6 Tricks To Beat Stress Fat

Stress is a powerful biological trigger for weight gain. Here’s how to stop it – fast!

For most of us, stress is a fact of life. Unfortunately, recent research reveals that it’s also a fact of fat. Even if you usually eat healthfully and exercise, chronic high stress can prevent you from losing weight – or even add pounds.

Here’s what happens:

Your body responds to all stress – physical or psychological – in exactly the same way. So every time you have a stressful day, your brain acts as though you’re in physical danger and instructs your cells to release potent hormones. You get a burst of adrenaline, which taps stored energy so you can fight or flee. At the same time, you get a surge of cortisol, which tells your body to replenish that energy even though you haven’t used very many calories in your stressed-out state. This can make you hungry… very hungry. And your body keeps on pumping out that cortisol as long as the stress continues.

Sadly, few of us reach for carrot sticks in these situations. Instead, we crave sweet, salty and high-fat foods because they stimulate the brain to release pleasure chemicals that actually do reduce tension. This soothing effect becomes addictive, so every time you’re anxious, you reach for fattening foods.

In addition, with your adrenal glands pumping out cortisol, production of the muscle-building hormone testosterone slows down. Over time, this drop causes a decrease in your muscle mass, so you burn fewer calories. This occurs naturally as you age, but high cortisol levels accelerate the process.