How Stress Causes Weight Gain

Did you know stress causes weight gain? For most people, getting stressed is just a part of life. Unfortunately, research shows that there is a correlation between fats and stress in people. You might not lose weight even if you eat a healthy diet and exercise on a daily basis if you are always stressed. Even more, you are likely to gain more weight with if you are stressed. In the 21st century, being stressed is a common thing in people whenever we undergo various challenges in life.

Stress goes beyond the usual anxiety feeling and general body discomfort. It affects our bodies’ adrenal hormones that go to the extent of affecting the body fat storage.

Many physiological changes happen with high levels of stress and all of these predispose us to gain unwanted pounds – many times without changing our diets or eating habits! – Women to Women

Whenever we are stressed, several physiological changes take place in our body. The main changes that are common and can affect life overall and even cause weight gain. Weight gain may not happen overnight but if you are stressed for longer periods of time, you will slowly start to add some pounds. The adrenal glands in our body govern our response to stress. The glands secrete hormones in response to the stress levels and the glands control our hormonal cycles.

This simply means we produce more stress hormones whenever we are stressed to counter the levels of stress. Whenever the body glands are overworked by producing more hormones, it prepares for the worst by storing more calories and fat.

While yes, there are different approaches to speeding up the metabolism, individuals who are stressed will overwork their glands in producing stress hormones that lead to increased storage of fats and calories. This is a natural response from the body and will make individuals add more weight despite cutting down on calories.

Some people can lose thier appetite whenever they are stressed, but chronic stress levels lead to increased appetite. The cortisol hormone is released by the adrenal glands to help individuals improve the appetite whenever they are stressed. The cortisol hormone maintains the blood sugar levels. The insulin produced also helps the body cells absorb the much-needed glucose.

Long term stress levels in individuals leads to elevated levels of cortisol and insulin in people.

In short, the theory is that with our ever-stressed, fast-paced lifestyle, our bodies are pumping out cortisol almost constantly, which can wreak havoc on our health. – Today’s Dietitian

The extra glucose is usually stored as fat under the belly and what is commonly referred to as the belly fat. The cortisol hormones will keep telling your body to replenish more energy even though they are not being used. The high levels of cortisol will create cravings and rarely will you get individuals reaching for foods like fruits and vegetables to quench their cravings.

Most people will crave for snacks that are high in calories further adding to the excessive fats in your body. We usually crave for salty, sweet and high fat foods that make us add more weight. The testosterone hormone is also released causing the body to burn more calories. However, with time, the level of testosterone drops causing the body to burn fewer calories. Simply balance your body hormones and lose close to 15 pounds in a week or two. Leaving a stress free lifestyle is one of the best ways to balance your hormones and lose weight in a healthy way. You can’t simply get rid of anxiety, but taking some steps to leave life without worries will go a long way in helping you lose weight.