really having problems :-(

itsbasschick

so from may first to around thanksgiving, i was doing great. i worked out, i lost weight, i was healthier than i've been for years. but i kept having different physical issues as i worked out - i tore a muscle in my thigh (and we're talking about light workouts!), painful developed bursitis in one hip, then the other. i have shoulder issues i was working around but developed tendonitis in one elbow. and in november my knee started hurting when i'd go for walks while our insurance is in flux. and then i was in a car accident - not hurt, but it's left me feeling vulnerable and upset.

i binge eat in the evenings, which i hadn't done since may 1. it's overwhelming, the tension when i don't eat - i can't sleep, my heart races. this started with the accident, btw. and with all this going on, part of me feels like i'm doomed to failure, even though my thinking brain knows better.

i guess i mostly wanted to vent, and hope some of you will understand what i'm going through. i feel so alone with this, and i'm surprised, because i'm usually more of a lone ranger type. but i've never put weight back on after losing it before - i dropped from 242 down to 184 slowly without ever putting a pound back on, then dropped from 184 to 149 from may till november, but i've put 16 pounds back on. i love walking and working out, but my various body parts keep having problems. i try workarounds, they work and then something gets worse. i'm losing the muscle i gained. i can't find the motivation i had with all of this.

therapy is a possibility, both physical and emotional, but right now on top of everything else, my husband has developed a very painful health issue and our health care is moving very slowly to get him to surgery so he can improve. and our health insurance max out of pocket tripled this year, so what we can afford to spend on me will depend on how expensive his procedure will be, so we're sort of on hold...

arrrrrrgh!!!!!!!!!

jaenetty37

I totally understand! I have gained so much weight that I don't even recognize myself. But Everyday gets easier. Just take it one day at a time. I know it takes time and discipline but try hard to log food and exercise daily. It can be tough but it keeps us thinking about our choices. I have a blog that you are welcome to visit. I am trying to get it started up and it is really just a reflection page I am trying to blog 1 a week. If you wanna add me I would love to help encourage you. I know how you feel about your husband having surgery. The 1st year of marriage my husband had a major back surgery and it was hard to stay focused because you are putting all your energy into him and his needs and just coping with a huge change in your life period. Stay positive, breathe and just take it one day at time, progress will come. Prayers for progress and peace.

jaenetty37

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jaenetty37

dollydemise

Try eating an omelette or scrambled eggs with cheese when you feel "bingey". For me, it seems like eating some kind of protein kicks me out of my binge mode. I always go to eggs, because they are quick, satisfying, and always in my fridge. good luck

al142

When I'm anxious I tend to eat. In the short term, this calms me down. In the long term this causes weight gain which makes me anxious. So not a good long term plan.

Depending on where you are at, you may be able to get low cost counseling through local programs. My city offers one which has helped me a lot. The therapist I see got me started on mindfulness meditations to help me sleep. I have found more and more that mindfulness helps me feel more okay over the long haul, without weight gain as a consequence, which is nice.

Lately I have been doing some reading about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which uses mindfulness. I just picked up a book from the local library, which didn't cost me a thing. Like you, I don't have a lot of money to spend, and I don't want that to be any more of a problem than it already is.

I don't know if any of these ideas appeal to you, but I thought I'd throw them out there as some examples of ways to deal with tough stuff. I have an interesting set of health problems myself that like to keep me on my toes and I need all the help I can get.

itsbasschick

thanks, you guys! jaenetty37, thanks for reaching out - i appreciate it. dollydemise (which has to be THE coolest punk or goth rock name ever!), that's a good idea. i love eggs, and never think of them when binging. al142, we aren't eligible for assistance, but i definitely need to find my inner peace again! i'm really missing it.

al142

I don't know if I've ever felt inner peace, but I'm doing my best.

