Stress and Weight Loss: Why Dieting Alone Is Not Enough

Stress and Weight Loss: Why Dieting Alone Is Not Enough

Many individuals struggle with attaining and maintaining their ideal weight. Many people spend enormous amounts of money on gym memberships, personal trainers, and dietitians but achieve very minimal or unsatisfactory results.

More than just a problem of metabolism and food intake, recent studies show that stress and anxiety might be among the top reasons why people have a hard time losing weight. The human body actually responds to stressful situations by initiating a burst of energy; and by increasing metabolic rates and blood flow. The body also produces a substance called Cortisol, a natural steroid-like hormone that is also called the stress hormone. It is known as thestress hormone because large amounts of this substance are released whenever a person feels stressed out. It is an important hormone in the human body because it is used by the body for proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, immune system function, and inflammatory response. However, high levels of cortisol may do more harm than good. When people becomes stressed, the adrenal glands produce more cortisol that release...