fat loss/gain

Hi,

I have been under A LOT of stress lately.  Actually health anxiety, which I went under tests for and the doctor found that all my tests that he felt I needed were normal and that the anxiety that I had been putting myself under was causing the varied symptoms (they had all come on as I started to worry about certain symptoms, e.g. speech issues after I started looking for them etc., my initial symptom was quite minor and doesn't worry me now, but it led to worry about other things)

Well, as it takes a while for severe anxiety symptoms to calm down I never really stopped being aware, and hence could not relax enough to get better, so I have literally been in complete worry mode every waking minute for about 6 months now and can't get out of the cycle.

My question is that I have noticed that I seem to have lost some weight in may face, around my shoulders, arms etc.  It is ONLY fat loss, my muscles are as large as ever.  I have not lost actual weight though and it seems that my abdomen is holding the weight.

Does anyone think that stress can cause weight loss and then due to possible higher cortisol, cause weight/fat gain in the abdominal area, so in effect redistributing the fat?
The only reason why I wonder whether this mechanism is at work or not is that I don't seem to have gained fat in my upper back which I thought should also happen with cortisol.

Any thoughts on the real effects of stress and if this kind of thing is possible would be appreciated as it is something else for me to worry about.  I plan on going to my GP for a physical but my last physical 7 months ago showed normal bloodwork etc. and I am not fatigued, or under the weather, just the stiffness, speech, twitches (but I saw a neurologist and everything was normal).

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Rachel

[cj29]

Health anxiety can be a vicious cycle.  In my opinion, you did the right thing by going to get checked out....now it is time to believe your doctor.  You seem to be in a 'hyper-aware" state where every little symptom is either catastrophicsized or misinterpreted in my opinion.  I went through the exact same thing when I started having heart health issues.  Have you ever gone to counseling for this?

Remember that stress can take a toll on us both physically and mentally.  We can really feel and look run down...keep working at it and keep us posted!

[Jikan]

Rachel,

Stress can play havoc on our physiology and can cause the types of conditions you have described as well as a multitude of others.

I recently underwent several days of medical testing for a series of physical symptoms that I was experiencing and in the end it was determined that most were probably stress related.  In fact after a short non stressful hospital stay, a change in my medication and a return to stress relieving techniques such as meditation and deep breathing most of my physical symptoms dissipated.

If, it turns out that you receive a clean bill of health medically, you may wish to investigate stress management techniques that may prove beneficial.

By the way, I also twitch when I'm stressed, so if your symptoms are stress related, and I suspect they are, you may want to check with a mental health provider or check with your local community health center since many offer stress reduction classes free of charge.

Good luck to you and let us know how you make out.

Michael

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

oh yes i can drop pounds like no tomorrow when am in stress lost 3 pds last week , worring over a stress /nuclear test . when my mom had cancer surgery i lost 22 pds in 3 weeks so yes yes yes weight loss is anxiety .

[Rachel_W]

Thanks guys.

I am definitely in a cycle.  The weight loss was/is freaking me out more because of the fact that it is more a redistribution than actual weight loss, and the bones in my shoulders and more noticeable, along with my hands and face etc.  But as you all said, stress can really put stress on the body, especially constant stress like the kind that I have been putting myself under.  Even today I had a really stressful day at work which is made even worse as I see it as something that is stopping me relaxing and then it gets even more stressful for me as I dread the consequences (i.e. possible more weight loss in areas, worse twitches, worse speech issues etc.).

Ugh.  I also have OCD so I am prone to anxiety, but have never been aware of these kind of side-effects, but this has also been more constant than the lower level (with peaks) of stress that OCD causes.

Thanks again.

Rachel