24 May 2012

Is stress stopping you from losing weight?

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Canberrans are busy people and often hold stressful jobs, within the public service or private sectors. Our corporate life style could be affecting us and our levers of stress. Do you rush around feeling like you are always ‘on’? If you answered yes there’s a good chance that your body is stressed.

Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin, can cause your system to take flight and run in fright mode. Essentially your body is constantly responding to a biological message that you are being chased by a tiger, not a good state to be in permanently. Often your body will be sending you a message about stress long before your mind starts to connect with what is really happening. If you are experiencing tiredness, body aches and pains, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, loss of sex drive, frequent colds, headaches, or an inability to lose weight, then it’s time for you to slow down and bring your body back into balance. Start to work on yourself and make you a priority in your life! Nurture your body by taking up a regular relaxation practice, something as simple as ending the day with a warm bath. Cut out all sugar from your diet, as well as caffeine and alcohol, and increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables (go for two fruits and five veg a day). Drink plenty of water and get 6-8 hours of quality sleep a night. If you feel you need some more support there are a range of herbs and vitamins you can take to nourish your body: valerian root, chamomile, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B complex, zinc, liquorice, and ginseng. On a deeper level connect with the source of your stress, and identify what needs to be done to overcome it. Take time for a conversation with yourself, or another when needed, , but always do it from a place of love. You are the most valuable asset you have, and stress robs you of living to your full potential.

Tanya www.strive-training.com

References
http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/wellness_concerns/anxiety/herbs_and_vitamins_for_anxiety.php

www.gofor2and5.com.au

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According to a study , eating becomes the activity which relieves stress. So, a stressful life would gradually make us eat more.
As said , Easier said than done.
We have got to move and make our life a better one.

imagesplat said :

Insulin is responsible for converting blood sugars to fats. Raising insulin levels though higher GI foods stops people from losing weight, not stress hormones. IMO this is perpetuating some unfounded myths.

Have you got references to peer reviewed medical studies supporting the supplements you’ve suggested?

There are studies on the link between lack of sleep and inability to lose weight. So if someone’s not sleeping because of stress, that is possibly the reason they have trouble losing weight more than the stress itself.

A quick goole search, and here is a paper on The Metabolic Consequences of Sleep Deprivation from U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine and another paper comparing the results of the various studies.

smiling politely4:27 pm 25 May 12

astrojax said :

…and now a one week old little astromonkey mark II…

Off-topic but hey astro – congratulations! Hope you managed to stick with a whisky theme for the name again.

I have some magic rocks that allow you to lose weight raidly.

All you need do is hold the magic rocks while running five kilometres. Magic rocks only work this way.

The catch is that you need to hold the magic rocks at least four times a week.

… or you can put the magic rocks on the end of steel bars and use them as barbells and dumbells 🙂

Insulin is responsible for converting blood sugars to fats. Raising insulin levels though higher GI foods stops people from losing weight, not stress hormones. IMO this is perpetuating some unfounded myths.

Have you got references to peer reviewed medical studies supporting the supplements you’ve suggested?

Holden Caulfield12:21 pm 25 May 12

Was it the late Keith Miller, when asked about pressure in a cricket test match, said, ‘pressure is having a Messerschmidt up your arse.’

Yeah he did, but I’m not sure if a German aircraft up one’s clacker is the same kind of pressure we’re talking about here. Kinky, though.

carnardly said :

so its not all the crap takeaway and junk food i eat that’s making me fat. I must just be stressed.

okay. glad to know that.

I think its safe to say it might be a bit of both

poetix said :

If I cut caffeine and alcohol from my diet, I’d be losing half my intake. But I do eat many many vegetables. And have lots of hot baths. And frequently talk to myself. So perhaps I’m healthier than I realised…

I will never drink herbal tea; it’s against my religion.

Congratulations, astrojax! Next time I have a wine in the bath, I’ll think of your plight…and stay in another half an hour…

thanks poetix, more power to your bathing elbow, too! 🙂 must say, the paucity of sleep is reimbursed heartily by the bliss induced with new astromonkey cuddling…

so its not all the crap takeaway and junk food i eat that’s making me fat. I must just be stressed. okay. glad to know that.

Savanna100 said :

I’m currently trialling the use of orange glasses after sunset to help me sleep. These glasses block out all blue light, which is everywhere in our modern world but is having to be dealt with by our still-paleolithic bodies. These glasses regulate Melatonin producting in the body and allow us to relax and sleep properly. So far the experiement has been very interesting. Ever night I now sleep well after starting to fully relax about two hours after I out on the glasses (at sunset). The interesting thing I discovered was, oon Wednesday night, I had to attend a social function so I didnt get to out on my glasses till after 9.oopm. I went to sleep ok as usual but the delayed effect found me still awake at 1.00am this morning. These glasses really do change the melatonin production and start to work within a day or two of starting to wear them. Feel free to ask me any questions about how it all works.

Ahhh, this explains why I always feel sleepy if I see any of CSI Miami. Everything about that show is orange.

