Stress Weight Gain (Reduce Stress and Lose Weight)

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Is Stress Making You Gain Weight And Unhealthy?

Stress weight gain is one of the main reasons women are overweight and there are many factors that play into it.

Extra pounds from stress tend to accumulate near the belly which is the most dangerous weight you can gain. This is why it's so important to reduce stress. 

These tips will help you recognize stress, reduce it and help you lose that extra weight and get your health back!

• Tired all the time?
• Headaches?
• Acne?
• Neck stiffness?

You may think “I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.”

If you feel like this, read on to learn how stress might be the culprit causing you to gain weight. 

This article will show how to recognize negative stress, and most importantly how to lessen its impact.

I am convinced the stress I let build up from age 30 – 45, along with poor eating habits, resulted in me having thyroid cancer and several autoimmune diseases.

Even when you know the dangers of stress, and have lived the consequences, it can still creep up on you.

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According to an article from WebMD:

• 75- 90% of all doctor visits are for stress-related issues
• 43% of us suffer adverse health effects from stress
• Stress plays a big part in complaints such as skin conditions, headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, depression, and other mood issues
• Stress costs American industry $300 billion+ each year
• More

Fight or Flight Stress Creates Weight Gain

When you sense danger (to the body stress is danger), you go into “fight-or-flight mode” which is how your body protects you from harm.

Fight-or-flight is a physiological reaction where your body's sympathetic nervous system is activated.

During this process, hormones are released and the adrenal glands are triggered. Think of it like when you're passing someone in a car and you accelerate the gas pedal.

Although this reaction is needed for survival and has evolved over the years, it can begin to harm your body if not controlled.

Stress is a normal process and you can't completely remove it from your life. It can even be a motivator when managed properly.

Think about the last time you were motivated to seek that promotion at work or finish a major project, stress probably had a role in helping you push forward.

The problem comes in when you don't manage the stress and it starts to take a toll on your health, cause weight gain and hurt relationships

According to Web MD, “More than half of Americans say they fight with friends and loved ones because of stress, and more than 70% say they experience real physical and emotional symptoms from it.”

What Causes Stress And Weight Gain?

There are different degrees of stress, some controllable, some not.

Even happy times such as a marriage or vacation brings on stress if not managed correctly.

Some major stressors:

• Divorce
• Death of a loved one
• Marriage
• Financial problems
• Illness for yourself or a loved one
• Job changes or loss
• Moving
• Extra weight or being out of shape
• Becoming an empty nester

Some daily stressors:

• Demanding job
• Conflict with loved ones
• Traffic (can I get an amen?)
• Conflict with co workers
• Caring for elderly parents or grandparents
• Teenagers (phew I survived those years)
• Unrealistic expectations
• Lack of flexibility in an ever changing world
• Aging

Signs of Unhealthy Stress

• Insomnia or wanting to sleep all the time
• Headaches or a stiff neck
• Hair loss
• Difficulty losing weight
• Body aches and joint stiffness
• Change in appetite (for some, loss of appetite, for me I eat everything in sight!)
• Panic attacks
• Acne
• Alcohol or drug use
• Smoking
• Nail biting
• Withdrawal or depression
• Change in attitude such as lashing out at others

Stress from Divorce

Living through divorce myself, if you are going through this major stressor, I encourage you to reach out for help.

Even if you're the one wanting the divorce, or you're in agreement, this is a major life change that affects you and everyone around you.

Manage Stress for Weight Loss

Now that you know what causes stress and signs that it's out of control, you need to find ways to manage it as stressors will always be present.

The goal is not to remove the stress, but to learn to lessen the impact.

Ways to Manage Stress And Weight Gain

• Deep Breathing
• Exercise, even short walks
• Yoga
• Engage with Others
• Prayer or meditation
• Self love and affirmations
• Accept change as inevitable
• Surround yourself with positive people
• Healthy eating
• Get plenty of sleep
• Seek help when needed

My health coach (love her) gave me some deep breathing exercises to help me throughout the day.  I set my phone alarm every hour to remind me to take time to breathe.

As silly as that sounds, when you're busy working and caught up in daily activities you are often taking very shallow breaths.

Deep breathing is one of the best ways to send a message to your brain to relax. This technique involves the stomach, sometimes referred to as belly breathing.

How to Perform Belly Breathing

• Stand or sit anywhere comfortable.
• Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
• Take a deep breathe (through your nose) and make sure your stomach is expanding (pushing out your hand) and your chest does not expand (harder than it sounds).
• As you breathe out through your mouth, purse your lips and make sure your stomach goes in as you're aware of the breath leaving your body. Pretend you're blowing the air through a straw.
• Do this 4-6 times and notice how your body starts to relax.
• Repeat 5-8 times per day or as needed

Exercise For Stress Relief 

Exercise increases your endorphins, your brain's feel good neurotransmitters. Every little bit helps.

Try to get on a regular fitness routine for many health benefits, but if you are not already there, start with baby steps.

