Are you eating right and working out regularly but still gaining weight? You may be getting it all right but missing this one thing that counts – your stress levels. Working late hours, barely catching any hours of sleep, always worrying about how you'll handle the hurdles life throws at you; these are some of the factors that fuel stress and in turn, contribute to your unexplainable weight gain.

Stress also has many effects on other parts of your life. In addition to contributing to weight gain, stress can affect your relationships. You will be more reactive to the small annoyances that are a regular part of life.

To beat stress and it's adverse effects on your life, you kneed first to understand it and how it affects you.

Let's then understand how stress affects weight gain and how to lose weight naturally by de-stressing.

Stress and your weight

The hormone cortisol is produced by the body to help it handle stress. Cortisol has been associated with weight gain as it can raise your insulin level and boost your appetite as your body prepares for a fight or flight response. The hormone is also responsible for stress-induced weight gain around the waistline (abdominal area) because fat cells in this region are more susceptible to the effects of cortisol.

You can boost your natural stress-fighting abilities by supplementing with an all natural diet supplement. Doing so will help you to be less stressed as well as lose more weight naturally.

Destress to lose weight

The first approach to reducing your body's production of cortisol is to de-stress. Here are some methods of reducing stress levels that should help you lose weight fast:

  • Have fun. Blow off some steam. You should find activities that make you happy and incorporate them into your weekly schedule. Set time off work to relax, enjoy time with friends, and even take a vacation!
  • Exercise enough. Working out regularly and even taking a short walk thrice a week will help your blood circulate faster and thus move the cortisol to your kidneys and out of your system more quickly
  • Adopt a healthy diet that is low in calories and fats. Also, savor your meals. This will help you kick out the bad habit that is emotional eating (stress eating)
  • Get adequate sleep. A good night’s sleep will increase your metabolism and increase the calories you burn every day. This will also help you feel relaxed and less stressed

Stress is a hidden factor that contributes to weight gain. Follow these tips on destressing to counter any effects of stress on your weight.