Amber StewartCommon Fitness Advice people with anxiety Should avoid when trying to lose weight
When people have been dealing with chronic stress for so long, it can leave them mentally and emotionally drained which can take a toll on their mental health and negatively affect all aspects of their life. They may become overweight and get out of shape which can affect their energy and mood. As a result, they may try to diet and exercise but find it difficult to see results, making them frustrated, which can affect how they show up in their relationships. This can add more stress in their lives causing them to indulge in more self destructive behaviors such as eating more comfort food to feel better. Unfortunately, this just creates a vicious cycle that can be hard to break free from.
In an effort to get off the hamster wheel of life and regain control, they may push themselves harder thinking:“If I follow the latest diet and fitness advice, then I will see results”. Not knowing that it was the chronic stress that was keeping them from their results, not their efforts.
But if you are suffering from chronic stress or anxiety, then its important to understand that following popular diet and fitness trends to reach your body goals can be detrimental to your mental health and further exacerbate their condition. In this blog, I will discuss common fitness advice that you should avoid if you suffer from chronic stress or anxiety.
1. Cutting out/ eating too few carbs
I bet you never guessed that cutting carbs out of your diet could increase your risk of anxiety disorders.
In 2006, a research study was done on a woman who was successfully treated for panic attacks. Some time after overcoming her panic attacks, she started the Atkins diet (modern day keto diet) with the hopes of losing some excess fat, but instead her panic attacks started to come back. It wasn’t until she got off the diet that her panic attacks subsided.
Just because diets are popular doesn’t mean they work for everyone. I get that when you look good, you feel good but you don’t have to get sucked into following fitness trends and cut out carbs to achieve your body goals. Most of the fitness trends out there don’t take into account the dietary guidelines for people who suffer from mental health issues.
Carbohydrates are a major fuel source for your body AND the primary supplier of energy for your brain, nerves and muscles. They are necessary for your body to function optimally and depriving your body of the nutrients it needs can put your body in a state of stress.
Signs of eating too little carbs include: Junk food cravings, fatigue, brain fog, headaches, bloating and constipation, feeling cold, mood swings, and difficulty working out.
People who suffer with anxiety disorders may already deal with chemical or hormonal imbalances so cutting out carbs can just add more fuel to the fire.
2. Doing too much H.I.I.T.
Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good HIIT workout and they do offer many benefits… but if you struggle with chronic stress or anxiety then those high intensity workouts could be doing more harm than good.
When you have been dealing with chronic stress and anxiety for a long time then your nervous system could be so dysregulated that those HIIT workouts could be triggering your stress hormones to spike and keeping you in flight or fight mode.
I know society likes to push the narrative of “pushing past the pain” or “working hard” to see your fitness results but in actuality, that’s not always the case.
If you struggle with chronic stress or anxiety and want to shed some pounds, boost your self esteem and regain some control over your life, then HIIT workouts should NOT be your first choice.
Instead, start off with simple strength training exercises to build your muscle mass and do things like yoga, pilates, Tai Chi, TRX or even just regular dancing to activate your mind-body connection while healing your nervous system.
Until you heal your nervous system, you may continue to struggle with weight issues since excess cortisol produced from chronic stress/anxiety keeps your body inflamed and holding on to body fat. I show people in my Stress Alchemy Course and all-inclusive coaching programs how to reset their nervous system while healing old wounds so they can enjoy a life without chronic stress, anxiety or depression.
If you are somebody who needs to reset their nervous system to recover from chronic stress and anxiety, then my self-paced Stress Alchemy course would be the perfect resource for you.
3. Eating too few fats
- Dry and scaly skin
- Feeling constantly cold
- Dry hair and/or hair loss
- Hormonal problems (including loss of menstrual cycle)
- Inability to feel full OR always feeling hungry
- Issues concentrating and/or mental fatigue and
- Deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins that can lead to depression, muscle pain and etc.
4. skipping Meals
I know it’s easy to fall into the “calories in vs calories out” mindset and assume that skipping a meal will just force your body to burn unwanted calories but this is not the case. Skipping meals can lower your blood sugar, throw off your hormones and make your symptoms of chronic stress or anxiety feel so much worse.
Listen to your body when it tells you that it’s hungry. If you’re not sure then your can always drink a glass of water to see if your hunger persists.
