Stres....a odchudzanie?

[kroptusia]

Ciagle mnie to trapi, od kilku dlugich mc zyje w ekstremalnym stresie pt
praca-szpital-dom, nieprzespane noce,wiec juz chodze na rzesach i prawie
2letnie dziecko - zywe srebro,ktore wychowuje sama. Jednak stres powodowany
jest raczej ciezka choroba mamy od 10 lat, ale ktora wrecz od pazdz."umiera"
nam na hematoligii, a ja spie z fonem jakby dzwonili,bo niby zero szans - no
ale to niewazne, takie wprowadzenie,napietrzenie sie najwazniejszych spraw w
mym zyciu i zawalenie w kazdej dziedzinie spowodowalo,ze w b.krotkim czasie
przytylam ok 8kg juz :-((. Po ciazy zrzucilam wage i trzymalam, do tego
momentu.Zaznacze ze duzo nie jem, wrecz nieregularnie, brak apetytu, czasem
zdarzalo sie ze wcale, czasem, wieczorem, czasem normlanie, jednak przewijal
sie jakis drink, piwo,na odreagowanie syt.,ktore powodowaly wrecz iz mialam
problemy z sercem, ale jednak byl...Do tego ja od 3mc choruje, a ze nie mam
czasu sie leczyc (polozyc do lozka) to tez mnie denerwuje...I stad
pytanie,czy taki stres, jak dla mnie max,moze powodowac problemy z waga?
Wzrost? Czy w takiej syt. odchudzanie mija sie z celem? Mialam juz nie raz
zaczac, ale nie mam warunkow, a 2 podejscia nie wyszly....nie wiem czemu,
moze z uwagi na napiecie...Nie wiem moze sa jakies artykuly na ten temat?

[Gość: Judyta]

Kroptusiu, przede wszystkim przykro mi z racji Twojej mamy, to jest trudna
sytuacja.

Interesujace, ze zaczelas ten watek, poniewaz ja od dluzszego czasu
poszukiwalam informacji na temat zwiazku stresu z przybieraniem na wadze.
Szukala, bo u siebie od lat obserwowalam te prawidlowosc. I w zeszlym tygodniu
znalazlam bardzo interesujacy artykul, o tej wlasnie zaleznosci. Tak, stres
sprzyja przyrostowi wagi i moim zdaniem odchudzanie sie w stresie jest
bezcelowe. Najpierw nalezy sobie zycie troche poukladac, zeby mozna bylo sobie
pozwolic na wyciszenie i koncentracje na sobie (to brzmi okropnie egoistycznie,
ale tak niestety jest...). A tzw diety i liczenie kazdej kalorii sprzyjaja
stresowi, bo sie mysli, tego nie moge jesc, tamtego nie moge a taka mam ochote
na paczka, itp. Wiecej stresu.

Zycze Ci, zebys zdolala przede wszystkim wyzdrowiec, poradzic sobie z sytuacja
rodzinna i po prostu zdrowo sie odzywiac.

Jesli poslugujesz sie angielskim to przeczytaj ten artykul, jesli nie to
postaram sie niedlugo przetlumaczyc najwazniejsze fragmenty. Lub jesli ktos ma
wiecej czasu na tym forum, to prosze przetlumaczyc, to bedzie z korzyscia dla
wielu, jestem pewna!

[Gość: Judyta]

