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Cortisol Connection

Patricia Benjamin • April 19, 2022

Stress, Cortisol and Weight Gain


Stressed OUT! Too much to do and not enough time? Managing our time and busy lives is a key factor in managing our weight. There is a real reason why we gain weight over time, especially if we experience chronic stressors day in and day out without a release of energy or awareness of energy intake. Cortisol is an energy regulator and manager of our response to stress, mood and what we choose to eat. Your ability to manage stress levels and manage your weight are directly connected. Cortisol production is just as important as insulin production and cholesterol levels all of which affect how we feel, eat, sleep and expend energy to manage our weight. Exercise, sleep, good food choices and time management help alleviate our physiological response to chronic stress and get back to a healthy weight and more satisfying lifestyle.


Cortisol Connection

Our primary stress hormone is called Cortisol.  While it is activated in our response to stressors, it also regulates our metabolism and plays a vital role in the release of glucose (carbs), lipids (fats), and amino acids (proteins) for energy production.  In our liver, cortisol helps with the breakdown of glucagon into glucose from the carbohydrates we eat. Lipids (body fat) is broken down by cortisol to be used as energy, however, to much fat in our diets (fatty acids) over time, can be redistributed by cortisol and stored as belly or visceral fat.  Cortisol is produced to send amino acids (proteins) to muscles for use and repair. Then again, any that is not used is sent to the liver for glucose production, and if that energy is not spent, it is stored as fat. 

Clearly, cortisol levels in high concentration due to being overly stressed can and will affect fat storage within the cells of our body and ultimately weight gain. Chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease may be caused by elevated cortisol levels over time. 


Importance of Sleep

As stated earlier, our body’s natural response to stress is to produce the hormone cortisol. Elevated levels of cortisol also affects our sleep. When we do not get enough sleep (8-9 hours) per night, our life can seem overwhelming, our ability to concentrate goes with it, and we can become moody. Furthermore, chronic lack of sleep will increase our appetite and our inability to regulate our blood-sugar levels, which can lead to weight gain. It’s a vicious cycle, as elevated cortisol levels signal the brains response to timely insulin production or our body’s natural ability to convert glucose into immediate energy for use. However, too much eating and not enough sleep leads to elevated glucose levels in the blood and insulin sensitivity or pre-diabetes. So getting an adequate amount of sleep nightly is extremely important for our ability to cope with daily stressors in our life and ultimately make better food choices in order to lose or maintain a healthy weight.



Practical Tips on Managing Time and Managing Stress

 

Everyone has the same amount of time-24 hours per day. How you manage that time really helps with how you manage stress. For example, managing your sleep or bed time really matters to your weight loss. Sleep allows for your body’s systems to reset and recover allowing us to feel refreshed and able to handle our daily schedule of stressors.  Create a set bedtime, wind down with a bedtime ritual like reading, and try not to watch any TV or get onto your phone for any reason 30 minutes before you lay your head down to sleep.

Schedules and systems play an important role in managing time. Do you have a daily planner or App scheduler that helps you remember important dates, times, manage project deadlines, and help with family planning and personal time? 

 A system helps us organize and manage a particular area of our life. For instance, scheduling exercise into our week. Do you have a particular bag ready to go with all the items you need for the actual workout, a shower, and clean clothes for your next scheduled event?  Get it ready to go the night before your exercise date.

Being prepared for any event or scheduled activity with a system for making it happen helps alleviate a stressful situation of being late, ill prepared, or missing out, any of which can create a stressful situation. 

Review your calendar every evening for the next day. Preparing and planning your meals and food choices ahead of time really helps you keep on track. Always prepare a planned shopping list from at least 3 go-to meals for the week. Know what your snack options are going to be for the week. If you are in a car driving kids or picking them up and going to their next activity after school, have a system in place to make food choices on-the-go a breeze. Prepare and keep snacks or healthy proteins in a small lunch cooler while in the car.

Plan for down time or leisure time. Go for a walk, listen to music, dance, make art, play golf or pickle ball with friends, or take some time to just meditate or pray. Being still and in the present moment helps filter all the noise and interruptions we experience throughout our day. 


Final Note

The body and the brain needs some stress in order to function. Good stress or “Eustress” helps the body regulate energy and the brain function optimally. Too much bad or “Distress” due to circumstances we create or beyond our control causes our energy regulator or cortisol levels to elevate. Manage stress as effectively as you can. Devise strategies such as remove yourself from a charged or emotional situation, learn to say no, and have a back-up plan to leave or give yourself permission to not attend if your schedule is too full.  Always remember, everyone has the same amount of time in a day-24 hours. Calming the Cortisol response to chronic stressors in our lives is important for weight management, deeper health, and overall life satisfaction.

Insulin and Carbs: Partners in Crime?

