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Consequences of Stress

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Kaitie

I have hypertension and when I consume salt I take furosemide, a diarrhetic. Otherwise I gain quite a bit of weight. It is impossible to tell from fat. For some reason that I don't know I find it hard to sweat. It could be my salt free diet. I don't miss salt at all. To me every thing processed tastes way to salty. I do use celery which is high in sodium.

Davit.

Note, Fruits high in pectin like apples work as an appetite suppressant by expanding and giving a full feeling. Dried apples are even more so.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 177

Thank you Shari, I feel very normal now

. I guess feeling full would be counterproductive, because then you don't feel like doing anything! Have you ever come home from a restaurant feeling like you're about to explode and all you want to do is go to sleep? Haha. It's not a good feeling.

Stress definitely has an effect on metabolism, I think it speeds mine up even though it's already naturally fast. Feeling on edge and restless can do that.

I order entree sized meals when eating out too. They always seem nicer and a little more fancy than main meals anyway (plus they're cheaper).

Davit, I believe salt is classed as an electrolyte? Like sodium, potassium, chloride. It could be considered water in the sense that these substances are soluble in water and energy drinks are full of them. Athletes need heaps of them when competing because they sweat them out, and our cells need these electrolytes to function.

Kaitie.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

You are supposed to put your utensils down during a meal so your brain can catch up with your stomach. There is a lag there. I order child or senior size portions on the few times I eat out. Some older people just need less because their digestion is slower and they absorb more.

One study suggested that if your ancestors were meat eaters you would have a faster digestion than plant eaters. If this were true then you would absorb more protein and fats from meat and protein gets stored as fat which is harder to convert back to energy. If your ancestors were primarily plant eaters.

One other consideration is salt. Is that fat or is it water?

Davit.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11213

Hi everyone,

Great discussion. Yes, some people eat more when stressed and others eat less. So it totally depends on the individual. Also, many people who are stressed and/or depressed might find it difficult to find the motivation to exercise which can also increase weight gain. Sometimes even when eating the same foods, when an individual is stressed for a long period of time they may gain weight. This can be due to blood sugar and metabolism changes. Managing anxiety disorders and stress is very important to overall physical health.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1071

Hi Kaitie,

All of the healthy eating books say you are not supposed to eat until you're full. I never eat until I'm full and I have never had anorexia. So, I want you to know that you don't have to work on that, what you are doing is instinctively normal, not due to having had a disorder. I never finish my plate and take things "to go". The portion sizes in America are astronomically large; they should feed 3 people. If I cleaned my plate, I'd be 300 lbs. My logic for not eating till I'm full, is so that I can save room for dessert - ha ha :-) Smaller meals, every few hours, is healthier and normal also. I do the same. They call it being a "grazer" in the States. Just wanted you to know you are normal.

Shari

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 177

I guess it also depends on what you're stress is about. Due to my fear of vomiting, I never allow myself to feel "full". I have soo much trouble eating everything that's on my plate, and I have to leave a small bit of everything on my plate to feel safe. This is something I plan to challenge in the future, but for now my focus is elsewhere. In the meanwhile, I'm still eating my smaller meals every few hours (6 meals a day) and that works for me :).

Don't get me wrong, I do stress eat and during boredom as well. I find dark chocolate to be the best. Because it's so strong, I cannot eat more than a few pieces at a time and it's still enough to satisfy my cravings. My dietician has helped me a lot to overcome my demons around eating, and I know taking away something you love is never a good thing. So if I want a packet of potato chips, or some chocolate, or a piece of cake, I will have them without any guilt. Another alternative is if you're craving sugar, have fruit, and if you're craving salt, pistachios and other nuts are great.

On that note, I'm going to get my morning tea!
Kaitie.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1071

Forgot to mention that emotional eating can be learned in childhood. I'm not sure if it is in all families and cultures, but in my Italian family, if you skinned your knee you would get a cookie "to make you feel better". Lollipops at the doctor's office after a shot. It kind of gets ingrained over the years. Just another thought :-)

Shari

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Under stress, both physical and mental I either don't eat or eat the wrong stuff after it passes. So I can lose weight or gain it. My favourite wrong foods are Sausages by themselves, (too many) dark chocolate mars bars, cheese, Ice cream bars or fudgesicle, potato chips, cereal with too much sugar. Okay stuff is fresh asparagus, fruit, cauliflower with cheese sauce.

Bad stuff is a second glass of wine, but it is so good.

So I try to keep meals in the freezer for physical stress days. Mental stress days I drink Lemon Balm tea about an hour before I need to eat.

I usually have one piece of toast a day so one more in the evening is okay.

Since right now I'm on my own for a while I don't have time for things like lasagne, cabbage rolls or stuffed peppers. They take too much time and right now time is what I'm short of.

No rain for the next week. Hot hot hot. Weeds will grow like crazy.

I have to go get gas for the little tractor so I can mow. They sell fudgesicles also and I have an account there. One won't hurt. Today is going to be a long day so I think me and the cats will have cereal for supper. Maybe rice pudding. Easy stuff.

Davit

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1071

Not trying to step on your toes hugs or the health educators, but I have experienced both and I can tell you why. When I was younger and underweight, I would react to stress by not eating. I would be too nervous and just couldn't force myself to eat. When I got older and to this day, if I have stress, I emotional eat. I try to comfort myself with food and of course you don't crave a salad or a carrot, you crave chocolate, mashed potatoes and gravy, ice cream. Chocolate has something in it that causes you to feel better. It's how you gain weight from stress. Whenever you are eating, and you are not hungry, it's usually emotional eating. That's just my personal experience.

Shari

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 4027

I wonder if the facilitators could explain why some people gain, and some lose weight under stress?

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