of life; not to mention the role it plays in hindering your weight loss efforts.

Decreasing stress can be a huge part of your weight loss success. Your body responds to stress by going into survival mode, or what we call the “fight or flight response”. When your body is in “fight or flight mode” your appetite increases. Your body assumes you need extra calories to deal with the extra stress. And thousands of years ago, the extra calories would have been useful. However, these days, our stress is most likely caused by a busy work schedule, financial issues, or a dysfunctional relationship. Generally, these things don’t involve any sort of fighting or fast-paced running away; and replenishing calories is completely unnecessary.

Chronic stress stimulates the release of a hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol contributes to increased fat storage, to increased junk food cravings, and to declines in your resting metabolism. Cortisol stimulates the hormone insulin which directly results in drops in blood sugar. The drop in blood sugar leads to cravings for sugary and fatty foods. The increase in cortisol also suppresses Growth Hormone and a secretion of a hormone called Thyrotropin. This stops the growth/repair of muscle in the body, and slows down metabolism. It isn’t surprising that excessive cortisol production is correlated with the development of metabolic syndrome; a disease associated with abdominal obesity, and an increased risk of multiple diseases including diabetes and heart disease.

The fight or flight response also means that all of your body’s long-term processes are put on hold (things like digestion, and tissue repair). This gives us a good understanding as to why stress causes such chaos to our systems. Research demonstrates such a strong correlation between exposure to stress and the occurrence of inflammatory bowl syndrome (IBS). IBS involves chronic inflammation of the digestive tract and leads to poor nutrient absorption and chronic fatigue.

3 Ways to reduce the stress in your life:

  • Relieve physical stress on the body: Avoid skipping meals, make getting enough sleep a priority, avoid drinking excessive alcohol or caffeine, and limit junk food.
  • Calm your Mind: Our fast-paced society is obsessed with staying busy. We don’t put enough value on making time for yourself. Include some “YOU” time into your days. Schedule in time for yourself and give your brain some time to relax. Whether its going for a walk, reading a book, or even trying out a meditation practice.
  • Take a Positive Outlook: One suggestion is to practice goal setting in the different areas of your life, and visualize successfully completing these goals.
  • Identify sources of stress and ways to overcome them: This can be much easier said then done. Stress can be caused by a variety of different sources. But finding friends, or even a professional help you face your stressors head-on may just be what you need to improve your overall health.

READ Stressed Out Part #2 for strategies on HOW TO REDUCE your Stress!!!

References:

Turner, Natasha. The Hormone Diet: Lose Fat, Gain Strength, Live Younger Longer. Toronto: Random House Canada, 2009. Print

 

Konturek P C, Brozozowski S J. Stress and the Gut: Pathophysiology, Clinical Consequences, Diagnostic Approach and Treatment Options. 2011. Journal of physiology and pharmacology. http://www.jpp.krakow.pl/journal/archive/12_11/pdf/591_12_11_article.pdf

 

Breeze, Jarrod. Can Stress cause Weight Gain? Web M.D. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/stress-weight-gain#1

 

Chrousos, G P. The role of stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome: neuro-endocrine and target tissue-related causes. International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders. Jun2000 Supplement, Vol. 24, pS50. 1p.