Stress and Weight Gain

Did you know that's stress can thwart your healthy weight loss plans. Recently I have been under a lot of stress and one of the bodies natural reactions is to eat unhealthy foods. This is caused by a hormone that helps the body deal with stress.

The hormone is called Cortisol 101 and is normally good for you as it playa a major role regulating your cardiovascular functions, but excessive levels caused by stress can lead to a number of problems such as:-

• Impaired brain function
• Suppressed thyroid function
• Decreased bone density
• Increased appetite
• Weight gain
• Depression

You see Cortisol acts as a powerful signal to increase your appetite and store fat and this is not good for your healthy weight loss. Higher levels of Cortisol tell your brain you are hungry and what is worse alert your fat cells to store as much fat as they can and not release it.This is why you have a craving for high fat, high carb foods, which can lead to dangerous weight gain and contribute to you becoming obese.

So how can you reduce stress and maintain you healthy weight loss well you can try:-

• Exercising regularly
• Get Sufficient sleep
• Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing
• Avoid excessive sugar and caffeine

Sometimes stress is unavoidable but by adapting good lifestyle habit you can avoid it affecting your healthy weight loss plans

David Ogden
Healthy Weight Loss