Did you stress? Just because at work, your car broke down on the highway yesterday and you barely had time to breathe—almost hit the gym—that doesn´t mean you´re stressed out, right? Sure, you admit you´re a little exhausted, maybe even cranky. But that final disappointment came this morning when you discovered you couldn´t zip up your favorite jeans.

Guess what? What makes these jeans so tight could be the frenetic pace of your lifestyle. Studies show that stress not only raises your blood pressure and increases your risk of heart attack, stroke or other diseases, it can also widen your waistline. You may end up accumulating more fat in your midsection due to chronic stress at work or at home, and feeling nervous or anxious can lead to overeating to distract yourself or feel better.

Read on to learn about the surprising reasons stress can be your diet´s worst enemy, and how you can keep your work, family, and endless to-do list from losing weight.

Cortisol Connection

You may believe it or not, all fats are not created equal. According to Elissa Epel, a health psychology researcher in the Department of Health Psychology at the University of California at San Francisco, there are two basic types: visceral fat and peripheral fat, which is stored in the abdomen and fills your internal organs. It is stored just under the skin. While peripheral fat may not look attractive (it´s responsible for the bulges in your hips and thighs), it poses less of a health risk than visceral fat. The reason is unclear, but research shows that people with more visceral fat are also at increased risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and other diseases. Your genetics and body type affect the type and amount of fat you have, but other factors also affect it.

Epel has been investigating the link between stress and fat deposits for several years. She discovered that women tend to store more fat in their midsections when under stress. This is because when your body is stressed, you produce higher levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

"Anatomically, this visceral fat is very sensitive to hormones," says Epel. “It has more receptors for hormones like cortisol. If you have too much cortisol circulating in your body, it activates these fat storage pathways and encourages your body to store more of this type of fat. As a result, if you are under constant stress and your body is producing higher-than-normal levels of stress hormones, you may become thicker in the midsections as visceral fat builds up in your abdomen.

Realize that if you´re overweight, you´ll likely store extra fat all over your belly, including your belly. If you´re fairly thin though and have a lot of belly fat, you may want to pay more attention to the cause. You may be genetically predisposed to storing fat in that area (if your mother had a belly button, you probably will), but stress can also be a contributing factor.

How can you prevent cortisol from affecting your waistline? Combat stress by exercising regularly, taking time for yourself, and taking short breaks during the day. It´s not just a simple formula of calories and calories expended. The hormonal environment can affect where the body places fat.

Why Does Stress Make You Hungry?

Picture this: You are driving to work and suddenly another car turns in front of you. You hit the brakes and you miss the bumper inch by inch, squeaking to stop. You gasp and your heart beats with fear; After a few minutes, you feel shaky, weak, or nauseous.

Psychoneuroimmunologist Dr. Nick Hall says “This is your body´s reaction to perceived threat, in what´s called the fight-or-flight response, and it´s likely to make you hungrier as a result”

The fight-or-flight response refers to how the body reacts after stress. Our cardiac, respiratory and central nervous systems "speed up" and need more fuel as they become ready for action.

Hall says “The body is a machine and it needs fuel, which is food for humans. And the best food to eat during an emergency response is the one that converts most quickly into blood sugar-carbohydrates.”

Unfortunately, today´s stressors often don´t need additional fuel to fight them – so those calories are stored as fat. The problem with chronic stress is that it can constantly trigger such responses, and eventually a constant urge to eat occurs. Here lies the problem.

Yet stress can also suppress our appetite, and this is because of a chemical called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRT), which is one of the first chemicals produced when you experience stress. CRT initially suppresses your appetite and is associated with feeling anxious. Most people experience the urge to eat when other brain chemicals are produced.

If you suddenly feel the need to eat but know it´s the result of stress, not physical hunger, Hall suggests doing some push-ups or climbing a flight of stairs. This will produce small amounts of CRT that will help curb your appetite. Eating something low in calories—for example, fruit or vegetables—can also help you respond to this urge without breaking your diet. Instead of beating yourself up for food, spend a little more time at the gym.

Your Brain is hungry

Do you turn to pasta or pizza when you´re feeling anxious or down? Maybe you have a deficiency of serotonin, a brain chemical linked to depression. Serotonin deficiency can also trigger carbohydrate cravings. Hall says, "It´s actually a way of self-medicating."

However, this approach is far from perfect. If your body can´t convert carbohydrates into serotonin, you can eat as much pasta as you want and you´ll only change the outline of your body, not the outline of your mind, says Hall. However, if you are not getting enough carbohydrates, it may be helpful to consult your doctor.

But I Deserve It!

Joy Bauer, registered dietitian and author of The 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan, says one reason why stress affects your eating habits may be the need to relax yourself. “When you are stressed, inhibitions are reduced. Bauer says people don´t have the same staying power to make smart food choices. “They also tend to use food to numb them and feel good. People tend to associate stress with being nice to themselves and then interpret that as taking a lot of freedom that they wouldn´t normally do."

This could mean eating starchy, sweet foods like cake or greasy, salty foods like potato chips. People also turn to comforting foods like ice cream, cookies, and pizza when they´re under pressure.

"Comfort foods tend to be foods that remind us of our childhood when weight, calories, and health weren´t such an issue," Bauer says.

The problem is, they´re often high in calories and fat, and we eat more of them than we should.

Women often use food as a distraction or to deal with feelings of loneliness, depression, or anxiety. “They talk about feeling empty and using food to fill their emptiness,” Bauer says. “For example, people who are home alone on Saturday night and are depressed, bored, or lonely will eat a glass of ice cream. They use food to numb emotions they don´t want to deal with or don´t know how to deal with.”

The Stress Solution

Understanding the benefits of overcoming stress-related eating is the first step to taking action. Bauer says, he thinks people should view stress as almost the most critical and important time to feel in control.

So how can you feel more in control? Instead of trying to escape your problems with food, take care of yourself and do things like eat healthy, make time to exercise, and keep your energy levels high. "

Remember, too, that severely restricting your calories only adds to the stress you´re under. If you´ve just moved into a new home or have a "full plate" at work, it may not be the best time to lose the last 10 pounds. "

If you´re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or nervous, look for options other than eating. Email or call a friend., write in your diary, spend a few minutes reading a favorite Bible passage or praying, take a shower or go for a short walk or turn on music you love and focus on it.

If you´ve noticed that you´re gaining weight, take a look at your lifestyle to see if it´s the culprit. Maybe you just need to watch your diet or work out more. Or maybe it´s time to slow down. Remember that while stress can actually make you fat, it doesn´t have to. Develop effective ways to deal with stress and you will not only feel better, but also fitter.