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Is Stress Keeping me From Losing Weight?

There is plenty of published research linking stress and weight gain. For fast fat burning to happen in your body, your stress must be dealt with properly. While a variety of external behaviors and factors affect how we deal with stress, there are also biological responses automatically occurring within our body.

Cortisol, a stress-related hormone, has been associated with weight gain, especially abdominal fat. When the body is under a lot of stress it releases increased amounts of cortisol.

The most amount of fat is collected in the abdomen region when we eat under stress because receptors for cortisol are located in the abdomen. Higher levels of cortisol have been linked to people having a higher waist to hip ratio.

That translates into having to work harder to lose weight if you already are even a little on the heavy side. It means we automatically start triggering more abdominal fat storage than our leaner peers.

Metabolism is also impacted by excess cortisol. Metabolism slows down.

A slower metabolism means you can’t burn off calories efficiently, and this results in weight gain even when consuming a lower amount of calories.

To burn fat fast and effeciently, you must not starve yourself!

Another double whammy here:

Since most people tend to eat more when under stress, the rate of weight gain increases exponentially.

What can be done to block the release of cortisol? Manage stress proactively!

Don’t wait until it catches up with you to start fighting it.

Here are a few things to do:

1. Raise awareness: Become aware of the situations that create a sense of stress in you.
2. Get in those workouts: Regular exercise helps diminish cortisol levels. Exercise also raises our mood level. Meditation and relaxation techniques are great stress releasers.
3. Get enough rest: Your body rejuvenates itself while sleeping, and helps you cope with stress more effectively. Rest also helps us think clearer so you will be able to make healthier food choices as well.

It is important to note that while it is important you manage stress and cortisol levels appropriately, medication is not a recommended first option. before considering medications, try healthy changes first.

Controlling your stress is critical if you want to master your body’s innate ability for fast fat burning.