Put down that brownie! Stress, fat, and understanding

   

The info I’m sharing here is culled from an article by Jillian Michaels and Katja Van Herle, MD, MSPH. I’m sharing the information from “Get to know the key hormones and the roles they play,”* for a couple of reasons. First, writing is an effective way for me to absorb and retain information.

  

Second, the article is pretty dense. Rewriting a section in my own words is a good brain work out. A fit person makes sure to fuel her body AND her mind.

Third, I know so many good folks dealing with incredible amounts of stress who are looking for ways to stay healthy.  Maybe you’re not likely to read a scholarly article written by a fit and firm exercise nut with millions of bucks and scads of state-of-the-art training equipment at her disposal. But maybe you’ll read this by yours truly, a doughier, middle class (barely), brownie –loving, back of the pack marathoner dealing with her own stress and weight issues. 

Proof I won't be vying for Jillian's job any time soon: This was last night's dinner.

Here’s a bit of the science behind our fight-or-flight hormones and the impact they have on our weight.   

How does stress make us fat?

1. We have three fight-or-flight hormones: norepinephrine, epinephrine, cortisol.

2. Epinephrine = adrenaline.

3. Cortisol helps our bodies store fat.

4. When we are stressed:

                A. Norepinephrine tells our systems to stop producing insulin. Why? So we have fast-acting blood glucose ready to rescue us.

                B. Epinephrine/ adrenaline relaxes muscles in our stomach and intestines, and decreases blood flow to these organs. Why? Your body is directing energy toward saving your life versus digesting your food.

Both these A and B responses can cause high blood sugar and give you tummy problems.

                C. Cortisol kicks in when the stressor passes. Cortisol signals your body to stop making norepinephrine and adrenaline, directs your body to resume normal digestion, and tells your body what fat, protein, or carbohydrates to burn, depending on the challenge your body is facing.

5. Epinephrine rushes suppress your appetite.

6. Cortisol can linger in your body long after the stress passes, and will increase your cravings for foods that are high in fats and carbs.   

7. If stress lingers, cortisol lingers.

8. If cortisol lingers, your body has trouble losing weight, but has no problem gaining weight. Why? Your body starts thinking in terms of starvation, and starts hoarding fat in order to cope.  

9. As cortisol stays, it redistributes fat from “healthier areas, like your buttocks and hips,” – peripheral fat, to areas around your central organs – visceral fat.

10. Your number of fat cells doesn’t “generally” change, but their size can.  

11. What makes fat cells grow: “continued stress, high cortisol, unhealthy lifestyle and diet.”

12. Why is visceral fat wicked bad? It can increase inflammation in the body, and is associated with insulin resistance. (Lots of other reasons too. For example, belly fat is associated with the heart attack body prototype, but this article doesn’t address this or other reasons.)

13. Excess cortisol and excess belly fat create more cortisol which creates more belly fat and so on.

What foods can keep cortisol in check?

There are many ways to manage stress (exercise, meditation, strengthening positive social networks, for example).  But I’m not writing about those things today because this blog post is a summary of the Michaels and Van Herle article, which focuses on what to eat/avoid in order to keep the stress hormone cortisol from taking over your insides. Here are some of their suggestions.

1. Avoid processed foods, especially those containing refined sugars and processed grains. High insulin levels can trigger increased cortisol production. 

2. Load up on high fiber foods: fruits, veggies, beans.

3. Take in protein every two to three hours to avoid “excess insulin output.”

4. Avoid potassium loading/ supplements unless advised to do so by your doctor. Excess potassium can increase cortisol levels.

5. Limit caffeine. Caffeine increases cortisol.

6. Look for foods containing phosphatidylserine, which might interact with cortisol to “help buffer the response to stress.” Suggestions: whole grains, green leafy veggies, brown rice, chicken, beef, pork, and some fish, including mackerel, herring, eel, tuna.

7. Look for foods high in vitamin C, like citrus fruits, green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, turnips, leafy greens, white potatoes, cantaloupe. Vitamin C might “blunt” cortisol release.

8. Eat foods containing tryptophan, which can lower cortisol. In addition to turkey, tryptophan is found in: whey protein, egg whites, spinach, crustaceans.

Finally, regular me now, don’t be afraid to search out your own info. The above listing of good foods is by no means complete. The info that I’m sharing here is not the end all and be all on how to manage your stress and your diet. I’m not an expert. I’m just a sometimes laid back/ often stressed out teacher/ writer/ runner/ daughter/ mom/ finding my way, enjoying my journey, one hill at a time.  Hope you enjoy yours too.      

* I am not a licensed nutrition expert or a scientist or a doctor. All info in this post, in quotes and otherwise, is taken from the CEU Corner, “The Nature of Metabolism,” by Jillian Michaels, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.