Many things can contribute to your stress levels, such as holidays, work or everyday life.
Stress in small amounts can be helpful because it temporarily increases energy production through your adrenal glands. Your body is not meant to be under chronic stress, however, and it can have serious side effects, including:
- Increasing your heart rate.
- Constricting your blood vessels and elevating your blood pressure.
- Keeping glucose in your bloodstream rather than storing it in your cells, causing an increase in cravings.
- Depressing your immune system to the point where you risk developing food allergies or auto-immune disease.
- Developing indigestion because your digestive system shuts down when you’re stressed.
- Hampering the production of sex hormones in the glands that also produce some stress hormones.
Stress eating, or emotional eating, is a common response to stress. But it’s important to learn how to eat right and take care of your body when it’s under stress. Here are some ways to control stress and avoid stress eating:
- Find ways to ease your stress other than eating. Exercising is a great way to ease stress. You can also try taking slow deep breaths or smelling essential oils, especially ones that are meant to be calming, like lavender, rose and chamomile.
- Plan ahead. Make a list before grocery shopping. Identify foods that will fuel your body and support your health during stressful times. The list should include fruit to keep handy at work, school or around the house for times when stress causes you to crave sweets.
- Slow down while eating. When eating fruit, for example, take a pencil eraser-sized bite and chew the fruit well. Also, pay close attention to how the fruit smells; this will cause you to eat more slowly.
- Eat salted or roasted nuts to curb your urge to eat fried chips, buttered popcorn or other snacks. You can even buy nuts in their shells to slow down your eating even further.
- Another good way to pay closer attention to your eating speed is to use your non-dominant hand to hold the fork or spoon, which makes you think about what you are doing. As a result, you will eat more slowly and eat less.
- Ask yourself why you are reaching for food when you aren’t truly hungry. This can help you think about the cause of the stress and diffuse it without causing harm by consuming unnecessary calories. Junk food such as cookies and chips may make you feel better while you are eating them, but you’ll typically feel guilty for eating them afterwards. Make sure you’re using food for fuel, not as a coping mechanism.
- One of the hardest things to do is ask for help. Consider making an appointment with a professional if you have run out of ideas.
- If you are 100 pounds overweight or more, you may want to consider weight loss surgery as a possible solution.
Did you know?
- Bariatrics is the branch of medicine focused on the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity.
- The team of surgeons operating at NAH currently averages 127 surgeries per year; since 2004, they have performed 1,198 surgeries.
- The average bariatric surgery patient researches his or her options online for years.
- The average bariatric surgery patient loses about 70 percent of his or her excess weight during the year following the procedure.
- According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, bariatric surgery can reduce the risk of dying from cancer by as much as 60 percent; from heart disease by more than 50 percent; and from diabetes by more than 90 percent.
Is weight loss surgery the right option?
Weight loss surgery is major surgery, not to be taken lightly. It is not a magic bullet, but a tool to use alongside dietary and lifestyle modifications. Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Weight Management Clinic helps patients prepare well in advance of their surgery.
The clinical team, including surgeons, nurses, a psychologist, a dietitian and a patient advocate, works together to guide patients to make behavioral changes before and after surgery. Surgery is not a guarantee. The success of each patient’s surgery depends on the patient’s commitment to lifelong behavioral changes, including exercise and eating habits as well as fluid and vitamin intake.
If you are considering weight loss surgery, the Weight Management Clinic invites you to attend a free online information session prior to making an appointment with our surgical staff. For more information, call 928-440-5067 or visit NAHealth.com/Bariatric. QCBN
By Colleen Lingley, R.D.N.
Colleen Lingley, R.D.N., is a registered dietitian nutritionist at Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Flagstaff Medical Center. She works with patients at the Weight Management Clinic to provide nutritional guidance, including recipes designed especially for bariatric patients.
Northern Arizona Healthcare is creating healthier communities by providing wellness, prevention and medical care through Flagstaff Medical Center, Verde Valley Medical Center, Verde Valley Medical Center – Sedona Campus, Northern Arizona Healthcare – Camp Verde Campus, Northern Arizona Healthcare Medical Group – Flagstaff, Verde Valley Medical Clinic, the Cancer Centers of Northern Arizona Healthcare, Northern Arizona Healthcare Orthopedic Surgery Center, EntireCare Rehab & Sports Medicine, the Weight Management Clinic, the Heart & Vascular Center of Northern Arizona, the Sleep & Pulmonary Center, BeWellNow, Guardian Air and Guardian Medical Transport. We also provide comprehensive imaging, laboratory and pharmacy services throughout the region. Many of the services we provide receive major funding through the NAH Foundation, including Fit Kids of Arizona, The Taylor House and Valley View Care.
For more information on Northern Arizona Healthcare programs and services, visit NAHealth.com. “Like” NAH at Facebook.com/NorthernArizonaHealthcare.