How to Lose Weight for Beginners - Women

Effects of Stress and Women needing to Lose Weight
In this issue of How to Lose Weight for Beginners, I will be touching on a topic that I had come across on many occasions. What is the link between Stress and Women needing to Lose Weight?
A Weight Loss Solutions study conducted in 2000 found that women may be at particular risk of stress-induced eating and weight gain. The Weight Loss Solutions study also shows that for Women who eat and drink in response to stress tends to have a high body mass index(BMI). The researchers found that the higher BMI was the results of the foods taken by the stress-eaters, which includes cookies, cakes, chips and chocolates. In addition, stress-eaters were found to consume alcohol more frequently. These accounts for a large number of additional empty calories.

Stress - Weight Loss
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in someway. When you sense danger, whether it's real or imagined, the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process know as the "fight-or-flight" reaction, or the stress response. When this happens, the nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.

Lose Weight - Cortisol Connection
The stress-related hormones, cortisol, are found to contribute to weight issues, particularly the abdominal fat. When a person is under stress, a high amounts of cortisol are released into the blood stream. These triggers fat storage in the abdominal area due to the location of the cortisol receptors. The excess cortisol may also cause your metabolism to slow down and since stress stimulates the appetites, it is likely a person will take in more calories than usual when under stress. Together, eating more calories and having a slower metabolism than usual is one of the key factors affecting women needing to lose weight.

How to Lose Weight
One of the key reasons behind women tendency to stress-eat is the lack of emotional support, therefore it is pertinent that a person with stress-eat tendency build a support network such as, joining a support group or in-person weight-loss program. Another solution is to identify friend or family member that can be turned to for support and motivation when the person needing to lose weight begin eating in response to stress. Instead of reaching for a snack, try moving outdoor for a brisk 5-minutes walk or walk up and down some stairs a few times. Such burst of activities may help suppress the appetites.
Experts agree that regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to deal with stress. It helps to regulate cortisol levels, alleviate depression and help a person under stress get a better night's sleep. If a person do not sleep well when stressed, it may be detrimental to the weight loss efforts put in. Consider relaxation exercise that will lower your level of anxiety without food, such as tai chi, yoga or pilates. The followings are some examples of exercises that can be performed daily.

• Get up 10-minutes early for a walk
• Park your car at the end of the parking lots
• Get up every hour for a 5-minutes walk
• Take the stairs one time during the day
• Bring the dog out for a long walk