Critical weight loss or why people lose weight from stress

Content:

• 1 Why people lose weight when stressed
• 2 Consequences of stressful weight loss
• 3 Factors of weight loss under stress
• 4 What are the dangers of artificially creating stress?
• 5 Weight loss due to nervousness in women
• 6 Weight loss due to nervousness in men
• 7 In conclusion

In fact, these processes can be controlled, the main thing is to properly treat your stressful condition, and not let everything take its course.

↑ Why people lose weight when stressed

The main reason why people lose weight is a large loss of energy. The body needs to adapt to new conditions, it spends its resources on the production of adrenaline and other hormones, and in addition, the body begins to think that it is sick, and this negatively affects appetite.

The production of adrenaline increases blood pressure, and all resources are consumed much faster. Weight loss usually occurs in the shortest possible time. This process begins with muscle spasms, which is where appetite disappears. In this case, doctors recommend not going on a starvation diet, but still eating, at least a little.

Many people lose weight because they simply start thinking about the problems that caused stress, and therefore forget about food and sleep. Men, women, and even children can lose weight from stress. But it should be noted that men lose weight more often. In women, metabolism changes in the opposite direction - they are more likely to eat the problem and increase their weight under stress.

How does stress affect weight?

There is no denying the powerful impact of stress on a person’s physical and mental health. It is often called among the causes of many chronic diseases, since it triggers destructive processes in the body. For some, stress can lead to weight problems, both obesity and exhaustion, as it significantly affects hormone production and the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to changes in appetite and metabolism.

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Being under constant stress, you tend to behave differently than usual. For example, you work during lunch hours or go to bed late to meet a deadline. These disruptions can worsen the body's response to stress. In this state, the body goes into a special mode, and you physiologically respond to a potential threat. The hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released. The first helps to adapt to vigorous activity, but can also minimize appetite. Meanwhile, the second signals the temporary suppression of functions that are not necessary during a crisis: digestive, immune and reproductive. However, there may be a completely different picture.

Anna:

Stress does not have any positive effect on all body systems. Yes, some people notice that they are losing weight, others are gaining. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the psyche. Some people are unable to eat when exposed to stress factors, while others experience compulsive overeating. At the same time, the effect on the hormonal state is extremely negative, because one way or another the metabolism and the functioning of the nervous, hormonal and endocrine systems deteriorate.

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The effect on metabolism in this case has a clear present or clear delayed effect. Therefore, even if the weight initially decreases, later due to hormonal and endocrine disorders it will return, and much lighter than before. To maintain a healthy weight, stress should still be avoided or minimized, the expert says.

“Crunch” stress: foods you can and should eat during the blues

↑ Consequences of stressful weight loss

Losing weight under stress is by no means a safe phenomenon. There can be very unpleasant consequences. Of course, at the first moment many will rejoice at losing weight, but in fact, a nervous person does not even suspect that dangerous processes are running in the body. A serious illness such as anorexia begins, in most cases, due to refusal to eat under stress. In addition, common consequences include:

1. Heart arythmy.
2. Disorders of the menstrual cycle in women.
3. State of drowsiness and apathy.
4. Brain performance decreases.
5. Insomnia.
6. Muscle spasms.
7. Disturbances in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.
8. Hair loss.

Chronic stress leads to complete imbalance in the body. If you don't eat at all, your stress can get worse. The worst thing is that a person most often discovers his low weight at a late stage, when the help of a specialist is already necessary.

Why is it important to combat emotional eating?

• Improve your health. You will feel lightness in your body, your skin will be cleared of acne and rashes.
• You will start losing weight faster. Proper nutrition speeds up metabolism and burns excess fat in the body.
• You will feel a surge of energy. Eating healthy food and getting good sleep will strengthen your mitochondria, which will work more efficiently. Even with reduced calories in a healthy diet.
• You will look younger and healthier. When eating fast food, free radicals are produced, which worsen the condition and tone of the skin.
• The brain will work faster. With a stable overeating of fatty or sweet foods, mitochondria lose efficiency. Clarity disappears and drowsiness appears, it is difficult to concentrate, think and create something new.
• Emotional stability will appear. When you realize what exactly your problems are and solve them, you will feel calm and satisfied.

To get rid of emotional eating, you must first work through your psychological state. Understand what worries you and prevents you from living fully. Take a free online Stress Management course to learn how to cope with stress reactions. From the course you will learn how to work with emotional burnout. What to do under time pressure and how to get out of stress when communicating with clients or bosses. How to identify the causes of stress and eliminate them in a timely manner. The online course will help you develop your own strategy for responding to stressful situations. After training, you will identify strengths and weaknesses, learn to control negative emotions and work for your own pleasure.