By Patricia Benjamin • August 10, 2021
When you eat certain carbohydrates—such as starch and sugar—they’re quickly broken down into glucose and absorbed into your bloodstream. This raises your blood glucose levels. (Also called blood sugar levels.) The more carbohydrates you eat, the higher your blood glucose rises immediately after that meal. Your body, however, strives to closely regulate your blood glucose levels. Ever had your fasting glucose measured? The “normal” range is 70 to 100 mg/dl. Your body wants to maintain this level of blood glucose, to keep you healthy and all systems functioning optimally. If your levels are somewhat greater than 100mg/dl, it not just the amount of carbs you are eating, but the types as well. Did you know that chronically elevated blood glucose levels cause inflammation that can damage your blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, and nerves. This is why being told you are insulin resistant or on the verge of diabetes (<100mg/dl) can lead to many health complications down the road. When you eat carbohydrates, and blood glucose rises, your body signals your pancreas to releases insulin, which helps your cells convert the carbs into useable energy. Insulin is your body’s key regulator of blood glucose. Too little insulin and you have long term damage and complications, too much insulin and you can go into a coma or suffer from Insulin Shock. What Is Insulin Shock? “Insulin shock” is a common term for low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. It may also be called an insulin reaction. The exact blood sugar level that leads to symptoms varies, but is generally less than 70 mg/dl. A low blood sugar level triggers your body to release the hormone epinephrine, also called adrenaline. This release causes the early symptoms of insulin shock, which can come on quickly. If you don’t treat dropping blood sugar ASAP, your brain will stop getting glucose and your symptoms will get worse. If levels stay low for too long, you can have a seizure or go into a diabetic coma. After consumption of 75 grams of carbohydrate your Pancreas releases enough insulin to move glucose from your muscle and fat cells to other parts of your body to be used as energy or stored for use later. Without insulin, your blood glucose levels would stay elevated for a much longer period. And that would be very bad. This is why people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day via injections or a pump. The important thing to understand is that when blood glucose goes up, insulin goes up. This is important for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, if you eat a lot of carbs throughout the day, know your why for eating them because not all carbohydrates are the same. There are simple and complex carbohydrates. Examples of complex carbs are whole grains, fruits and veggies, all of which contain fiber which slows absorption into the blood. Consider these for starting your morning, a pick me up in the late afternoon in order to get you through to dinner time. Simple carbs are foods like pastas, potatoes, white bread, and white rice or simple sugars, as in sodas and alcoholic mixers. All carbohydrates contain a glycemic value or index. The higher the glucose value, the higher your blood glucose and the higher your insulin levels in response. Again, know your why. What Is Insulin Resistance? Insulin Resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver do not respond well to the insulin put out by your pancreas and cannot use glucose from your blood for energy. To make up for it, your pancreas makes more insulin, which doesn’t do any good, hence the term insulin resistant. Over time, the result is your blood sugar levels go up because it just doesn’t matter how much insulin is produced, your body becomes resistant to converting the sugar in your blood to fuel. Without regulation of the amount and type of carbohydrates you eat, high blood sugar levels will do damage to blood vessels, internal organs, eye site, and increases the likelihood of nerve damage in extremities. Many factors determine if you are susceptible to Insulin Resistance or Diabetes. • Fitness level • Body fat • Genetics • Microbiome health (“Gut Health” or microorganism balance) • Muscle mass • How recently, vigorously, and long you have exercised • Time of day • What else you’re eating (for example, fat and fiber—can slow the absorption of glucose, slowing the insulin response, while certain proteins (whey protein amino acids can increase the insulin response.) What is Insulin Sensitivity? Typically the more active you are the more sensitive your cells are to insulin. To be insulin sensitive means you need less insulin to move glucose out of your bloodstream. Typically, the leaner and more active a person, the more sensitive cells are to insulin. This is known as insulin sensitivity. Meaning, you need less insulin to move glucose out of your bloodstream. Being active and scheduling intentional movement or exercise into your daily routine matters. You will tolerate carbohydrates better and your body will better use them for performance and recovery. What matters most for fat loss? Choose natural, whole food carbohydrates that are packed with fiber. For example, an apple, peach, or watermelon, over an ice cream sandwich, soda pop, or cookie. All have sugar and provide stimulus to your pancreas to produce insulin, and give you a burst of energy, however, chances are your pancreas will be on overdrive for the later. Furthermore, constantly eating these foods packed with simple sugars will not bring you any closer to your weight loss goals. So choose your carbohydrates wisely. Eat more fruits, whole grains, and veggies. Also, be sure to schedule movement, or exercise into your day. Fuel your body for years of vitality, be mindful of the whole foods and natural carbohydrates you eat and why you are eating them. Focus on practices such as meal planning/preparation for the week that will sustain a routine for a healthier you!

I Diet and I Can't lose Any Weight!

