Stress & WeightLoss

[reneed70]

Do you think stress can affect your weightloss? We have a lot going on right now and my stress level is at max level. I haven't slept well in weeks, although that is nothing new. I haven't been cheating but I haven't been eating right either, not nearly enough fresh veggies. I just constantly feel exhausted. I feel like I haven't lost any more weight but I haven't been on the scale since my last weigh in mid-June.

Renee

[jestey]

Yes, yes, yes - stress can definitely effect your weightloss. I quit losing weight last September (and have gained about 5 since February) - just about the time the s*** hit the fan at work (it's still hitting it, BTW). Funnily enough, eating well can help reduce your stress levels because you are taking care of you! Try to control the things you can control and let everything else go. Good luck!

[cheftrina]

I've been doing a lot of reading lately on stress and its effect on weight. One of the most interesting things I've found is how stress can mess with your cortisol levels, and how this, in turn, can affect weight loss.

If you want to read more about this, here is an interesting article.

[Goddess]

that's an interesting article, trina! i thought about the behavioral reasons why stress adds to weight issues, but not the hormonal ones.

i do know that stress and mood issues makes losing weight very hard. my doc put me on wellbutrin about the time i started working on my weight, and i think it helped a lot.

[April]

Goddess:

What is Wellbutrin? For what is it prescribed? I've been thinking for a very long time now that I need to see my doctor about depression. Is that what it's for?

Forgive me, but I'm not too savvy when it comes to meds.

[babybluejay1]

Hope you don't mind if I butt in Goddess. I used to take Welbutrin years ago and it helped a lot with my depression! Plus it helped me kick the cig habit (had chemicals that will do that Dr. says). At first I could barely sleep taking it, which was a change because before I was sleeping all the time, so that was another plus. I was on the maximum dose the minute she prescribed it so it shocked my system. I couldn't sleep for 2 days! My dad is on the stuff now and it is fine with all his blood pressure medicine he has to take and he takes nap during the day. Must have been me. Hope this helps with some of your questions April.

[CarolynInTexas]

Wellbutrin is an anti-depressant, and is also used to help people quit smoking cigarettes.... keeps them from wanting to smoke.
They put dh on wellbutrin for depression, but it doesn't work for him.
Depression meds are hard to figure out, some work for some, some don't, you have to have a good doctor that is willing to work with your brain chemicals to find out what is going to work foryou.
good luck on that.
c

[huskersfan869]

Fascinating April. That is something that I had not connected--though I have fought through teenage depression and the things that go along with them without medications after I had a reaction to one and nearly stopped breathing (it affected my asthma). That would also explain or help explain why it is so hard to diet when you are a single (military indcued) parent and DH is in a warzone! along with holding down a fulltime job and being a mom and a dad to a child and keeping up with all the other stuff going on in you r life.

[Lowcarb4me]

I've always wondered if Dr. Greg Cynamon (sp?) on TV that advertises Cortislim had a good point. I've been having a very hard time losing weight. I changed from Atkins to CALP thinking a different plan would help and I'm still stuck at this weight, going on almost 2 years! Can you imagine being stalled for that long?! It's not that I have a lot of visible stress in my life, but underneath, I feel it there.

When I get home from work the race begins, dinner needs to be cooked, dishes washed, laundry (if I have enough time), referee the kids - and I don't like a messy house, so....having toys everywhere or the kids taking their socks off and putting them on the back of the couch, leaving papers here and there, it drives me nuts and I feel jittery inside. If I slack off one bit, the mound of work grows, hence, I get more stressed. My DH helps a little, but he works so much and isn't home to help with dinner, dishes or anything. So, it's all up to me.

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble. It's really tempting to try these "remedies" that help the cortisol issue, I haven't read the article mentioned above, I need to.

[caroline81]

I briefly took Wellbrutin when I quit smoking a few years ago. While it is an anti-depressant, when it is prescribed to quit smoking, the dose is much smaller. One thing - it has an effect on your appetite, so you're not hungry as much. This is helpful when quitting because you don't have the usual tendency to munch that often comes with giving up cigs. I lost a few pounds on it, but gained them back after I finished my dose. Wasn't thrilled with the false weight loss! I quit smoking and didn't notice it's effect on my mood.

[Goddess]

wellbutrin is an antidepressant, and is also often prescribed for quitting smoking and weightloss, as folks have said. it's also been known to increase libido! it's actually one of the only antidepressants that doesn't routinely lower libido.

while my doc officially gave it to me for weightloss and maybe smoking, it helped me a lot with depression as well and horrible mood swings. i didn't actually recognize i was depressed until i wasn't anymore. i don't have a "feel good" buzz or anything like that. it's very sublte, but i started having fewer meltdowns and less intense pms issues and the like.

the first few days, it can make you a bit more hyper, but that soon settled down for me. doc had me ramp up to my dose over a week or so.

i don't know how much it's helped with my success overall losing weight, especially since i started doing everything about the same time. but i'll tell you this: even if the appetite stuff didn't work for me, being less moody is a big help! my family appreciates it, too.

i don't have insurance and it can be kind of pricey, but i sure don't want to stop taking it. i really like it and have no plans to quit taking it in the foreseeable future.

[April]

Thanks for all of the info. So, do I simply waltz in and ask the doc for it? How does one approach the subject of depression with one's doctor?

I'm just ignorant.

[Aderyn]

Excellent article, Renee, and a lot of good information available by following the other links in the article, too. Thanks!

Aderyn

[Goddess]

april- i tend to be pretty direct myself. it's easier for me too, 'cause my doc asks about depression and things like that directly.

but if it were me, i'd probably mention to the doctor that you are concerned about your mood and since you're also working on your weight, you heard from somebody else about wellbutrin...then ask them what they think about it.

[Maxibee]

I've seen Dr. Cynamon on TV many times and have wondered about that. My life got really super stressful for a while from when my Aunt died in Dec.2001 to after I found a new job after being laid off. That was in March of 2003. And in those months, I did notice an increase in my weight, but more importantly, I got a "jelly roll" for the first time in my life. Even at 250, I never had that "under the boobs, over the waistline" thing. So, I wonder if the whole cortisol/belly fat connection thing is for real....I'll be scoping out the article Trina linked, and maybe going by my local "Healthy Approach" store to get some Cortislim. They've had it advertised on their billboard for a while.

Also, aside from the cortisol connection, stress makes me forgetful, tired, lazy, uptight, and moody...none of which are condusive to maintaining one's eating plan. I try to roll with the flow as much as possible and do deep breathing exercises (found in the Dr.Phil book) the rest of the time!

Should I start a new thread or just ask this here? Has anyone tried Cortislim or a similar product, and what results did you get?