We didn’t need a pandemic to tell us stress contributes to weight gain.
(Seriously, pandemic: You totally weren’t necessary.)
But why, exactly, is stress a problem?
Honestly, we do tend to eat (particularly processed foods) more and exercise less, but is that all there is to it? What are the underlying reasons why we act the way we do?
Thanks to a fascinating review from UCLA researchers that shows why stress and obesity are so closely related.
In fact, according to the scientists (who provide some real clarity on this subject), stress and obesity are more closely intertwined than most experts even recognize.
Part 1: How stress can lead to weight gain
In the chart below, which I adapted from the paper, provide the science
The idea: Stress can affect a bunch of “systems” that are involved in weight control.
What’s more, these aren’t just isolated effects. Follow the little arrows, and you can see that each system can affect all the others. (Your nutrition coaches refer to this as feedback loops.)
Let’s dig into the details of each system a little more.
► Cognition
Stress can mess with your mind, specifically executive function and self-regulation. Together, these include mental skills like thinking, planning, and organizing, as well as the ability to focus and manage your emotions.
► Behaviors
No one’s surprised that stress influences eating, physical activity, and sleep behaviors. But even within this system, each of these factors can also affect one another. As the researchers point out: ”Lack of sleep can hinder physical activity, and lack of physical activity can disrupt sleep.”
► Physiology
Here’s where it gets more “sciency.” The researchers outline three ways stress might affect you physiologically:
- It throws off stress hormones. This can make you want to eat more, and can also tell your body to store fat. By the way, the scientific term for this is “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation” (which I didn’t lead with because 😴).
- It motivates you to seek “rewards.” Wait, aren't we always after those? Sure, but the scientists say that stress can seriously crank up your brain’s appetite for feel-good chemicals, such as dopamine. This can drive you to eat foods that are highly palatable (sugar and fat!), or seek out alcohol or drugs.
- It might throw off your microbiome. There’s not a lot of research on humans, but the researchers speculate stress may negatively affect your microbiome—which could make you more susceptible to weight gain. Plus—and we’ll quote the researchers here—“... more eerily, the gut microbiome can affect how we feel and behave.”
► Biochemistry
Stress may also impact blood chemicals related to weight control, according to the scientists. Specifically:
Leptin and ghrelin: These are hormones that can affect our hunger and appetite. (Leptin suppresses hunger and appetite while ghrelin stimulates them. Though it’s much more complicated than this, the basics of the hormones do apply.
Neuropeptide Y: This peptide may stimulate both your appetite and fat storage.
That’s a lot of factors. Maybe enough to stress you out.
But wait… there’s more.
Part 2: How obesity can lead to stress.
Now, same chart, with one addition: weight stigma.
Guess what? It creates another feedback loop!
In this case: Obesity leads to weight stigma which then creates… more stress. And on we go.
You might call it a vicious cycle. Or a nasty web. Or one big giant cluster fuck. Because that's exactly what it feels like when we are stuck in this loop. A mess that seems uncontrollable and worse yet, with no hope in sight.
Your takeaways
1. Look beyond eating advice and nutrition plans.
This paper—and the feedback loops it shows—are but one example of why working with clients is usually about far more than just the food, says Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD, PN’s Director of Nutrition.
As a coach, I believe in a holistic approach. So we can't just focus on macros. Because no matter how wonderfully dialed in they are, if the underlying issues causing stress are not addressed, then no amount of protein will fix it.
2. We start by working on the biggest problem first.
This means that looking at your nutrition, or going "food first" may not be the best approach. So we do some probing. We ask questions that aren't food or fitness related. You need to know these as much as your coach does. It helps us develop skills that you can practice which will not only affect stress, but your eating, your sleep, everything. This is about lifestyle change. Removing or addressing the stress is important for every facet of your being. And truthfully, those around you as well. On our own, we typically don't think of developing these skills. Its why having a coach is so critical.
We can help clients see new solutions to old problems.
Here's an example as to what we coach: and why consistently practicing these skills can help control the stress (or remove it) and those dreadful feedback loops.
- Make better food choices
- Eat more appropriate portion sizes and amounts
- Get more deep sleep
- Be more physically active
