Life is a stressful thing for most of us. It’s something we deal with off and on, or as a chronic way of being. This can often worsen when you add weight loss stress to the mix. The reason is that losing weight often involves making a number of lifestyle changes. That can be trying on our patience and can make it feel like we have a lot less time. After all, it’s not easy to break old habits and it’s not easy to create new ones, either.
A lot of the time, weight loss stress can be worsened because we feel hungry. Hunger pangs can rapidly lead us to be anxious, moody and short-tempered. They only add to the overall strain.
What’s worse is that when we are feeling weight loss stress, it’s not just a matter of being unhappy. It also boosts our cortisol levels. Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone and is notorious for making it harder to burn fat but easier to gain it.
If you’re having hard time coping with the stress associated with trying to drop the pounds, consider the following techniques. They can be helpful in overcoming this challenge:
Do something intensely physical for 30 seconds. Run on the spot as fast as you can. Drop and do ten push-ups. Break into some jumping jacks. Whatever your preferred movement, try to do something that accesses some major muscles and that you can do with great intensity for a short amount of time. This will not only help you to suddenly burn through some calories but it will also get your blood moving, reduce your cortisol levels and ease the stress and anxiety.
Don’t follow a strict diet. If you’re following a diet that is too strict, your cortisol levels will naturally spike and will stay that way until you ease off on the eating rules. This will only make it harder for you to lose weight than it would be if you were eating more calories or carbs. Instead, focus on a portion controlled and nutritionally balanced diet. Eat filling foods and if you are going to count calories, reduce your intake but not to an extreme amount.
Eat your meals at a slower pace. One of the top problems that leads to overeating is that we eat so fast that we’re full even before our brains can sense we are. Slow down the eating and let your brain catch up with your actual fullness level. You’ll discover that you can eat less and feel equally satisfied by your meals.
Try PhenBlue. A high quality diet pill like PhenBlue comes with ingredients such as appetite suppressants and fat burners which can give you a considerable dieting advantage and can ease the stress associated with it.