If you are hungry, try to consume a well balanced meal with multiple food groups and food sources to ensure that you are getting a variety of nutrients that your body may be craving. If you need help then my free nutrition guide ebook can teach you how to eat so you can eat whatever you want.
5. Ignoring your cravings
I’d hate to tell you this but, you don’t get any brownie points for enduring the torture that comes along with ignoring your cravings. Instead of ignoring your cravings (or indulging in them silently and pretending it never happened), you should instead, learn from them!
You can determine which hormone levels are low depending on what you are craving:
- If you are craving sweets like cakes, candy or anything with sugar and carbs, you are feeding your candida and may have low dopamine.
- If you are craving salty carbs like fries, chips, crackers and etc, then you are dealing with low serotonin levels.
Knowing which foods you are craving can help you determine which hormones are low so you can do the necessary self care to balance your hormones to look and feel well again.
Stress & Fat Loss
Yet another factor that influences anxiety sufferers’ ability to lose weight is your stress level. Cortisol is the stress hormone that is released when you experience a stressful incident. The way that cortisol is linked to your weight, is that it also stimulates insulin release. The reason for this is that insulin helps to then maintain your glucose levels for a fight or flight response.
Having sufficient levels of glucose available to the cells in your body ensures that you have the energy to defend yourself if attacked or running away if need be. The problem in the modern age with this, is that most of us suffer from daily chronic stress, and unfortunately it is not the type of stress that you can fight or run away from!
Essentially your body is ready to fight or flight, but there is nowhere to go! What we are left with are high insulin levels, which we know can cause weight gain (especially around your belly area). Some researchers explain that prolonged and unresolved stress (be this emotional, physical or perceived stress or from infection or injury) is one of the worst promoters of early aging and chronic disease. Stress triggers the immune system to respond with an inflammatory response which can lead to certain inflammatory diseases if left unaddressed for too long. In essence, stress is not only makes you gain weight but it provides a direct link to inflammatory conditions that could prove fatal as well.
Managing your stress is easier said than done, but it is vital that you take steps on a regular basis to reduce your stress and anxiety levels. Methods range from meditation to seeking professional help. Things that I have done in my daily life to improve my sleep and manage my stress include:
- Set a sleep schedule
- Meditate/Practice Mindfulness
- Remove unnecessary emails and social media from your phone
- Dim the light of your phone after a certain time.
- Learning to leave work at work
What is in the fat you lose?
Interestingly, when you lose weight (or fat) there are actually substances in your fat known as obesogens (or endocrine disruptors) that actively interfere with the body’s functioning.
- Alter fat balance & storage
- Change metabolic set point
- Disrupt energy balance
- Change appetite
- Promote weight gain
Thus, when you lose weight, the toxins in your fat may make it more difficult for you to continue to lose weight or even may make you re-gain the weight again! These toxins can be classified as environmental or lifestyle toxins.
Environmental toxins include: pesticides, industrial compounds, solvents, detergents, plasticizers, cosmetic additives, chemical additives, colourings, preservatives, flavorings, microbial toxins such as aflatoxins from peanuts, mycotoxins from moulds, and bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastic baby bottles, toys, and especially dental sealants
Lifestyle toxins include: Alcohol, OTC drugs, and prescription drugs. By-products from food preparation such as acrylamide from French fries, nitrosamines from cold cuts and sausages (processed meats), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PCAHs) from charbroiled meats, trans fats from partial hydrogenation of fats and AGEs (advanced glycosylated end products) in foods in which the glucose molecule is brought to high temperatures
So, what can we do about this? First and foremost is to try your best to avoid these toxins as much as possible. It is impossible to avoid them all, but try your best to reduce your exposure to them in your daily life. There is a huge movement towards using more ‘natural’ products and while it is not always practical to do this with everything, even a small amount of change can make a big difference.
You Can have it all
It is quite possible to learn how to manage your work stress, have time for your kids and not have to stress about chronic aches or pains. You can have those unwanted pounds melt off your body with ease and still have enough energy to enjoy quality time with your loved ones.
If you need help taking the stress and confusion out of your wellness/healing journey then let me know. My Stress Alchemy Coaching Program helps people recover from chronic stress, anxiety or burnout in 6 months or less by getting to the root cause of your mental health concerns so you can create the health and life of your dreams while sculpting your body goals. I hope this helps.
In Good Health,
Amber Stew BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Master Life Coach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist
CTNC Mental Health Specialist
TBMM Corrective Exercise Specialist
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