By site-w6QhUQ • July 14, 2021
Throughout my life, I have tried different diets for losing weight. I never could reach my goal weight on Weight Watchers (WW), Adkins, Keto, The ZONE, or No sugar, No flour diet. I lost weight for a few months, but it was hard, really hard to sustain. My lifestyle, did not lend itself to restrictions on foods, calorie counting, and tracking. Often times, my LIFESTYLE, the way I play, eat, and work sabotaged much of my efforts. The people I enjoy socializing with, eating, and going out with; those places I spend most of my time, at work, behind a computer, in my car, in my kitchen at home with my significant other seemed to give me excuses for deviations and slides. Much of the time, to tell the truth, I was always feeling stressed out with the diet plan and this idea of losing weight by a certain time. When I screwed up I would just guilt myself into getting back on “the wagon” so to speak or in other words-my diet. Seeking clarification as to why my diets do not work, I started with the definition. What is the Definition of diet? According to the Webster’s Merriman Dictionary: A: food and drink regularly provided or consumed a diet of fruits and vegetables a vegetarian diet B: habitual nourishment links between diet and disease C: the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason was put on a low-sodium diet D: a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight going on a diet One thing I never thought about every time I went on a diet is how crazy at times it made me and everyone around me. I would be really conscious of what I was putting into my mouth. I could eat this, or I couldn’t eat that. I would even find myself bringing my own food to pot lucks because I was afraid of “blowing it”. I would eat out and order something I thought was healthy only to find out the cook had slathered it in clarified butter, or some fat rich sauce. After weeks of depriving myself of certain foods and eating only salads and chicken, I would reward myself with a glass of wine, and some rich dessert. My logic was that I had been really good all week so for the weekend, I could treat myself- right?! This had become my reasoning and habit over time. Reward for good dieting behavior. I found myself at times eating the same combinations of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here is just a few of the same things I ate for 6 months during my most extreme weight loss. - A 100 calorie English muffin toasted with 2TBS powder peanut butter, dill pickle chips. - 1 cup of plain Cheerios, half banana and half cup of almond milk - 2/3 Cup of Plain Yogurt, half cup raw oatmeal, and half cup of blueberries - 1 slice of Turkey Bacon, 2 egg whites, and a half tomato slices For lunch: - 60 calorie Tortilla, 1 slice oven roasted Turkey, ¼ avocado. - ½ can of tuna, 5 Crackers, 1 stalk of celery, 1 C fruit - 1 chicken breast roasted, ½ C Salad Greens, ½ C Tomatoes, 5 Olives - Baked Grilled Cheese sandwich on 1 piece Rye Bread, 1 C Tomato Soup - For dinner: - Chicken Breast, 1 C. Broccoli, ½ Sweet Potato - Black Bean and chicken Burrito w/ Fat Free Sharp Cheese/Salsa and a side salad - Pork Loin, 1 C Red Potatoes and onions in Olive oil, Green Beans - Gluten free Spaghetti, Canned Tomatoes/Ground Hot Italian chicken/Mushrooms/Onions sauce. My snacks consisted of mixed nuts, seasonal fresh fruit and raw veggies, granola bars, frozen yogurt, flavored Greek yogurt, Granola, Pretzels, and flavored seltzer waters. Quite honestly, I became bored with eating the same things over and over again. One time I read something about fasting and tried it for 18 hours. In theory, this is a good idea for maybe someone who is trying to cleanse their system by drinking only liquids for 10 hours after waking up. For me it was pure torcher, as I am used to eating breakfast every day. Skipping any meal made me miserable, or “Hangry”. Plus, I did not lose any weight by doing it. In fact, I found myself over eating and eating some foods I forbade myself to ever eat. Besides that, I felt like I had no energy to do anything. I am not saying fasting is a bad thing, it is just not right for me. One of my least favorite things about dieting was feeling hungry all the time. If I vowed to myself not to eat after dinner, the cravings would overcome my willpower, and then it would be over for me at that moment. Homestyle buttered Popcorn, a glass of wine, and dark chocolate seemed to be my go to. I was being “bad” and at times I felt really guilty. How could I TRUST myself to lose any weight with this behavior? One thing I have learned about myself is that losing weight is not always about the “diet”. It is more about understanding and TRUSTING myself to make the right food choices for me. Learning about eating “enough” and “better” Proteins, Carbohydrates, Vegetables, and Fats throughout the day consistently and in hand estimated portion sizes works! Menu planning and preparation for my week has become a ritual. It takes time, so I schedule it into my week. Eating a well balanced meals and snacks consistently throughout the day has relinquished my evening cravings after dinner. I am no longer on or off my diet. I am no longer stressed when I go out or to a pot luck. I am mindful of how I eat or fuel my body in any home or social situation. Precision Nutrition Practices are my leisure and a big part of my deeper Lifestyle Health!
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