Michael Stefano


Money worries, health, juggling home, job and kids…today's world provides ample
stimulation to trigger a stressful response. But did you know that this stress
response could be making you fat?
The Flight or Fight Response
Millions of years ago, our cavemen ancestors needed to react swiftly to any
perceived threat. This flight or fight response was designed to provide quick
energy for 5-10 minutes, enabling our forefathers and mothers to either do
battle or run. At the first sign of perceived danger, the human brain releases
a substance known as corticotropin-releasing-hormone, or CRH. CRH travels to
the adrenal cortex and stimulates the release of the hormones adrenalin and
cortisol.
Immediately eyesight and hearing improve, lung capacity jumps, and thinking
becomes more focused. The digestive system is temporarily shut down, and blood
is shunted from the internal organs for emergency use elsewhere. Heart rate and
blood pressure climb, and due to increased cortisol levels, more stored fuel
(fat and glucose) is mobilised for quick action. Production of insulin, the fat
storage hormone, is also dramatically increased. Insulin overrides signals from
adrenalin to burn fat, and instead, encourages the body to store fat (for
future use) in the abdominal region.
This life-saving, emergency response plan was appropriate to an era when your
biggest concern was surviving the day. But when was the last time you reacted
to a stressful situation by actually fighting or running away? Unfortunately,
the human brain cannot distinguish between a valid physical threat and
ordinary, day-to-day stress. For many stressed-out individuals, the flight or
fight response is triggered on an almost continuous basis.
Here's what we know so far:
Your body reacts to stress and prepares itself to run or fight by releasing
certain hormones (adrenalin, cortisol, insulin). Your brain cannot distinguish
between chronic stress and a life-threatening situation, and will react the
same in both cases. In today’s world, physical threats are few and far between,
but day-to-day stress is chronic, and can also trigger the flight or fight
response.
Cortisol is the Culprit
As you sit in your car and stew over the wall of traffic in front of you, the
deadlines at work you’ll never meet, and the bills you can’t pay, your brain
begins to sense the onset of a threatening situation and sets the flight or
fight response into motion.
You feel this as nervous tension or just plain anxiety. Your heart pounds, you
want to jump out of your skin, but you can only sit. All that extra fuel (in
the form of fat and glucose) that's designed to provide you with emergency
energy, is now being mobilised for action, but goes unused and left behind,
only to be re-deposited as fat. And to make matters worse, usually belly-fat.
High cortisol levels are associated with increased appetite and fat deposits,
typically around the trunk and abdomen. Some researches theorise that this
unused fuel (or fat) is generally deposited in the abdominal area because of
its proximity to the liver (where it can be quickly converted to a usable form
of energy).
The Adrenalin Antidote
As part of the body's short-term protective measures, cortisol acts like the
adrenalin antidote. Upon removal of the stressful stimulus, adrenalin levels
quickly dissipate, but cortisol levels remain high, causing insulin production
to surge as well.
In the face of prolonged or chronic stress, cortisol levels can remain
constantly high, keeping you in a state of perpetual hunger. We can easily see
how elevated cortisol levels can promote weight gain due to an overabundance of
insulin. Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and
heart disease.
The average caveman was well served by a system that signalled him to eat after
every emergency, and where total energy expenditure was not uncommon. Today
true physical emergencies are rare, but this short-term protective mechanism,
although somewhat outdated, still works, and the act of going out and obtaining
food burns only as few calories as it takes to drive to the nearest supermarket
or McDonald's (about one french fry).
The stress response is hardwired into the fabric of our lives. Ask the average
man or woman off the street if he or she gets stressed out on a regular basis,
and you’ll most likely hear an emphatic, "Yes!" So if we can’t eliminate
stress, how can we combat the negative effects of the flight or fight response?
One of the most obvious ways to combat fat and the ravages of stress is with
exercise. Exercise represents a triple threat to body fat. First, exercise
burns calories and utilises stored body fat as fuel. Second, working out
increases the amount of lean muscle mass your body must provide with fuel on a
24-hour basis. More muscle means less fat.
Researchers from Yale University have now clearly demonstrated a third
mechanism by which exercise reduces stores of body fat, especially around the
belly. They've demonstrated that moderate to vigorous exercise, such as lifting
weights, can offset the negative effects of cortisol and insulin.
With as little as 10 minutes of strenuous exercise the brain begins to produce
beta-endorphins that calm you and decrease levels of the stress hormone. Many
feel that strenuous exercise actually mimics a typical caveman-like physical
reaction to a threat, and is the modern-day version of an appropriate reaction
to the flight or fight response.
Don’t overdo it. Too much exercise can actually cause additional stress and
associated symptoms. Be sure to get plenty of rest. Inadequate sleep increases
cortisol levels and reduces leptin, a hormone that signals fullness.
Common sense dictates that you eat right, get plenty of sleep, and exercise,
but now we have another weapon in the battle of the bulge; stress management.
Be sure to not ignore the signs of being overstressed, of which being
overweight is just one symptom.
Another victim of stress is the youth-promoting hormone dehydroepiandrosterone
or DHEA. DHEA is a naturally occurring feel-good hormone that’s been shown to
decline under times of physical and emotional trauma, and may be another
connection between stress and weight gain.
Researches have found that DHEA levels can be easily elevated during
meditation, as well as by exercise. In a similar fashion to the beta-endorphins
that are released during vigorous activities, DHEA production increases during
meditation. This process reduces blood cortisol levels and combats the negative
effects of stress.
Recognise symptoms and do something today, whether through exercise or other
types of stress management techniques such as psychotherapy, hypnosis, taking
up a hobby, or meditation. Take back control of your life.
Early warning signs of stress:
- Sudden weight loss or weight gain
- Tired but can’t sleep, excessive fatigue
- Speech difficulties, impatience
- Headaches, repeated colds or flu
- Nail biting, teeth grinding
- Low or high blood sugar
- Low or high blood pressure
- High cholesterol or triglycerides
- Ulcers and gastric disturbances
- Chest pains, muscle aches
- Lower back, shoulder, neck pain
- Menstrual problems, hair loss
- Forgetfulness, withdraw from social life
Michael Stefano is author of The Firefighter's Workout, which features more
than 50 exercise illustrations. To learn more about Mike Stefano and his fat-
burning, body-sculpting programs, click here to visit his website.