Can stress cause weight loss you’re wondering? I’m here to answer that very question.
The short answer is yes-stress can cause weight loss. Stress, when left unchecked, can be one of the triggers for the common condition known as anorexia nervosa.
Stress can cause weight loss but for those of you experiencing stress and the desire to lose weight we’re here to inform you of some common signs of stress [signs you should address].
Without any further ado, let’s dive right into the topic of stress and weight loss.
Stress and Weight Loss
What Exactly Is Stress?
Stress is a normal reaction you have to certain situations or events in your life.
Stress, however, is a lot more than just feeling stressed out; it’s an emotional response to something in your environment that causes you to feel nervous.
It can manifest itself physically, emotionally and mentally. A lot of times we experience stress because of the events that happen around us as well as by what we’re thinking or worrying about – essentially the very thoughts and ideas that make us stressed are what make us lose weight.
If you experience stress, you’re probably not eating all that well. You might even binging or eating foods that are not necessarily healthy and definitely not weight loss friendly.
The causes of stress vary per individual but it doesn’t matter what the cause is; if you’re experiencing it then your body will react to it.
There are also some people who experience stress because of their emotions.
They often experience anxiety, sadness, depression and a lot of other things related to their emotional state.
Stress can cause weight loss in such people as well because they may not be feeling themselves and may find themselves eating less than usual.
This can be a trigger for those individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa and other types of eating disorders.
Can Stress Cause Weight Loss? The Long Answer…
The long answer to the question is yes, stress can cause weight loss. It can do this in a number of ways.
First, thoughts about food or eating can trigger stress and anxiety. Body image issues are another common sign of stress often experienced by those with problems related to their weight.
This causes them to engage in compulsive behaviors concerning food and eat as a way to avoid those uncomfortable feelings.
Some people with eating disorders may also find themselves carrying out these rituals during times of stress without having fully realized it until later on in life when they finally sought treatment for their condition.
If you’re wondering, no-stress can lead people with eating disorders into binging or overeating without realizing it leading them into more serious health problems down the line.
Another trigger for stress and food is knowing you should be eating better or exercising more but not doing it.
For some people, it’s easy to develop depression when they’re not getting what they want out of life or from their experiences.
Depression is another common sign of stress and can easily lead people into eating even less if they don’t get the support they need from friends or family members.
People who are stressed about their weight may also find themselves engaging in compulsive behaviors regarding food with similar results as mentioned above.
Finally, a lot of people carry around emotional baggage that makes them feel uncomfortable and insecure which leads them to avoid certain foods or situations altogether.
Anxiety is a common response to the stress they experience from their past which can lead them to engage in compulsive behaviors relating to food, overeat and gain more weight.
If you think that you’re experiencing stress in these ways, it’s best to talk with your doctor about how you can deal with your stress and put together a plan for getting your weight loss back on track.
How Does Chronic Stress Affect Weight?
Stress is an emotional and physical response to the things that happen in your life. When we experience stress, it causes a number of problems in our bodies, both mental and physical.
???? The part of our immune system responsible for dealing with inflammation and infections becomes weakened; making it easier to become sick because your body isn’t fighting back as hard as it should be.
???? The part of our brain that controls the things we need to survive is also affected; causing us to act like less than what we are capable of becoming. This means that you may find yourself doing routine tasks at less than your full capacity; even when you know you are better than you let on.
???? The other part of our brain responsible for growth and development is affected as well; causing us to be less than the people we have the potential to become.
???? When you experience chronic stress, it can inhibit your ability to lose weight because you’re not growing and evolving at your full potential.
???? In addition, it can also cause a number of other problems when it comes to our health [such as cancer, arthritis, asthma] which can make losing weight that much harder too.
???? Our bodies are constantly fighting back against chronic stress by weakening our immune system and making us feel sick and less powerful in our daily lives.
Chronic stress is a serious matter but it can be managed better than ever before. If you’re stressed out more than you can take, make sure to reach out for help. You never have to go through something like that alone.
Dealing With Stress and Weight Loss
So what exactly can you do about your stress? How do you deal with it so that it doesn’t manage you?
The answer depends on how much stress you find yourself experiencing on a daily basis.
It also depends on the kind of coping mechanisms you use as well as how adept you are at dealing with stressful situations without them getting the best of your health, relationships and emotional well-being.
How Can You Reduce Stress? Top 10 Ways To Beat Your Stress Up
✅ Learning How To Relax Your Body
Even when the situation is stressful. Sometimes we find it easy to think that there’s nothing that we can do about the stressful situation we’re in, but there are plenty of things we can do to help ourselves.
