Managing Stress

Stress & Overeating Understanding the Connection

Recipe for OvereatingExample from Michele May, M.D.

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Recipe for Instinctive EatingExample from Michele May, M.D.

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Focus on Stress Dont Ignore it!To change our stress and how we respond to it, we must acknowledge and understand it

Take a min to consider how (or if) you manage stress now. Do youPower throughStick your head in the sand Procrastinate (move on to something less stressful and avoid the actual current problem?)Overwork, smoke, OVER EAT, drink alcohol toexcess, isolate yourself, or take out frustration on others?

The above behaviors tend to make the stress worse.

Do you pause and take a few deep breaths? If not, well practice this today.

Explore Your StressesMany kinds of stressessome stresses are universal such as the loss of a loved one or a birth of child. Physical Stress

Fatigue and sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, illness, pain, and others.

Can leave you more susceptible to stress from other sources.

Emotional Stress and DepressionBoredom, loneliness, anger, frustration, happiness, depression, etc. Emotions provide information so practice noticing what youre feeling without judging it.

Explore Your StressesStressful Thinking

How you think about stress and how you react to it can actually increase the stress.

Stress can be a result from your perception and interpretation of lifes events.

Examples: Speaking in public - for one person, could cause a pounding heart, dry throat, and inability to utter a word. To a different person, it is an exciting opportunity to get ones views across.

Thoughts that can increase stress include: I feel like everything is out of control! I have to get this perfect.I can do it all, have it all, and be it all!

Accept the StressSo you can manage it!

When you accept the stress you cant control you can choose how you react to the stresses you CAN control

The demands in life for our energy and time can lead to unrealistic expectations and a sense of urgency

Leads to more stress Setting boundaries for ourselves and with others can help and takes practice

Everyone has stresses, strengths and limitations At times, we may need to be reminded to use self-compassion about what we do well.

A more realistic response to stress: Im feeling overwhelmed and tense. I cant do everything on my to do list; no one could, but Im doing my best-and that will have to be good enough for now.

Its like imagining yourself at the center of the tornado; you are calm and centered while everything whirls around you.

What is Your Stress Response

Does Stress Causes Changes in Your Routine?

Food Choices: Eat stress foods for comfort

Schedule: Change your meal schedule (skip meals, mindless snacking, eat on the run?)

Sleep: Have trouble sleeping

Physical Activity: Exercise less

Short term impact of stress: Releases a hormone called corticotropin-releasing hormone, which suppresses appetite

Brain sends messages to the adrenal glands to pump out the hormone epinephrine also called adrenaline. When you are in this fight-or-flight stage your brain is revered up and it temporarily puts eating on hold.

If stress persists: adrenal gland releases a hormone called cortisone which actually increases the appetite Once stressful episode is over cortisol will drop unless stress persists it can leave the cortisol levels stuck on on and stay elevated

Stress and Overeating

Stress, the hormones it unleashes, and the effects of high-fat, sugary comfort foods push people toward overeating.

Researchers have linked weight gain to stress, and according to an American Psychological Association survey, about one-fourth of Americans rate their stress level as 8 or more on a 10-point scale.

Stress in the long term:http://fitness.makeupandbeauty.com/stress-hormone-cortisol-and-weight-gain/Physical or emotional distress increases the intake of food high in fat, sugar, or both

High cortisol levels, in combination with high insulin levels, may be responsible vs ghrelin, a hunger hormone, may have a role

High fat and sugar-filled foods reduce the stress affect in parts of the brain that produce and process stress and related emotions you are treating the stress and it is working! THIS MAY INCREASE OUR STRESS INDUCED CRAVINGS TO FOOD!

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Gender differencesSome research suggests a gender difference in stress-coping behavior, with women being more likely to turn to food and men to alcohol or smoking.

Harvard researchers have found that stress is correlated with weight gain, but only in those who were overweight at the beginning of the study period.

One theory is that overweight people have elevated insulin levels, and stress-related weight gain is more likely to occur in the presence of high insulin.

How much cortisol people produce in response to stress may also factor into the stressweight gain equation.

In 2007, British researchers designed an ingenious study that showed that people who responded to stress with high cortisol levels in an experimental setting were more likely to snack in response to daily hassles in their regular lives than low-cortisol responders.

Stress Response:Stressed people also lose sleep, exercise less, and drink more alcohol, all of which can contribute to excess weight.

Food Behaviors and StressDo you know which foods to tend to eat due to stress? Do you know how much you eat? (Is it a portioned amount or until the bag or container is empty)

Try replacing these foods with alternatives : Nutssmall amount of fruitCrunchy veggies and dip Soup broth If you crave carbs, try complex carbs like air-popped popcorn or whole grain English muffin

Portion out the food instead of eating from containers OR purchase pre-portioned foods (ex. 100 calorie snack packs of nuts) Keep tempting comfort foods out of the house Even better, work towards finding a non-food related activity instead

Non-Food Ways to Manage Stress

MeditationStudies show that meditation reduces stressMost of the research has focused on high blood pressure and heart disease. Meditation may also help people become more mindful of food choices. Theres an app for that! Cleveland Clinic Stress Free (iPhone)

ExerciseIntense exercise increases cortisol levels temporarily, but low-intensity exercise seems to reduce them. Some activities, such as yoga and tai chi, have elements of both exercise and meditation.

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Non-Food Ways to Manage StressSocial support. Friends, family, and other sources of social support seem to have a buffering effect on the stress that people experience.

For example, research suggests that people working in stressful situations, like hospital emergency departments, have better mental health if they have adequate social support.

Therapy or Counseling Can be very helpful for reshaping our thoughts about daily stresses and managing depression/emotions

Stress Busters 4 Ways to Manage Stress

Positive Self Talk I will do the best I can Emergency Stress StopperTake 5 Deep Breaths Take a walk Make Time for Something You Enjoy Reading a bookLearn How To Relax and Practice Often Lets Practice Today

Sources Adams CE, et al. Lifestyle Factors and Ghrelin: Critical Review and Implications for Weight Loss Maintenance, Obesity Review (May 2011): Vol. 12, No. 5, electronic publication.Manzoni GM, et al. Can Relaxation Training Reduce Emotional Eating in Women with Obesity? Journal of the American Dietetic Association (Aug. 2009): Vol. 109, No. 8, pp. 142732.Mathes WF, et al. The Biology of Binge Eating, Appetite (June 2009): Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 54553.Spencer SJ, et al. The Glucocorticoid Contribution to Obesity, Stress (Feb. 6, 2011): Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 23346.Vicennati V, et al. Stress-Related Development of Obesity and Cortisol in Women, Obesity (Sept. 2009): Vol. 17, No. 9, pp. 167883.http://amihungry.com/stress-management-101/ http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeat