Did You Know Stress Can Cause Weight Gain?
Everyone of us experience stress. But are you aware of Stress Weight Gain? It is an everyday part of our lives. We often get these stress from work, financial issues, relationships, family, worrying too much about things that we can’t control or when we are not getting enough sleep. Our body reacts to these strains automatically through increased blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, metabolism, and blood flow to our muscles. This response is intended to help our body react quickly and effectively to a high-pressure situation. But by constantly reacting to stressful situations without making changes and negating the effects, stress in the long run can put our health and well-being at risk.
This infographic by the Mental Health America shows clearly how stress affects our body:
Image Credit: Mental Health America
For those trying to lose weight, research reveals that stress is also a fact of fat building in our bodies. During times of stress, there are actual physiological changes that happen in our bodies, one of which is weight gain from stress. How many of you get stressed out and immediately want to reach for that comfort food or go on emotional eating binges? There is a reason why “comfort foods” are so stuffed with carbohydrates. Scientists have recently discovered that pure sugar reduces the stress hormone, cortisol, in a way that artificial sweeteners do not. Not much like ordinary stress events, sugar stimulates the creation of insulin, a hormone in charge of storing energy in fat and muscle. By not eliminating stress, continued emotional eating can eventually lead to obesity. Consequently, with sugar, we eat, relax, put on weight and never breaks the cycle. Stress that goes on for a long period is a triple whammy for weight—it increases our appetites, makes us hold onto the fat, and interferes with our self-discipline to implement a healthy lifestyle.
There are specific hormones playing a role in this process:
Serotonin. Some researchers regard serotonin as responsible for maintaining mood balance — the body’s feel-good chemical. When serotonin levels are low, we’re more depressed, and when they’re high, we’re happier. When you eat carbohydrates, it raises the body’s serotonin level. Reaching out for fattening comfort foods during stressful times is a harmful attempt to self-medicate. Studies has shown that dieters tend to become depressed about two weeks into a diet, about the time their serotonin levels have dropped due to decreased carbohydrate intake. It’s the reason why our weight tends to yo-yo when we try to diet, especially when carbs are cut.
Serotonin has so many diverse and important roles in the body and maintaining our serotonin levels are the key to health mentally and physically. One way in which we can help our bodies have healthy serotonin levels is by good behavior. Exercise is one cheap and dirty way to boost blood and brain serotonin levels immediately, making it a good alternative to other ways of dealing with stress and depression. Consistent healthy sleeping patterns are also key to maintaining healthy serotonin.
Cortisol. The body makes cortisol to help us handle stress. When stress goes up, cortisol levels go up. Chronically elevated cortisol levels contribute to the accumulation of abdominal fat and make it very difficult to get rid of it. It is known to increase appetite and may encourage cravings for sugary or fatty foods. Stress is the stimuli that causes the cortisol levels to get out of hand which is why stress reduction is an essential part of all efforts to normalize cortisol.
Neuropeptide Y. More recent studies also suggest that our bodies may process food differently when we’re under stress. One study found that lab mice fed a diet high in fat and sugar gained significant amounts of body fat when placed under stressful conditions. Mice fed a normal diet, however, didn’t gain as much weight despite stress. Researchers linked that phenomenon to a molecule called neuropeptide Y that is released from nerve cells during stress and encourages you body to hold stress weight and will cause stress weight gain. A diet high in fat and sugar appears to further promote the release of neuropeptide Y. This does not help us to lose stress weight at all.
With all of this being g said, there is plenty that can be done to start losing stress weight. There are several weight loss programs and diet plans that we offer to lose stress weight and concentrate on to be key to reducing and or preventing stress-induced weight gain. Medshape’s MELT Diet is specifically designed to break down the stress hormones causing stress weight gain and making it impossible for your body to lose stress weight naturally. The Metabolic Enhanced Lipolitic Therapy is designed to reactivate the metabolism and truly burn stored body fat, causing a safe, healthy, rapid weight loss. Above all, mass inch loss. It can help reduce the effects of stress, allowing you to sleep better, assists in shedding body fat and leads to a positive lifestyle change.
M.E.L.T. is “Thermogenic” which means it directly increases the rate at which the body can use fat as a source of fuel. It increases the activity of enzymes which allow the body to produce energy. By increasing the activity of these enzymes, the accelerated rate of fat metabolism can be achieved without nervousness, jittery feelings, elevated blood pressure or increased heart rate.
It’s not enough to know your causes of stress. Learning how to cope properly can go a long way for your everyday health. Only you can manage your self care. Get a handle on your stress and start taking control of your life today! MedShape weight Loss Clinic offers many tools that can help you when it comes to Stress Weight Gain and actually control the hormones that causes them. You do not have to held onto your Stress Weight.
Is Stress Stopping You From Losing Weight? Find out your stress levels right now.
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