I think the first thing that really helped me feel better about life was when I realized I needed to treat myself like I would treat a sick friend. When my body betrays me, which is often, my first impulse is to be mad at it, and to punish it by pushing it when it needs to rest. I'm slowly learning to realize that I have to truly be kind to myself. That's very hard for me to do. Part of this is learning to fuel my body in the ways it needs, with high quality food in appropriate amounts.

Easier said than done, I know.

DLynn127

Sorry to hear you're going through this. Without knowing you, it sort of sounds like a little depression and stress. Life will do that, boy do I know that. Honestly, my first thought was for you to see your primary care doc. But since you covered that, another thought is to see if you can find some herbs to help. Republic of Tea has teas for stress and to uplift your mood http://tea.republicoftea.com/search?view=grid&w=mood&x=0&y=0. I use one of their inflammation teas and it works fairly well. As far as the injuries go, you might try adding some yoga to your workouts. It's a tough go when you can't really pin point what the real problem is. You've dropped quite a bit of weight so you definitely have accomplished a lot. Hope you feel better soon.

DayByDayGetStronger

You can check out great books at the library or buy them used online. Here are some suggestions:


Life is Hard, Food is Easy by Linda Spangle
Thin for Life by Anne Fletcher
50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers

Also a suggestion, and one that I used myself is to call your HR dept at your husband's job or your job if you're working and ask about Employee Assistance Programs that pay for mental health. My job paid for so many sessions of my weekly therapy for 2 years and I'm so grateful that I made the phone call to investigate employee coverage. I saved thousands!

Congrats on your progress and accomplishments. Losing/maintaining weight is 80% calorie-controlled and 20% exercise. Focus on the things you do have control over if you're nursing some injuries.

Jennifer
Your friendly Dietitian

SwankyTomato

I do understand your issues BTDT with the injuries and gained weight because of stress.

Here is the thing I say, "everyone has a story". Everyone's story is unique to themselves. So what now you say?

First of all when you are injured you have no business exercising without the guidance of physical therapy. You have to do healing as well. I prefer a sports PT person because I think they are in the mindset that you are going on to be active and improve.

Hopefully you have good primary doctor that will understand your physical issues and send you to some PT. There are a ton of things you can do to exercise under their guidance however they will also tell you how to do it and what you should not do!

Bottom line if you are in pain, you stop, and seek medical attention.

As far as the accident, binging, husband, finances, etc, sounds like a ton of anxiety on your shoulders. And yes, stress eating and other OCD stress relievers are certainly ways to relieve stress.

Honestly, I have found no way to stop stress eating. My life can be very stressful at times.

My solutions to that are to not buy stuff to "stress eat" on and prepare "healthy alternatives" in the fridge to binge on, like cut veggies and fruit.

In addition just for me personally, I have to eat my meals at 300c through the day with a snack in the evening. Yesterday I blew it. I had a high calorie breakfast which for some reason makes me what to eat more in the day/evening. I do not know why I am wired like that but it is what it is and I have to accept it. I love breakfast but I can't overdo it. (insert crying smiley).

As far as seeing a mental health therapist, if you do decide to go that route make sure they do "cognitive behavioral therapy" at least. That technique works well for anxiety.

The thing about anxiety is that is something you have to manage throughout your life. So there is not a quick fix there either.

Anyway, I will end my book and 2 cents here, lol. Just remember you are not alone in this. Hugs!

Victoriamrs

Sorry to hear you are struggling. As other posters have said I would encourage you to seek and get any professional help that you can.

A few years ago I hurt my back and my knees where also shot to pieces so in order to get some exercise I hit the swimming pool. Apart from getting in some exercise I found it relaxing but then I find water soothes my soul (might have something to do with my star sign lol) I also find that a gentle walk in a park or near the beach anywhere surrounded by mother nature can help, it certainly grounds me relaxes me and helps to relieve stress.

Well done on your weight loss so far and remember you have done it once and in time when you are ready you will hopefully be able to do it again.

Good luck!