Dieting? Please don't worry. If our bodies are placed under stress we automatically produce adrenaline, but also a hormone called Cortisol. This hormone is primarily responsible for pumping energy in the form of sugar into the body to help fuel the adrenalin rush. This means stress is a natural bodily function designed to help keep us alert and alive and tuned in to the world.

Unfortunately, if the energy is not used, there is then a negative by-product. Stress can, in the modern world take many forms; money worries, issues in the workplace or office, family problems etc. All the extra blood sugar being released generally has nowhere to settle other than around your stomach to be later used as fat.

This can cause many people to actually maintain or even gain weight without realising it. There are of course other factors, but stress is often overlooked by many people. Stress could possibly be the one thing stopping you losing the pounds you so desperately want or need to lose.

Stress, and its relation, anxiety, is in fact a double edged sword. Stress helps to produce the excess blood sugar that can turn to fat, but the anxiety you feel encourages your body to use food as a comfort tool. You probably tuck into chocolate or fast foods looking for that instant hit which is the culinary equivalent of a warm hug from a loved one.

Eating foods that are bad for you when you are in a stressed state doesn't necessarily mean you are weak minded. Biologically, you are just pre-programmed that way. Tests on lab rats have shown that under stress most organisms naturally engage in some form of pleasure seeking behaviour, particularly high calorie foods.

If you have 4 hours or less sleep a night you have on average a 37% higher level of Cortisol (the energy producing hormone = sugar) than those who get the full eight hours. Guess what one of the biggest reasons for lack of sleep is? Yes, you guessed it, Stress!

It is imperative then, that you get a good nights sleep when trying to shed the pounds, this then leads to higher secretions of a naturally occurring hormone called Human Growth Hormone. This helps to protect your muscle mass and it is the muscles that help to maintain a steady and consistent metabolism. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not talking bodybuilder type muscle by the way, but simply the natural kind we all have.

If you are already under stress, the chances are you are not getting the full benefits of good nights sleep and so could be caught in a vicious circle that affects any attempt at weight loss. Prescriptive sleeping tablets are one option, but should only really be used alongside healthy lifestyles and not in place of one. Fortunately, despite stress being the silent diet killer, there are some easy ways to help you fight it.

First of all, with a small amount of exercise you can help yourself get a better nights sleep which. Don't skip breakfast; this is also associated with reduced stress levels throughout the day. If you do skip breakfast, you are just asking for trouble, and this can have a negative effect on your weight loss. You really do need to eat a healthy breakfast to fuel your energy needs. This also helps to manage your Cortisol levels. Oily fish although not to everyone's taste, is another food that should really be added to your diet to help reduce stress and therefore help weight loss. Oily fish particularly, is high in Omega 3. A simple tin of boneless sardine cost very little and is delicious on toast. This alone can contain a full weeks worth of Omega 3, all great for your diet plan.

And finally, learn to recognise stress and use it. Try to make stress work for you. We all need a small amount of stress to keep us on our toes. Please remember, combating stress with a healthy diet could just be the miracle weight loss plan you've been looking for all this time.