Stress-Eat Much?

There's an intimate relationship between feeling stressed and gaining weight. And its not just about feeding your emotions. Learn how to stop the cycle at its source.

- Stephanie Eckelkamp

Ann Pearce* scored her dream job in her thirties, moving from teacher to junior-school vice principal. Before long, however, it became more of a nightmare. First, she was bullied and yelled at by her boss, who was struggling to fulfil her own duties, then, just months later, she was unexpectedly shifted into a new and even more demanding role as high-school vice principal, a job for which she felt completely unqualified. To compensate, she pulled long hours – 70 to 80 per week – and everything but work was put on the back-burner. “I was leaving the house before my kids woke up, getting home after they were asleep and doing nothing for myself,” she says. “All I wanted to do was crawl into bed when I got home.”

Her emotional eating hit a new level too. Chocolate and other easy-to grab sweets became Ann’s crutch and ordering takeaways for lunch provided a rare bright spot in her hectic 14-hour day. All told, she gained 13 kilos within a year of starting her new position. “It was a 15 000-steps-a-day job, but I was still packing on the kilos,” she says.