Stress

emmoen

So yes I know I need to go to the doctor and figure this out but I was just wondering if there are others like me.

First, I love food and I do not plan to cut anything out just limit it to a healthier portion. But I am trying to lose weight.

5'5"
Starting weight 170
Current weight 168
Goal weight 150

I try to eat 1300-1600 calories a day but I also tend to binge when stressed... which I know is terrible but I am working on trying to find ways to mange it.
But is it possible to be so stressed about losing weight that my body releases too much cortisol and it hinders my weight loss. Most of the weight I want to lose is definitely in my stomach and it makes me so sad every time I look in the mirror.
I am considering getting a prescription to help with my stress at this point.

I also go to the gym and weight lift and cardio about 5 times a week! Love lifting weights. But I feel the stress evening hours and bedtime.

Thoughts opinions? I usually do not like seeking help with stress because I have had a doctor tell me in the pass that it is normal for a mom...
Which yes I am a mom of 2 wonderful boys (7, 3) and happily married for 8 years. Which my husband does leave a few months of the year for business travel. I am also currently living in a foreign county and not working.

kshama2001

I find exercise wonderfully de-stressing. You said you're stressed at bedtime - is this on evenings after working out earlier in the day?

What's your weekly weight loss goal? With only 18 pounds to lose, attempting to lose more than a half pound per week can indeed be stressful.

Here's my favorite article on cortisol hindering weight loss:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dietary-restraint-and-cortisol-levels-research-review.html/

...a group of women who scored higher on dietary restraint scores showed elevated baseline cortisol levels. By itself this might not be problematic, but as often as not, these types of dieters are drawn to extreme approaches to dieting.

They throw in a lot of intense exercise, try to cut calories very hard (and this often backfires if disinhibition is high; when these folks break they break) and cortisol levels go through the roof. That often causes cortisol mediated water retention (there are other mechanisms for this, mind you, leptin actually inhibits cortisol release and as it drops on a diet, cortisol levels go up further). Weight and fat loss appear to have stopped or at least slowed significantly. This is compounded even further in female dieters due to the vagaries of their menstrual cycle where water balance is changing enormously week to week anyhow.

And invariably, this type of psychology responds to the stall by going even harder. They attempt to cut calories harder, they start doing more activity. The cycle continues and gets worse. Harder dieting means more cortisol means more water retention means more dieting. Which backfires (other problems come in the long-term with this approach but you’ll have to wait for the book to read about that).

When what they should do is take a day or two off (even one day off from training, at least in men, let’s cortisol drop significantly). Raise calories, especially from carbohydrates. This helps cortisol to drop. More than that they need to find a way to freaking chill out. Meditation, yoga, get a massage... Get in the bath, candles, a little Enya, a glass of wine, have some you-time but please just chill.

annacole94

No, it's unlikely that your stress will impact your weight loss. I do worry that you're using "stress" as a synonym for "depression" or "anxiety". If you have a mental health condition, you need to seek help via medication and/or therapy. I'm saying this as someone in a similar situation (two small kids, and issues with depression and anxiety) that did both and saw a huge improvement in my life.

Lizzy622

Meditation is wonderful. There are many free guided meditation apps. After you put the boys to bed take 10 to 15 minutes to yourself. I didn't believe it would work until I tried it.

leejoyce31

I've been reading about amino acid therapy. There are proponents who believe that it can relieve stress and anxiety.

leejoyce31

leejoyce31 wrote: »

I've been reading about amino acid therapy. There are proponents who believe that it can relieve stress and anxiety.

For the most part, I don't have much stress. But sometimes, depending on the season, work gets a bit stressful.