Stress is a common scapegoat for weight gain. How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh, stress is causing my weight gain”? Probably quite a few times.
However, it’s not quite that simple. But before we get into why that’s a massive oversimplification, let’s first break down what exactly stress is.
What Is Stress?
Stress is an unavoidable part of life. It’s a state of mental or emotional strain caused by difficult circumstances. Anything from a work deadline to a sick family member to a long commute filled with traffic jams can make you feel stressed.
However, stressors don’t just result in feelings of stress. They also signal your body to release more cortisol, a natural stress hormone. Increased cortisol will send you into fight-or-flight mode, which is excellent for situations where survival is at stake. But it’s not-so-great for those everyday stressors. After all, cortisol is responsible for regulating your metabolism, so an increase in cortisol can slow your metabolism and increase fat accumulation, especially in the abdominal area.
Can Stress Actually Make You Gain Weight?
Sure, stress causes an increase in cortisol, which can slow your metabolism, but that’s not the complete picture. Stress can be a trigger in causing your behavior to change.
High cortisol levels not only increase your appetite (which can lead to overeating) but it can also cause cravings for fatty, sweet, and salty foods. So, while you might usually reach for a well-balanced meal, you might opt for comfort food, such as french fries, pizza, or mac and cheese, when stress eating. Combined with the overeating and slower metabolism, it’s hardly surprising that people gain weight when stressed.
What’s more, high stress levels (or even the stressors themselves) can prevent people from working out the way they used to. You might brush off a trip to the gym to stay late at work to finish a project or skip your daily walk to spend time taking care of a sick family member. But that’s not all. Stress also inhibits muscle recovery after strenuous resistance exercise, reducing the effects of your exercise routine.
On top of that, stress and higher cortisol levels can cause you to lose sleep — and sleep-deprived people are more likely to gain weight. In fact, sleep-deprived people will consume 385 calories more per day than those who are not sleep-deprived. Plus, they’ll be less likely to be physically active throughout the day, leading to weight gain.
The good news is that we have the power to change our stress! Once your stress is under control, your cortisol and insulin levels will decrease, you’ll be less likely to reach for fatty and sugary foods, you’ll sleep better, and your weight will improve.
Here are a few easy ways to reduce your stress levels:
Exercise: Exercising is an excellent way to blow off steam, raise your endorphins, and reduce stress levels. Plus, a good workout will make it easier to fall asleep, which can help you manage stress. Everything from taking a walk to joining a game of pickup basketball to hitting the gym can help reduce your blood pressure and stress hormones.
Meditate, Do Breathing Exercises, Or Practice Yoga: Meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga can help reduce stress. Plus, they can also increase the number of endorphins in your body.
Get More Sleep: Stress can make falling asleep difficult, but getting a good night’s sleep is essential. Not only will you be able to more easily handle your stressors the next day, but you’ll also be more patient. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep each night.
Prioritize Yourself: Self-care can do wonders for stress levels. So, next time you feel stressed, read a book, connect with nature, listen to your favorite song, or take a relaxing bath.
Examine Your Stressors: Write down everything that makes you feel stressed and think about what you can do to eliminate them or who you can turn to for help.
Stress is an inevitable part of life, but stress-related weight gain doesn’t have to be! If you need some help with your diet or exercise routine, contact me at happyhelen@gmail.com today!