Stress and weight gain: how can you tackle it?

Let’s be honest, we’ve all, at least once in our lives, felt stressed because of a daily routine that’s too demanding – whether due to work, financial difficulties, relationships or unexpected changes. This affects many of the body’s processes and can sometimes even lead to changes in our eating habits, causing us to overeat or lose our appetite.

But how does stress actually affect our bodies and our weight ? That’s what we’re going to find out together in this article.

What is stress?

If I had to give a simple definition, I’d describe stress as our body’s response to everyday situations or events that put us under pressure. Stress is often triggered by an event that is worrying, unexpected or threatens our routine, but also when we simply feel we have little control over a situation.

Let’s be clear: we all cope with stress differently, and our ability to deal with it can depend on our genetics, early-life experiences, our personality, and our social and financial circumstances.

When we find ourselves in a stressful situation, our bodies produce a range of hormones – not just the well-known cortisol – which trigger a ‘fight-or-flight’ response and also activate our immune system. This innate mechanism is specifically designed to help us react quickly to dangerous situations and enable us to survive.

Sometimes, this stress response can be helpful, as it can help us overcome fear or pain in order to push our limits during training or simply to deliver an important speech. Normally, after such events, our hormone levels quickly return to normal without any lasting effects.

However, excessive stress can have very negative effects, especially if it is chronic, and lead to a state of low-grade inflammation in our bodies. If left untreated, this condition can affect our overall health – both mental and physical – as well as our body composition and weight loss. Yes, you read that correctly: stress can also affect weight loss and the accumulation of body fat.

When we are stressed, the adrenal glands release adrenaline and cortisol and, as a result, glucose – our main source of energy. Glucose is released into the bloodstream to provide us with the energy we need to escape from a dangerous situation.

Leaving aside the pathophysiological details, in short, once the threat has passed, adrenaline levels subside and the spike in blood sugar subsides; however, due to various physiological and psychological mechanisms, this triggers a series of processes that inhibit weight loss and, above all, cause a strong craving for sugary foods. As sugar provides our body with the quick energy it believes it needs, it is often the first thing we crave when we are stressed and, if consumed in excess, it will be stored as fat.

But that’s not all, because even if you don’t eat foods high in fat and sugar, cortisol slows down our metabolism, making weight loss difficult.

In a study carried out in 2015, researchers at Ohio State University asked a group of women about the stress they’d experienced the previous day before serving them a high-calorie meal. After the meal, the scientists measured the women’s metabolic rates and examined their blood sugar, cholesterol, insulin and cortisol levels as part of the follow-up.

The researchers found that women who had reported one or more stressors in the 24 hours leading up to the high-calorie meal burned 104 fewer calories than women who were not stressed. This could result in a weight gain of around 5 kg over the course of a year. Stressed women also had higher levels of insulin, a hormone which, if not properly managed, contributes to the accumulation of body fat.

The effects of stress

As well as metabolic and hormonal changes, stress can also lead us to adopt certain unhealthy ‘behaviours’, which inevitably result in weight gain:

• Emotional or nervous eating: increased cortisol levels can not only make us crave unhealthy, sugary foods, but excessive stress can also lead us to eat more than we normally would.
• Eating on the go: when we’re stressed, we tend to eat the first thing that comes to hand, but this isn’t always the healthiest option. Furthermore, research has shown that stress can also prompt us to choose convenience foods, as well as to eat quickly, rather than taking the time and expending the energy to cook a balanced, healthy meal.
• Exercising less: due to stress, particularly mental stress, many people put exercise at the bottom of their to-do list, which leads to them feeling tired by the end of the day and giving up.
• Sleeping less: Many people report sleep problems when they are stressed. Research has shown that a lack of sleep can slow down the metabolism. Feeling tired can also reduce willpower and contribute to poor eating habits.

How can you break the cycle of stress and weight gain?

When you’re stressed, it’s easy to neglect healthy habits such as eating well and exercising regularly. But a well-planned programme can help you turn these healthy habits into routine and, above all, combat stress-related weight fluctuations.

Here are some strategies that can help you break the cycle of stress and weight gain:

• Make exercise a priority! Exercise is a key part of reducing stress and managing your weight. It can help you tackle both issues at the same time and is therefore essential for preventing stress-related weight gain. Whether you want to go for a walk during your lunch break or do some exercise after work, try to incorporate enjoyable but regular exercise into your daily life.
• Choose healthier foods! You don’t need to stuff yourself with carbohydrates and/or fats to feel better – just a little bit is enough. Laziness is all in your head, so don’t touch those crisps. A tip? Plan ahead, and when you feel nervous before tucking in, drink a glass of water, perhaps squeeze in some lemon, take a deep breath, and then ask yourself if you’re really hungry.
• Enjoy the moment! Focusing on what you’re eating, without getting distracted, and savouring the moment whilst you eat, can help reduce stress, promote weight loss and prevent weight gain. A long-term study showed that stressed, overweight women who received emotional and nutritional support were able to avoid binge eating and reduce their stress levels. Next time you have a meal, try to savour it slowly, perhaps with some relaxing music playing in the background and without being distracted by your phone or the television.
• Drink more water! It’s easy to confuse thirst with hunger, which can lead you to consume more calories than your body needs, resulting in weight gain. What’s more, it’s much easier to recognise hunger once you’ve ruled out dehydration. If you haven’t eaten for a while and you’re feeling hungry again, try drinking some water first.
• Incorporate stress management techniques into your daily routine! Whether you enjoy yoga or find comfort in reading a good book, try adding simple stress-relief habits, such as breathing deeply, listening to music or going for a walk in green spaces. This can reduce stress levels and consequently cortisol, which helps with weight management.

