A Deeper Look … the Link Between Stress and Weight Gain

I recently did a podcast on this topic (here), so if you prefer listening, you can pop on over and receive some great tips for shifting out of the stress response. I also felt that I’d like to write a bit more about this connection because it really does come up a lot.

As I coach, I also know that there are all different ways we need to learn. I am personally a “Learner”, so I love the deep understanding, reading, and digging further to know why. So this article is for those who’d like to go a bit deeper.

May all of this encourage you in your journey to health, energy, and well-being. You have a lot in you that the world needs to see and experience. And as you tap into the “Relaxation Response”, you’ll begin to see your performance, your health, and your energy levels begin to skyrocket!

So often, we don’t even realized we’re experiencing the effects of stress. But once you can see it in your body, your emotions, your mindset, or even in disrupted sleep, you’ll be able to start shifting your experience. And when you shift your experience, you’ll shift your health and energy.

A QUICK OVERVIEW:

• The Stress Response—Fight or Flight: A Primitive Reaction: This is the body’s natural response to stress, historically used for survival.
• Chronic Stress in Modern Times: Our current lifestyle often leads to prolonged stress, contrasting it with short-lived historical stressors.

How Stress Triggers Weight Gain

• Cortisol: The Stress Hormone: Cortisol’s role in the body and its elevation during prolonged stress.
• Appetite and Cravings: Increased cortisol can lead to increased appetite, especially for sugary and fatty foods.
• Fat Storage:The body’s propensity to store more fat, especially in the abdominal region, during high-stress periods.
• Muscle Breakdown: Touch on how chronic stress can lead to muscle breakdown, slowing metabolism.

Stress Triggers Emotional Eating

• Comfort Foods as Coping Mechanisms: Discuss the psychological reasons behind craving comfort foods during stressful times.
• The Short-Term Relief Trap: Explain how these foods offer temporary relief, leading to a cycle of emotional eating.

Other Indirect Factors Connecting Stress to Weight Gain

• Lack of Sleep: There’s a direct correlation between high stress and poor sleep and how sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.
• Decreased Physical Activity: Often people under stress might skip workouts or be less active in general.
• Neglect of Dietary Habits: There’s a strong likelihood of neglecting nutritional meals in favor of quick, often unhealthy options when stressed.

GOING DEEPER …

1. Fight or Flight: A Primitive Reaction

The Body’s Natural Response to Threats

The fight or flight response, also known as the acute stress response, is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to perceived harmful events, threats, or stressors. This response has deep evolutionary roots and was critical for the survival of our ancestors when they faced immediate threats, such as predatory animals.

How It Works

When our senses detect a potential threat, the amygdala, an area of the brain responsible for emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. This command center then communicates with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system, which has two main components: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems.

The sympathetic nervous system triggers the “fight or flight” response, providing the body with a burst of energy by releasing adrenaline (epinephrine) from the adrenal glands. This results in several physiological changes:

• The heart rate increases to pump more blood.
• Breathing becomes rapid to supply the muscles with oxygen.
• Pupils dilate to improve vision.
• Digestive and reproductive systems temporarily shut down to conserve energy.

This heightened state allows individuals to respond quickly and effectively to threats, ensuring survival.

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2. Chronic Stress in Modern Times

From Saber-Toothed Tigers to Traffic Jams

While our ancestors faced clear and immediate threats like predators or hostile tribes, modern humans face different kinds of stressors. These are often not as immediately life-threatening but can be prolonged and persistent. Examples include work-related pressures, financial concerns, health issues, and even daily tasks like navigating traffic or managing a tight schedule.

The Problem with Prolonged Stress

Our bodies are well-equipped to handle short bursts of stress, like evading a predator. However, they’re not as adept at managing the ongoing, chronic stress many experience today. When stressors don’t let up, our body remains in a heightened state of alert, continuously releasing stress hormones. This prolonged state can lead to various health issues, from insomnia and digestive problems to heart disease and a weakened immune system.

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3. Cortisol: The Stress Hormone

Cortisol’s Primary Functions

Cortisol, often labeled as the “stress hormone,” is produced in the adrenal glands and plays various roles in the body. These include regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation, and controlling the sleep-wake cycle. It’s crucial for several body functions, ensuring that we have the right amount of glucose available in our bloodstream, supporting cellular function, and helping manage stress.

Cortisol and Stress

In response to stress, the adrenal glands release higher levels of cortisol. In the short term, this is beneficial. Cortisol ensures that the body has a quick and adequate energy supply to respond to immediate threats, helping with heightened memory functions, a burst of increased immunity, and lower sensitivity to pain.

However, when stress becomes chronic, the continuous release of cortisol becomes problematic. Elevated cortisol levels over prolonged periods can lead to:

• Weight gain, especially around the abdominal area.
• Muscle weakness.
• High blood pressure.
• Mood swings or feelings of anxiety and depression.
• Slow wound healing and impaired immune response.

