Did you know that stress might be the reason you’re not losing weight? This is due to an excess of cortisol in your body. Short-term stress, like running when you’re late, is fine. But long-term stress—caused by work problems, relationship issues, or constantly being ‘online’—can seriously hinder your weight loss process.
Gaining weight from stress
Gaining weight due to stress has everything to do with the hormones that regulate your body’s stress responses. When something stresses you out, your body produces adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare your body for action by releasing energy so you can respond. This was useful 10,000 years ago when we lived in the wild and needed to fight, flee (or freeze) in the face of threats.
But today, these same hormones—especially cortisol—can lead to significant weight gain if stress is prolonged!
The role of cortisol in weight gain
Cortisol increases appetite and promotes fat storage after a stressor, to replenish the calories burned during the stress response. Today, we’re not running from wild animals, but daily stress still triggers the same hormonal response.
Cortisol doesn’t care where the stress comes from—work, social media, or personal issues—it will still increase your appetite and encourage fat storage, particularly around your midsection.
Cortisol also affects the conversion of thyroid hormones. It can inhibit the conversion of the inactive thyroid hormone T4 into the active form T3, which slows down your metabolism. Most people actually gain weight during periods of long-term stress, while only a small group loses weight under those conditions.
What can you do to reduce stress?
Eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting good sleep are things you can control—and they all help reduce stress.
Concretely, this means:
→ Maintain a regular and healthy eating pattern. The BenFit weekly menu can help you with this.
→ The Dutch Standard for Healthy Physical Activity advises at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (like brisk walking) five times a week. Any extra movement or training is a bonus.
→ Aim for 7 hours of high-quality sleep every night.
Need more tips to reduce stress? Read all our relaxation tips at: https://benfit.nl/nieuws/