Is Stress Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Journey?

Physiological stress is the root cause of obesity

Despite the popularity of weight loss drugs, in most cases, obesity is not caused by a deficiency of GLP-1, the biochemical that these drugs mimic, and they have adverse side effects. Rather, boosting GLP-1 through prescription drugs results in changes in the symptoms of increased appetite and weight gain.

In contrast, stress is a root cause of obesity, so treating the brain's stress response is a natural alternative to these drugs. You can use tools to rewire the stress response, which is associated with continued weight loss after treatment ends.

Training the brain to turn stress into joy supports weight loss naturally.

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The strategy of rewiring the brain's stress response is rooted in two pieces of scientific literature. One is biochemical. All eight chemicals associated with obesity increase appetite or promote weight gain in stress. These chemicals are: cortisol, dopamine, serotonin, insulin, ghrelin, PYY, leptin, and GLP-1.

The other rationale for treating stress in obesity care is based on evolutionary biology. For 99 percent of evolution, food availability was scarce and unpredictable; stress was associated with starvation. The brain interprets psychological stress as a signal of starvation, dysregulating these eight chemicals and biochemically promoting weight gain.

Stress is associated with the eight chemicals that drive obesity

The approach holds promise because the techniques have shown long-term effectiveness after treatment ends, whereas weight is regained after weight loss drugs are discontinued. There is a new emphasis nationally on preventive and natural therapeutic methods that do not involve pharmaceuticals.

A person can address the stress response based on neuroscience, learn how to process negative emotions into positive ones, and change the expectation embedded in the stress circuits to support positive neuroplasticity. The goal is for the brain to naturally activate reward and provide "comfort" biochemically to decrease the psychological need to overeat.

The neural pathways of the stress response are emotional. The brain can deactivate the stress response by using specific emotional techniques that turn stress into positive, joyful emotions. Cognitive methods may be ineffective in shutting off the stress chemical cascade, a possible rationale for the ineffectiveness of mindfulness and cognitive strategies in producing lasting weight loss.

Treat stress as a natural strategy for obesity care

As most patients stop taking weight loss drugs within one year of starting them, use of these drugs may not be suitable for many individuals. Access to alternatives, such as addressing the stress response, can offer an alternative to food restriction. The dietary approach has been shown to fail after one year of use, and as lasting weight loss is the goal, it is not a solution.

As obesity is associated with adverse childhood experiences and stress, treatments that address psychological stress may have beneficial effects on these factors and the underlying causes of eating disorders and obesity.

The psychological challenges faced by the obese are significant. Innovations in obesity treatment that decrease the risk of weight regain and promote positive emotional health outcomes are needed.