For example, learning relaxation techniques is very important because it’s often a lot easier for us to be relaxed when we simply aren’t in a stressed out state.
It can also be a lot harder to relax when we’re in the middle of a stressful situation so this tip is pretty important.
✅ Avoiding Situations That Can Cause Stress
Stress comes from different situations, and how we act or react to them can also lead to it.
The best thing you can do about this is simply to avoid those situations which tend to cause stress in the first place.
This means that you’ll have to make some difficult choices when it comes to your relationships, friendships and even work and school.
If you know that certain people or places are going to make you stressed out, then simply avoid them altogether; even if they are important for your life in some way.
This may cause some stress now and then, but avoiding the stress will usually be better for your long-term health.
✅ Learn To Cope With Your Stress
If you don’t know how to cope with your stress, then you’ll have to get that under control as well; otherwise, it can do a lot of damage to those relationships and the rest of your life.
This means learning things like relaxation techniques or even therapy when you need it.
Whether you pay for the services or not, they can help a whole lot if you’re having trouble dealing with stress in any way.
✅ Reaching Out For Help When You Need It
The other way to manage your stress is to make sure that you have a support system in place when you most need it.
There’s no shame in getting help when you simply can’t do things on your own, and it doesn’t matter who that help comes from [friends and family, support groups etc.].
If you’re not sure where to start, try talking to the people around you or even your doctors about it.
They will be able to help you find what works best for you and make sure that you’re as healthy as possible under the circumstances.
✅ Finding a Hobby That Leaves Your Mind at Ease
Finding a stress-relieving hobby can really help you get away from the stressful situations that surround your life.
It doesn’t matter if it’s painting, gardening, reading or even some kind of physical activity; just something that makes you feel like your mind has been taken off of everything else.
✅ Doing Things That You Enjoy
A lot of times we’ll tell ourselves to “take a break” when we’re really feeling stressed out, but we don’t usually mean it.
What this really means is to do something that will actually give you the pleasure and enjoyment in life that you need to be happy and healthy.
This means we have to learn how to enjoy the things we really enjoy and keep ourselves out of those things that are causing us stress.
Some of the ways you can reduce stress and deal with it include yoga, meditation and journaling. By simply giving yourself some quiet time, you can be better prepared for whatever life throws at you.
???? Journaling is one of the best ways to deal with stress and it can also be quite therapeutic as well.
Writing about your feelings in a private place where nobody else will see what you wrote will help you process them; even if they’re not positive feelings.
???? Yoga is great for releasing tension in your body and increasing the oxygen flow to it as well. This helps your body release stored up toxins from within itself which combats stress.
In addition, it improves your health in many other ways as well. Yoga may be as easy as reaching out for a yoga mat or using your own body weight to perform different poses.
Either way, it will help you deal with stress in a very real way.
???? Meditation is another great option for dealing with stress and having more control over your emotions.
When you meditate, you can learn to release some of the thoughts in your head that create problems for you in the future.
Not only will this help you stop worrying about things that might never happen, it will clear your mind enough to get back on track when it comes to your fitness goals as well.
✅ Finding Quiet Time to Yourself
For people that aren’t great at meditation, finding some quiet time to yourself is often one of the best ways to go.
You can do this by taking a day off and just not dealing with anything that you have going on for a period of time or simply taking a few moments here and there to be alone with your thoughts and clear your mind.
✅ Getting More Sleep
This is one of the most overlooked ways to reduce stress because it takes time each night to re-energize your body.
If you’re getting eight hours of sleep a night, then consider seeing if you can get 10 or more as this can help a lot.
Along with other stress reducing techniques, this is one of the best things you can do to give yourself the energy and excitement
✅ Taking Time Out For Yourself and Your Sanity
This is one of the top stress relief tips that really works well for many people.
It’s hard for us to take time for ourselves when we feel like we don’t deserve it, or there just never seems to be enough time in our day.
Instead of looking at it as a selfish act, view it as a time to relax and reconnect with yourself.
✅ Letting Go of a Negative Mindset
A lot of the problems we have with stress come from having the wrong opinions on things or even getting upset over nothing for whatever reason.
When we are holding onto these negative thoughts, we’ll almost always do something to prove them right; which only causes more stress down the road.
✅ Making Time for The Things You Love.
Often times, we’ll find ourselves stressed out over a work project or just something that’s been going on in our lives that we don’t relate to.
Instead of letting this get the best of us, take the time to do something you genuinely enjoy because it will do wonders for your state of mind and get you back on track with regards to your goals.
