By Della David
Most of us experience some degree of stress in our lives, pretty much 100% of the time. Stress has been very clearly linked to weight gain, obesity and an inability to lose weight. Stress is created by a combination of physical, mental and emotional factors and has a very definite biological impact, partly through inducing the release of a rather pesky hormone called Cortisol. While this hormone should help us cope and bring us back into our comfort zone, studies have shown that it's a trigger for comfort eating (through cravings for carb-rich foods, sugary foods and fatty foods). It also contributes to a low mood, scrambled thinking (including changes to our perception of food), tiredness and apathy. So the release of Cortisol makes us less likely to want to eat healthily! This, in turn, can lower self-esteem which can ultimately result in a total disinterest in living healthily.
Most of us experience some degree of stress in our lives, pretty much 100% of the time. Stress has been very clearly linked to weight gain, obesity and an inability to lose weight. Stress is created by a combination of physical, mental and emotional factors and has a very definite biological impact, partly through inducing the release of a rather pesky hormone called Cortisol. While this hormone should help us cope and bring us back into our comfort zone, studies have shown that it's a trigger for comfort eating (through cravings for carb-rich foods, sugary foods and fatty foods). It also contributes to a low mood, scrambled thinking (including changes to our perception of food), tiredness and apathy. So the release of Cortisol makes us less likely to want to eat healthily! This, in turn, can lower self-esteem which can ultimately result in a total disinterest in living healthily.
The cruel irony is that the foods eaten as a result of stress can cause extra stress and that most dieting methods give people yet more stress! It's most definitely a vicious circle - one that leads to long-term weight gain.
Add to this the other stresses experienced in daily life (which people seem to have more of these days) and the negative result is further compounded. While losing excess weight should be a simple matter of just eating healthily and being more active, it has to be taken into account that people are flesh-and-blood human beings, not machines. People have feelings and respond to events in their lives as living, 'feeling' beings, a fact that seems to be frequently overlooked by most 'diet creators'.
In my opinion, this is a major reason why all fad (and most conventional) 'diets' fail i.e. they may work short term, but they don't work long term. 'Diets' generally do little to help you address eating in response to and because of stress. To break the stress 'cycle' it's imperative that you get to grips with and tackle, what's stressing you.
If you've been unsuccessful in achieving and maintaining weight loss in the past, it could, very easily, be attributed to stress. Knowing this however, means that you have a fantastic opportunity to make some positive changes to reduce your stress levels - and you may just find that your weight loss pretty much takes care of itself after that.
To start with try the following:
1. Determine if you are actually stressed. Do you have any of the following stress-related symptoms: Interrupted sleep, insomnia, lethargy, depression, mood swings, low self-esteem, anxiety, heart palpitations, unusual eating patterns, food cravings, weight gain, indigestion, high blood pressure, irritable bowel, diarrhea, headaches, skin problems, feeling run down, susceptibility to colds and infections, muscle tension, aches and pains (in the chest, shoulders, neck and back), poor concentration, poor memory, a tendency to dwell on certain issues. (If you're experiencing three or more, the chances are your stress levels are actually quite high.)
2. Vow never to go on another 'diet' again. Take the pressure off yourself and instead make the small effort needed to try simple, yet positive eating and lifestyle changes.
3. Identify what causes you stress. Be assertive and proactive and make changes wherever you can. (Remind yourself that your health and well being is too important not to deal with your stress.)
4. Have faith that reducing your stress will help you to achieve your weight management goals.
5. Relax, chill out and smile - because you're taking back control.
Della David (Weight Management Coach)
Extracted and adapted from the new health and weight loss book THE ANSWER: 'Diet' is a Four Letter Word! - which offers over 1,000 simple and practical tips on how you can effectively quit dieting, improve your health and maintain a healthy weight - permanently (39 of the tips are related to reducing stress).
Della David - Weight Management Coach and Author of THE ANSWER: 'Diet' is a Four Letter Word!
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