Still Struggling With Your Holiday Weight Gain Or Are You Stress Eating?

During November I was eating well and exercising regularly and then along came December. Yes, I went to parties, I held parties, and I ate and drank, and had a wonderful time. Now I’m a few kilograms heavier and trying to get back into the routine of eating heathy food and exercising. It’s always hard to start with. Changing any bad habit is challenging at the beginning. It’s like getting into a cold swimming pool. Once you’re in you feel fine, but getting into bracingly cold water is an ordeal. I’ve been back to a diet high in vegetables and water for a couple of weeks, but those extra kilograms are clinging to me much like my clothes! In the past I’ve said that if you want to lose weight it’s simple – just put a “Do not disturb” sign on the fridge – but I do appreciate that it’s a little bit tougher and more complex than that.

Self-control is important when it comes to staying within a healthy weight range, but science is also finding that stress plays a huge role in weight gain. Why? I read a brilliant article on the BBC website that perfectly explains the link between stress and weight:

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-42788280

Stress interferes with blood sugar levels

Chronic stress disrupts our sleep and blood sugar levels, which in turn increases  our hunger and leads us to ‘comfort eat’ or ‘stress eat’ and overeating then further disrupts sleep and pushes sugar levels even higher so we get even hungrier and eat even more. The result of this vicious cycle? We end up with more body fat and perhaps diseases, like type-2 diabetes. Some cancers are now linked to excessive body fat.

Leads University in the UK have done a lot of research into the link between stress and weight gain. The researchers did a recent TV experiment with Dr Giles Yeo from the BBC show, Trust Me, I’m a Doctor.

When a healthy person eats, their blood sugar levels rise then quickly return to normal. Dr Yeo was put under stress for a day. He was stuck in front of a computer and had to answer rapid-fire maths questions. He also had one hand in an ice bath.

Stress often gives you the munchies

When Dr Yeo was stressed his blood sugar levels took three hours to return to normal. That is six times longer than when he wasn’t stressed. Why do blood-sugar levels stay high when we are stressed? Basically your body thinks it is under attack, and is getting ready to run away – it literally wants you to get up and run. When stressed, the human body releases glucose into your blood to provide more energy for your muscles. Remember, your body wants you to stand up and use your legs to run from the stressful situation, but in modern life we are usually not in a position to run away from our job, spouse, financial situation or annoying neighbour. We stay and tough it out. Because we haven’t used up that energy running away from the source of stress, the pancreas then starts pumping out lots of insulin to bring our blood sugar levels back to normal. And do you know what impact rising insulin and falling blood sugar have on you. They make you hungry!!! That is why many people overeat when they are stressed. People may gain excessive weight if under stress for long periods. This is true of someone stuck in a bad job or bad relationship. They are comfort or stress-eating. Stress eating can also be a bad habit, perhaps taught to us by a parent. Overweight people are more at risk of having overweight children.

Tiredness also leads to overeating

Tiredness also stresses our bodies and leads to overeating. Studies have found shift workers are prone to weight gain. Researchers at King’s College, London found tired people eat on average an extra 500 calories in a day. Scientists from Colorado University carried out a tiredness experiment on children aged three and four. The children were not allowed to have their afternoon nap and also stayed up two hours after their bedtime. The next day they ate 20 percent more food. The following day they still ate 14 percent more.

The truth is that research shows that long-term stress is bad for us in many ways. Perhaps the key to weight loss is first reducing the stress-levels of your life, but this is easier said than done.

Ways to Reduce Stress

Some people find that breathing exercises help reduce stress. It is also essential that you get enough sleep. Again, that is something that doesn’t come easy to everyone. Have you tried swimming, yoga, gardening or running? Of course, weight gain can also be a symptom that there is something fundamentally wrong in your life. Are you in a job or a relationship that is causing you a great deal of stress? No one can tell you what to do, but I will just remind you that life is short, and this is the only life you have.

Weight and Age

Another factor that can lead to weight gain is age. As we age we lose muscle mass. Also as we age our hormone levels decrease and this can lead to weight gain. For men it means more fat around the stomach and can begin by about the age of 30. Women usually experience weight gain before menopause, in the forties and fifties as estrogen levels decrease.

Fit, healthy people are less likely to experience significant weight gain as they age. They have already established a routine of eating well and exercising, but people suffering stress and fluctuating blood sugar levels are more at risk of excessive weight gain as they get older.

The long and the short of it is – if you want to shift weight you ideally need to shift some stress out of your life first.

Good Luck!