Stress

Stress and Weight Gain

• Our bodies are geared for survival• What would our bodies do if there was no

food?• Famine response• Stress hormone – Cortisol• Chronic stress – mimics famine response

Stress and Weight Gain

• What happens if you body is not receiving the right nutrients

• Whole body Stress• Biological systems in your body receive less

nutrients• Other forms of stress• Physical, chemical or emotional stress• No physical threat, your body may interpret a

situation as a physical threat

Example – The Perfect Day• Wake up early• Eat healthy breakfast• Leave for work early to beat traffic• Arrive to work early, organise day power through work all morning• Eat healthy lunch that I took to work, go for a stroll at lunch with

friends• Churn through more work in the afternoon• Leave work on time after a super productive day, still full of energy• Go to the gym• Eat a healthy dinner• Relax and go to bed early feeling very proud of yourself

How it goes Wrong• Woke up, slept in, running late - stress• Breakfast - toast on jam with coffee - full of sugar and carbs • Stuck in traffic – late for work – Stress • Get to work – try to sort emails, phone ringing – Stress • Mid morning: energy crash - head to cafe, coffee and a muffin (muffin looked healthy as it

had apple and date in it) - (muffin is actually full of butter, sugar, flour, gluten)• Take late lunch - blood sugar has crashed, go to cafe, only chicken and lettuce sandwich -

full of energy dense carbs, high fat mayonnaise and butter. Miss out on walk with friends• Afternoon - another energy crash - have a coffee as need energy and going to gym tonight• Leave work late, fight traffic again – stress• Get home to late to go to gym• No food in the house - supermarket? have to buy food come home, cook it, eat it, clean

up...take away? - quick and easy, have tai noodles - huge amount energy dense carbs, msg, fat

• Eat take away - feel bad about yourself as nothing went right for the day• Go to bed late, - can't sleep due to all the caffeine

The Result• Constant stress all day – Elevated Cortisol Levels• Long periods between meals resulting in low blood

sugar• Low blood sugar results in low energy levels, craving

for energy dense, processed, high sugar food.• Reliance on caffeine due to low energy levels• High intake of processed carbohydrates results in

sharp spikes of blood sugar and insulin• Low intake of quality protein, plant food and omega

3 fat

The Result

• Excess energy consumed – stored as fat• Sedentary for the majority of the day, no

opportunities to increase basal metabolic rate• Missed opportunity for constructive exercise• If this type of day becomes ingrained into a

persons lifestyle i.e. High stress, poor eating habits, sedentary and no constructive exercise, this is the perfect recipe for weight gain.

Prevention• An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure• Wake up earlier if you need more time• Plan your day out in advance• Ensure adequate food is in the house, avoiding last minute trips to

the supermarket• Prepare meals and healthy snacks in advance and take them to

work• Schedule breaks into your day so you can move around. This will

also help alleviate stress• Take a water bottle with you. If it’s in front of you, you will drink

more water• Over time, these habits will become part of your lifestyle

Reducing Cortisol

• Walking• Meditation• Yoga• Pilates• Concentrated deep breathing• Increased consumption of omega 3• Green Tea or Green Tea Extract• Dark chocolate• BCAA• Vitamin C