How Stress And Hormones Affect Your Weight

new jersey weight loss doctors

Whether you’re having problems at work or at home, you’re stressed and it’s beginning to show in more ways than one. You notice a bulge around your mid-section that wasn’t there before, wondering where these extra pounds are coming from? Well stress could be one of the culprits. It plays a role in weight gain. While it can make you have less of an appetite at first, long-term “chronic” stress actually boosts your hunger. Stress can significantly impact your ability to maintain a healthy weight. It can also prevent you from losing weight, whether it’s the result of high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, unhealthy stress-induced behaviors, or a combination of the two.

Most of you become overeaters when you’re feeling a lot of pressure. This happens thanks to your fight-or-flight response. Once your body reaches a certain stress level, it does what it feels it needs to and in most cases, that means to overeat. Why? Because your body thinks you’ve used calories to deal with your stress, even though you haven’t. As a result, it thinks you need to replenish those calories, even though you don’t.

Levels of “the stress hormone,” cortisol, rise during tension-filled times. This can turn your overeating into a habit. Increased levels of the hormone also causes insulin levels to spike which drops your blood sugar and you crave sugary, fatty foods. So instead of a salad or a banana, you’re more likely to reach for cookies or mac and cheese. That’s why they’re called “comfort foods”. Eating can be a source of solace and can lower stress. This happens, in part, because the body releases chemicals in response to food that might have a direct calming effect.

Even if you aren’t eating foods high in fat and sugar, cortisol also slows down your metabolism, making it difficult to lose weight. In addition to the hormonal changes related to stress, stress can also drive you to engage in unhealthy behaviors, all of which can cause weight gain. Emotional eating, less exercising, skipping meals and sleeping less can all contribute to your weight gain.

What to Read Next …

nutley weight loss
Checklist For Healthy Weight Loss

Have you tried losing weight recently? Maybe you shed a few pounds but then the weight crept back and you returned to eating habits that are...

Healthy New Year
Small Shifts For Healthy New Year

For many of us, the New Year brings pressure to overhaul our lives with diet and lifestyle changes. When it comes to weight loss and dieting,...

Hangover holiday
How to Avoid Holiday Health Hangover

Let’s face it – most of us overdo it during the holiday season. It’s incredibly hard to avoid all those cookies, fruitcakes, homemade candy and...

Healthy Christmas
Stay Healthy This Christmas Season

With non-stop parties, gift shopping, and traveling, the holidays can be a trying time for many of us. And when you are trying to stay on a...

nutley weight loss
Rules of Weight Loss That Lasts

Before you even begin to attack a weight-loss plan, it pays to remember this: You are not fat. You have fat. Losing weight isn't about blame or...

weight loss wellness clinic
Eating Disorders in Midlife

When thinking of eating disorders the stereotypical image of young, slender teenagers springs to mind for many. But conditions like anorexia...

ABOUT US

Achieve your ideal weight with our healthy, sustainable, and easy to follow weight loss program, along with our FDA cleared body sculpting program in NJ!

Business Hours