Managing Stress to Lose More Weight - Without Stressing Out

What is stress?

The body’s physical, emotional, and mental response to a demand

Eustress is “good stress.” It helps you rise to the occasion.

• Give an important presentation or take an important exam
• Plan for a major occasion like a wedding
• Train for, or compete in, an athletic event
• Excel at a new job 

Distress is a response to negative stressors. 

It can be acute, or a response to a temporary situation or event like an injury or illness, or a death in the family. It doesn’t need to cause lasting harm. 

It can be chronic, or long-term. It’s also called “toxic stress.”

Stress is common. 

On an APA Harris Poll:

• 76% of Americans reported that they had “at least one symptom in the last month as a result of stress.”
• 26% of Americans reported that they were “so stressed they can’t function.”

Effects of stress on the mind and body

Stress affects the entire body.

• Brain: mood, attention
• Adrenal glands: hormones like cortisol and adrenaline causing higher heart rate and blood sugar
• Immune system: inflammation, infections
• Gastrointestinal tract: upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, IBS, 
• Muscles: tension, tightness
• Headaches, tooth grinding

Stress and blood sugar

Glucocorticoids (like cortisol) raise blood sugar and increase insulin resistance

• Reduce uptake from blood by muscles and fat
• Reduces insulin sensitivity (less GLUT4 action)

Catecholamines (like adrenaline/epinephrine and epinephrine) raise blood sugar

• Increase glycolysis and glycogenolysis from stored carbohydrate (glycogen) in muscles and liver
• Increase gluconeogenesis (production of glucose)

Stress, weight, and physical activity

Stress can cause emotional eating, anxiety, reduced energy for healthy meal prep, healthy decisions, and physical activity.

Common stressors and stress management techniques

These are some sources of stress.

• Finances
• Health (yours or a loved one’s)
• Relationships (family, friends, colleagues)
• Holidays (pressure to please or be perfect, extra tasks like gifting, cooking, cleaning, and decorating, family)
• Work (job security, too much, tough hours, long commute, unpleasant)
• Too much to do (work, household, caregiving, errands)
• Healthy living (eating, exercising, planning, explaining)

Here are some general stress management techniques.

• Healthy eating
• Regular physical activity
• Adequate sleep
• Socializing
• Having fun
• Pursuing hobbies
• Deep breathing
• Meditating
• Visualizing
• Thinking positively

Healthy living can be stressful! Here are some reasons why some people find it stressful. 

• Too much to think about and do, like planning meals, grocery shopping, and finding workouts 
• Setting aside time to cook, plan meals, sleep, work out
• Balancing healthy choices with family or social pressure (e.g., healthy restaurants, not drinking or staying out late)
• Feeling like you’re giving things up (e.g., favorite food, convenience, fun, TV time) 
• Feeling isolated or alone
• Confusion over what to do
• Falling short of goals
• Financial concerns (cost of healthy foods)
• Anxiety over weigh-ins

Reducing stress by reducing one thing

Reducing something in your healthy living routine can reduce stress. Here are some examples.

• Healthy cooking - meal prep
• Meal planning
• Finding healthy recipes
• Snack prep (e.g., slicing apples, peeling carrots, preparing various fruits and vegetables, other snacks)
• Exercise - time to work out, time to find workouts
• Grocery shopping often
• Social obligations
• Family meals and family time

Which one might you alter to reduce stress? Here are some examples. 

• Healthy cooking = One meal for the family, bigger batches, use ingredients for multiple meals
• Make simpler meals
• Use a weekly meal planning template to reduce time and effort
• Snack prep - Fewer options (same thing for a few days)
• Go grocery shopping less often - Use longer shelf-life foods, frozen foods, and canned foods
• Social obligations - Only go to those which you want to attend, and only stay for as long as you want
• Family meals - Order in instead of cook
• for weekly family brunch or lunch/dinner

Reducing stress with an in-the-moment strategy

Triggers can cause a harmful stress response. Here are some examples. 

• Smell or sight of junk food
• A specific person’s comments
• Being asked to do more at work or home

You may feel yourself feeling a stress response like a desire to stress eat, feeling high blood pressure or anger, or wanting to cry.

When you feel stress coming on, try a stress management strategy before reacting. Here are some possibilities. 

• Call someone
• Take a walk
• Leave the room
• Break down the task
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Positive thinking, e.g., think of it as a challenge, not a problem

Practice your strategy!

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