Too Stressed to Lose Weight?

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, then you are no stranger to stress. Losing weight is a huge challenge, one that requires endurance, persistence and a great deal of motivation—things that don’t come easily amidst the frustrations and disappointments of many diet plans. Getting a Lap Band in Columbus, Macon or Albany can change the course of your weight loss program, giving you the strength and motivation to power through obstacles that get in your way. But that doesn’t mean you will become immune from stress.

Stress is an okay thing in small doses. Even a moderate level of stress can inspire you to make big changes in your life, like the decision to lose weight. But a lot of stress can interfere with your weight loss goals, impair your health and have an overall negative impact on your quality of life.

During your weight loss program you will need to take steps to manage stress and prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed. Between the diet restrictions, obesity related health complications and temptations to indulge in past favorite foods, the post-Lap Band lifestyle can become overwhelming. If you do not manage the emotional stress it can soon turn into a physical problem.

Stress can impact your physical health by:

• Leading to heart disease or causing abnormal heartbeats
• Increasing your risk of high blood pressure
• Causing you to develop skin disorders and rashes, including acne and eczema
• Causing menstrual dysfunction and infertility
• Worsening ulcers
• Giving you migraine headaches

Of all of the physical symptoms stress can produce, one of the most frustrating experiences for many Lap Band patients is weight gain. Stress can lead to bloating, and many people begin emotionally eating as a result of stress—which leads to additional calorie consumption.

Before you become overwhelmed by stress, develop strategies to control aspects of your life that are overly stressful. Here are a few tips for managing stress:

• Take deep breaths. Deep breathing exercises are the leading form of treatment for stress and anxiety. You can engage in this exercise anywhere simply by breathing fully in your nose and out your mouth, counting all the while. Deep breathing for ten counts (ten breaths) can often help you calm down in a stressful situation.
• Set limits and learn to say no. When you see yourself approaching a stressful situation, set your limits. If you are entering a meeting at work, set a limit to how much overtime you are willing to put in—if any. If a friend calls who normally stresses you out, plan on only speaking for ten minutes before having to excuse yourself from the call. If a situation arises that is too overwhelming, it is okay to say no.

What other techniques have you found useful when it comes to managing your stress? Share your thoughts and experiences in a comment below.