Excerpted from Lose It for Life by Steve Arterburn & Linda Mintle

You’d have to be living on another planet not to know that stress affects your body in negative ways. One of those negative ways relates to weight gain. While an immediate response to stress may be a loss of appetite, repeated and chronic stress can cause the opposite effect, here’s why.

When you encounter stress, cortisol, along with other hormones, is released. Following a stressful event, the other hormones return to normal levels, but cortisol can remain elevated for a longer time period. Because this hormone provides energy for the body, it can stimulate appetite and result in weight gain that tends to be concentrated in the midsection or abdominal area.

According to Pamela M. Peeke, M.D., MPH, a former senior scientist at the NIMH, and an associate clinical professor of medicine at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine in Baltimore, three factors affect central fat in women. They are poor lifestyle, declining levels of the hormone estrogen, and chronic stress. The amount of cortisol experienced with stress seems to vary from person to person. If you are someone who reacts to stress with increased appetite, you may be experiencing elevated cortisol levels.

Whether or not your urge to eat is driven by hormones, you can still interrupt the cycle, break the stress, and stop weight gain. Since stress is something we all experience, we all need to learn effective ways to manage or reduce it. Lifestyle changes recommended in this program can help you with stress.

Begin to evaluate what you are doing that may add stress to your life. Are there habits and practices you could change today that would make you feel better? The answer is probably yes. Think about your response to stress in terms of self care. How will you take care of yourself in order to battle the negative effects of stress?

1. Do you have effective ways of relaxing?

2. Do you regularly exercise?

3. How sensibly do you eat?

4. How well do you manage your time?

5. Are you getting enough sleep?

There is more information on these areas of managing your stress in the book Lose It for Life. If you recognize that stress is affecting your life, start today with one small change to reduce stress in your life!

Need some help overcoming the stress and weight gain in your life? Join us at our next Lose it For Life weekend.