Can stress determine weight gain? Is stress fattening?

Can stress be the main cause of weight gain? No. The main reason of weight gain is bad eating habits. If you eat right and healthy and you still gain weight then there can be more deep causes for your weight problem: hormonal imbalance, some medicine, stress…

Stress is one factor that bring imbalance to your metabolism and influences negatively your weight.

The mechanisms through which stress makes you gain weight are:

Because of stress an imbalance occurs at the level of the nervous neurovegetative system that determines an increase in the quantity of the gastric acid. Many of us have felt these discomfort states with the occasion of tests and exams or other stressful events from our lives. People use to say that they have butterflies in their stomach. The excess gastric acid compels us to snack continuously to calm the unpleasant sensations that can be sometimes even painful. The situation can sometimes get out of control and lead to an ulcer or gastritis.

When we are stressed or depresses we seek a way to make us feel better, and food is always there to comfort us. Too often food and alcohol are the safe place to go to, a pleasure that permits us to be happier and calmer for the time being. It’s a quick fix that has only bad consequences on the long run. That is why weight loss coaches don’t recommend starting a weight loss diet if you are depresses. First the depression is cured and then you can start the weight loss process.

Stress generates in your organs chemical and hormonal imbalances and influences negatively the functioning of the endocrine glands, especially the thyroid that becomes more lazy under stress conditions. The thyroid plays a central role in your metabolism, determining the slowing down of fat burning, water retention and as a side effect favoring weight gain.

The side effect of stress include: a permanent tiredness, a lack of desire to live and the tendency to sleep a lot or to watch television with the purpose of escaping the surrounding stressful world. You find all kind of static activities that help you detach from the daily problems. The consequence is that you work out less and less and you get into a vicious downward spiral that has as the final stop a fatter you.

Find out How to avoid gaining weight because of stress.