Does Stress Burn Calories

Nope. Quite the opposite if anything.

Well, what I've read about stress is that...
1) It lowers your core temperature, which would mean less calorie burning
2) It raises cortosol levels, which makes you store fast more easily, targetting the belly
3) Some people eat too little (which may make you lose OR GAIN)
4) Some people eat too much because they are so pressed they make bad choices or look for comfort food

Guess what helps deal with stress though? Regular exercise and nutritious eating And B vitamins.

Chill out and good luck.

NOPE... I think stress creates calories ouf of thin air. Because I always gain 5-8 pounds when I'm stressed out.

If stress burned calories, I would turn sideways and disappear!

I wish! Although I would probably be on a feeding tube by now.

If only it did. I could eat an entire buffet and still lose weight if it did.

I wouldn't count on stress to burn calories and log as an exercise... Most the time it just makes me sit around and eat more, which is not helpful for weight loss. And like the others said, it makes you release hormones that are unhealthy for your body and weight loss.

But I do have to say I went through a time of EXTREME stress (and I do mean "extreme") and lost a lot of weight. So, yeah, it must burn some. Or maybe it was the calories I burned crying? hahaha

When you stress, your sympathetic nervous system releases hormones and chemicals, one of which is cortisol, which has huge adverse effects all over the body. A lot of people find that those hormones, especially cortisol, can actually contribute to not being able to lose weight, especially long-term, because your body has to adapt to a system that isn't optimal.

If stress burned calories - I would have lost 65 lbs, not gained it. (well, stress and the chocolate croissant I used to medicate it with:blushing: )

Stress is terrible for the waist line.

I am a new mom, to a 5 month old boy. Ever since I became a mom I stress over every little thing. Things didn't bother me so much before. I feel like there is button inside me that got turned on since I gave birth and I stress over everything. It's hard for me to get rid of stress even working out doesn't help me that much.

Short term, yes. If you are stressed for a very short period of time (like someone pulls a gun on you, or similar), your body produces massive amounts of adrenaline which raises your heart rate, etc. Over the long haul, no. Your body goes into survival mode, like most people are talking about here, and starts storing fat like a squirrel stores nuts. The way your body works is to stay alive as long as possible, and increased stress results in the body plotting out for a lot time without any resources (as naturally that's the only thing animals stress about over the long haul).

Humans are likely the most unnatural creatures out there.

I find that stress stops me eating and a few years ago I was in very stressfull situation and my weight went down and i didnt even know till someone said i looked thin. it was good to hear but I didnt know. I suffer from ibs so stress made that worse, natural diaretic lol

Just shows....there is absolutely nothing good about stress

If it did, I probably wouldnt be here.

stress can cause weight loss in the short term by decreasing appetite, but after a few days of it you start seeing the effect everyone else has been describing, including the increased cholesterol and holding on to fat.