↑ Factors of weight loss under stress

Increased stress is not always the only trigger that provokes sudden weight loss. Weight loss due to stress is often accompanied by other factors. In addition to physiological reasons, there may also be purely domestic ones. This is non-compliance with the daily routine and nutrition. A person in a state of anxiety and anxiety refuses to eat; there are cases when an individual provokes vomiting. This is a psycho-emotional state that requires the intervention of a psychologist and the appointment of special therapy.

Negative factors also include all bad habits, such as alcohol, smoking and drugs. Interruptions in sleep lead to weight loss. Sometimes, due to stress, food refusal may occur. This manifests itself in attacks of nausea and vomiting.

↑ What are the dangers of artificially creating stress?

Sometimes people who have experienced stress and observed weight loss in such a situation may consider this to be beneficial for the body. Some then try to artificially create a stressful situation in order to lose weight. This is a very dangerous activity.

Firstly, this process is very difficult to control - it can lead to severe exhaustion, even death. Secondly, losing weight from stress can result in a sharp gain of fatty tissue after the cause of the stress disappears.

A sharp weight loss, in any case, will affect the functioning of all major systems. In particular, the heart, liver and pancreas may malfunction. Doctors tell those who want to lose weight that this should be done without stress and little by little. Sudden and large weight loss leads to anorexia. She, in turn, can lead to death.

Therefore, under no circumstances try to lose weight by putting your body under artificial stress!

How does emotional eating work?

1. Trigger or pain point. This could be an event or action that creates a stressful situation or emotional tension (bad news, depression, quarrel, illness).
2. The desire to get rid of stress, relieve tension. You know exactly what you want to eat. It will be cake, hamburger, candy, pizza, ice cream.
3. Process. You choose food, order or go to the store, devour it quickly and confidently.
4. Satisfaction from the food eaten. You feel full, a full stomach and even a little discomfort. At this stage, the hormone dopamine is released, which brings satisfaction and happiness.
5. Regret. You realize that you have eaten too much. To calm yourself down and drown out the shame, you plan not to eat in the evening or go to a tough workout. Such compensation for what you eat only exacerbates the craving for overeating. Since you know in advance that the extra piece of cake can always be worked off later.

↑ Weight loss due to nervousness in women

The female body is designed in such a way that it is less likely to lose weight from nervousness than men. A certain hormonal background creates such conditions that women begin to eat away at their problems, and therefore, on the contrary, gain weight. This happens due to a hormonal imbalance.

In women, the most common reaction to stress is a headache, as well as a panic attack. Well, an attack on a refrigerator is also more typical for the weaker sex.

The causes of stress also vary. Men suffer more from problems at work and failures in bed. Women get upset if relatives have health problems, especially children, and also because of troubles in their personal lives.

Even if a woman loses weight from stress, she gains back the lost pounds more easily. In addition to problems with body weight, due to stress, a woman may experience interruptions in the menstrual cycle.

↑ Weight loss due to nervousness in men

The stronger sex tries to keep all their experiences inside. This makes their stress less visible, but has more consequences. It is a man who can suddenly lose weight, and then have difficulty regaining his weight. The worst situation is for representatives of the stronger sex who have an asthenic type of build with a narrow chest and flaccid muscles. Such men always gain weight poorly.

Muscle and fat tissue are consumed first. It is also worth noting that a man is trying to cope with stress quietly, as a result the consequences can be irreversible. Depression in the stronger sex is more severe and takes longer to heal. Often all experiences are accompanied by problems with the endocrine system. As a result, testosterone levels drop, and this leads to problems in sexual life.

Weight loss after stress gradually slows down if the factor of nervous tension is removed. To consult a doctor on time, you need to control your weight. If, in addition to feelings of anxiety, fear and bad mood, you notice that you are starting to lose weight sharply, this is definitely a reason to go to a psychologist for a consultation.

How to reduce stress?

There are many different techniques to reduce stress and feel better. Among them:

breathing and relaxation techniques; meditation; physical exercise; listening to your favorite music or reading a book; good time management; adequate sleep; support from family and friends; volunteering and helping others; giving up bad habits.

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Additionally, stress can be controlled by the foods you eat. The nutritionist recommends including in the diet:

Omega-3 fatty acids.

To reduce the level of stress hormones;
vitamin C
.
Helps the immune system function properly and reduces cortisol levels; complex carbohydrates
.
Regulate blood pressure and increase serotonin levels; magnesium
_ Improves sleep quality, reduces fatigue and headaches.

Kaizen method: 5 minutes a day that will help you change for the better The Japanese method increases productivity in sports, regulates nutrition and other areas of life.

With the modern pace of life, it is difficult to avoid stress, but try to at least minimize it. Get plenty of sleep, rest well, and avoid caffeine as much as possible to avoid stimulating anxiety. And if you feel that your stress level has reached a critical level, contact a specialist to identify the cause and find a solution to the problem.

Source

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