October 15th, 2016

6 Tips To Escape The Anxiety Weight Gain Cycle?

 
As any anxious person can tell you, anxiety leads to stress.  Not all anxious people have weight issues, it can go either way.  However for those experiencing prolonged stress the chances of weight gain increase significantly. 

​You may not realise that prolonged stress will lead to the release of Cortisol, the stress hormone.  When this hormone is released in the body it sends a signal to the brain that it must stock up on energy sources in case fight or flight is imminent.  This message is received by the brain which will then tell you that you need sugar, carbs and fat.  It will tell you in the most persuasive way possible so that you are soon craving foods like chips or chocolate and telling yourself you don’t feel like cooking  vegetables or don’t have time because you need to eat the quickest easiest thing possible and eat it to excess.

Cortisol encourages the body to store fat around the midsection which is why people under stress find it more difficult to lose weight. To exacerbate this Anxiety uses up a lot of energy, and consequently it leaves people feeling drained and less inclined to be involved in calorie burning exercise and activities.

Weight gain and inactivity can then become an additional cause for anxiety.  The body needs to move a lot because that’s what it’s evolved to do; when this doesn’t happen chemicals that lift the mood are not released in the brain leaving you feeling flat.

Adding to these factors, one of the main underpinnings of anxiety is the self-critical and judgemental internal voice.  This judgemental self-talk will convince the anxious person that everyone is judging them negatively due to their appearance and weight gain.  This leads to extreme self-consciousness particularly when doing exercise, and often leads to avoidant behaviour and comfort eating.

As if all that’s not enough; when people become overweight it can affect their breathing pattern. Excess weight can cause shallow breathing.  Shallow breathing compounds the existing symptoms of anxiety because it is a fight flight response and thanks to the mind body connection the brain will take it’s cue from this physical  indicator and jump on board the fight flight response bandwagon activating other responses.
​
Understanding how weight gain and anxiety can contribute to each other is the first step to tackling the problem.  Some simple steps to take are to:

1. Be mindful of your breath and focus on taking slow deep breaths (as deep as is comfortable for you) whenever you have the opportunity.  If you notice that your breathing is shallow take steps to address it easily and naturally and visualise your body relaxing as the oxygen flows more freely through it.
2. Understand that the most effective way to reverse the effects of cortisol in your body is to practice deep relaxation; mindfulness and yoga are two practices that will help with this.  A daily practice of 10 minutes of mindfulness will substantially reduce your stress within days and change the structure of your brain to increase your ability to regulate your emotions after only 8 weeks.
3. When  you get those sugar and carb. cravings remind yourself that it’s your brain doing that thing, and take steps to relax and identify the emotion that your feeling, name it, acknowledge it and sit with it.  It may be boredom, disappointment, sadness, anger… whatever the emotion you can make room for it and sit with it, once acknowledge you’ll find it substantially reduces. 
4. Acknowledge that you’re feeling anxious, take note of where you’re feeling it most in your body and focus mindfully on that part of your body breathing relaxation in to it and exhaling the stress and tension.
5. A Daily walk is a great first step towards increasing your aerobic fitness, it also reduces anxiety releases endorphins and helps clear the mind.  30 minutes a day even if it’s broken into 3 10 minute walks will make a difference.
6. Practice self-compassion, learning to be compassionate to yourself reduces stress and allows you the head space and clarity to make constructive changes in your life.

 
If you are finding your Anxiety levels difficult to manage or are struggling to lose weight and would like some help please feel free to give us a call on 0435 923 817 or use this Contact Form.  Our programs are tailored to your individual needs and will help you achieve the change you want to see in reducing your Anxiety levels so that you can live a full life with confidence!
 
For further information on Anxiety click this link.
For further information on Weight Loss click on this link

I’d love to hear from you, if you have any experience with Anxiety and weight gain please comment below.
Georgina Mitchell
Leading Anxiety and Weight Loss Specialist Melbourne
Located Mentone, South East Suburbs Melbourne