No matter how much you restrict your food intake, count calories, walk 20,000 steps a day, or work out to the point of exhaustion in the gym, all this will not help you lose weight if you are constantly stressed.
It is chronic stress and dissatisfaction with life that often prevents you from getting rid of excess weight.
Why stress prevents weight loss
The reason is that hormones play an important role in the process of losing weight.
Stress, in turn, causes the production of adrenaline and cortisol, which force the brain to prepare the body to fight for survival.
Here's an example: before exams or other important events, many people lose their appetite because adrenaline redirects blood from the internal organs to the muscles. Then cortisol is activated, increasing appetite and pushing you to eat more fatty foods.
As a result, under the influence of cortisol, the body accumulates visceral fat - the one that is deposited around the internal organs.
Hence the conclusion: if you get a little nervous, your health will probably even improve, but long-term stress has serious negative consequences:
- Stress almost always goes hand in hand with overeating, so extra pounds are guaranteed.
- The risk of developing metabolic syndrome increases, which means that weight gain, insulin resistance, and heart and vascular problems are just around the corner.
To summarize: chronic stress not only affects appetite, but also directly contributes to an increase in the amount of fat deposits.