I have some magic rocks that allow you to lose weight raidly.

All you need do is hold the magic rocks while running five kilometres. Magic rocks only work this way.

You’re doing it wrong. This is how magic rocks allow you to lose weight rapidly.

Grab the magic rocks and climb onto the scales, and record your weight. Now, put the magic rocks down, climb onto the scales and record your weight. Compare the two figures. You’ve lost weight!

devils_advocate10:30 am 25 May 12

Gigantor said :

I really dont understand stress. Things happen in work/life, you need to address the problem, solve it and thats really all the steps…. I dont understand how people get so worked up over things

Because in a privileged first world society, many haven’t been exposed to *real* problems, and therefore have no frame of reference for when some piddling problem comes up. Eg if you’ve experienced the fallout from your parents’ village being overtaken by a unfriendly military junta, then having the boss hassling you about irregularities in your staff’s flexsheets seems pretty banal. However if it’s truly the worst thing you’ve ever experienced I suppose it could cause stress.

I believe this is the kernel of truth to the saying “first world problems”.

chewy14 said :

Ah it’s not the food that’s keeping me from losing weight, it’s the stress.

In that vein, I’m going to go home this afternoon and relax with a pizza and ten beers whilst watching the footy.

All in the name of de-stressing for my health of course.

That’s my kind of healthy regimen!

Savanna100 said :

I’m currently trialling the use of orange glasses after sunset to help me sleep. These glasses block out all blue light, which is everywhere in our modern world but is having to be dealt with by our still-paleolithic bodies. These glasses regulate Melatonin producting in the body and allow us to relax and sleep properly. So far the experiement has been very interesting. Ever night I now sleep well after starting to fully relax about two hours after I out on the glasses (at sunset). The interesting thing I discovered was, oon Wednesday night, I had to attend a social function so I didnt get to out on my glasses till after 9.oopm. I went to sleep ok as usual but the delayed effect found me still awake at 1.00am this morning. These glasses really do change the melatonin production and start to work within a day or two of starting to wear them. Feel free to ask me any questions about how it all works.

Ahh, I thought it was rose-coloured glasses that were supposed to make you see things in a better light, and thus remove stress! That’s where i’ve been going wrong!!

I’m currently trialling the use of orange glasses after sunset to help me sleep. These glasses block out all blue light, which is everywhere in our modern world but is having to be dealt with by our still-paleolithic bodies. These glasses regulate Melatonin producting in the body and allow us to relax and sleep properly. So far the experiement has been very interesting. Ever night I now sleep well after starting to fully relax about two hours after I out on the glasses (at sunset). The interesting thing I discovered was, oon Wednesday night, I had to attend a social function so I didnt get to out on my glasses till after 9.oopm. I went to sleep ok as usual but the delayed effect found me still awake at 1.00am this morning. These glasses really do change the melatonin production and start to work within a day or two of starting to wear them. Feel free to ask me any questions about how it all works.

Lame excuses stopping you from losing weight?

devils_advocate9:39 am 25 May 12

Cut out sugar and eat fruit?

Which is it?

Ah it’s not the food that’s keeping me from losing weight, it’s the stress.

In that vein, I’m going to go home this afternoon and relax with a pizza and ten beers whilst watching the footy.

All in the name of de-stressing for my health of course.

I really dont understand stress. Things happen in work/life, you need to address the problem, solve it and thats really all the steps…. I dont understand how people get so worked up over things

How is a stressed person to get 6-8 hours sleep a night? A nice idea in theory, but how in practice? Oh, and how does stress affect weight loos? Stressed people eat less and burn off more calories due to adrenalin.

astrojax said :

Drink plenty of water and get 6-8 hours of quality sleep a night.

easier said than done with a regularly waking 2&1/2yr old and now a one week old little astromonkey mark II. ditto the calming bath bit…

They didn’t say get 6-8 hours of good quality sleep; ‘poor’ is also a quality of sleep, and that’s all they’re calling for!

Strange thing is, I’ve recently lost 20kg over a period of 12 months or so, and it always seemed to be the weeks when I was under the most stress that I lost the most weight, so my experience is the opposite of what the title is talking about.

Gosh how I hate all this “drink lots of water and you’ll be Healtheeee” thing. So you see all the desperate females irrigating themselves every 10 minutes. And people carrying plastic bottles of water with them, because if you can’t irrigate yourself every 10 minutes, bad things will happen.

If you’re thirsty, have some water. Or beer. I choose beer.

If I cut caffeine and alcohol from my diet, I’d be losing half my intake. But I do eat many many vegetables. And have lots of hot baths. And frequently talk to myself. So perhaps I’m healthier than I realised…

I will never drink herbal tea; it’s against my religion.

Congratulations, astrojax! Next time I have a wine in the bath, I’ll think of your plight…and stay in another half an hour…

Drink plenty of water and get 6-8 hours of quality sleep a night.

easier said than done with a regularly waking 2&1/2yr old and now a one week old little astromonkey mark II. ditto the calming bath bit…

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