
There are two types of stress- physical and psychological.
physical stress can be anything from restrictive dieting, over exercising, working too much, over eating, dehydration or poor sleep
Physchological stress can be worry, anxiety, exams, low self-esteem and body image issues
how can this effect weight?
All the above can cause appetite changes, toilet function issues, lack of energy and hormone imbalance
Your appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin are all messed up when your stressed.
Ghrelin- hunger
leptin – full.
If these are out of whack that will mean a lot of cravings which means over eating = weight gain
Also poor sleep effects energy levels- which also effects these hormones. This is massively going to effect your training. You wont utilise energy properly and you will under recover
stress has a huge impact on the gut
1. loss of appetite
2. cravings and over eating
It also can cause issues with toilet function- constipation and diarrhoea are very common symptoms of anxiety and stress
It can also cause digestion problems and bloating you might wake in the morning with a bloated tummy
If you can relate to any of these symptoms above and in a weight loss phase it’s likely from stress – remember restrictive eating is also a stressor.
If you have any questions please let me know
Kiara