Is stress the Devil behind your weight-gain.

In the last few weeks, I'm noticing that I'm gaining a lot of weight and started looking fatty.  Though, there are no major changes in my lifestyle but Not to mention that professional and personal stress are at peak. Father is going through a serious disease and the boss is doing major unfavorable changes in the office.  These are my reasons for stress but in today's lifestyle it is an inseparable part of our day-to-day life. There are so many factors which can add up to the stress level, it could be unpaid bills, a teenager's immature decision, not getting married or not having a baby. The reasons are thousands but the outcome is stress and more stress. When I checked about the stress and weight gain on the net, I found a direct relation between the two and when I dug more, the information I gathered was shocking. Not many of us are aware that stress is the main reason for gaining weight every now and then in spite of keeping a check on the diet and doing regular exercises. Let us see how it happens.

"While the immediate  response to acute stress can be a temporary loss of appetite, but eventually chronic stress can be tied to an increase in appetite and stress-induced weight -gain."Says Elissa Epel, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the university of California  at San Francisco.She says the problem lies with our neuroendocrine system--- a mind to body connection, which releases the stress hormones like adrenaline, corticotrophin releasing hormone(CRH) and cortisol. CRH works while you are in stress and decrease the appetite for a while , however, cortisol works post-stress and repair the body after the stress passes away . It increases the appetite and ultimately driving you to eat more . When you are under stress, eating more and more gives a relaxation feeling.For the first couple of days in a stressful event, cortisol pushes you to eat more sugary and starchy foods,sooner it becomes a pattern.When we are continuously under stress for quite a long time, the next thing which comes in is "visceral fat" , which sets in the mid-section of our body. These fat cells which are directly hidden in the abdomen can be linked with serious lifestyle diseases like sugar and high BP.

But the good thing is , by doing little changes in our lifestyle, we can avoid the stress related problems.

• Exercise: The most effective against stress is doing regular exercise. It could be in any form like walking, going to the gym,  playing an outdoor game, swimming etc. It releases a hormone which makes us feel happy.

• Don't Skip any meal : The key is not to skip any meal not even breakfast and eat healthy. Include lot of fruits, veggies , whole food, nuts etc in your daily diet. This way, your body will be well nourished and during a stressful event, will cope up in a better way.Take your vitamins regularly. Do not forget to keep your body hydrated by drinking 8-10 glasses of water. 

• Have proper sleep: A sleep-deprived body is more likely to give in to the stress. Always take at least 8 hours sleep and do not compromise on this in any given condition.

• Devote time to relaxation: Spend your free time wisely and learn a hobby. It could be anything like painting, dancing , potting, gardening etc. When we do a task without any specific deadline or any pressure, it gives a feeling of relaxation. Also, try to mediate for at least 10 minutes daily, it will remove all the negativity from the mind.

According to experts, if you are feeling yourself under stress at any given time, try to do anything which will relax you. So, now on-wards try to reduce the stress level if you feel that you are gaining weight.