Stress-related Weight Gain

Stress can cause a number of different reactions, including weight gain or loss, depending on the circumstances. Weight loss due to stress is most often primarily due to decreased eating, and is therefore largely within our conscious control.

Weight gain due to stress may be under conscious control when it is the result of increased eating. But in many cases stress-related weight gain is due to the effect of stress hormones and is not under conscious control.

Long periods of high stress lead to elevated levels of the hormone cortisol in the blood. Cortisol causes the body to store fat in the lower abdominal region. Under some circumstances, this would be a positive thing. For instance, if one were living under harsh conditions, stored fat would provide energy reserves if food were scarce.

In many cases, the deposition of fat around the midsection will motivate people to severely restrict their diets and/or to begin working out harder than usual. This is often counterproductive when the underlying problem is high cortisol due to stress.

High intenstiy exercise and/or a very restricted calorie intake can produce additional physical stress on the body that may trigger even more cortisol production. The higher the cortisol level goes, the greater the tendency to gain fat in the middle of the body.

For this reason, if you are under a lot of stress and you are putting on weight, you’ll want to take a moderate approach with both diet and exercise. Moderate low intensity aerobic exercise is most suitable for people in this situation as it helps burn calories without significantly increasing cortisol levels. Some of the best exercise options for someone with lots of stress are walking, swimming, bicycling, and low-intensity aerobics. Highly stressed individuals usually do best to avoid weight lifting and other high-intensity anaerobic types of exercise (such as interval training, basketball, soccer, etc.) as these activities typically raise cortisol and make the burning of the belly fat much more difficult. It is also important to continue to eat healthy meals containing at least some protein, as that will also reduce stress on the body and minimize cortisol production.

Some may want to try to rush the burning of belly fat through strict dieting, but this often only further stresses the body and creates even more cortisol production. By eating a healthy diet with some protein, the body will begin to better handle stress and cortisol production will fall, allowing for a gradual reduction in the fat.

Combining a healthy diet with low-intensity exercise provides the best opportunity for your body to recover from stress. This results in a reduction in cortisol and a slow but steady reduction in belly fat. Dr. George Best has been assisting people with weight loss since 1992. For additional weight loss information and access to a revolutionary program to help you follow-through with your diet and exercise plans, please visit Dr. Best’s site on natural weight loss.