It turns out that stress makes you gain weight, what is the cause?

As is well known, stress does not only affect your mental health but also your physical condition. Some of you may be more familiar with its effect on reducing appetite, which will make you lose weight. However, some people actually gain weight because of stress, how come?

How stress can make weight gain

Indeed, the effects of stress on each person can vary. There are those who lose their appetite until they finally skip meals, there are also those who even use food as an escape from pressure and sadness.

Please note, weight gain due to stress is also influenced by hormonal factors.

When you are stressed, your body releases three types of hormones, namely cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. The hormones adrenaline and norephinephrine that work together will increase the body's alertness to respond to something that is stressing you out.

The effects of these two hormones only last a short time before finally returning to normal and are replaced by the emergence of the hormone cortisol.

In fact, the hormone cortisol itself has various uses for the body. Cortisol maintains energy supplies by stimulating metabolism using fats and carbohydrates. In addition, cortisol is also useful in maintaining fluid balance and blood sugar levels and suppresses the function of organs that are not used.

In other words, cortisol helps the body to be more effective when faced with threatening situations. This process will also produce an effect in the form of an increase in appetite.

Unfortunately, if stress cannot be controlled, the cortisol hormone that is still in the body will increase. This causes your appetite to increase when stressed, which of course can lead to weight gain.

Because the hormone cortisol uses fat and carbohydrates to run your metabolic rate, you also tend to crave sugary and fatty foods.

Stress can slow down the body's metabolism in women

This fact was discovered in a study conducted by Ohio State University in 2015.

In the study, participants who were all women were asked about stress triggers before being given foods high in fat and calories. After that, the researcher will calculate the body's metabolic rate and check the levels of blood sugar, insulin, triglycerides and cortisol.

As a result, participants who had stress triggers burned far fewer calories than participants who were doing well. They also have higher insulin levels which will also have an impact on the accumulation of fat in the body and result in a distended stomach.

How to deal with weight gain due to stress

One of the things that is often recommended if you do not want to gain weight is to manage stress management properly. However, if the hormone cortisol has already taken over your body, here are some things you can do.

Choose foods with good fat content

The hormone cortisol can work perfectly when there is a supply of fat. To outsmart it, it's better to eat foods that contain good fats such as salad with avocado or olive oil. However, remember to stick to one type of good fat source in each meal so as not to overdo it.

Controlling food portions

Resisting the urge to eat is sometimes difficult, but it must be done so as not to cause weight gain after relieving stress. If this is still burdensome, multiply the portions of foods that contain high fiber and water and are low in calories such as vegetables.

Sports

Keeping your body moving is the key that will prevent you from becoming overweight. Apart from burning fat, exercise can also help relieve stress by encouraging the release of endorphins which make the body more relaxed and happy. It doesn't have to be strenuous exercise, you can also walk for 30 minutes three hours after eating.