Feeling Stressed and Gaining Weight? Here's How to Break the Cycle
Juggling work deadlines, family commitments, and personal obligations can leave us feeling stretched thin. In this constant state of busyness, prioritizing healthy habits like nutritious meals and regular exercise often falls by the wayside.
The pressure only intensifies when work stress creeps in.
But why does stress make us gain weight?
Prolonged stress can lead to weight gain in several ways.
First, it elevates cortisol levels, a stress hormone that can trigger cravings for sugary and fatty foods. These "comfort food" might provide a temporary mood boost, but they're often high in calories and low in nutrients, leading to weight gain over time.
Second, stress can zap our motivation to exercise, a crucial component for burning calories and building muscle mass. This lack of physical activity further contributes to weight gain.
Third, stress can disrupt our sleep patterns. When we're sleep-deprived, our bodies produce more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and less leptin, the satiety hormone. This hormonal imbalance makes us feel hungrier and less satisfied, leading to increased calorie intake.
The good news is, you can break the cycle of stress and weight gain!
Prioritizing stress management techniques that work for you is key. This might include relaxation techniques or connecting with loved ones. Incorporating regular activity throughout your day, even if it's just short bursts of movement, can also help combat stress and boost your metabolism.
Finally, focusing on getting quality sleep is crucial. (Yes, it's easy to sacrifice sleep to get more work done.) Find out more about the importance of sleep and how you can improve the quality of it with our article on getting quality sleep.
Fighting Work Stress and Weight Gain
The good news: you can win the battle against stress-induced weight gain. This article provides essential tips on how you can fight work stress and weight gain.
Manage Stress
In this article, learn about healthy ways to cope with stress, like exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature.
Healthy Eating Habits
Stress often leads to stress eating. Overcoming stress eating could help nudge your calorie balance back in the right direction. To stop stress eating, you’ll have to break the trigger-stress-eating cycle. Learn how in this article: Stress eating is bad for weight loss - Learn how to stop it.
Exercise
Exercise can make a big difference. Explore our resources on exercising with a busy schedule:
Here are some tips to get your body moving and that heart rate pumping, even when time is tight: 10 Ways to Sneak in a Workout in Singapore - Even with a Packed Schedule
Barely have time to workout in the mornings? Exercising in the evening may have more benefits than you think: 8 Benefits of Evening Exercise
Exercise has to be vigorous enough to help you lose weight, but not too intense so as to interfere with your sleep. This article shares five exercises that you can include in your after-hours exercise routine for weight loss.
Ready to Take Control?
You can overcome the cycle of work stress and weight gain with proper support and guidance. Especially when it's from NOVI's team of health professionals.
At NOVI Health, there’s none of that “one-size-fits-all” approach nonsense. Instead, the NOVI Optimum Plus program pairs personalized modern medication with medically backed health coaching and nutrition counseling, providing you with the biological and emotional support needed to end the vicious stress-and-weight-gain cycle. Even during the most stressful times.