What Can You Do About Stress and Weight Gain ?

In today's hectic world, nobody needs additional stress, particularly when you are embarking on a weight loss program. Everyone reacts differently to stress. Many people tend to eat more when they find themselves under emotional stress.

 One reason they may do so is that over their lifetime they have always looked to food as a source of comfort in the face of varying degrees of stress and the stressful times they experienced.
In addition to this behavioral response to stress, there also is a biological component to the increased eating while under stress. The body secrets many hormones to which serve to regulate various functions of the body. Cortisol is one such hormone that is released by the adrenal glands throughout the day in varying amounts. Typically, cortisol levels are highest in the early morning and tend to drop down to their low at night.

The action of cortisol in the body generally results in an increased appetite. The hormone acts to provide rapid energy for the body by stimulation of fat and carbohydrate metabolism. At the same time it stimulates the release of insulin from the pancreas for maintenance of blood sugar levels.

Cortisol is sometimes referred to as a "stress hormone" because additional cortisol is secreted during times of physical and emotional stress. This tends to disrupt the normal levels of cortisol and thereby promoting weight gain.

This is not to suggest that cortisol is the primary cause of weight gain, but it definitely plays a role. In general, weight gain or loss is dependent on a number of other factors and variables. These include the basal metabolic rate, the amount and type of food consumed, as well as the time of the day the food is eaten and of course the amount and type of exercise performed each day.

So while it may be said that cortisol in response to stress may be a factor in weight gain in some individuals, it cannot be said that the key to sustained weight loss is to target a reduction in cortisol level, since there are other factors to consider. Nevertheless to the extent that it is desirable reduce the effects of stress and the accompanying increased cortisol levels, exercise is one of the best methods for accomplishing this. At the same time, exercise will provide the weight loss candidate with the obvious benefits of burning calories and stimulating weight loss.

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