You are very busy at work for several weeks and before you know it, the pounds have flown on. Is stress the culprit or do we just think so? We went to investigate and asked some food scientists the question: what’s the real deal with weight gain when stressed?
That stress can cause the number on the scale to skyrocket in a short period of time is a fact, according to nutrition scientist Benne Holwerda. “And that has to do with multiple processes triggered by stress.”
INFLUENCE OF HORMONES
“First of all, the stress hormone cortisol plays an important role. This hormone is produced when the body experiences stress and causes an increased appetite. So when you suffer from stress, you feel hungry more often and start eating more. In people exposed to long-term stress, cortisol levels are constantly too high, so they always struggle with a (too) high appetite.”
In addition, the thyroid gland also plays an important role in weight gain, Holwerda says. “Due to the excess of stress hormones in your body, fewer inactive hormones (T3) are converted to active hormones (T4) in the thyroid gland. The result is a sluggish thyroid. Because of this sluggish thyroid, your metabolism doesn’t work properly and, as a result, you gain weight.”
GOOD
According to Astrid Postma-Smeets of the Nutrition Center, weight gain during stressful periods is also a result of people becoming more lazy due to stress. “You are tired, no longer feel like spending hours in the kitchen, abandon your healthy habits and throw a pizza in the oven. Do this for a few weeks and the results show up on the scale.”
COMFORT FOOD
“You also see that people abandon healthy foods during stressful periods and turn to unhealthy foods more often,” Postma-Smeets continued.
Holwerda adds: “That’s because by eating foods high in sugar and fat, the body produces less stress-related hormones. So after a burger or donut, your stress seems to disappear like snow in the sun.”
“It is precisely because of that soothing effect of so-called comfort food that people become addicted to unhealthy food,” Holwerda continued.
Postma-Smeets concurs: “It becomes a habit to suppress those stressful feelings with food, which leads people into an unhealthy spiral and more and more overweight.”
BUIKVET
Do you feel that your belly in particular has gotten fatter after a stressful period? That may well be true, Holwerda says. “The stress hormone cortisol triggers the body to store fats. These fats are stored mainly in the abdomen, because these very cells are very sensitive to stress.”
“Extra annoying is that the fat that accumulates in your belly is itself active. This creates even more stress hormones in your body. As a result, your cortisol levels skyrocket even further, you get even more hungry and store even more fat in your body. So you gain even more weight, simply put,” Holwerda explains.
HEALTHY MEAL
Very annoying all, but what can you do to avoid gaining pounds during such a stressful period? According to nutrition scientist Liesbeth Smit, it is especially important to get healthy meals in throughout the day. “Have a hearty breakfast, go for a healthy, filling lunch and be sure to have a healthy evening meal even after a long work day.”
That, according to Smit, can cause you to ditch the bag of chips, bar of chocolate or greasy pizza and stay on weight. “Even for a snacking attack, you do need some hunger. By filling your belly in time with a healthy meal, you prevent this hunger pangs from surfacing and you reach for unhealthy foods.”
REDUCE STRESS
Eating foods that lower stress can also be a way to bring your body back into some balance, according to Holwerda. “Citrus fruits, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, nuts, spinach, oatmeal, dark chocolate and chamomile tea are all foods that have been shown to reduce stress in your body.”
But all the above advice notwithstanding, according to the three food scientists, there is ultimately only one real solution to the problem: addressing stress.
“Don’t look at what you can do about the consequences of the problem, but address the problem at the source. Go for a balance between work, sleep, food and relaxation. Then you’ll keep stress out easier.”.