Always suggest checking with your doctor before starting a new exercise program

Find yourself on conference calls all day? Try to stand up during the calls and pace back and forth to keep the blood moving.

At lunch, go for a stroll around the parking lot at work or down the road at home.  If the weather doesn't allow this, take a walk up and down the hall.

This is so much better than gathering up with co workers and venting about the work that's already causing you stress.

For long term stress reduction, follow a fitness routine that includes some aerobic exercise coupled with weight training or calisthenics.

I used to go to the gym, but since moving to the lake, the drive to the closest gym is 30 miles. Turning part of my office into a work out room with an elliptical and a few weights has made it easier to get in a workout.

PopSugar Fitness Videos found on YouTube are also great. Click here to see my favorite warm up video that is a great mini workout.

Distraction for Stress Relief 

Also something like a fidget spinner or stress ball is helpful to have at your desk.

I have some hacky sacks at my desk that I throw up into the air to help relieve stress.

These are cute and make great gifts!

The act of throwing them up and concentrating on catching them, gets your mind off of what's stressing you.

Try throwing them with your non-dominate hand as this has been shown to engage your mind more and helps keep the mind healthy.

Yoga For Stress Relief and Weight Loss

Speaking of YouTube, find some good Yoga videos.  A popular one is “Yoga with Adriene” and my daughter likes “Boho Beautiful“.

Nothing is better for the body and mind than a nice relaxing yoga session.

Finding a local yoga studio can help you engage with others, help you feel included, and more than likely reduce stress.

This yoga mat is an inexpensive choice that works great! 

 

Engage with Others

Engaging with others is very important for a healthy mind.

You need someone to talk to that will not judge you and someone that really listens. Hopefully, you have a significant other or friend you can confide in.

Be aware that many times the ones closest to us tend to want to fix things for us and sometimes this can create tension in a relationship. This is why it is sometimes better to find a professional with whom you can share.

A professional is a neutral non judgmental listener that can offer suggestions and advice to help you cope with stress.

If your company offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), I highly recommend reaching out to them. Employers pay for these services whether employees use them or not.

EAP services are anonymous so you can feel safe with your discussions. They offer support on a variety of topics such as elder care, finances, raising teens, divorce and many more.

I have called ours several times and talked to counselors about different topics and found it to be very helpful.

Prayer and Meditation

If you are a believer in a higher power, I do not need to tell you the calm and peaceful feeling you can obtain when you let go and believe that your problems are covered.

In many religions, worrying is considered a sin because you are trying to fix your own problems.  Prayer builds a mind and spirit that is open and accepting of inspired ideas.

To fully engage in prayer or meditation, you need to be “quiet”.  In our electronic world we sometimes find it difficult to embrace silence, but it is very important to tune out for periods of time.

Find a quiet place and put all electronic devices on silent.  Close your eyes and open your mind to let all the worries of the day leave your mind.  This is also a good time to practice deep breathing.

Self Love and Affirmations

Unless you love yourself, it is really hard to accept that you are worthy of the great things that come your way. This can result in a negative attitude and lack of trust, adding to you stress.

To cope with stress it is essential that you maintain a positive attitude about yourself and your surroundings.

If you watched the movie “The Help”, a very moving and powerful film, you probably remember Aibileen telling the little girl “You is kind, you is smart, you is important.”

Watch the Help clip here. 

These words were so powerful for that little girl and act as a reminder for her to love herself and to have confidence.

To practice this type of affirmation, try writing on notes posted around your work space or on your bathroom mirror that serve as reminders.

Some phrases to try – start them with “I am”:

• Proud of myself and my accomplishments
• Grateful for all that I have
• Worthy
• Kind, smart and important 🙂
• Enough! (I have this on my computer monitor)

Accept Change is Inevitable

Heraclitus has been credited with saying “Change is the only constant in life.”  Boy have I found this to be true in my personal life and especially in my career.

I remember when I first joined my current team, my manager said “Jamie, if you don't like change, you are going to be very unhappy here.”  Lucky for me, I love change, almost to a fault, but that's a whole other topic for later. 

For some reason, we're sometimes afraid of change, even if we know it will better our lives.  We either fear failure, getting out of our comfort zone, or maybe we even fear success.  

Another big stressor is worrying about what others  think about us

A good way to help you accept change is to ask yourself, if this change happens what are 3 things I can learn from this?  Write these 3 things down or type them into a document.  

Example, maybe you have to learn a new application at work. Write down: “This will be a new skill I can add to my resume.”

By dwelling on positive outcomes, you are not focusing on the negative.  We can all sit around and vent about all the negative that we perceive will happen, but it's much better for your stress level to focus on the positive.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

A powerful quote attributed to Jim Rohn is:

You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Let that sit for a minute.

Whether you realize it or not, the people you hang around with influence your attitude and mood.  Look around at your tribe.  Are they positive and build you up?

Spend more time with those that build you up.

Be very mindful of social media.  Have you noticed there are 2 types of friends on these platforms? Either their life is “perfect”, or every post is so negative you wonder how they survive each day. (I bet someone just popped into your mind)

Both types can be dangerous to your mood and stress level. Remember that the “perfect” person is only posting the highlights of their life.

