Do you think stress plays a part?

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lookingforsomething
lookingforsomething Posts: 86
in Health and Weight Loss
How much do you think stress plays a part (if any) in not dropping any size/kgs?

I have tried a number of things, with and without supervision and while I have had some success it seems that once the stress builds or something significant happens, the weightloss stops.

While I understand that some people will say that my life is not stressful compared to theirs, I am not writing this as a "poor me" post, I am just looking for opinions, ideas and suggestions.

This is my story. . . . . . .

I have been told by my trainer and also by a medical professional that once the "stress lets go" that I will find that my body will follow and that I will possibly find that I drop a fair bit of size/kg shortly after. I have a hard time beleiveing this as it's been so long.

In the past four years the stess in my life has always been there - starting with:
I had heart attack four years ago for which they could not find a reason
Planning my wedding while renovating the house - not recommended!
Having major renovations ($$$) done to the house that didn't go to plan, then spending 18 months at the building commission - in the end selling the house cause I couldn't cope any more.
My husband maving a major accident at work - for which we are about to go to court - he no longer has the full use of one arm
My mum nearly passing away three times from respitory failure.

As a result of my mum and husbands conditions - I now run the house (bills housework, shopping etc), all the yard work (we live on 1 1/2 acres), make sure that both of them have all their medications daily (neither can cope/function without these), arrange medical appointments, make sure that mums oxygen is set up at night and emergency buzzers etc are all working, cook all meals, work full time (1 hr drive each way) and try to exercise for 40 minutes each day (sometimes this doesn't always happen).
And at the moment we are going through a run of "everything" going wrong. Our septic tank pump has blown twice in the past month, our property has been flooded on and off for the past year so our back yard is a mud pit, the ride on mower broke - all the smaller things that just mount up to annoy and piss you off!

In the last four years I have tried:
Lite n easy - I put weight on - but looking back I think maybe I wasn't eating enough
WW - I was doing ok on this I had lost 10 kg in 8 months (then mum went into hospital and we were told she wasn't going to make it - that was last August - but she's still here) and that was the last time I lost weight
I have tried going it alone - nothing good came of that
I have even been put under the Clinical Nutrition Clinic at the Monash Hospital (Melb, Australia) and their idea to lose weight is to go on diet shakes and if you aren't willing to do that then they will not help you. They have a one size fits all policy. I did not like that/agree as it did not help people once they stop having the shakes.

Exercise wise:
I go to a personal trainer once a week for an hour. Boxing, weights, circuit - changes it up every few weeks depending how I am feeling. If she can see I am having a bad week - boxing! I have been going since Jan and have lost no weight or cm. And she makes me work!
3-4 other nights I either use the stationary bike/treadmill for 40 minutes. If the nights are longer/warmer we walk outside for at least an hour.
Weekend is usually 1 day of hard yard work for 3 or four hours.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to give as much info as I could.

So back to the original question - do you think stress plays a part in not being able to drop kg/size?

Replies

  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
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    in short: yes.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I think it's HUGE in weight loss or gain. 2 years ago, I had just had my 2nd daughter. After having her I was just around 200 lbs. Also when she was 3 months old (my older was 18 months old), my house burned down in a fire. We lost everything, I almost died with my older daughter. Needless to say, that was stressful in and of itself. Then, we were homeless, broke, had nothing, not even the clothes on our backs because we had to get rid of them from the stench of smoke. I gained a lot of weight after that happened, 30 lbs give or take.

    So yeah, stress plays a part. Whether you're eating from stress, not eating, just stress itself.
  • emilymoxey
    emilymoxey Posts: 7
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    I think stress definitely can impact weight loss ... however you did not mention what exactly you are eating. If you are having a lot of sugar (even in breads etc.) it can totally mess with your body's ability to lose weight.
    SLeep is the same way (e.g., if you're stressed and not sleeping properly) .. it's crazy how much can impact our body.
  • subcult
    subcult Posts: 262 Member
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    It can wreak all kinds of havoc on your body.
  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
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    I totally agree that stress pays a huge part in weight loss Im having the same problem I lost 14 lbs put 10 back on also hang in there
    PS have you ever thought about getting help like home health in to help you with your husband and mom when she comes home to take the burden off you??
  • G__Force
    G__Force Posts: 280 Member
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    I think they may be right, I know when I have been stressed i would find myself eating more and not realizing it., So yeah i could see that being a problem.
  • piinchi
    piinchi Posts: 172 Member
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    I am so sorry you've had to go through all those things. Stress is definitely going to cause you to not feel your healthiest. When your mind is occupied it is a lot easier to put your health on the back burner, and there has been some stuff I've read about stress affecting your body's ability to efficiently burn calories.

    My suggestion, for what its worth, is to get your mind in a place where you feel less stress first. Your doctor and trainer are right, though its easier said than done. Perhaps talking to someone, and getting some of those stressful feelings out. I cannot imagine how much you carry around inside of you. You're already doing healthy physical activity with walking and working out. But if you are still feeling stressed you may need someone to help you work out your mind and your heart. Your profile quote is "this time its all about me" and that's how you should approach this - this is about being good to yourself. Best wishes to you and your family - and take care of yourself!
  • louiesa55
    louiesa55 Posts: 35 Member
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    yes i think stressssssssssssssssssssss plays a lot on weight gain or not loseing any
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    Continuously assuming low energy availability (net) is stressful on the body. Exercise is stressful on the body. Life experiences place stress on the body. If controlled, cortisol aids in normal memory function and fat mobilization. On the other hand, especially with raised insulin, chronic elevations of cortisol can lead to poor memory and visceral fat accumulation.

    In other words, if you do not find an outlet to deal with daily stress and/or sustain too large of a deficit, imbalances in hormones can cause some very negative changes in the body and affect your ability to actually net a loss in fat.
  • rudimae
    rudimae Posts: 107
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    I agree with others that stress can play a major role. Not just what it can do to your body, but in what you eat, at least for some folks. I recently had to make a stressful job related decision, and I found myself wanting to eat anything I could get my hands on. I recognized it for what it was and contained it...but it was so much more difficult to not indulge.
  • lookingforsomething
    lookingforsomething Posts: 86
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    Thank you for your responses.

    My diary is open (I think) to see what I eat.
    Some days I struggle to eat all I should - and I am trying to work on that and to make better choices.
    Some days I find it hard to put food in just for the sake of it. I used to just eat - whether I was hungry or not, now I am trying to stop eating just before I'm full.

    We are trying to get help through the "responsible bodies" for the yard in relation to my husbands work accident but it is a slow porcess and they can say NO "cause they feel like it" and we don't qualify for help with mum as they deem that I can do everything that she needs - which in theory I can - if I could just have another two hours in my day - those extra two hours that we probably all want!
  • donnam40
    donnam40 Posts: 246 Member
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    Hi There,

    Sorry to hear about all of your troubles. I posted a link on here to an article about the link between stress and weight a while back, but I can't find it now. I have provided a link to an article that explains, somewhat, the link between stress, cortisol and weight.

    It may provide you with some insight.

    http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/body+fitness/weight+loss/stress+less+to+lose+weight,7353

    All the best,

    Donna

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