Stress & weight loss

[shell]

What's the Big Deal About Stress?

Stress isn't only the psychological manifestation of aggravation, anxiety, or anger; it can also be environmental (exposure to chemical toxicity, infection, excessive noise or light), or it can be structural (pain, trauma, excessive exercise, or poor recovery or sleep).

This means that if you're a shift worker consuming your body weight in caffeine in an artificially lit factory, you probably have serious issues that need addressing!

One thing's for sure, we're a hundred times more stressed than our grandparents, and it is a huge issue. 43 percent of all adults suffer from stress-related adverse health effects, and 75 to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints or disorders.

One of the first things I learned as a Biosignature practitioner is that 80 percent of diseases are avoidable or treatable if you address the adrenal glands. This should come as no surprise, as stress has been linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, lung ailments, cirrhosis, and even suicide — which comprise all the leading causes of death (source: American Institute of Stress, "America's #1 Health problem").

If your cortisol levels are too high, you'll be far more predisposed to fat storage around your belly. I've treated clients who've lost body fat around their entire frame, but have had a sharp increase around the midsection.

Upon questioning them, I usually discovered that they'd had work-related stress, had been working night shifts, or had recently broken up with a girlfriend or boyfriend.

What's more distressing about this fat is that it's visceral abdominal fat. It's pro-inflammatory (meaning it builds up around the heart, lungs and liver), and will also inevitably lead you to issues with insulin levels.

The body is a homeostatic organism: It always seeks balance, increasing the yin to counter any excess of yang. When cortisol levels are up, your pancreas squirts out a nice fat dose of insulin to bring them back down again.

This puts you on the insulin-cortisol see-saw, a roller coaster ride of fluctuating blood sugar levels, erratic carb cravings, and the cannibalization of your muscle tissue (cortisol is catabolic and will reduce your muscle mass).

This is because once you're stressed, your blood sugar levels drop and the body tries to compensate by increasing blood glucose levels. Insulin is released from the pancreas, so the donut that you just chewed up because your boss chewed you out is even more likely to be taking up residence around your ever-expanding midriff.

As the effects of stress are akin to hypoglycemia, you're also far more likely to comfort yourself with a huge bar of chocolate than with an organic turkey breast with fresh vegetables. In the long term, you lose you insulin sensitivity and become insulin-resistant, which can cause big problems.

The fault here is your body's hormonal Axis Of Evil: the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. When activated, they unleash their WMDs (Weapon of Mass Disease), the body stealing precursors of testosterone and estrogen (pregnenolone) in order to over-produce cortisol.

This depletion robs your body of a valuable hormonal construction in order to create more stress hormone. In serious cases, the body stops producing cortisol altogether (which is a low grade adrenaline) and substitutes it with adrenaline, which would a bit like running a Mini Cooper on rocket fuel.

Are You Stressed Out?

It should be fairly obvious if you are, but if you still aren't sure, just ask yourself whether you suffer from any of the following?

1) Increased appetite
2) Cravings
3) Mid-afternoon energy slumps
4) Poor immune system (constant colds, bad skin, eczema)
5) Headaches
6) Digestive problems
7) Muscle aches and pains
8 ) Hair loss (hey, mine doesn't count. It's heredity, not stress.)
9) Menstrual irregularity
10) Reduced mental acuity
11) Slow metabolism
12) Low sex drive
13) Fatigue, lethargy and tiredness

Next, answer this sleep questionnaire. If you answer "yes" to two or more questions, then you need to address your sleep patterns as a priority.

1) Do you have trouble falling asleep at night?
2) Do you have difficulty waking up in the morning?
3) Do you sleep fewer than 8 or 9 hours a night?
4) Do you wake up once or more during the night?
5) If the answer to question 4 is "yes", what time do you usually wake up?
6) Do you sleep in a room with any light or noise?
7) Do you wake up feeling tired?
8 ) Do you wake up only with an alarm?
9) Do you go to bed later than 11 p.m.?
10) Do you get up earlier than 6 a.m.?
11) Do you use medication for sleep?


