Stress is Enemy #1…

Did you know that one of the biggest reasons that people claim they can’t lose weight and keep it off is because they think they have an “eating problem” or are “addicted to food”? In fact, millions of people abandon diet and exercise programs each year because they literally believe that they are powerless to resist the foods they love.
Unfortunately, the medical community doesn’t agree. In fact, you aren’t going to find “food addiction” or “overeating” listed as medical conditions any time soon and for good reason: There is no such thing.
That’s right: No matter how much you might love pizza, ice cream, or whatever—you are not addicted in any medical sense and there is no “overeating” gene forcing you to consume anything.
But, that’s not how it feels, does it? The truth is that millions upon millions of people aren’t lying when they say they feel like they are addicted to food or have an overeating problem—in fact, they are being 100% sincere. But if overeating isn’t a medical condition and you can’t actually become addicted to food—then what is the problem?

STRESS!

That’s right, stress causes unwanted weight gain in two critical ways:

• 1. Causes Overeating to Alleviate Stress
• 2. Causes Excess Release of Cortisol

When we are stressed, we seek relief from that stress. When we eat certain foods, it causes the brain to release endorphins that essentially make us feel better—much like drinking a beer or glass of wine might make us feel better when stressed. So when we get stressed out, we turn to food since it releases the endorphins that take away the stress and make us feel better. So we aren’t addicted to food or have an overeating disease, we are just seeking relief from stress using food to release endorphins.
In addition to the psychological toll stress takes on you, it also affects you down to the hormone level. Cortisol, which is sometimes called the “Stress Hormone”, is typically secreted during times of emotional or physical stress. When released, cortisol sends signals to your brain that trigger the release of insulin which basically just tells your brain that its hungry—even if its not.