There are a few ways that stress can cause us to gain weight. When we are under stress our bodies release hormones which can cause changes in the way our body functions. These changes include the rate of blood flow and changes to our metabolism. If you are stressed out all the time and happen to notice you are putting on weight, even though your diet has not changed, it could be that your metabolism is slowing down.
If you are feeling stressed you may start to have some unusual cravings for the more unhealthy types of food. By unhealthy I mean foods with a high fat content, processed foods and foods full of sugar.
Chronic stress can cause our bodies to store fat in different places, usually the abdominal area, which is just where we don't want it. Unfortunately fat around the waist area has been linked with some other serious health problems.
Ongoing stress is known to change blood sugar levels which can then cause fatigue and mood swings. Furthermore, prolonged chronic stress can cause really nasty problems such as diabetes and heart attacks.
Are you stressed out , full of nervous energy? Well this could be why you are grabbing bits of junk food, even if you're not particularly hungry. When you are in this state it's not very likely that you are going to have the patience to spend hours in the kitchen preparing good healthy meals.
Of course the sedentary lifestyle a lot of us lead is of no help, and we can use the excuse that we are too busy to find time for exersise. Until I researched the subject of stress and weight gain I would never really have connected the two problems. I have never suffered from stress myself but I do have a slight weight problem. One out of two ain't bad. James Hunaban is the owner of - http://health-info4u.com/ - a site full of Health information and advice.