So What Can You Do If You Are Stressed Out?

First off, I'd urge you to realign yourself with your circadian rhythms. This would require you to get to bed by 10:30 p.m. at the latest, gradually dimming the lights throughout the evening in order to prepare the body for rest. Avoid working on the computer, watching TV, or reading anything work-related prior to sleep.

Also try to avoid having any electrical items in the room, and if you do, ensure that they're unplugged. Your bedroom should be pitch dark and quiet. If it isn't, think about fitting blackout blinds, and in the event you do wake up in the middle of the night, don't switch on the light.

Why? Because this sends a message to the hypothalamus to produce cortisol as it associates that light with morning, and the need to produce an energizing hormone. This surge of cortisol will also stop the production of melatonin and other growth and repair hormones.

Getting a full night's sleep allows your body the necessary time to repair itself physically (10 p.m to 2 a.m.) and psychologically (2 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Waking up during the night is a classic symptom of oxidative stress. The Chinese believe that the body's internal organs respond to "watches:" natural biorhythms that work in waves, drawing energy to a particular organ at a certain time.

Indeed, martial artists became so adept in their skills that they could time a blow to an acupressure point when that organ was at its "fullest," therefore maximizing damage and ensuring death through serious internal injury!

Of course, the aim of this article is not to teach you how to dim mak "death touch" someone into permanent sleep, it's to give you the necessary tools to relax the body and harmonize the internal mechanisms.

This article has covered the primary area of cortisol management, which is adequate rest. In my next article, I'll go into greater detail on supplementation to help those of you who suffer from poor stress management, sleep patterns, and recovery.

Meanwhile let me leave you with the words of Britain's greatest philosopher, Winnie the Pooh.

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

— Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne

Alan Levi

[Maya]

Shell, great post! Thank you!
I just read the book:

Tired of being tired

Talking about the same thing - how we burnout the adrenal glands - they can regenerate for a while, but sooner or later, if we dont take care of them, they can't manage to catch up with us anymore and the results are really scary.

I liked the first part of the book, the second part is again about - healthy and green lifestyle, eating right, getting rest and being positive.

[Future Yummy Mummy]

Maya: Could you tell me who wrote this? I've found lots of books with the same title.

Thanks

FYM

[thenewvee]

Hey FYM

You can find the book here.
http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Jesse-Lynn-Hanley/dp/0425184595

Vee

[Future Yummy Mummy]

Thanks Vee.

[jlou]

Wow! I have just come back from a month's holday so not back into the swing of work properly yet but pre holiday I would say the following were the NORM for me:

Originally Posted by shell

1) Increased appetite
2) Cravings
3) Mid-afternoon energy slumps
4) Poor immune system (constant colds, bad skin, eczema)
5) Headaches
6) Digestive problems
7) Muscle aches and pains
8 )
9) Menstrual irregularity
10)
11) Slow metabolism
12) Low sex drive
13) Fatigue, lethargy and tiredness


1)
2) Do you have difficulty waking up in the morning?
3) Do you sleep fewer than 8 or 9 hours a night?
4)
5)
6)
7) Do you wake up feeling tired?
8 )
9)
10) Do you get up earlier than 6 a.m.?
11)

I already knew it was time to look at my stress levels but you have just reinforced it for me..... I need to make sure I don't get back into that stress zone....

So thank you for your post!

[Dezzy]

Bumping a really great post from Shell in 2010!

[dommy]

think I'd feel better if it'd been because of wine or pheasant...or rich food for that matter

[kaniya]

I must say that was a really informative post on the subject. You have mentioned some very helpful details on the topic. Thanks for sharing it online.

[aurident]

I've been dealing with stress right now and it really affects my weight. This is a great help for me.

[GlennMarsh]

I thinks it depends how you deal with your stress and stress usually makes you gain weight just depends on how you react emotionally.But there are many weight loss pills available in the market one of them is accomplice matrimonial for effective weight loss,.

[merallfame]

The information which you shared about the weight loss is worthy. In these days, It is quite a common problem for any age group of people. Diet is one of the best solution to reduce weight.