What's Eating You? Stress Edition

Money, job, kids, extra-curricular activities, road rage, family...all sources of stress.  No matter your situation, every body is faced with some sort of stress.  I personally suffer from an undo amount of stress...job hunting, paying bills, world violence and the economy.

Besides weight gain, stress can also affect other parts of your body. According to the APA (American Psychological Association), "When the body is stressed, muscles tense up.  Muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stress- the body's way of guarding against injury and pain".  I remember my masseuse asking me about what is causing my stress as he could feel it during my "relaxing" massage. I have also suffered from tension headaches, migraines, and muscle stiffness...all due to chronic stress.

Stress can also affect your respiratory system by causing you to breathe harder.  Think asthma attacks, hyperventilation, etc.

Acute stress causes "an increase in heart rate and stronger contractions of the heart muscle, with the stress hormones - adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol - acting as messengers for these effects" (APA). Chronic stress can lead to hypertension, heart attack or stroke.  This is very serious especially if you have a family history of these illnesses.  The APA also states, "Repeated acute stress and persistent chronic stress may also contribute to inflammation in the circulatory system (coronary arteries), and this is one pathway that is thought to tie stress to heart attack.  It also appears that how a person responds to stress can affect cholesetrol levels".

The APA also links stress issues to the male and female reproductive systems, liver, and GI.

For many people, stress can mean facing each day hungry--and adding weight gain to their list of worries.  I admit that I am an emotional eater.  I never would have recognized this if it wasn't for Metabolic Research Center requiring me to keep a food journal.

"While the immediate...response to acute stress can be a temporary loss of appetite, more and more we are coming to recognize that for some people, chronic stress can be tied to an increase in appetite -- and stress-induced weight gain," says Elissa Epel, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the University at San Fransisco.

 She also says the problem "lies within our neuro-endocrine system--a brain-to-body connection that harkens back to evolutionary times and which helped our distant ancestors to survive.  Though today the source of the stress is more likely to be an unpaid bill than a saber-toothed tiger, this system still activates a series of hormones whenever we feel threatened."  Think Fight or Flight syndrome.  Cortisol and adrenaline are released from our adrenal glands.  Adrenaline, for a short time, decreases our appetite, but the cortisol's job is to help us replenish our body after the stress has passed, and it hangs around a lot longer causing your appetite to increase and drive you to eat more.

According to www.WebMD.com, "Since your neuro-endocrine system doesn't know you didn't fight or flee,it still respondsto stress with the hormonal signal to replenish nutritional stores -- which may make you feel hungry".  This cannot only lead to weight gain, "but also the tendency to store what is called visceral fat around the midsection.  These fat cells that lie deep within the abdomen have been linked to an increase in both diabetes and heart disease (www.webmd.com)".

And what is the fuel our body uses in "fight or flight"?  Sugar!  This is the primary reason we crave carbohydrates when stressed...think "comfort foods"...mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, etc.

So what can be done to decrease the stress?  I'm not suggesting staying medicated on anti-anxiety medications or taking up yoga/meditation...which are great therapeutic hobbies...I do both, but with three kids (one being a soon to be 3 year old) I don't always have the time.  I also despise taking medications that "dope" you.

I have always suffered from the "muffin top", especially after birthing 2 children...plus stress.  When I started my metabolic program with Metabolic Research Center, I was started on Corti-trim.  Both are certified all natural and certified organic products...every ingredient is from a root, flower, or other naturally grown substance...and I can read all of them lol. 

Corti-trim is the product of my dreams.  The stress issue and its effects on your body has become big enough that considerable research (and historic evidence) is available showing the efficacy of certain vitamins, minerals, and particularly herbs in down-regulating the stress response and the overproduction of cortisol. Corti-trim helps burn off that abdominal fat, maximize weight loss, and regulate blood sugar levels (not to mention helping nourish and heal those stressed adrenal glands!).
Metabolic Research Center has put together a three-phased proprietary blend of herbs to meet that end, and then added the best-known vitamins and minerals to assist getting that job done.

When taken with MRC-6 (powerful, multifaceted weight loss supplement to break down fat, increase production of thyroid hormones, suppress appetite, support digestion, and aid in the removal of fatty tissue...all at once) and a healthy diet, your body will thank you tremendously, and you will thank yourself for committing to not only your current health, but your future health as well.

You can visit www.emetabolic.com store for more information and ingredient information if you are interested.  If you would like to get started you can either contact me at any time (underwoodamanda6@gmail.com) for a free consultation and product recommendations for your individual needs or use the coach code (AUnderwood) at checkout so you don't get tele-marketed.

Always check with your doctor before starting any supplements to make sure they do not interfere with any current medications or medical conditions.


References:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/can-stress-cause-weight-gain?page=2
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx