Dr Nick Fuller
Leading Obesity Expert at the University of Sydney and founder of Interval Weight Loss.
Stress isn’t just something that messes with your mood; it plays a major role in how your body holds onto or sheds weight. The hormones triggered during stressful situations (like cortisol and adrenaline) can throw your metabolism out of whack. If you're trying to slim down or understand unexpected weight changes, it's worth paying attention to what stress is doing behind the scenes.
A study found that people who experienced one or more stressful events the day before eating a high-fat meal burned fewer calories and had higher insulin levels. This could lead to weight gain over time.
Want to know more about the science behind weight changes? Read the full article for the details.
When your body senses stress, whether it’s a deadline, an argument, or just general chaos, it goes into fight-or-flight mode. That’s when stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) kick in. In short bursts, these hormones are super helpful. They give you a burst of energy, sharpen your focus, and even suppress your appetite temporarily. Great if you’re running from a lion. Not so great if you’re just trying to survive school pick-up and rush hour traffic.
The problem starts when stress becomes a regular thing. Chronic stress keeps cortisol levels high, which messes with your metabolism and can lead to more fat being stored, especially around your midsection. One study found that women with higher levels of cortisol were more likely to have abdominal fat, even if they weren’t overeating.
To make things trickier, cortisol doesn’t just tell your body to hold onto fat—it can also increase cravings for high-sugar, high-fat ‘comfort’ foods. According to a study, stress is strongly linked to emotional eating, which often means reaching for snacks that work against your health goals.
So, if the scale isn't budging or your jeans are feeling tighter, stress might be a sneaky culprit. Understanding this hormone-weight connection is a big step toward figuring out what your body actually needs.
Curious about how cortisol could be impacting your weight? Check out this article for science-backed insights and tips to help you manage stress and support healthy weight loss.
While long-term stress is often tied to weight gain, short bursts of intense stress might lead to weight loss. Here’s how:
Stress can stimulate your vagus nerve, which can mess with your digestion. This often causes people to feel nauseated or lose their appetite.
This ‘fight-or-flight’ hormone ramps up your heart rate and energy usage, often suppressing your hunger in the short term.
Chronic stress affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which can throw your appetite hormones off balance and alter your metabolism.
Ever get a nervous stomach? Stress can cause gut issues like cramps or diarrhoea, leading to less food intake and even nutrient loss.
Not sure if stress is behind your shrinking waistline? Look out for these clues:
Headaches
Indigestion
Aches and pains
Tense muscles
Mood changes
Fatigue
Trouble sleeping
Short-term memory fog
Fast heart rate
Low libido
These are common signs that stress is taking a toll, not just mentally, but physically.
Chronic stress is more commonly linked to weight gain. Here’s why:
Cortisol encourages fat to be stored, particularly around your midsection.
Increase Appetite
Stress can push you toward high-calorie ‘comfort foods,’ which often contain sugar and saturated fat.
Long-term stress can dampen your metabolic rate, making it harder to burn the calories you eat.
Chronic cortisol elevation is associated with higher insulin levels, which can lead to fat gain and pre-diabetes.
According to research, poor sleep and high stress levels have been linked to increased hedonic hunger, an intensified drive to eat for pleasure rather than need, which may disrupt normal appetite regulation.
Managing stress can help get your weight back in check. Try these ideas:
Even short bursts of exercise reduce stress hormones and boost endorphins.
Organising your time and setting priorities can give you a sense of control and lower stress.
Spending time with friends or family helps boost emotional support and reduces stress levels.
Carving out space for yourself (even just 10 mins) can help settle your nerves.
Setting goals and achieving them builds confidence, which can reduce feelings of helplessness.
Smoking, heavy drinking or binge eating might feel like relief, but they often worsen stress long term.
Giving back is proven to reduce cortisol and boost oxytocin, the ‘feel-good’ hormone.
Take regular breaks, learn to say no, and prioritise tasks effectively to cut down on stress.
Stress can mess with your weight in sneaky ways, sometimes speeding up weight loss and other times slowing it down. Knowing how your body reacts and learning how to manage stress more effectively is key to staying on top of your health goals.
Want to learn more about how hormones affect your weight? Check out this article from Interval Weight Loss to dig a little deeper.
Dr Nick Fuller is the founder of Interval Weight Loss and is a leading obesity expert at the University of Sydney with a Ph.D. in Obesity Treatment. Dr Fuller is also the author of three best-selling books and his work been published in top ranked journals in the medical field, including JAMA, Lancet and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.