Stress and Weight Loss

Seeking_Balance_And_Joy
Seeking_Balance_And_Joy Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
How does stress affect weight loss? Can someone give me a detailed example or terms that fit the explanation more clearly. I would love to learn more about it.
Thanks

Replies

  • JagerLewis
    JagerLewis Posts: 427 Member
    I'm not sure how to answer this. However, everyone has their daily stress, and we just deal with them and move on. When there are huge stressors, for me, that's what made me gain. When your body is under severe stress, your cortisol hormone kicks in and can turn ugly. I put on 56 pounds due to way too much stress and me not handling it very well. I decided to get rid of the stress that I didn't need in my life (some people) and deal with what I had to live with (daughter with a serious health condition). Once you have your mind in the right place and can be happier, I think it's much easier to lose weight and care about what your putting in your mouth.
  • GplusC
    GplusC Posts: 18
    I have a friend who was training for a fitness competition. She has done a few of them. This one though she was having trouble with. She was so busy that she was stressing out about the competition. Working out 6 days a week. Eating extremely clean and exactly the way she had done previous. All this and not losing a pound for 2 weeks. This made her even more stressed out. Finally about 2 weeks before the competition she decided to drop out. A few days later, a lot less stress and a little more time to take car of other things, she dropped 6 pounds. So stress can make you hold on to weight sometimes.

    When you have added too much in your life try subtracting.
  • Seeking_Balance_And_Joy
    Seeking_Balance_And_Joy Posts: 13
    I did not realize that stress could cause you to A. gain weight B. hold on to weight. How do I lower stress levels?
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
    I tend to get so stressed i dont want to eat. Def not ideal. Breathing exercises sometimes can help.
  • liesevanlingen
    liesevanlingen Posts: 508 Member
    Being stressed causes your body to produce cortisol, which kicks you into fat-storage mode and packs fat onto your belly like crazy. Even if you are eating healthy and trying to take care of yourself. My waist jumped four inches (without a change in my exercise or eating habits) when my son developed a chronic pain condition just over a year ago.
  • GinNJuice75
    GinNJuice75 Posts: 186 Member
    Stress can cause some to gain or some to lose. Course when you are stressed you may want to eat more or eat less. Stress also increases your cortisol levels. It affects the release of insulin release and your body's ability to convert sugars into energy. (also controls blood pressure, imbalanced blood sugar, lower immune system and suppresses the thyroid function)

    So over time it will slow your metabolism (loss of muscle mass) . Increase blood sugar and it seems stress eating tends to add fat around the belly.

    So dont stress..........

    Yeah right easier said than done! lol
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    I had big stressors at my last job. It was very abusive. Since I've been laid off, I've been losing weight because even though I don't have a job, I have LESS stress now than I used to!

    I went to a nutritionist, and she looked over my diet while I was working. She said I was eating well and I should be losing 1 lb a week on my diet. I was actually still gaining weight, and after seeing her for 6 months, she said my weight problem was 100% stress and that I needed to get out of my job to be healthy.

    My mother has experienced the same weight gain and resistance to weight loss because of high stress periods in her life.
  • outofworkpediatrician
    outofworkpediatrician Posts: 43 Member
    Being stressed causes your body to produce cortisol, which kicks you into fat-storage mode and packs fat onto your belly like crazy. Even if you are eating healthy and trying to take care of yourself. My waist jumped four inches (without a change in my exercise or eating habits) when my son developed a chronic pain condition just over a year ago.
    ^ totally agree with this post. cortisol also causes salt and water retention, causing higher blood pressure and water weight too. stress hormones causes preferential fat storage in the torso and face causing what is medically described as "lemon on sticks" appearance.
  • ferrytrip
    ferrytrip Posts: 497 Member
    All I know is that I gained a lot of weight while I was a Supervisor - working nights 12-16 hr days. Didn't start to lose any until after my divorce.

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