There is a natural, stress-related hormone in the human body, which is known as cortisol. It contributes to weight gain, particularly abdominal fat. The fact is that high amounts of cortisol get released into the blood stream when you are under stress. The receptors for cortisol are located in the abdomen area. This triggers the fat storage there. Additionally, excess cortisol can actually make your metabolism slow down, making it difficult for you to achieve weight loss. Thus, even if you are not consuming more calories than usual, you could still be gaining weight.
The fact is that stress stimulates the appetite, thus it is likely that you will tend to take in more calories than usual when you are under stress, which compounds the problem. Together, eating more calories as well as having a slower metabolism than usual only makes weight loss more difficult. It means that you tend to take in more calories than usual, as well as don’t burn them efficiently.
Not only this, the tendency to eat high-fat diets is linked to both; increased cortisol reactivity as well as a greater preference for sweet foods. Though cortisol is connected to weight gain, it is not advised to use pills in order to decrease or prevent cortisol related weight gain. This is because no pill can replace a healthy program of diet as well as exercise in order to achieve weight loss.
Since it is lack of emotional support that is directly linked to the tendency to stress-eat, it is important that you should build your own support network. This may mean joining a support group or even an in-person weight loss program. Or, it may be to know which friend or family member you can turn to in case of need for support and motivation, instead of beginning to eat in response to stress.