Can’t hold back the urge to binge eat? Weight stress

Nine out of ten rich people are bald, and probably nine out of ten bosses are fat! Being rich doesn’t necessarily make you bald, but the pressure of being a boss or a senior executive can easily cause one to lose weight. In fact, not just senior executives, many people may have had the experience of losing control and eating too much when under great pressure.

A research report pointed out that the blood sugar concentration, insulin concentration, and cortisol (stress hormone) concentration of senior executives are significantly higher than those of ordinary employees, by 20-25%. The average waist circumference is also 7-8 cm larger than that of ordinary employees, reflecting the changes in the physical health of senior executives under greater pressure.

Food can be soothing, and eating a lot can give people a sense of relief from stress. Unfortunately, when people are under stress, they often want to eat high-calorie foods, such as chocolate, fried chicken, French fries, ice cream, cakes and sweets. As a result, people who originally ate to relieve stress will experience greater psychological pressure and guilt after eating, and in severe cases they may even fall into a vicious cycle of pathological overeating and depression.

Stress causes hormone imbalance

From a physiological perspective, stress is closely related to hormones in the body, among which serotonin may be the most important regulatory hormone. Serotonin is responsible for controlling emotions in the brain. When the serotonin concentration in the brain is too low, you will feel depressed, anxious and hungry. Hunger prompts the body to want to consume food, especially sugary foods, so that the unbalanced serotonin can be restored to balance and relieve stress and low mood.

Stress disrupts metabolism

Another stress-related hormone is cortisol. When people face stress, the hypothalamus in the brain will signal the pituitary gland to secrete stress hormones, one of which is Cortisol. When the level of cortisol in the body is high for a long time, it will change the metabolic function of fat and sugar and affect eating behavior, causing people to unknowingly consume high-sugar and high-fat foods to relieve stress, which also causes a large amount of fat to accumulate in the abdomen. Additionally, stress hormones can increase insulin resistance, leading to symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

Reduce stress first and then lose weight

If you don’t want your weight to get out of control due to stress, it is important to find a stress relief method that suits you. Here are some suggestions for your reference:

1. Use your body to help your mind escape from stress: When you are busy at work, you often get stuck in your chair for hours, or maintain the same posture for too long; once your muscles become stiff, stress will increase, and you will often stuff snacks and biscuits into your mouth, and the calories you consume unknowingly are usually considerable. It is recommended to force yourself to get up and walk around every hour, do some stretching exercises or simple office exercises to relieve stress, empty your mind and then continue, so that your mind will be clearer. In addition, drinking more water can make you feel full, and going to the bathroom more often can also increase your activity level.

2. Exercise makes people happy, and interest brings people vitality: Exercise stimulates the brain to secrete hormones called "endorphins", which can make people feel happy, relieve stress, and consume calories and burn fat. Outdoor activities allow you to enjoy natural sunlight, which helps increase the level of serotonin in the body, boost spirits, and improve low moods. In addition, cultivating interests such as painting, flower arranging, and playing musical instruments can also achieve a certain stress-relieving effect.

3. Better sleep will help you lose half of your weight: Lack of sleep will lead to poor metabolism, which will easily lead to edema and weight gain. Stress can cause insomnia, so good sleeping habits are even more important. Usually, you should avoid stimulating foods, such as coffee, cigarettes, etc.; do not watch TV or surf the Internet before going to bed, and do not work in bed. According to research, people who sleep about seven hours a day are least likely to gain weight, so don't get too little or too much sleep. Simply getting enough sleep is enough to keep stress and appetite under control.

4. When you feel like eating a lot, try to change the environment first: When the urge to eat a lot arises, try to put yourself in an environment where it is not convenient to eat a lot. You can use something happy to reinforce your actions, such as: buying beautiful clothes, enjoying a SPA, watching a movie, etc. Don't keep cookie snacks at home or in the office to reduce the chance of eating junk food. If you really can't help but eat, you can eat high-fiber, low-calorie foods first to take up some space in your stomach and reduce calorie absorption. You can also supplement more amino acid nutrients (tryptophan is the precursor of serotonin) in your daily life, such as milk, bananas, oats, whole grains, etc., to provide the raw materials for the human body to synthesize serotonin and maintain hormone balance.

5. Build a social circle that makes you feel good: The care and support from family and friends can help reduce anxiety and stress. Therefore, invest a little time to manage your interpersonal relationships, get in touch with more people and things that make you feel positive and optimistic, or engage in favorite activities with friends and partners to keep yourself in a cheerful mood and release the negative energy brought by stress.

6. Seek professional help in a timely manner: If you find that you or your friends have a tendency to generalized anxiety or depression, or even fall into pathological bulimia, such as regretting after a crazy eating binge, using vomiting, laxatives, or excessive dieting to compensate for the guilt after binge eating, you must seek medical help as soon as possible.