You’re having problems at work surroundings or at home. You’re stressed, and it’s start to show in more ways than one. You’ve detected a bulge around your mid-section that wasn’t there before. Where are these extra pounds coming from? The question of whether excess amounts of cortisol can lead to weight gain is essentially the same as asking if too much stress can cause you to put on unwanted pounds. The answer in both cases is yes. 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, the link between stress and weight gain is glaring.
What Is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a natural stress hormone produced by your body. Created by the adrenal glands located on your kidneys, cortisol is released when you’re under stress. This sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, temporarily pausing regular bodily functions and slowing your metabolism. While this hormone is essential to survival, it can become harmful in excess amounts. From finding time for relaxation to improving your diet and exercise, you can ensure that you control your cortisol and not the other way around.
Cortisol and Comfort Foods
Levels of “the stress hormone,” cortisol, rise during tension-filled times. This can turn your excess eating into a habit. Because high levels of the hormone also cause higher insulin levels, your blood sugar drops 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.” Sugar supplies your body with the quick energy it thinks it needs, it’s often the first thing you reach for when you’re stressed. The downside to eating so much sugar is that your body tends to store sugar, especially after stressful situations. This energy is stored mainly in the form of abdominal fat, which can be particularly hard to lose. And so the vicious cycle starts: get stressed, release cortisol, gain weight, crave more sugar, eat more sugar, gain more weight. If you aren’t eating foods high in fat and sugar, cortisol also slows down your metabolism, making it difficult to lose weight.
Stress-Induced Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits
- Emotional Hunger
- Eating “readily available foods” or fast food
- Less Physical activity
- Skipping meals
- Poor sleep
Why This Unhealthy lifestyle Can Be Harmful
Our metabolism is responsible for converting food into energy, a change in how this system works can cause potential problems which includes:
- Weight gain
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Health complications, such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes
- Reduced effectiveness of the immune system
Furthermore, the weight that people gain as a result from a rise in cortisol is often around the abdomen. Fat that accumulated around the waist area is attributed to the cause of cardiovascular disease, earning it the name of “toxic fat.”
How to Break the Cycle of Stress and Weight Gain
Although reducing your stress levels may feel impracticable some days, you can still manage the effects of elevated cortisol. To begin with, making relaxation through mindfulness, meditation, yoga or deep breathing can help bring the production of this hormone back down to normal levels.
You can also stop the excess storage of empty calories by ensuring that you consume a diet high in quality foods. Even though your body may be craving a quick fix, aim to eat mostly whole, plant-based foods. Of course, making the decision to eat right isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it. By watching your diet, the calories you consume will be turned into energy, not converted into fat and stored by the body.
Finally, exercise is an excellent way to manage your stress hormones too. Whether you go out for a run, take a daily walk with your family or hit the gym, exercising will help maintain your lean body mass. This is especially important during prolonged periods of high cortisol levels.
Treating and managing stress-related weight gain starts with a visit to your lifestyle coach to discuss your concerns. After a thorough exam, they’ll rule out any other health issues and help you come up with a plan to manage your weight and reduce stress. FittyMe is known for providing proper lifestyle motivation to their clients based on their lifestyle habits and planning customized diet charts based on the individual’s preferences.
