Originally published October 18 2005
Keeping weight off means managing your stress
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
At the North American Association for the Study of Obesity's Annual Scientific Meeting, a new study was presented that proposed depression and stress cause people to regain lost weight.
If you've lost excess weight (or want to do so), upgrading your emotional coping skills may help keep those pounds off for good.
In a new study, people who were stressed or depressed were more likely to regain weight.
They consumed more calories, especially calories from fat.
That can create a cycle of losing and gaining weight, sometimes called the "yo-yo" effect.
The essence of weight gain is simple -- consume more calories than you burn, and you'll gain weight.
The women were screened at the end of the weight loss program and again nine, 12, and 18 months later.
They answered questions about their moods, stress levels, and eating habits.
Higher stress and depression scores predicted weight regain, the study shows.
"The regain occurred as a result of the women consuming both more calories and a greater percentage of fat in their diets," Rhode tells WebMD.
"This suggests that the women may have been eating more high-fat, high-calorie foods as a way of coping with their stress, and that the stress caused a decline in the healthier eating behaviors they had been engaging in when they initially lost the weight," she continues.
Rhode is an assistant professor in the preventive medicine department at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.
These women represent a medically underserved population at "very high risk for obesity and obesity-related diseases," are often overlooked in weight loss studies, and typically find it hard to lose weight, Rhode notes.
It may be possible to reduce or get rid of some stressors, but a totally stress-free existence isn't likely.
Doctors or counselors may be able to help you find new solutions.
The first steps are recognizing the problem and seeking help.
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