Stress, Adrenal Fatigue and Weight Gain
Some people lose weight when they are stressed and others put it on. But even if you’re not eating more, what’s going on inside your body due to the stress might be making you overweight. I have a list here of things that are ‘stressful” that might be contributing to your spare tire around the middle!
25 things that cause a stress response in the body and make us overweight
| Causes | Possible effects of that stress |
| Eating too many calories and not getting enough nutrients | Always hungry, nutrient deficiencies may lead to disease |
| Preservatives, artificial colours | Add to the load on the liver |
| Pesticides, metals and other poisons | Can damage cells, can kill gut flora |
| Artificial sweeteners | Long term weight gain, carb craving and MS-like symptoms |
| Thinking negative thoughts | Increases cortisol levels |
| Putting up with being unhappy | Frustration & resentment which may elevate blood pressure or stress the liver |
| Boredom | Can lead to overeating |
| Unresolved anger, grief, hurt | Body tension which affects circulation to that area. Can cause emotional eating |
| Unexpressed joy, happiness and appreciation | Emotions become negative and fester within us. |
| White flour | Raised blood sugar and insulin. Produces inflammation, causes cell damage |
| White sugar | Raised blood sugar and insulin. Produces inflammation, causes cell damage |
| Trans, hydrogenated and oxidized fats | Raised blood sugar and insulin. Produces inflammation, causes cell damage |
| Alcohol | Poisonous to the liver, increases requirement for nutrients |
| Caffeine | Leaches nutrients from the body |
| Missing breakfast | Causes fatigue and overeating at the end of the day |
| Eating too late at night | Leads to missing breakfast – See #15. |
| Eating huge quantities of food | Requires more digestive enzymes than possible our gut can make. Overloads all systems. Causes us to miss breakfast. |
| Medications | Toxic to the liver |
| Smoking, recreational drugs | Increases heavy metal load and contains other chemicals that can overload the liver |
| Poor quality supplements | Waste of money |
| Misguided ambition | Raises adrenalin and cortisol levels, increases inflammation, can raise blood pressure and risk of stroke |
| Jealousy | Makes us irrational and the victim in our own story of life |
| Self-hate | Leads to self-destructive behaviours like smoking and binge eating |
| Allergies & intolerance | Can create cravings |
| Poor liver and bowel detoxification | Causes unhealthy blood which has multiple flow on affects that can be detrimental to our health and weight |
Contact Brenda for your complimentary discovery session to discuss your adrenal recovery program. brenda@qwomen.com.au.
