Can Anxiety Cause Weight Gain?

Anxiety could be perplexing. It can hinder your day to day routine. When people are more anxious, they are more susceptible to long term stress. And where stress affects mental health, it also takes a toll on your physical health as well. However, before moving on to a conclusion, we have to understand that anxiety is different for everyone, and individuals have their own coping mechanisms to deal with it. Let’s see where you lie on the spectrum and then in the light of those facts, you can see if your anxiety is causing or triggering weight gain for you or not.

How Anxiety Affects Physically?

Cortisol:

When anxiety causes stress, hormone named cortisol is released. Cortisol or stress hormone can cause skin irritation, inflammation and fat build up along the waistline. In individuals with severe anxiety, cortisol could be more active and they could have trouble maintaining their weight.

Excessive Eating:

As mentioned above, people choose different coping mechanisms to deal with anxiety. Some people tend to eat more during their anxious phase. For one, eating more releases endorphins which subsequently improves the mood. And secondly, some people feel more hungry during their distressed times. But again not every individual gains weight due to anxiety. In fact, some people don’t feel hungry at all and might not even eat for the whole day during their anxiety episodes.

Limited or No Activity At All:

Stress can have various effects on people. Most people feel that they’re incapacitated to do anything. They either remain inactive, sluggish or sleep more to avoid their feelings of anxiousness. But on the contrary, some believe that the only way to move forward is to keep busy. They go for a run, jogging or even on a hiking adventure to eliminate the stress.

So What Can You Do To Keep Anxiety From Affecting Your Weight?

Well, at first, read the article and check your lifestyle for signs. See where you land. If you are on the verge of gaining weight, you must always follow the alternative. For instance, if anxiety doesn’t allow you to go for a run or any other activity, switch to mind exercises. Go for yoga based on modified workouts. Clear your mind.

If you go on a hunger spree when you are anxious, you can always keep your options healthy. Replace oily stuff with baked or grilled. Choose low carb or protein instead of high carbs and saturated fats. Another idea to make it even better is look for a new recipe every day, choose healthier ingredients and keep yourself busy in something which makes you feel better.

At Houston Weight Loss, our experts believe that anxiety can elevate in quarantine but if you make up your mind and follow these tips, you can easily keep anxiety from making you fat.