A Stressful Reality
Despite all your efforts to lose weight, stress can be one of the big things standing in your way. Stress makes your body prioritize survival, and can sabotage weight loss attempts or even influence new habits altogether.
1. Emotional Eating
It’s common for people to develop a rewarding relationship with food, where they use it to fill holes in their life that have nothing to do with hunger. For example, emotional eaters will eat when they’re bored, or even to pick themselves up when they’re sad.
2. Yo-Yo Dieting
This refers to a trend where somebody slingshots from one diet to another, with no real ability to stick to one. This means they’re treating dieting as a fad, and are using it to treat a symptom of a more serious stress problem.
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3. Loss of Motivation
If you suddenly feel a loss of motivation, which extends to dieting among other aspects of your life, then this could be brought on by stress. Depression and anxiety in particular can contribute to a lackluster feeling that makes you want to do nothing at all.
4. Scale Won’t Budge
If you are trying to lose weight, and are actively sticking to exercise and dieting, then it might surprise you when the scale still refuses to budge. This could be caused by high cortisol, which is a stress hormone that can cause weight gain in the abdomen.
5. Digestive Issues
While this isn’t always the case, sometimes our inner emotions manifest in our physical body. This means stress can lead to upset stomachs, among other traits. So if physical aids like probiotics aren’t helping your digestion, you might want to tackle your stress instead.
6. Cravings
Similar to emotional eating, stress can use cravings as band-aid solutions. If you suddenly feel the urge to eat certain things in particular, then these are cravings at work. Often, you’re not really hungry, but just want to scratch an emotional itch.
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7. Binge Eating
Binge eating is a common manifestation of stress, and it involves episodes where the person eats way more than they should in a consecutive sitting. This might mean you have an unhealthy relationship with food, or your body may be using the binge to mask other emotions.
8. Too Sluggish
Exercise is another big component of weight loss, but when you’re stressed, you might feel too tired and unmotivated to get physical. The thought of going outside and moving around in your body may make you feel insecure and judged, and this could be a symptom of underlying stress.
9. Drinking Too Much
There are also plenty of calories in alcoholic beverages, which is another habit people may develop when they’re feeling stressed. If you choose to self-medicate with beverages, this can only contribute to your weight problem.
10. Giving Up
When you’re feeling stressed, especially if it develops into depression or anxiety, you may find yourself just wanting to give up. The idea of weight loss may feel too far out of reach, and you may just let the bad thoughts win and convince you to stop trying to lose weight.
Now that we talked about signs you’re too stressed to lose weight, here are 10 ways to tackle the problem at the root.
1. Creative Outlets
At its core, you want to find ways to reduce stress, and one way lots of people find peace is through a creative outlet. Try painting, writing, or making music, anything that can help you process your emotions and let them go.
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2. Help Others
It may sound counter-intuitive, but sometimes helping people, especially those facing similar struggles to yourself, can make you feel better. For instance, give to a charity that is near and dear to your heart, or volunteer your time to feel like you have a positive impact.
3. Practice Gratitude
It may sound easier said than done, but you want to show yourself some gratitude. Praise yourself for the positive things in your life, no matter how small. Consider writing these things down in a journal and reading them to yourself when you feel low.
4. Talk It Out
Seek out friends and family members who are good listeners. Even if no one has any solutions, simply talking about your problems and saying them out loud can help you let out the stress and process the feelings.
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5. Meditate
If you prefer a more private outlet, then consider meditating. While it certainly isn’t for everyone, in some it can create a space for deep relaxation. Just focus on your breathing and turn your little meditation corner into a safe space.
6. Journaling
Journaling your thoughts and the events of the day is a great way to express, process, and better understand your feelings. This prevents you from bottling up your emotions, which could lead to a binge instead.
7. Choose Healthier Snacks
If you can’t help but snack or emotionally eat to cope with your stress, then do yourself the favor of choosing healthier options. If you only have low-calorie or healthy-alternative snacks in the house, then you’ll at least be limiting the negative effects.
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8. Exercise
Exercise has so many more benefits aside from weight loss, as it’s good for your mental health too. Of course, if you’re not feeling motivated to exercise due to your stress, you’ll want to use a different solution first.
9. Getting Out in Nature
The human psyche reacts positively when exposed to nature, as it can have a calming effect on us. So seek out scenic parks or lakeside beaches and just take a moment to relax.
10. Deep Breaths
Next time you feel the onset of stress, practice breathing instead. You want to make this a habit, as deep and slow breathing is known to help calm the body in the face of frustration, anger, and stress.
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