The link between being stressed & gaining weight

Have you noticed that when you are stressed you are more likely to grab a chocolate bar or bag of chips than a piece of fruit?  You’re not alone.  Stress is at epidemic proportions in Australia.  Apparently, more than two thirds of doctors appointments are for stress related medical conditions, and it is the biggest cause of people taking time off work.  Stress is defined as “a state of tension that is created when a person responds to the demands and pressures that come from work, family and other external sources, as well as those that are internally generated from self-imposed demands, obligations and self-criticism”.  However, this ‘state of tension’ manifests itself not only emotionally, but also in a variety of physiological mechanisms.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone which is produced in response to stress.  One of the primary functions of this hormone is to “mobilise” energy.  This means that it does whatever it needs to do to make sure that the body has plenty of fuel (read “kilojoules”) available so that you can deal with the stress.  In the past, people needed additional fuel (kilojoules) to deal with stress – for example, they may have needed fuel for energy to run from a bear, or fight an army, now most of our stress is caused by more mental and emotional stressors (such as studying for an exam or arguing with a loved one) than physical stressors.

Cortisol ‘mobilises energy’ in two main ways:

1. Increasing appetite

Cortisol interacts with other hormones and neuropeptides that are involved in the regulation of appetite to make you more hungry.This in turn, encourages you to eat more so that you have plenty of ‘fuel’ ready to wrestle a crocodile! Research shows that people who are producing high cortisol levels are more likely to crave sugar and fat as these macronutrients are the main ones that you will need to run quickly, and for a long time!

2. Mobilising fat

Cortisol also causes the breakdown of stored fat in adipose tissue (fat stores), so that it is ready to be converted to energy should you use up all of your carbohydrate running from an elephant stampede. When that fat is not used, it is relocated and stored around the waist.  Unfortunately, fat stored around the waist has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Thus, long term, chronic stress can lead to weight gain, particularly around the waist which is the most dangerous area for weight-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Dealing with stress

Minimising stress

Is stress contributing to your weight gain?  If so, maybe it’s time to stop and look at the ‘big picture’.  Sometimes, there is nothing that can be done about stress – for example if your spouse passes away, you are going to undergo a time of significant stress, but sometimes we Aussies take on more stress than we need to.  Maybe you should consider changing jobs and doing something less stressful, maybe you should consider a ‘sea change’, maybe you should consider telling your teenager that they have to take public transport if they want to see their friends after school, maybe you should consider hiring someone to clean your house for you while you are working full time?  What can you do to minimise your stress?

Exercise

Obviously exercise is fantastic for increasing muscle mass and burning kilojoules, but another important function which often gets overlooked is its role in stress management.  Exercise is fantastic for reducing stress, so ensure that you take time daily for some planned exercise that you enjoy.

Put what you’ve learnt into practice….. 

1. Write a list of some of the things that have caused you stress this week.

2. Now, for each stressor, try to think of at least three ways that you would recommend that someone else could decrease that stressor (you may like to ask someone else for some suggestions if you can’t think of enough).

3. Finally, choose one of the things that has caused you stress, and one of the suggested solutions, and put it in practice in your life.

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