✅ Being Active and Staying Active
When you are active which can mean anything from weight lifting, to working out at the gym, to playing sports etc; then you’re sending an important signal through your body that it’s time to be productive and focused on other things than stress.
When you’re active, your body is reminded that you’re healthy and it’s time to be productive.
✅ Learning Self-Control
This doesn’t mean that we should always do what we want or that we should always have control over everything in our lives.
What this means is that if we are being controlled by our emotions, then sometimes there is nothing wrong with learning how to control those emotions as well.
The key is learning how not to let your emotions take over you and control you instead of yourself controlling your emotions.
✅ Making Peace With Things That Have Happened In The Past
Learning how to deal with things that bother us is not always easy, but it is one of the most important steps to reducing stress in our lives.
We must learn how to accept the fact that sometimes we have no control over certain aspects of our lives and we shouldn’t worry about them.
Signs You May Be Experiencing Stress
1. Unexplainable Weight Loss
The first and most obvious sign; weight loss results from not eating for some time (not anorexia nervosa).
The biggest tip that tells you that stress is causing weight loss is the physical signs. Your body will not take anything in when stressed, losing weight to combat this is common.
2. Mood Swings
The other main sign of stress and weight loss; a person will have extreme mood swings both physically and mentally.
This is a result of your body trying and your mind telling you to eat even when you don’t want to eat.
This can cause you to gain a lot of weight very quickly because you’re not only eating (because you can’t stop) but also starving yourself (because your body wants to eat).
3. Unexplainable Fatigue
Extra Layers of fat, loss of energy and weakness, feeling not as great when you wake up is a clear sign that stress is causing weight loss.
This does not mean you’re anorexic, but it does mean there’s something going on mentally that’s causing your body to react in this way.
4. Dizziness
Another common signs of stress and weight loss; can cause dizziness and even fainting.
This is another one of your body’s responses to the strong mental feelings you have about stress. This can also cause dehydration and a slowdown on the body’s metabolism.
5. Irritability and Anxiety
When dealing with stress and weight loss, it is very common to become more irritable than usual.
You may have trouble relaxing, sleeping or meeting deadlines at work or school because you’re constantly worried about something.
This anxiety that comes from your body is also a sign that something else is going wrong as far as your health goes when dealing with stress and weight loss.
6. A Nonexistent Appetite
Your body is a master at telling you what it needs and when it needs it.
When dealing with stress and weight loss, your body won’t ask for food; it’ll be withdrawn from the idea of eating. This is one way your body tries to combat stress physically.
Try to relax or take some time away from the situation that is causing you stress so you can talk to someone else about what’s going on in your life.
7. Exhaustion
This sign of stress and weight loss takes a bit longer to notice than many of the other signs; however, once they’re noticed; they should be addressed because they aren’t going away on their own anytime soon.
8. Worsening Mental Conditions
It’s not uncommon for certain mental health conditions to be caused by stress. These include depression, personality disorders, anxiety and bipolar disorder.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms; you should consider seeking treatment because stress can cause a lot of damage to your mental health.
9. Chronic Pain or Illness
Chronic pain or illness is also caused by the influence of stress in the body.
Try to keep an eye on your symptoms and seek out help if there’s something that seems to be lingering for a long time; it may not be normal but it’s still important to check in and see if anything is wrong until you know what may cause this symptom.
10. Physical Sensations
The most obvious sign that stress is causing weight loss is the sensations you feel in your body when you notice some of these other things.
It is not uncommon to feel so weak, so tired, or even so dizzy that you feel like you could pass out or even vomit on the spot when dealing with stress and weight loss.
That’s why it’s important to remember; talk to someone when you’re feeling stressed out – don’t just deal with it on your own because eventually, your body will react physically in ways that can be dangerous for others and yourself.
What Should You Do?
The best way to deal with stress is to talk about it. Talking to a parent, friend or even a teacher can help you in your battle against stress.
f talking doesn’t work; you should consider seeking professional therapy to help you handle the stress in your life before it becomes too much for your body and mind.
As long as your body feels safe and comfortable, it can deal with stressful situations.
Bottom Line On “Can Stress Cause Weight Loss”
Stress can cause weight loss, but stress and weight loss are really not normal.
There are lots of other reasons that can cause stress and weight loss, but if it’s happening to you; you should get help because the things you’re worrying over may be causing you more harm than good.
It never hurts to seek help so deal with your stress in a healthy way.
So, if you’re finding yourself losing weight and being stressed at the same time, know that it’s going to take some time to get better.
There are different things you can do, but remember; stress can cause weight loss and it should not be taken lightly.
Seek advice asap. Good luck!