Don't become discouraged or add to your stress because your house is not as pretty or your kids are not always dressed perfectly.

If you dropped in one day to their house you would probably see a totally different picture.

Either I look like I'm going to the Grammys or homeless, there is no in between. As I sit here with no makeup, hair in ponytail and in a 5 year old t shirt, I'm not breaking out the selfies.

If someone is continually negative in their posts, unfollow them.

You don't have to block them or unfriend them, but you also don't have to read all the negativity and store it in your subconscious mind. Nobody needs that in their life.

To reduce stress causing weight gain, you need to focus on triggers and eliminate them whenever possible.

Healthy Eating To Reduce Stress Weight Gain

For me, this has been a game changer.  If you read the “About Jamie“ page, you know that I grew up with some poor eating habits resulting in some stressful times for me during my 30's and 40's.

Once I changed the way I eat, my stress level decreased in varies ways, resulting in less joint pain and stiffness, fewer headaches and a healthier immune system.

Healthy eating also helped me stop taking an antidepressant. Losing those extra pounds also helped me feel more energetic and less stressed.

You can read about how I follow Intermittent Fasting and the Keto Diet.

Keto friendly foods good for your mood and brain:

• Eggs
• Salmon
• Nuts – walnuts, cashews, Brazil, almonds
• Coconut oil (cook with it or put in smoothies)
• Cashews
• Berries
• Grass-fed beef
• Tuna
• Leafy green and high fiber root vegetables
• Fermented foods such as kombucha and sauerkraut
• Unsweetened coffee and tea
• Avocados and avocado oil

Foods to avoid to reduce stress associated with weight gain:

• Sugar (Read more about beating sugar addiction)
• Gluten
• Alcohol
• Margarine
• Processed foods
• Deli meat or meat with nitrates
• Foods canned with linings that contain Bisphenol A (BPA)
• Artificial sweeteners
• High fructose corn syrup
• Non organic fruits and vegetables on the dirty dozen list (due to pesticides)
• Hydrogenated Oils

If you want to hear someone's story about stress/anxiety and food, you can read this article, Worst Foods and Drinks for Anxiety, from Positive and Mindful. 

Improve Sleep To Stop Stress Weight Gain

Easier than it sounds, huh?

So many of us struggle to get a good night's rest and this alone can elevate stress levels. Insomnia can be caused by a variety of reasons. Mine is usually because I can't turn off my thoughts about the million things I need to get done.

Ways to improve sleep to reduce stress causing weight gain:

• Diffuse lavender essential oil by the bed.
  • Young Living Oils are high quality due to their Seed to Seal Guarantee.
  • You can become a member here and get discounted oils, chemical free skin care and supplements. 
• Rub a little lavender oil on your wrist (mixed with a carrier like coconut oil).
• I take a daily magnesium supplement to help with restless legs and restful sleep. (Young Living has a great supplement for this)
• Keep a notepad by the bed to write down thoughts as they come up so you don't keep pondering on them.
• If you need to drown out noise, try a fan or downloading the White Noise app on your phone.
• Don't read your phone or watch TV while in bed – the light can halt the production of your national melatonin, the hormone that tells your brain it is time for bed.
• Taking a melatonin supplement works great for some, but I seem to have nightmares when I use it.
• Use CBD Oil like Young Living's Calm Roll On before bed. 

Seek Help When Needed To Reduce Stress

If you are feeling overwhelmed, please seek help. This may be a friend, family member, minister, your medical doctor or a professional counselor.

When stress turns into depression it is very important to not let it go untreated.

If things seem hopeless or you ever have thoughts of self harm please call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Hire A Certified Health Coach For Help With Stress Weight Gain

Working with a health coach can help you get on track with your health goals and reduce stress. 

I love working with clients and watching them reach their health goals and most of the time stress is one reason for their weight gain and autoimmune issues. 

Conclusion – Stress Weight Gain

I hope this gives you some information to help you recognize and manage stress. Stress weight gain is not fun and these tips will help get you on track. 

Being healthy is about more than just eating right and working out, it is also about keeping your mind strong.

You need all 3 things working together to ensure you live a healthy and happy life.

Comment below with your ideas for reducing stress to help others and let me know if you put any of the ideas in this article into practice.

Free Recipes and Healthy Resources 

• Keto Eating Out Guide
• Free 5 Day Video Training – Prepare to Blast Your Belly Fat!
• 23+ Keto and Gluten Free Recipe Download
• Keto Snack Ideas
• Keto Drink Guide
• MORE

Go grab your free resources here!

Keep it healthy! 

Jamie

Medical Disclaimer: I am a health coach, not a licensed medical professional and the advice on this page is from my personal experience, health coach certification training or from the experience of my clients. You should talk with your medical professional when seeking advice about a medical condition, new diet or exercise program. 

If things seem hopeless or you ever have thoughts of self harm  call the suicide hotline  immediately at 1-800-273-8255. 

You are loved!