Did you know that the state of your waist and the state of your mind are connected? No, not the obvious “I’m depressed about my weight” answer. There is also a chemical connection between stress and weight gain.
The American Medical Association (AMA) conducted a study that showed 43% of the respondents admitted to overeating or eating unhealthy foods as a response to stress in the previous month. Women showed to be more likely to do this than men according to the study.
Emotional and mental stresses cause our bodies to release two powerful hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, into our bodies. Most people are familiar with the “fight or flight” use of adrenaline. It can help us defend ourselves in times of physical peril or help us flee from a dangerous situation.
Fewer people are familiar with cortisol and what it does. It is one of the most potent appetite signals we have. Cortisol slows us down. It is there to counter what adrenaline did to our body. It makes us hungry and changes the sugar levels in our system. If we had just performed a hard physical task, like fighting or fleeing, that would be ok. But when the cortisol is there because we are sitting on the sofa, stressed out because of a job issue or a relationship problem, it leads to “Ben and Jerry’s therapy”, which is what we need to avoid.
Of course the obvious answer to this is to lower our stress level. Easier said than done, right? There are various breathing, meditation and therapy techniques that may help accomplish that.
There is a simpler, two pronged answer. First, exercise away the stress. The adrenaline was dumped into our bodies to make us able to perform physical tasks, so perform some. Burning off “nervous energy” or stress also burns off calories. No, exercise won’t eliminate all stress from your life, but it will help make it more manageable and lessen the effects on your body. Likewise, a healthy body handles the other effects of stress better.
The second part is to plan ahead. Have healthy choices available to snack on. If there isn’t any “Chunky Monkey” to reach for, you won’t eat it. Fresh fruits will satisfy your desire for sugar but not throw your diet off course. Foods high in fiber will help you feel full sooner.
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