Stress & Weight

If you want to lose weight, your metabolism has to burn off more calories. A study at The Ohio State University shows two ways to help it do that more efficiently. The research demonstrates that to start making those waistline inches disappear, you need to:

find a way to cut back on stress and
stop eating so many unhealthy fats.

Otherwise, in combination, those two elements can slow your metabolism and make it more likely your body will create more body fat. The scientists found that women in the study who reported one or more stressful factors the day before eating a fatty meal burned, on average, 104 fewer calories than women who weren’t stressed. (The calorie-burning was measured during the seven hours after the meal.) The scientists figure that, in a year, those daily 104 calories could add up to an extra 11 pounds. This means that, over time, stressors could lead to weight gain.

We're more likely to eat the wrong foods when we’re stressed, when we eat the wrong foods, weight gain becomes more likely because we are burning fewer calories.

Popular ways to control or reduce stress include exercise and meditation.