The Tsunami Nutrition solution: LIPO X PURE PROFESSIONAL

Given the issues associated with stress and, consequently, weight gain, the research and development team at Tsunami Nutrition has created LIPO X Pure PROFESSIONAL, a nutraceutical supplement with lipolytic and thermogenic properties, specifically formulated to support those experiencing high stress levels and to aid in body weight management and reduction programmes.

Let’s be honest: to achieve optimal muscular body composition, simply reducing calorie intake is not enough. The path to a perfect body composition begins with a complete lifestyle change and can also be supported by naturally-derived nutraceuticals designed to boost performance and the fat-burning process.

Of course, let’s be clear: a powerful fat burner will only do its job if it is supported by a good, targeted and comprehensive programme, always underpinned by nutrition and training. However, we can turn to the natural support offered by nutraceuticals which, if of high quality, can give us that extra boost towards our goal.

This is why we have created Lipo X Pure, a product based on natural extracts that has the ability to stimulate both thermogenesis – a specific metabolic process involving the production of heat by the body – and lipolysis, lipid catabolism, a process involving the breakdown of triglycerides, leading to the release of free fatty acids (FFAs) and glycerol (or glycerine). These two processes help to reduce body fat and thus improve body composition.

But let’s take a look at what makes LIPO X unique and the patented ingredients included in its formulation:

Firstly, the unique and innovative Sinetrol®Xpur patent, a special combination of polyphenols and anthocyanidins which not only boost the metabolism but also help to de-congest tissues by promoting circulation and the drainage of excess fluids.  Several clinical studies have tested the efficacy and safety of Sinetrol in weight management, focusing on metabolic parameters such as blood glucose levels. For example, in a 12-week study, Sinetrol was administered to overweight patients twice daily, in comparison with a placebo group (double-blind study). At the end of the follow-up period, the test group showed significant improvements in waist circumference, abdominal fat, cortisol levels and, most notably, inflammatory markers compared with the placebo group, thereby confirming its potential.

Let’s move on toAshwagandha® KSM-66, which needs no introduction. It is a plant that has been known for centuries and has demonstrated beneficial properties, primarily due to its stress-reducing effects. For example, in most studies, the primary objective was to assess the efficacy of highly concentrated Ashwagandha root extract in reducing stress and anxiety and its role in improving general well-being. The findings were all positive, confirming its effectiveness.

Not all ashwagandha is the same. In fact, the highly concentrated, full-spectrum root extract used in the LIPO X formulation is KSM-66 ashwagandha extract, the very same KSM-66 ashwagandha that has been clinically proven to help reduce stress, anxiety, cortisol levels and stress-related cravings – all key factors in weight loss. But it also helps to improve memory and cognitive function, as well as endurance, strength, muscle size and muscle recovery rates, and even promotes healthy sexual performance in both men and women.

LIPO X also contains NeOpuntia™ Organic, a fig extract that helps regulate blood sugar levels and balances blood lipid levels by supporting HDL cholesterol levels. It is worth noting that participants taking this supplement showed a significant reduction in the effects of metabolic syndrome.

Finally, it contains Newcaff®, a pure form of time-release caffeine designed to provide a sustained release of caffeine, thereby prolonging all its lipolytic and beta-adrenergic effects. Long recognised as an integral part of any serious training regime, caffeine has been shown to boost energy and reduce fatigue in elite athletes. Caffeine has also been shown to have a significant effect on cognitive parameters such as concentration and alertness, thereby enhancing all CNS functions. One of the problems with caffeine is that it can be absorbed very quickly and its effects are felt immediately after consumption, leading to unpleasant fluctuations in energy levels. This is why you need products that can consistently provide the desired alertness without the undesirable side effects. We meet this need with NewCaff™ microcapsules, designed to ensure a controlled release of the active ingredient (caffeine) with the added benefit of masking its somewhat bitter taste.

In addition to these patented ingredients, we have specifically chosen to include other concentrated, high-potency natural extracts to prolong the effects of LIPO X with a view to promoting health and reducing body weight. The inclusion of grapefruit and green tea for their draining and antioxidant effects, guarana and ginseng to optimise fat and carbohydrate metabolism, and finally blood orange extract to improve the regulation of nutrient absorption and body weight balance. The formula is rounded off with B vitamins to support metabolism.

Naturally, as with any high-quality product worthy of the name, we focused on the excellence of the formula when creating LIPO X Pure PROFESSIONAL, so that it can be used by people with food intolerances or allergies, such as to gluten and lactose, as well as by those following a vegan diet, as it is certified VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE and LACTOSE-FREE.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have seen how stress can negatively affect health and body weight. Starting with a good nutrition and training programme is the first step towards success, but by adding targeted and comprehensive nutraceutical support such as our LIPO X Pure, you’ll be able to take a giant leap forward towards achieving that coveted peak physical condition you’ve never been able to attain before.