Stress and Weight Gain
/I went for a walk with a friend recently and she relayed to me a story that is all too familiar among women, especially women in their mid-years.
My friend talked about how she had been the same weight for years, being conscientious about what she ate and her daily exercise. But two years ago she started to gain weight around her mid section.
It took her a while to determine what was different in her life, but after doing some digging she realized it was the severe angst she was feeling over one of her children.
It’s not just about the food on our plate
There is more to consider than just the food on our plates when it comes to our health and feeling good about ourselves. Good, balanced nutrition is a great start and will have a big impact on both our waistlines and mental well being, but can only take us so far.
We also need to address the underlying issues that are affected by things like our relationships, our careers, and our physical and spiritual lifestyles.
Why does this happen - how can our emotions cause us to gain weight?
And is it only stress in the present, or can it be stress from our past?
What can we do about it?
Weight gain from stress… why?
Cortisol, a steroid hormone secreted by our adrenal glands, has a number of important roles, including waking us up in the morning, and regulating the energy our body needs to meet the physiological demands placed on it.
Under acute stressful circumstances, our adrenal glands flood our body with cortisol to increase our energy immediately, so we can ‘run away from the threat’ (fight or flight response). And when the threat is gone, our cortisol level dissipates.
But when we suffer from ongoing, chronic stress and therefore excessive, ongoing cortisol production, it does the following in relation to weight gain:
Triggers the release of triglycerides (fat) from storage for extra energy, and when the TGs aren’t used (because there is no immediate threat), it stores that fat as visceral fat (fat around our mid-sections)
Increases blood sugar levels and suppresses insulin. This can cause cravings as cells are starved for glucose, leading to overeating, especially high calorie foods
Excess blood sugar, when not used for energy, is also stored as fat
To add insult to injury, our visceral fat cells also secrete cortisol! And the cycle continues.
Stressors – both present AND past
It’s very important to note that past events, all the way back to childhood, can play a big role in our present lives and state of mind. It could be divorced parents or being bullied at a young age, or something as seemingly harmless as a two-year old dealing with grief stricken parents, as I did.
Being mindful of our inside, critical voice, and/or our thought patterns will often allude to past challenges/stressors. Once the awareness is there, it’s much easier to understand why our bodies are acting the way they do.
What’s the answer?
Sadly, there is no quick fix, but there are answers. Meditation, practicing mindfulness, journal writing. yoga and breathing exercises are all very effective modalities.
If one is trying to lose excess weight, working with a health coach is an option as well. A three to six month program, meeting 2x/month, allows time to determine what might be influencing ones weight gain, be it food, stress or a combination of both, and working towards a solution with the support of a coach who will listen, offer nutritional guidance and provide a necessary level of accountability.
Feel free to take advantage of my 15 minute free consultation to help you determine if this approach might work for you.
