Can Fight or Flight make you "gain weight"?

So today, we'll continue talking about "fight or flight" and what it can do to our weight.

When elements in our life . . . like this pandemic, these viruses, politics and our personal "perception" of them come into play . . .

Believe it or not . . . this actually "isn't" a time when the body's neuroendocrine system should be physically demonstrating "fight or flight". Even though they are stressful times in our life.

You see . . . "fight or flight" should "only" occur in a "survival" situation. Meaning an actual threat to our life. Like years ago, when that sabretooth tiger was going to attack!

Not the day to day stress that we all experience.

But . . . in today's crazy world . . . we find our "body's" are still responding to these stresses as if they were a "fight or flight" situation . . . and with this . . . hormonal signals to replenish nutritional stores within the body . . . make us feel hungry . . . even when we're not.

And this can lead to weight gain and a tendency to store "visceral fat", which we've spoken about many times before.

This is the most dangerous and damaging fat that the body can hold.

And if that's not bad enough . . . "fight or flight" actually causes the body's "metabolism" to "slow" down. All while the "stress hormone" called "cortisol" (we've spoken of this hormone in many previous Health tips), rises during tension-filled moments.

And guess what?

This can turn overeating from stress into a "habit". And now we find ourselves crying the overweight blues.

So how does all this happen???

Well . . . an increase in the hormone "cortisol" can cause higher insulin levels, a drop in blood sugar and therefore . . . the body now craves sugary, fatty foods.

So think about where you are in today's situation . . .

If there are stressors always present in your life and you constantly feel under attack . . . this "fight or flight" reaction stays "turned on". And long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to "cortisol" can disrupt almost "all" of the body's functions.

So tomorrow, we'll talk about what can help "control" our "fight or flight" reaction.

As always, feel free to DM or contact me at: miraclemeadows.net/contact/