Why Do Some Gain Weight In Response to Stress While Others Lose It?
Everybody responds to stress differently. (Photo: Getty Images)
Unless you’ve been in a news blackout for the past month, you likely know that Amber Heard is currently in the middle of a bitter divorce from Johnny Depp. Allegations of domestic abuse have flown, while Depp’s publicists have accused the actress of trying to extract more money from the megastar. All the while, Heard has been keeping a low profile — but she just reemerged yesterday at LAX, looking noticeably thinner.
According to the New York Daily News, Heard recently had to skip a costume fitting for her upcoming role in Justice League due to her “gaunt” frame. TMZ claims she has lost 20 pounds in the last month, ever since filing for divorce on May 23.
Related: Amber Heard’s Windblown Waves at the 2016 Met Gala
It’s not uncommon for people to deal with their emotions through eating, especially if you are suffering from depression, according to Kenneth Yeager, PhD, director of the Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. But why do some people gain weight and some people lose it?
Amber Heard at LAX, taken just before she filed for divorce. (Photo: Getty Images)
Although Yeager has not treated Heard, he says it would not be uncommon for a person with situational or biologic depression to see weight fluctuations. And whether the scale creeps up or down has to do with our predispositions toward handling stress. “Some of us like to soothe, others like to control,” he tells Yahoo Beauty. “This means the manifestation of depression is also different, depending on the person.”
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A person who grasps for control when their situation feels out of control will typically see reduced appetite and struggle to sleep. Yeager says it’s sort of like the paralyzed anxiety you feel if you were to flunk a major exam or flub a huge presentation. A person who seeks to soothe themselves in the midst of similar struggles will probably do the exact opposite. “In this case, it’s almost as if all they can do is eat and sleep,” Yeager says. “It’s like a void they’re trying to fill.”
Yeager says that underlying conditions, as well as medications taken for issues like depression, can also cause weight gain or weight loss. In this way, stress and eating is always very individualistic.
But in cases of a significant weight loss, much like Heard may be experiencing, it all comes down to control and the personal nature of food. “A healthy control mechanism, when you don’t see the end to an ordeal in sight, might be to paint a room of your house or finish an article — you might complete something for a sense of control,” he explains. “If you are dealing with something personal, however, you might want to control something very personal. Food is personal and it’s very subtle. People get a lot of gratification from not eating. If that one piece of their life is controlled, they feel better.”
Sometimes, people with situational depression — like after a breakup, a death, a job loss — don’t even realize they are eating more or less, Yeager says. So if you notice a weight loss or gain, and you’re able to turn to better coping skills, then do so: For instance, you could complete a project that’s meaningful to you, or take a vacation for some healthy soothing.
However, Yeager says if your mood is affecting your behavior for more than two weeks, every single day, then you should call your doctor. If you experience more than a five percent fluctuation in your total body weight in that timeframe, it’s also clinically significant side effect of depression.
Food can be incredibly satisfying, a vice, or both. When you’re stressed or down, it’s worth noticing how you engage with eating, and how your body responds to those changes. Just keep in mind that abnormal behaviors might be important indicators of mood concerns that need to be addressed.
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