Can Stress = No Loss??

fightingforfiftyfive

So another close to perfect week of clean eating, sticking to my calories and a great deal of exercise has passed, and AGAIN no loss. I feel like I am about to lose my mind! Nearly every hour of the day I am worried about whether this weeks hard work will actually pay off and I am literally feeling so stressed out that this just isn't going to work for me.

Can being slightly obsessive about calories and exercise and being pretty damn stressed out about the scale and whether my body will actually positively respond to healthy eating and exercise actually be harming my weight loss?

Has anyone had any experience with this?

amysj303

I think the short answer is yes. Evolutionarily, stress can make your body to store fat because stress usually stress meant that food was scarce. So when you are exercising and eating at a calorie deficit, your body might interpret this, as we have been expending a lot of energy looking for food and there is no food, so we better hold onto this layer of fat so we make it through the winter.
That is one theory. Another is the effect of stress on hormones.
I don't know how close you are to your goal, but that means the loss will be much slower because the difference between losing and maintaining is small.
This might be helpful:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Stick with it, and don't stress out! you'll see results!

mylife33

Being a massage therapist for almost 19 yrs now..............I have seen first hand what stress can do! Stress can kill!! So please try to find something you can do to reduce your stress! Treat yourself to a massage, or a manicure and pedicure or just some quiet time with a good book, good music or good friend! Stress releases chemicals in the body that totally keep your body from losing!
Start right now! Take a deep breath!! Relax!!

darlilama

Any kind of stress does seem to make a difference to me… and to make it worse when I stress, I CRAVE all the wrong things! It's a catch-22 that can be so frustrating! I don't know how to tell you to not stress about it… you have to find what works for you. Yoga -Hatha Yoga, in particular, tends to relax and calm me. I also do not obsess about weighing myself. I truly do not understand people who have to weigh themselves daily. That would drive me NUTS. Your body is going to have natural fluctuations, so track the long-term trend.

Trust that your body will respond, but that it may take a little time, more than likely, to see the results. You may feel the difference before you see the difference.

Best of luck!! :flowerforyou:

fightingforfiftyfive

I think the short answer is yes. Evolutionarily, stress can make your body to store fat because stress usually stress meant that food was scarce. So when you are exercising and eating at a calorie deficit, your body might interpret this, as we have been expending a lot of energy looking for food and there is no food, so we better hold onto this layer of fat so we make it through the winter.
That is one theory. Another is the effect of stress on hormones.
I don't know how close you are to your goal, but that means the loss will be much slower because the difference between losing and maintaining is small.
This might be helpful:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Stick with it, and don't stress out! you'll see results!

Thanks for that I really appreciate it. I still have like 20 pounds to go (I'm at 140 and want to get to 120), and its just frustrating to work so hard and get no results time after time. I am stressing out that I will be stuck here no matter how hard I try.. anyways I'm not giving up so I guess I will just have to learn to stress less!

fightingforfiftyfive

Being a massage therapist for almost 19 yrs now..............I have seen first hand what stress can do! Stress can kill!! So please try to find something you can do to reduce your stress! Treat yourself to a massage, or a manicure and pedicure or just some quiet time with a good book, good music or good friend! Stress releases chemicals in the body that totally keep your body from losing!
Start right now! Take a deep breath!! Relax!!

Thank you! I feel calmer already

judykritikos

Boy do I know how you feel. I eat something and run to MFP and enter it....I'm a hawk watching everything. Working out daily, walking - geez - and after 7 weeks, only 6 lbs gone. Not that I can SEE the difference when I'm in the birthday suit. I think stress does play a big part in weight loss, for a lot of reasons folks mentioned ahead of me. Stress = anxiety = eating more and our systems shut down thinking we're in some kind of danger. Guess we just need to deep breathe - relax, stay the course, and come back here for moral support! Stay the course!

fightingforfiftyfive

Any kind of stress does seem to make a difference to me… and to make it worse when I stress, I CRAVE all the wrong things! It's a catch-22 that can be so frustrating! I don't know how to tell you to not stress about it… you have to find what works for you. Yoga -Hatha Yoga, in particular, tends to relax and calm me. I also do not obsess about weighing myself. I truly do not understand people who have to weigh themselves daily. That would drive me NUTS. Your body is going to have natural fluctuations, so track the long-term trend.

Trust that your body will respond, but that it may take a little time, more than likely, to see the results. You may feel the difference before you see the difference.

Best of luck!! :flowerforyou:

Its good to hear someone knows what i am talking about.. Walks usually calm me down and I have been thinking about starting yoga.

Yes and I am one of those (annoying) obsessive people who weigh themselves way too often, but starting from today I am not going to do that anymore. Your advice makes so much sense I don't trust my body at all and I should be focusing on the long term trend.

Thanks for all your help

fightingforfiftyfive

Boy do I know how you feel. I eat something and run to MFP and enter it....I'm a hawk watching everything. Working out daily, walking - geez - and after 7 weeks, only 6 lbs gone. Not that I can SEE the difference when I'm in the birthday suit. I think stress does play a big part in weight loss, for a lot of reasons folks mentioned ahead of me. Stress = anxiety = eating more and our systems shut down thinking we're in some kind of danger. Guess we just need to deep breathe - relax, stay the course, and come back here for moral support! Stay the course!

You sound exactly like me 2 months and 11 pounds only... I seriously have a case of MFP OCD haha I am definitely need to relax some more. Thanks for the help