The stress-less way to lose weight

Traditionally, reaching a ‘smile-worthy’ set of digits on the scales has depended on two words: diet and exercise.

The LIFE study, a clinical trial by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in the US, set about to test that theory, designing a six-month intensive behavioural weight loss intervention for 472 adults.

Its results were mental.

Sleep and weight-loss

“We found that entry sleep time predicted success in the weight loss program,” the researchers said in the International Journal of Obesity.

The magic number of hours needed? More than six and no more than eight: namely, somewhere around the seven-hour mark.

Interestingly, netting less than six hours or more than eight hours sleep lowers the chance of losing weight, they discovered.

Stress and weight-loss

Keeping stress under check is essential for taming appetite, the researchers suggest.

Recent research reports that “chronic stress results in an increased intake of energy- and nutrient-dense foods, and hormonal reactions to stressors may be tightly intertwined with endocrine regulation of appetite.”

It goes deeper.

‘Highly palatable food can activate a “neurological reward system… producing powerful behavioural reinforcement to food similar to that seen in drugs of abuse,” they write.

So stress-triggered eating, or comfort eating, can become a habit.

(And then, of course, you’re more likely to gain extra kilos.)

Sorting out stress and sleep

To shed weight, consider sleep and stress – as well as diet and exercise – when tailoring a plan. How can you reduce stress? This will help you sleep better, too.

Below are some pointers to get you going – from A Guide to Evidence-Based Integrative and Complementary Medicine by holistic medicine specialist Dr Vicki Kotsirilos .

To stomp on stress...

• Reduce your workload and resolve any conflicts in your life (call on friends or support groups for help)
• Listen to relaxing music during the day – this may also help you sleep at night
• Go on, treat yourself – get a massage!
• Take a relaxing bath and read an uplifting book before bed

References available upon request