Stress and Weight Gain
Stress and weight gain can go hand-in-hand. Stress, particularly chronic stress, can cause you to gain weight.
Stress can contribute to weight gain in the following ways:
Emotional Eating -- Have you ever caught yourself snacking on junk food even when you were not hungry? Often times stress causes a person to eat just to make themselves feel better.
Cravings -- Periods of stress will often cause you to crave junk food -- whether it be fatty, salty or sweet -- leading to weight gain.
Fast Food -- When you feel like there are not enough hours in the day to complete everything, you will be more likely to eat fast food than healthier alternatives. Studies have shown fast food is a major cause in the increase of obesity rates.
Less Exercise -- When you feel worn down and stressed, you may feel like you don’t have the time or energy to exercise.
Cortisol
When you are stressed, your body releases many chemicals and hormones -- one of which is cortisol. There has been discussion among the scientific community that the cortisol released when you are stressed may be a contributing factor to stress weight gain.
Cortisol has shown to:
Slow your metabolism making it easier to gain pounds and making weight loss harder.
Alter blood sugar levels causing you to feel fatigued and have mood swings.
Possibly increase fat storage, especially fat around your abdomen.
Now keep in mind there are many contributing factors to weight gain, but being stressed sure doesn’t help!
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