by Catherine Kruppa, Advise for Eating….MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Editor’s Note: Roz here and if you are like me and many others that I speak with you are not experiencing quite the weight loss that you would like, even if you are dieting!! Chances are that STRESS is the culprit. With Catherine’s guidance, I have been meditating, teasing at doing Yoga, need to do more….and that plus dieting is working, where just dieting before did not! So, heed her advice here…….relax a minute and read!!!
A stressful situation can activate a cascade of stress hormones that produce physiological changes. The stress can be environmental, such as a impending work deadline, or psychological, such as persistent worry about losing a job, feeling isolated or the impact that COVID-19 is having on your life.
You have probably heard of this reaction to stress known as the “fight-or-flight” response because it evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people to react quickly to life-threatening situations. Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as Houston traffic, work pressure, and family difficulties.
Repeated activation of the stress response takes a toll on your body. Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction. Newer research suggests that chronic stress may also contribute to obesity, both directly through an increase in calorie consumption or indirectly through a decrease of sleep and exercise.
After the pressure or danger has passed, your cortisol (fight or flight hormone) level should calm down. Your heart, blood pressure, and other body systems should get back to normal. Many people are unable to find a way to put the brakes on stress.
Persistent low-level stress can damage blood vessels and arteries, increasing blood pressure which raises the risk of heart attacks or strokes. Elevated cortisol levels create physiological changes that help to replenish the body’s energy stores that are depleted during the stress response. But they inadvertently contribute to the buildup of fat tissue and to weight gain. For example, cortisol increases appetite, so people will want to eat more to obtain extra energy. It also increases storage of unused nutrients as fat.
If you think your weight has gone up due to stress, tackle some good habits such as healthy eating, being active, and do things that make your relaxed and happy.
- Exercise, but do not overdo it. High-intensity workouts can raise cortisol levels. Try a brisk walk.
- Meditate, or try other mindful breathing exercises like yoga and tai chi. These can help clear your mind and curb cravings. “6,500 studies from the best American Universities and Medical Centers show that mindfulness can reduce stress, boost immune system functioning, help develop conscious eating, decrease anxiety and depression, increase focus and attention, and create an overall sense of well-being. It is being used in about 20% of American companies, the U.S. military, the Veteran’s Administration, schools and colleges, and health institutions”, states Ann Friedman, PhD of Mindful Being Houston. Ann has seen lives changed, including her own, through the practice of mindfulness. She offers virtual classes through www.mindfulbeinghouston.com.
- Find something you enjoy. Read, listen to music, work a jigsaw puzzle, pray, take a bath, work in the garden among other things.
- Get plenty of sleep. On average, we need about 7.5 hours of quality sleep per night which means you need to spend 8-8 ½ hours in bed. Lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight due to 2 hormones, ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin tells you when to eat. When you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating. When you are sleep deprived you have less leptin. More ghrelin and less leptin equal weight gain. So, you are eating more, and your metabolism is slower when you are sleep derived.
During these challenging times we all have stress. The key is how we deal with it. I challenge you to try one of the solutions above to help you manage your stress to help you live a healthier life.
