Is Stress Making You Fat?

Stress may actually be the eating trigger that causes the most trouble. Many of us have high levels of chronic stress, whether it’s from workload, relationship troubles or to-do lists that are too long. Our bodies respond to this stress the way our ancestors’ bodies did: triggering “fight or flight” chemicals in the brain that lead to calorie accumulation and fat storage.
Here are some products that can help with stress & hormones, Omni 4® liquid vitamins, Omnitrition's Charge®, & Omni Woman's Balance Cream®:
Here’s how the cycle of fat spins out of control: When you have chronic stress, your body steps up its production of cortisol and insulin. Your appetite increases, and so do the chances you’ll engage in “hedonistic” eating in the form of high-calorie sweets and fats. That, in turn, makes you store more fat, pumping even more of it as well as inflammatory chemicals into the liver. This creates a resistance to insulin, which makes your pancreas secrete more insulin to compensate. And that makes you hungrier than a muzzled wolf, continuing the cycle of eating because you’re stressed. When you try to combat stress with food, you activate the reward center of your brain. But after that initial feel-good system wears off, you’ll reach again for the same thing that made you feel good, calm and relaxed in the first place: more food. With emotions like stress and anxiety, it’s that much more difficult, neurochemically, to control your eating. Your goal: to keep your feel-good hormones level. That will provide a steady state of satisfaction so that you never experience those huge hormonal highs and lows that make you search for good-for-your-brain, bad-for-your-waist foods. The following tips will help. Foods have different effects on your stomach, your blood and your brain. Here are some that may help your hunger and the brain chemicals that affect it. 1. Turkey contains tryptophan, which increases serotonin, improving your mood and combating depression. It also helps you resist cravings for simple carbs. 2. Fish and walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have long been known as brain boosters and cholesterol clearers. But they’ve also been shown to help with depression in pregnant women. Depression contributes to emotional overeating. And since many of us have low omega-3 intake, eating foods that contain the acids may help lift our spirits and keep us from reaching for a doughnut. 3. Green tea contains catechins, thought to inhibit the breakdown of fats as well as the production of an inflammatory substance that can trigger hunger. One study shows that drinking three glasses of green tea a day can help you reduce body weight and waist circumference by almost five percent in three months. The tea also increases metabolism.
Here is my favorite tea.  It has both black & green tea & more.  I no longer take medication for asthma or allergies.  Helps me lose weight, too.
4. Sleep Yourself Skinny- When your body doesn’t get the seven to nine hours of sleep it needs every night to become rejuvenated, it looks for other ways to compensate for your brain not secreting the normal amounts of feel-good chemicals serotonin and dopamine. How does it typically do this? By craving sugary foods that will give you an immediate release of these chemicals. The lack of sleep throws off your entire system. It can become an even bigger factor as you age. When you get older, the pineal gland in your brain produces less of the sleep hormone melatonin, resulting in subsequent cravings for carbohydrates. So make sure you get enough shut-eye. It can help keep you thin.
		Nite Lite® is what I take to help me sleep better at night.  Also, burns calories while I sleep.  What can be better than that?
5. Exercise- The root of a physical activity plan is a minimum of 30 minutes of walking a day, and then telling somebody about it after you’re done (yes, every day, no excuses). You’ll do it not only for the physical effects but also for the positive psychological effects, such as an increase in your self-esteem. Walk for 30 minutes — it’s easy, doable and maintainable. 6. Be Touched- On both a physical and an emotional level, seek out positive interactions with other people. (Remember the chat at the end of your walk.) Evidence shows that increased amounts of oxytocin (known as the “social bonding” hormone) may decrease blood pressure and lower the effects of stress. This raises levels of a substance that helps control your appetite. And research shows you can boost oxytocin levels through an increase in social interaction and touch. Even a massage may help. When you feel the urge to eat, sit and think about your life and what’s driving you to pick up a fork or open the fridge. Would you shove that stuff into a friend’s or a family member’s body? For some, meditation or prayer enhances your power to satisfy the subconscious drive you have. 7. See the Naked Truth- Stand naked in front of the mirror, without sucking in your belly. But we need to realize that healthy weight is where we want to be. If you’re going to eat something that’s bad for you, enjoy it. Savor it. Roll it around in your mouth. We suggest taking a piece of dark, 70 percent cocoa chocolate and meditating — as a healthy stress reliever and as a way to reward yourself with something sweet. It’s a small but effective way of feeling good. Bad foods are okay — once in a while.
Omnitrition's Extra Enhancers® helps with food cravings & balances your sugar levels!