Just as not being on a “diet” defines my quest for better health, thinking like an herbalist does. When I was getting my Diploma in Herbal Studies, I was trained in the art of “finding the cause” or an ailment. In my case, the ailment is excess weight that is behaving rather stubbornly.

• Fact - My husband and I just went through a major move.
• Fact - Deadlines related to my writing career are stressful.
• Fact - Clutter and having too many things is stressful.
• Fact - Moving from Germany and enduring culture shock in my own hometown was stressful
• Fact - I ran a marathon on 2005 and that also put stress on my body. Throughout the training, I didn’t lose any weight and sustained difficult injuries.

I have ample evidence to suggest that stress played a part in my weight gain. In fact, it may very well be the root cause. Over time, excess stress can put a strain on the adrenal gland. When the adrenal gland is taxed it can even affect the thyroid. The thyroid is the gland that regulates the body’s metabolism.

I encourage you to read this article which is on About.com. It gives a nice overview of the problem and has a list of symptoms. I experience nearly all of them.