Is It Normal To Lose Weight Due To Stress? Here's An Expert Explanation

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JAKARTA - When stress hits can have an impact on weight, some rise and some decrease. However, is losing weight due to stress normal?

According to clinical psychologist and Director of Behavioral Services at Cleveland Clinic, Kasey Goodpager, Ph.D, the body's response to stress is related to the fight or flight mechanism. This is a physiological response of the body to the threat of stress.

When facing pressure, the body increases the heart rate, strains the muscles, and speeds up breathing. However, other body functions such as digestion will slow down.

"During fight or flight mode, digestive function decreases so that it can affect appetite," said Goodpaster, quoted from Cleveland Clinic, on Friday, September 5, 2025.

This results in some people who are stressed to experience a decrease in appetite, which has an impact on weight loss. Weight loss due to stress is not always dangerous.

If the weight loss in small fluctuations in the stress period and return to normal when self-recontained improves, then it can still be considered reasonable.

"Usually changes less than 10 pounds (about 4 kilograms) or about five percent of the body's mass is not considered clinically significant because a person's weight can actually go up and down naturally," he explained.

However, if you lose weight when you are stressed more than five percent of your body mass for 6-12 months without a diet effort, then you need to watch out.

Moreover, the decline occurred very quickly, followed by digestive disorders, to other symptoms such as headaches to fatigue.

Metabolism slows down, the body stores fat, and begins to outline muscles. This can indeed put weight down in the short term, but it's actually dangerous for health," he added.

Kondisi tersebut sudah memerlukan intervensi profesional. Dianjurkan untuk memeriksakan diri ke dokter untuk mengevaluasi penurunan berat badan tersebut hanya akibat stres atau ada kondisi medis lain yang mendasarinya.

“Dokter bisa membantu mengatasi masalah kesehatan mental, menyesuaikan pengobatan jika ada efek samping, atau memberikan rujukan jika masalahnya terkait kesulitan ekonomi maupun gangguan makan,” pungkas Goodpaster.

This condition already requires professional intervention. It is recommended to check with a doctor to evaluate the weight loss only due to stress or other underlying medical conditions.

"Doctors can help overcome mental health problems, adjust treatment if there are side effects, or provide referrals if the problem is related to economic difficulties or eating disorders," concluded Goodpaster.