Can The Recession Make You Fat?

So far stable for me, but what you write is very interesting and something to think about as our times are so stressful and everyday is a wonder of what will tomorrow be like.  Thanks for this very interesting blog, Dr. Park, it'll be interesting on Wt. Loss & Dieting to hear what some of our members are enduring in this regard, too.

C~

The sleep disturbances and stress you have described are most prevalent in my life as I will be losing my job at the end of the month.  My body has craved carbs more recently and I've been working hard to eat protein when the call for carbs is at hand.  That, and an increased awareness to implement exercise as a way to counteract the stress is helping.  My weight is stable but I am implementing both the protein and exercise as a way to move forward.

Truly appreciate your information on this and will pass this information on to the WL&D community.  

Hi Dr. Park,
The other recession weight item that strikes me here is we will probably see an overall gain to our general population's weight just because of the economics.

Eating healthy is more expensive than eating carb loaded foods.  Mac 'n cheese and ramen noodles could quickly become a mainstay on dinner tables as a budget stretcher.  A loaf of plain white bread is a fraction of the cost of a whole grain variety.  These types of food are certainly less costly than fresh vegetables and fruits.  

It takes $$$ to eat right, and especially if you are on a well thought out diet.

My best,
Laura

I agree with this. Its very expensive trying to eat healthy. I went food shopping over the weekend and wanted to pick up some Yellow Golden Apples and they were $3.49 a pound! Lucky for me white grapes were on sale for $.99 a pound. I can say I am lucky as I still have a job and can afford to buy healthy food still, however I might say different if I lost my job as I would be forced to eat what my family buys.

I agree too, I went to get low carb breads and it cost so much, $4 for a loaf and it is smaller than the white bread but so much more healthy than the white bread. also the low carb tortillas are so costly.

I totally agree with what you are saying.  In periods of high stress I have been totally unable to lose weight due to the excess cortisol.  I have to be in a calm and relaxed mood in order to attempt to lose weight.  

Yes, healthier foods can cost less but if you look at moving away from processed foods and making your own (i.e., bread, granola, beans, spaghetti sauces, etc.) you can actually do it for less.  It does take extra time but the health benefits and cost savings are worth it.

Actually I've lost weight.  I'm like obese (slightly over 200 pounds but I was over 225 several months ago).  I'm not exactly worried or stressed out but I know I have to cut costs and the grocery bill is a good place to start given my weight issue.  Deciding to buy the fruits and veggies that cost more than the potato chips is important to do... and then realizing that you really should not buy the potato chips however much you want them takes a lot of willpower.  Water is also free out of the tap whereas sodas cost money.  Even diet sodas I hear can cause weight gain because of the carbonation.  I've switched to tea.  It's cheaper and you make it with water.  I'm dealing with a caffeine addiction I can't seem to shake.

I'm also facing the possibility of losing my job, but it won't happen until July, so now I have something else to blame my stalled weight loss on.   My PCP declined to explore the stress theory with me so I don't know if that's part of the problem or not.  

I can relate to this.  I have been unable to lose weight for several months, despite my efforts.  I hadn't thought of stress/cortisol as a possible reason, but it could be a factor.  

I lost over 40 lbs between May and Oct. 2008.  During this time I was dealing with an undiagnosed illness that was eventually determined to be Lyme and co-infections.  In October, I began to deal with fatigue and arthritis and other worsened symptoms.  I blamed my inability to lose more weight on how sick I was.

Since then, I have been in treatment and have made some progress towards recovering, but I still can not lose more weight.  I've tried changing my exercise and eating patterns, and short of starving myself, I can't get the scale to budge.  

I've tried to adjust my goals to maintaining my weight until I am further along to better health, but it is very frustrating!  I feel like I am working so hard to just not regain.  That also stresses me out, I worry that if I don't exercise, even on days when I feel lousy, that I'll gain weight back.  Perhaps I need to mellow out.

While the recession has not yet hit my employment, my health has, and I've been on a part time schedule since December.  I am also in a non-permanent position, and need to be job searching despite being sick.  So stress is a part of my life.  Now I wonder if/how that stress is affecting my overall health and my weight!

I also agree with TrudieC.  I think there are a lot of cheap foods that are good for us, but they often require more work.  Like dried beans are very inexpensive, but more labor intensive.  Plus, as LGK54 points out, a lot of cheap foods are also comfort foods, so people may be drawn to them during these times.

Thanks for the interesting article, I've enjoyed reading both the post and all of the replies!
  

Sorry Dr. Park, I didn't mean to hijack your important discussion about stress and weight gain with my comments about food costs.  Obviously MedHelp has many members who can relate to both parts of this discussion.

my best,
Laura

This is a very interesting discussion. I had no idea stress could cause you to gain weight, that could explain why I have struggled to maintain my weight during all the years in limbo prior to my diagnosis with MS last year.

Thanks - if we can see a cause it may help us find a cure.

All the best with this
Pat

well it doesnt cause u to gain weight does it, your saying it can increase your appetite, but you still have to act on that in order to gain weight, and if u act on it by eating oat cakes u would be alright, so its still down to what you eat. personally i think people are more likely to gain weight in a recession because the cheaper foods are fast food. ie places like macdonalds and kfc have been doing so well with trade, that theyr opening loads of new stores. its cheaper to go and get junk then to go and get fruit and veg which were expensive before but have rocketed more still.

er anyhow n i have gained weight and im very stressed most of the time haha. probably lost weight

I can relate to this post as well.  Not only have I gained weight with lack of sleep, stress, and possibly increased cortisol, but it affects my asthma negatively as well.  I am so glad to be able to put these things together in a way in which I can forumulate a new battle plan.