New Research: Stress and Your Weight

In case you missed it, an interesting study was published last week that looked at four different diets. Dr. George Bray put participants on either a high or low fat, protein or carbohydrate diet, and followed them for two years. Interestingly, they all lost weight (and kept it off!) at roughly equal rated--the key was calorie restriction! Participants also experienced roughly equal levels of hunger, fullness, cravings and diet satisfaction. This goes to prove that good old conventional wisdom--that if you just eat less or burn off more, you'll lose weight--is pretty much correct! (Okay, it's a little more complex than that: participants also got diet counseling 2-3 times per month, participated in moderate exercise for 90 minutes a week, and stuck to diets that were matched with their lifestyles calorie-wise. They lost an average of 13 pounds after 6 months, and had kept off 9 of those pounds at the 2-year mark.)

The results of this study are encouraging to those who want to lose weight. It means that you can choose a diet that fits your tastes and lifestyle, and put in a decent-but-not-too-intense level of effort with exercise, and find success. As Dr. Bray puts it in a press release, “The good news here, is people who need to lose weight can be flexible to choose an approach that they’re most likely to sustain—one that is most suited to their personal preferences and health needs.”

The results also bring up an important point: that stress cravings can still throw off a diet, and steps must be taken to avoid this, if you're looking to lose weight and stay fit. That's because when we're stressed, many of us eat more sweets and high-calorie food; indeed, we often simply eat more food than we normally would: we eat when we're not hungry, we eat to fill a void, we eat to feel better.

With so much free-floating stress these days, what can be done to keep stress from sabotaging a diet? Here are some resources to help you get a handle on your eating--even when you're feeling stressed!

Stress Eating Resources From Elizabeth Scott:

Take The Stress and Weight Gain Test
Stress can contribute to weight gain in several ways. If you’re having trouble with your weight and wonder what role stress may be playing, or if you just want information and resources for healthy change, this is the quiz for you! The following 10 questions are each designed to help you assess a different aspect of your lifestyle to determine if you may benefit from some simple changes that can help you keep your weight under control when you’re stressed. At the end of the quiz, you’ll find resources that pertain to your specific situation.

What Causes Emotional Eating?
Even if we know what we’re supposed to be eating, there are additional factors that influence how much and what type of food we consume. One of these factors is stress, which is linked to increased emotional eating. Emotional eating has many causes. Learn about the main reasons—besides hunger—that stressed people eat, and find resources to stop emotional eating.

How To Stop Emotional Eating
As anyone who’s watching their weight will tell you, hunger is just one of many reasons that people eat. If you’re an emotional eater, you may find yourself eating to deal with uncomfortable emotions, using food as a reward when you’re happy, and craving sweets or unhealthy snacks when stressed. This article can help you to cut down emotional eating and develop healthier eating habits—even when stressed!

Diet Tips For The Stressed
Despite best intentions, many people find themselves falling short of their diet ideals due to various ‘diet traps’, or factors that may sneak in and sabotage a healthy diet. The following diet tips can help you to combat some of the main diet traps people encounter, and maintain a healthy diet that keeps you feeling great.

Healthy Diet Resources From About.com

• Low Carb Diets

• Low Fat Cooking

• Weight Loss

• Nutrition

_{Source: Bray, George. Pounds Lost. New England Journal of Medicine February 26, 2009.
Image from iStockPhoto.com}

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