Are You Losing Weight Due To Stress? Here’s What To Do

Chronic stress can cause unexplained weight loss. Stress can affect the brain function, heart health, behavior, internal organs, and immunity . Chronic stress can also cause tumor development.

Hence, it is important that you listen to your body’s response to chronic stress. If you are losing weight and are constantly under stress, this post is for you. Here, you will learn how to reduce stress and prevent unnatural weight loss. Keep reading!

How Does Stress Cause Weight Loss?

Here are the various ways chronic stress causes weight loss:

• Produces Stress Hormones

When you are under constant stress, your body is constantly in the flight or fight mode. This means that you are always producing the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones affect your digestion, immunity, and sleep patterns.

Adrenalin works by preparing your body for vigorous physical activity, but it also reduces your appetite. Cortisol acts by suppressing certain body functions that are unnecessary during stressful situations, like the reproductive function, digestion, and immunity.

• Affects Hunger And Digestion

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Due to the dual hormonal effect on your body, you might not feel hungry often or at all. It affects your vagus nerve (the nerve that is responsible for GI tract peristalsis or movement of digested food through your gastrointestinal tract), which also affects digestion and absorption of food. Your digestive system will malfunction, and you might end up with diarrhea and GI tract inflammation.

• Burns Calories

Under stress, you can also burn extra calories by nervously moving some part of your body – like tapping your feet or clicking your fingers. You might feel the need to get rid of the stress by working out and end up overexercising. This can also lead to unwanted weight loss.

• Affects Sleep

Stress can also affect your sleep patterns. It can be tough to fall asleep and equally tough to stay asleep. Disrupted sleep can make you feel sluggish and fatigued all the time. And that, in turn, can produce more cortisol.

Now it makes sense why you are losing all that weight, right? But there’s one more thing you must know. Scroll down to find out.

Anxiety Causes Weight Loss

Forty million American adults are affected by anxiety (3). And anxiety can also be triggered by chronic stress. The stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, get triggered when you are super anxious, thereby opening the gateway for more stress.

If you have ever paced up and down, felt a dull pain in your chest, bitten your nails without even realizing it, or got up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, you know what I am talking about.

Anxiety and stress go hand in hand. It always helps to be aware of the triggers that cause you to become anxious and stressed out. We will discuss what to do when you are stressed out in a bit. Let’s first check out some more symptoms so that it is easy for you to understand if you are losing weight due to stress.

Symptoms Of Weight Loss Due To Stress

• Fatigue
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Indigestion
• Body ache
• Tense neck muscles
• Frequent mood swings
• Palpitation
• Decreased sex drive
• Slowed brain function
• Loss of appetite
• Need to do a task obsessively and repeatedly
• Biting nails or lips
• Tapping feet
• Dilated pupils

If you display more than one of these symptoms, we can help you. Try the following ways to reduce stress and prevent unexplained weight loss.

10 Tips To Control Weight Loss Due To Stress

1. Identify The Trigger

The first step to reducing stress is accepting that you are under stress and identifying the triggers. Is it work? Your relationship? Finances? A memory? Once you acknowledge what is causing you to get stressed, you will be in a better position to address the problem.

2. Breathe!

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You will save a lot of time and energy just by focusing on your breathing. Close your eyes softly and start breathing in slowly. Feel the cold air entering your nostrils and into your windpipe. Count 1-5 and exhale slowly. Feel your chest moving down and the chest pain reducing a little. Do this 10 times every time you know that you are stressed out. You will feel calmer immediately.

3. Write Down How You Feel

The next step is to acknowledge your feelings. Are you feeling hurt? Angry? Hatred? Worried? Well, write them all down. Write what or who is causing you to get so stressed. Just like talking to a friend, your journal can help you vent out the negative emotions from your system. Do it, and you will feel lighter.

4. Seek Help

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Life will throw lemons, and you will learn how to make lemonade. But, sometimes, the lemonade can turn bitter if you are not careful. My point is, you cannot do everything alone. It’s OK to seek help when you need it. Your strength lies in giving your body and soul the relief that they deserve. Talk to a professional or a friend. Slowly, you will start to develop a third perspective that will make the whole “stress situation” clear. It is going to help you take the burden off your shoulders.

5. Eat In Small Quantities

You might not feel hungry at all, we understand. That’s why we recommend you consume small quantities of food. It is going to be tough taking even a bite, but trust the process. Equip yourself to get back up, find your ground, and stay put. For that, you need a human being’s basic need – food! Eat just a little or make a juice or smoothie and drink it. You will slowly start getting back to your normal food habits.

6. Post-Workout Nutrition Is A Must

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If you work out regularly and have been working out even more to get rid of stress, you must start drinking a post-workout smoothie to prevent unwanted weight loss. A post-workout drink will help replenish the electrolytes, proteins, and carbs that your body needs to recover from the workout. Start with a small quantity and then get to drinking a tall glass of a post-workout smoothie.

7. Start Learning A New Skill

Learning a new skill can help reduce stress. Learn what you always wanted to because there’s no better time than NOW. Learning stimulates the brain and keeps it occupied. You will also meet new people and develop a different outlook on life.

8. Make New Professional Connections

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Work and professional life can be stressful. Make new professional connections, not necessarily from the same field. Sometimes, it is from various kinds of discussions that you might bump into a great idea that you can actually implement and that would show great results. Talking about something totally different from your profession can help you widen your professional network as well as your ability to think beyond what you already know.

9. Hydrate

Drink water and freshly pressed juices. Hydration is as important as food. Drinking water or juice will help flush out the toxic build-up and restore your body and brain functions. Add some mint leaves and cucumber slices to add a punch to the water. You will definitely start feeling better in no time.

10. Compartmentalize

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One of the most important points to deal with stress is learning how to compartmentalize. This means, you know when you think about what. If you have a dwelling problem at your workplace and come home thinking about it, you will not be able to enjoy your time with your family or yourself. Yes, it can be difficult to do and will need practice. Try writing down what you need to do for the day and check those boxes when you finish those tasks. That way, you will remain focused on your work or on spending time with family.

Stress has become an integral part of our lives. But it doesn’t really have to be. The choice is yours – whether you want to reduce stress and enjoy life or dwell in thoughts and emotions that do no good for you or anyone. Choose the former because you deserve to experience all the joys and wonders life has to offer. Write to us if you think this post is helpful. And don’t forget to BREATHE! Take care.

References

1. “The effects of chronic stress on health: new insights into the molecular mechanisms of brain–body communication” Future Science OA, US National Library of Medicine.
2. “Life Event, Stress and Illness” The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, US National Library of Medicine.
3. “Facts & Statistics” Anxiety And Depression Association Of America.

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