Stress-Induced Habits That May Cause Weight Gain

Stress and weight gain. They seem to go together in today's culture . . . at least in the minds of many people. Diet experts tell us that when you're under stress, your body is more vulnerable to gaining weight because of the release of a hormone called cortisol.

The theory is that as our bodies are constantly reacting to stressful events it's also secreting greater amounts of cortisol. Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, a psychiatrist with the Mayo Clinic disputes that finding.

"There is no evidence that the amount of cortisol produced by a healthy individual under stress is enough to cause weight gain," he recently wrote on the clinic's web site. "Rarely, chronic stress -- stress that lasts months or years, instead of days or weeks -- may elevate cortisol levels sufficiently enough and for a long enough period to cause weight gain." If you're concerned about your cortisol level, he further explains, a blood test can easily check this biomarker for you.

But, you argue, I have gained weight since I've been under stress.  So what's causing it?  In a nutshell:  bad habits.

Yep, that's probably the case.  If your job or family situation has you feeling as if you're under more stress than usual and you know that you've gained weight lately, scrutinize your daily routine.  No doubt you'll find at least one "something" that is causing your weight gain.

To help you examine your habits, here are some bad habits many of us adopt when we're faced with untold stress.  Are you practicing any of them?

1. Just too busy -- or exhausted -- to even consider exercise?

Oh, yes.  We all hang our head in shame at this one.  The scientific evidence is overwhelming; you might as well call exercise the "silver bullet" of health.  When performed faithfully, it's like the superhero of vitality.  There appears no disorder it can't help to keep you safe from, it helps you lose weight . . . and yes it even helps to reduce your stress.  The very thing that may be triggering these bad habits in the first place.  Need I say more?

2. Stopping at fast food restaurants?

 Oops do I do that? It's so much easier to eat a sandwich on the way to your next appointment than to sit down and take a half hour or 45 minutes out of your day and have a nice healthy salad or a more filling, more nutritious lunch.  But, that fast-food sandwich is more likely to contribute to a weight problem.  But you knew that!

3. Eating when you're not hungry just to relieve stress especially those sweet or salty "treats?"

It's funny when you see television characters dig into their quarts of ice cream, dressed in their pajamas, ready to relinquish their energy and will power to the world.  It's not nearly as laughable when we do it, however.  In fact, it only lowers our self esteem when we realize what we've done and sends us into a spiraling depression and a more stressful situation.  And how many of us couple this bad habit in with the fast-food visits?

4.  Do you skip meals because you're just too busy to eat?

We all do this occasionally -- it too seems to be a badge of honor these days.  But you don't want to make a habit of this.  Skipping meals may leave your vulnerable to blood-sugar-related mood swings.  One of the consequences?  Eating more when you finally do sit down to a meal.  Try not skip meals.  Instead try eating smaller snacks throughout the day.  You can always carry an apple with you or a half of a peanut butter sandwich (preferably the natural variety) on fiber-rich whole wheat bread.

5. Have you discovered the "caffeine-driven life"?

If you encounter any type of stressful situations, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.  Caffeine becomes your "cheerleader," in some aspects allowing you to gear up for that next big sales pitch, the next writing assignment or even that next class you have to face.

And you're grateful it's there to get you through the next hour or so.  But then the "cheerleader" leaves -- and you're left with an empty stadium, tired to the bones and a tremendous crash -- you realize your energy is depleted.  You're even more tired now, in fact, more than when you began . . . so what do you do?

7.  Is your busy schedule inching out your sleep?

If you're like so many of us, you may find that you just don't sleep enough.  It seems to be just one more "badge of productivity" that many of us carry around today. Well, it's a badge that'll destroy our health in quick order -- starting with our weight.

There's really no need to tell you all the benefits of sleep -- you probably already know many of them.  It's just something we all need to make more time for.

Whether you believe it's the relentless release of cortisol causing your weight gain or you can honestly say you've adopted some bad habits while under stress, the fact probably remains:  you've discovered that you're slowly gaining weight (or maybe not so slowly).

Now is the time to do something not only about the weight gain, but also about the stress.  Take a good long look at your habits.  Take a good long look at your stress level.  Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day -- and that you didn't reach this level of stress overnight.  Tackle one habit at a time.  I'm confident you can overcome it.

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