Thread by @DoctorTro

THREAD 🚨

STRESS is the leading cause of weight regain in my practice.

whether physiology or excessive, emotional, psychiatric, mental or physical... Stress works in a number of ways to make you hungry

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STRESS ⬆️ blood glucose through several mechanisms, and I’ll explain why that’s important later... follow me for a second.

Stress causes a perfect storm...

1) ⬇️insulin sensitivity

2) ⬆️glucagon which ⬆️ glucose production via glycogenolysis & GNG

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3) ⬆️epinephrine which ⬆️ delivery of gluconeogenic substrates from the periphery, ⬇️ glucose utilization by several tissues, & ⬇️ insulin secretion

4) ⬆️Cortisol & growth hormone which ⬇️ glucose utilization & ⬆️ hepatic glucose production.

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Let’s bring this down to a clinical level...

Stress causes massive gylcemic excursions, the drop in blood sugar after these excursion will cause increased hunger by specifically acting on the reward centers of the brain 🧠

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Stress also causes a relative decrease in executive functioning (LITERALLY creates a willpower deficiency)

Even mild stress can cause a loss prefrontal cognitive abilities, while chronic stress causes actual architectural changes In the brain

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So not only does stress make you more hormonally hungry, it also decreases your ability to resist your desire for super-rewarding hyperpalatable foods.

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And once you eat that super rewarding hyper-palatable food in your state of insulin resistance CAUSED/WORSENED by stress, this will lead to further gylcemic excursions which leads to further uncontrolled hunger.

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Bottom line: stress will make you more hungry. It will make the hormonal impact of crap food more pronounced and leads to a cycle of constant hunger.

My strategy: Binge low carb and live to fight another day...

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