Striking a Balance

While cortisol is vital for our survival, it’s essential to manage stressors to ensure that its levels don’t remain elevated for extended periods. This balance is crucial for overall health and well-being.

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4. Fat Storage and Stress: The Abdominal Connection

The Role of Cortisol in Fat Storage

When the body experiences stress, the adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol. While cortisol has several functions, one of its primary roles during stress is to provide the body with a quick energy source. It does this by increasing glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream. However, once the immediate stressor has passed, the excess glucose needs to be stored, and the body often does this by converting it into fat.

Why the Abdominal Region?

The fat cells in the abdominal region, specifically the visceral fat cells that surround our organs, have a higher concentration of cortisol receptors compared to fat cells elsewhere in the body. This makes the abdominal area more susceptible to fat storage when cortisol levels are elevated.

Visceral fat is particularly concerning because it’s metabolically active. This means it can influence hormone function and can produce inflammatory substances. Excessive visceral fat has been linked to various health issues, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and increased inflammation in the body.

Stress, Appetite, and Fat Storage

Chronic stress not only increases cortisol production but also affects our appetite. Cortisol triggers cravings for sugary, fatty, and salty foods because the body seeks quick energy sources to combat the perceived threat or stressor. Consuming these calorie-dense foods, especially without the physical activity to burn them off (as is often the case during prolonged stress), leads to weight gain, particularly in the abdominal area.

Additionally, chronic stress can disrupt other hormonal balances in the body, including insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar. An imbalance in insulin can lead to further fat storage, compounding the problem.

The Vicious Cycle

The relationship between stress and abdominal fat storage can become a vicious cycle. As stress leads to weight gain, especially in the abdominal region, this can lead to decreased self-esteem, body image issues, and further stress, perpetuating the cycle.

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BREAKING THE CYCLE

Understanding the intricate relationship between stress, cortisol, and fat storage is crucial for holistic health approaches. Addressing not just the physical aspects but also the emotional and psychological triggers of stress can be pivotal in managing and reducing abdominal weight gain.

Helpful Strategies:

• Mindful Eating: Mindful eating takes practice, but can be really powerful at any point to help your body tap into the “rest and digest” process while you’re eating. The Slow eating method has been shown to help many people release excess weight without even changing their diet!
• Physical Activity: Regular movement, not just for weight but for stress relief, can be extremely valuable to help release stress, increase sleep, and invite healing into the body. (Just be careful to not overdo it when you’re in an intense season. Try out movement that you enjoy!)
• Tap Into the Relaxation Response: Methods such as meditation, deep or functional breathing exercises, and even EFT as tools to manage stress.
• Regularly Reset: Whether you’re a high-performing business person, a parent, an athlete, or simply going through an intense season, your body is created to go through stress and recover WHEN you are giving it the proper time to recover. What do you love to do? How do you need to reset in this season?
• Tap into Creativity & Joy: This is something we don’t often think about, but we need creativity and joy regularly in our life. Creativity actually taps into our body’s nervous system and can help shift things that our brain can’t always do on its own. And laughter is shown to unlock healing chemicals through our entire body. Give it a try!

Healing the Mind-Body Stress Response with EFT

Addressing the Fight or Flight Response with EFT

EFT, commonly known as “tapping,” can effectively recalibrate our body’s response to perceived threats. By tapping on specific meridian points while vocalizing our fears or stressors, we can send signals to the amygdala, the part of our brain responsible for the fight or flight response. This process helps reduce its alarm response. Over time, with consistent EFT practice, individuals can retrain their bodies to react less intensely to stressors, diminishing the severity of the fight or flight response and fostering a more balanced emotional state.

EFT and Modern-Day Chronic Stress

Chronic stressors, such as work pressures or financial worries, can be persistent and challenging to avoid. EFT offers a holistic approach to addressing the emotional and psychological components of these stressors. By tapping and vocalizing our concerns, we can release pent-up emotional tension, making it easier to process and manage these ongoing stresses. As individuals identify and confront these stressors through EFT, they often find a sense of relief, clarity, and a more grounded perspective on the challenges they face.

Cortisol Regulation through EFT

Studies have shown that EFT can lead to significant decreases in cortisol levels. When individuals engage in EFT sessions, they often experience a relaxation response, which counteracts the body’s stress response. As tapping helps in releasing emotional blockages and stress, cortisol levels can stabilize, promoting better overall health. By incorporating EFT into a regular wellness routine, individuals can potentially mitigate the harmful effects of prolonged cortisol elevation, supporting both emotional and physical well-being.

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Incorporating EFT as a healing modality for these stress-related areas provides a holistic approach that not only addresses the physical manifestations of stress but also its emotional and psychological roots.

PS – If you’re curious how this can be helpful for you, sign up for a FREE Healing Health Consultation with Coach K! CLICK HERE to learn more.