We live in a fast paced world that is full of stress. Stress
that we are undoubtedly aware of and stress that is subtle. Unfortunately a lot
of time when stress hits us we let go of our focus on health, nutrition and
wellness, or we use food to cope with the stress.
A little stress can be good for us, but it is the chronic
stress that can cause our body to respond in a way that inhibits weight loss.
Chronic stress can lead to an increase in the hormone cortisol which the body
perceives as the need to store energy for a stressful event coming, ie our
“Fight or Flight response”. This was very helpful eons ago when we were having
a famine with our food supply or we had to fight lions, tigers and bears. Unfortunately
we don’t have that same kind of stress anymore, but our bodies don’t recognize
the change in our society. So the body starts storing extra energy and slowing
down metabolism to prepare, but the stressful event never truly happens it just
keeps building up.
What I see with most of my clients is that they can
recognize when life is causing them stress, but they don’t always recognize the
stress they are causing themselves. What do I mean by this…if you are working
on weight loss, I will ask you this one question? “How many times a day will
you weigh yourself and/or what percentage of the day do you think about weight
loss?” I am guessing you know where I am going with this. Obsessing is a form
of stress and I see this almost daily with my weight loss clients. Weighing daily or multiple times per day can
increase your thoughts and stress about losing weight or gaining weight. I
recommend weighing yourself one time per week at the same time each week. This
way you can see consistent changes vs. daily fluctuations. Weight loss does not
occur from day to day; it typically happens at a slower pace and should be
judged by the week or month not the morning, noon, and night fluctuations!
Coping with stress, the hypothalamus in the brain controls
our emotions, hunger, fullness, and sexual pleasure. No wonder why people tend
to struggle with emotional eating when they are stressed or use food to cope
with stress. Consider seeing a mental health professional and try some of these
quick ideas for home…meditation, prayer, working out, calling a friend,
screaming into a pillow, writing in a journal, punching a punching bag (not a
person), etc… to cope during stressful times. Taking just 5 to 10 minutes per day to do some time of
stress management or coping technique can help decrease this chronic stress and
cortisol level.
Too many times I see people throw their nutrition, fitness
and weight loss goals out the window when stressful times hit. However it seems
like each week there is something stressful going on, so it is important to
learn how to cope with stress on a daily basis as it appears it is not going away.
So next time you think “Why am I not losing weight?” remember to not only check
your nutrition & fitness routine but also take a look at your stress and
how you are coping!
This blog is written
by Registered Dietitian Jessica A. Wegener RD, CSSD, LMNT you can contact her
at pnomaha@gmail.com , 402-669-2705 or
visit www.pnomaha.com for more information
on Jessica and her services. 
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