Stress is an indicator of our belief in the value and validity of our worries and fears.
Worry, shame, and fear can't be the energy with which we deal with food and weight. It only spurs us to eat more food and produce more glucose/sugar which gets stored as fat.
Many people would rather be certain of their worries and fears, than risk the uncertainty of hope and optimism.
When our worries and fears just don't make sense, it's possible we are trusting the part of the brain that doesn't make sense... it just reacts.