If you’re reading this, you’re probably feeling the stress of everyday life and noticing your favorite pair of summer shorts is a bit more snug than last year. Stress does not always come dressed up as a disaster or traumatic event. For many of us ,it has become a state of life instead of a state of mind.
It is the nasty bearer of cortisol, that would be helpful hormone if we were still cavemen running from predators in the wild. But repeated elevation of cortisol levels cause some pretty serious adverse effects, including weight gain. Following are seven reasons stress is causing you to pack on the pounds why stress could be making you look fat:
1) Junk food cravings
The chronically stressed are always looking for short-term relief. Those cravings for fatty, salty, and sugary foods are caused by cortisol. When consumed, our bodies feel comforted and our brains feel rewarded. It also makes it easier to choose the drive-thru at your closest fast-food joint over the need for extra brainpower to plan and cook a healthy meal.
2) Skipping meals
Rushed to get out of the door in the morning so you skip breakfast? Or are there too many phone calls and e-mails that keep you through lunch? Next thing you know you are gorging on whatever you can get your hands on, and usually it’s late at night once you’re home from work—two no-no’s for your health and a major contributor to weight gain. Moreover, skipping meals can cause your blood sugar to drop and make your work seem even more stressful.
3) Insomnia
Review the day’s events and what should have been done or said and think about tomorrow’s to-do list. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Ah, the never-ending wheel of worry caused by our dysfunctional relationship with stress. A lack of sleep increases your hunger hormone, bypasses the signal that tells you when you’re full, and decreases your body’s ability to break down sugars. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition did a study that found people who only spent an average of four hours in bed a night gained almost two pounds more than those who were in bed for 10 hours a night over the course of a week.
4) Being Over-caffeinated
Not getting enough sleep means the coffee is flowing almost intravenously. It may be the first thing that gets your motor running each day and helps you make it to lunch without flat-facing on your keyboard, but too much caffeine is yet another culprit of hunger and causes you to snack more and eat larger meals throughout the day. Caffeine can also cause insulin resistance, which makes your body store food as fat and turns protein into sugar and fat. Also, too many caffeinated beverages throughout the day can cause insomnia, and it becomes a vicious cycle day after day.
5) Belly Fat
When the body and mind are stressed, it creates an extra layer of what’s called “visceral fat” deep in your belly. Not only is it extremely hard to get rid of but it’s dangerous. Those with the extra layer of love are more likely to develop heart disease or diabetes. Until you help your body realize there is no physical (or mental) threat, it’s going to keep you safe with this toxic waste band.
6) Dissing your workout
Stress makes the days seem shorter as the to-do list gets longer. What’s the first thing you sacrifice? Anything that’s good for you, of course. Using excuses like “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I will do my workout tomorrow” is robbing you from an opportunity to de-stress and keep your weight healthy.
7) “Stress is normal”
Our lives have become so busy and stressful that we have begun to accept this as the norm. Ignoring it or just working through it will not make this monster go away. In fact, if weight loss is something you struggle with, consider this: research from the University of Kentucky suggests that managing your stress is more important to managing your weight than learning all of the best eating strategies.
Recognizing the signs of stress is the first step. Check in with yourself to see if you are experiencing things like irritability, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, high blood-pressure, neck/back pain, belly aches, itchy skins, or a sore jaw.
These are all symptoms of stress that can result in these unhealthy habits that lead to weight gain among other deadly diseases.
Stick with me these next six weeks as I explore and share techniques to reduce stress and help you build a flourishing life. And we may even have your favorite pair of shorts fitting again before the end of summer.
M.A. Fuller is a full-time working mother of two with an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University, Certified Reiki Practioner, and Owner, FullerMethods.com
