(Sources: 'Fat around the middle - Dr Marilyn Glenville; The Medicinal Chef - Dale Pinnock; Food is better medicine than drugs - Patrick Holford)
So how could stress be making me fat?
In a stressful situation, the adrenaline that is released helps you to get alert and focused, whilst the cortisol increases levels of fat and sugar in the bloodstream. However, unless you do something physical (as your body is expecting you to) all that extra energy, in the form of fat and glucose, has nowhere to go and must be re-deposited as fat.
After a stressful event, adrenaline levels will quickly return to normal and the body should be restored to a state of calm. But the level of cortisol often remains higher for a while and because it thinks you should refuel your body after all this fighting or fleeing it increases your appetite. This is perfectly acceptable when you have been fighting or running for your life as your body will clearly need to stock up again. If, however, you've been chained to a desk fielding stressful phone calls, constant refuelling is hardly appropriate.
So, the bottom line here is that people under constant stress quite often feel hungry all the time. And worse still, their body urges them to stock up on the foods it thinks will be most useful after all that "activity", namely carbohydrates and fat. If you indulge this, you'll inevitably gain weight.
It is now widely accepted there is a strong connection between stress hormones and the formation of fat around your middle. If you don't fight or flee when your body expects you to, the fat and glucose swimming in your system will be deposited as fat around your middle. And any weight gain from anything sugary or fatty that you eat as a consequence of the post-stress appetite surge will also end up in the same place.
There is nothing random in this fat allocation. The reason why fat targets your middle is because it is close to the liver where it can most quickly be converted back into energy if needed. It provides you with a cunning (but infuriating) form of protection, ready for the next stress attack.
Some types of stress can be useful, but what makes frequent and regular stress so bad is the surge of hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which increase blood pressure and make the heart beat harder and faster to get more oxygen to our tissues and make us react faster and work harder. They also cause our body to secrete insulin to make our cells take up more sugar so that they can perform better to get us out of the dangerous situation. All of these responses are vital, and when they only happen every now and again the hormones are quickly broken down and our physiology returns to normal. However, when we are in a regular state of stress, this response happens frequently, which can raise our blood pressure significantly and increase our risk of heart disease. We also start to accumulate the stress hormone cortisol. When this happens, we start to make fewer and fewer white blood cells, which affects our immune system. Or digestive system is impaired and the absorption of nutrients is reduced, which affects our nutritional status and has a knock on effect on our health. The nervous system and adrenal glands take a beating too, which can lead to anxiety, angry outbursts and even breakdown.
Other activities to help reduce fat around the middle.
Yoga and t'ai chi can be really helpful because they also act as stress-busters and lower cortisol levels. They involve slow controlled movements with a focus on breathing correctly, which can be very calming. Without realising it, many people have a tendency to shallow-breathe, which is effectively what happens in the fight-or flight response, and in times of stress it can lead to hyperventilating. Yoga and other similar classes can help to teach you the correct way to breathe. Yoga is also a form of resistance training in which your own body weight provides the resistance.
Mindfulness meditation, reading, colouring, baking - all can help to reduce stress levels in the body (as long as you enjoy them and they don't stress you out more trying to fit them into your schedule!)
Exercise action plan
If you have fat around the middle caused , in part, by your stress hormones, exercise has to be a priority. It's not hard, but it is vital if you are to achieve the following benefits:
- burning off fat around the middle
- reducing the negative effects of both cortisol and insulin
- increasing your muscle mass (which in turn burns calories)
- burning calories and using body fat (everywhere in the body) as fuel
- preventing and even reversing insulin resistance
- reducing blood sugar and insulin
- improving body shape
Remember not to get too hung up on your weight. A pound of fat takes up about 5 times as much space as a pound of muscle so as your fat levels go down and your muscle mass goes up you will start to look smaller. You could even drop a dress size whilst staying the same weight.
In order to lose fat around the middle you need to do a combination of aerobic and resistance training. Aerobic exercise such as cycling, running, walking, swimming helps burn fat whilst you are performing it (aim for 20-30 minutes 4 times a week). Resistance training (see Conditioning exercises) where you use weights, bands or body weight to help build muscle mass to burn extra calories and fat even when not exercising.
- Chest pains (you must see your doctor if you experience chest pains, but stress hormones can mimic heart problems)
- Hair loss
- Muscle aches (especially shoulder and neck)
- Difficulty in concentrating or forgetfulness
- Depression
- Increased PMS
- A slower metabolism
- Low sex drive
- Tiredness, but inability to sleep well
- A tendency to get a second wind in the evening/and or waking in the night - indicating cortisol rhythm being out of sync.
Nutritional action plan
1) Stop dieting (yo-yo diets stress the body more)
2) Eat little and often (to balance blood sugar levels)
3) Don't skip breakfast (this stresses the body)
4) Take time to eat properly - sit down and chew your food - (eating on the run stresses the body and disrupts digestion).
5) Focus on low-GI foods which release their energy slowly to help balance blood sugar levels -whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats and fruit and vegetables - use combinations of these in each meal to slow down the sugar release into the body.
6) Increase omega 3 intake - this should help to counter anxiety and mood swings. It also counters the inflammation caused in the body by the stress hormones which can lead t chronic diseases.
7) Increase B vitamins - These support the adrenal glands and a healthy nervous system. During stress they are used up very quickly.
8) Increase zinc intake - A vital mineral for supporting the immune system and also regulating our "feel-good" brain chemical, serotonin. There have been numerous studies linking low zinc status to depression and low mood.
9) Eat more magnesium-rich foods - Magnesium works in our muscles to help muscle fibres relax, physically making us less tense and wound up.
SEE STRESS BUSTING RECIPES PAGE FOR KEY INGREDIENTS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR DIET AND SOME LOVELY RECIPES BASED ON THIS GUIDE.
Stress - Is it making you fat around the middle? Is it making you ill?
The symptoms of stress.
Whatever the cause of your stress, if you are under pressure and your cortisol levels are high, you could be experiencing any of the following:
- A tendency to gain fat around your middle
- An increased appetite
- Increased cravings for chocolate, sweets, breads, cakes, caffeine and alcohol
- A slump in the middle of the afternoon, around three or four o'clock
- A low immune system (you get frequent coughs and colds)
- Headaches
- Nail biting or skin picking around the nails
- Teeth grinding
- High cholesterol
- Blood sugar swings
- Digestive problems (such as bloating or flatulence)