Stress Leads to Weight Regain after Dieting
Don’t let stress get the best of you. Use these simple tips for taming tension and weight loss success.
This article was brought to you by Truestar Health: The World's Most Comprehensive Nutrition, Fitness & Healthy Lifestyle Resource
Researchers have known for years that physical stress is detrimental to our health and well-being. However, it is only recently that psychological stress has become linked to a number of health complaints. This month in Vancouver, at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity’s Annual Scientific Meeting, a study conducted by researcher Paula Rhode, PhD and her colleagues revealed that higher stress and depression were linked with weight regain, typically due to seeking comfort from food, especially calories from fat.
How we handle stress is up to us, but it could make a difference in weight loss success.
Rhode revealed in the study, “Incorporating stress- and mood-management techniques into future weight-loss programs may help to prevent or delay weight regain that occurs as a result of poor coping and/or increased high-risk or unhealthy behaviours.”
Get Our Latest News for FREE
How Stress Affects Us
Most of us are all too familiar with the feeling of being stressed: your heart races, your breathing becomes rapid and shallow, your blood pressure rises and your hands become cold or clammy as blood flow is directed to your arm and leg muscles in preparation for escape. This is our initial response to stress, otherwise known as an adrenalin rush. The relaxation response is just the opposite: breathing rate slows and deepens, muscles relax, blood pressure lowers, pulse rate slows down and more blood flow is directed to the organs of digestion. It is this state that is best for our mind and body.
Under chronic stress, whether it is physical, emotional, mental or environmental (i.e. cold temperatures), real or imagined, the stress hormone cortisol is released. Cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands (stress glands), two small glands that rest on top of the kidneys. These glands release adrenalin, as an immediate response to stress and cortisol under prolonged periods of stress. Both adrenalin and cortisol are necessary in small amounts for us to adapt to stress effectively. In high levels, however, they are harmful.
It seems that mental or emotional stress is the most harmful to us because it is not followed by a relaxation response in the way it happens with most physical stress. As long as the perceived stressful event remains in our head, we remain in a heightened state, just a notch above a resting, healthy, balanced state. Over time, this leads to permanent harmful changes in our body.
Three Tips on How to Handle Stress Effectively
1. Food
Avoid foods and products containing caffeine. Caffeine raises our stress hormones. Green tea is one of the few products containing caffeine that is less harmful than others because it also contains a naturally calming compound called theanine that blocks the effect of stress hormone. Eat protein with each meal and snack. Protein helps to maintain steady blood sugar levels. Changes in your blood sugar levels can worsen stress-related symptoms.
2. Supplements
Plant sterols: Sterols have been found to reduce stress hormone (cortisol) levels and to improve the immune system. If the immune system is running too low, plant sterols help to boost it, aiding in the prevention of infection. If the immune system is overactive, as in the case of autoimmune disease in situations such as rheumatoid arthritis or allergies, sterols help to make it less reactive.
Ashwaganda: Ashwaganda is a wonderful herb to aid recuperation from the effects of stress and has a calming effect. It is useful in reducing excess cortisol. Today, Ayurvedic practitioners use this dietary supplement to enhance mental and physical performance, to improve learning ability and to decrease stress and fatigue. Ashwaganda can be used in stressful situations, to treat insomnia, restlessness or fatigue from overworking.
Essential fatty acids: About 60 % of brain tissue is made up of fat cells involved in the structure and the transmission of signals across cell membranes. Optimal brain structure and function occurs when the fat cells comprise mostly omega-3 fatty acids (the components of which are called DHA and EPA) present in fish oils. Fish oils are important for the regulation of our behaviour and sleep. Present findings suggest that omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, may help in the treatment and prevention of depression, seasonal affective disorder and the sleep irregularities that tend to accompany these conditions.
3. Activities
- Use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, visualization (guided imagery), positive affirmations and yoga.
- Enjoy some kisses. Studies have shown that kissing actually lowers stress hormones.
- Get a massage. Massage is an excellent way to reduce muscle tension, lower stress hormone and boost immunity.
- Regular acupuncture treatments lower cortisol as well as raise endorphins, our body¹s natural pain-reducing hormone.
- Exercise. Cardiovascular activities as well as weight training, reduce stress hormones if performed properly. Avoid over doing it - this will only create more stress!
Did you like what you read? Click here to read more articles brought to you by Truestar Health: The World's Most Comprehensive Nutrition, Fitness & Healthy Lifestyle Resource
