Law School + Stress + Weight Loss = Impossible?!

ishietar

Hi everyone,
I am not a stranger to MFP and the process of losing weight. At my heaviest (right now) i'm at 280, i've gotten myself down to 240 before (holy *kitten* I never realized that...) I'm 6'1, female btw.
I'm good about these bursts of inspiration, and keep going long enough to lose about 20 lbs then something happens to throw me off.
I have a huge problem staying motivated. i'm one of those people that gets thrown off very easily, and I can't seem to get back up on the horse. Right now my excuse is law school so I would love some advice from someone who has been in my situation or anyone with an insanely stressful life.
I have to be up by at least 6am to catch the train and get to class on time. I'm in class until around 4, and when I get home- all I do is study or read or cry and try to figure out why I've decided that law school is a good idea.
The only time I can exercise is in the morning and I can't, and I have no money to join a gym. I walk an average of 2 miles a day getting from place to place (I live in SF).
I have no space in my mind, no energy stored up there to think about what i'm eating, when i'm eating or why. I just don't, and I know that all the depression and exhaustion i'm feeling is a direct result of that BUT....it's a vicious cycle. I don't exercise because I have no motivation, and I have no motivation because I don't exercise.
I try but i keep failing. I try using jedi tricks on myself but I'm immune!
Suggestions? Tips? Hints?

dubird

Start by making one change in your habit at a time. For now, focus on logging. Get into the habit of logging accurately, even without changing your eating habits. Then, once you get that to the point where it's part of your daily routine, then change something else. I had much better success with changing one small thing at a time and giving myself time to get used to it. Yes, it's much slower, but easier and more sustainable in the long run.

Also, don't worry about exercise for now. When you get down to close to your target range, then consider adding it, but it's not needed for weight loss. Get your calories in under control first, then worry about adding exercise for general health reasons later. The less things you have to add to your plate now, the better off you'll be.

pondee629

You might want to have an exercise program to help with the stress.

RonnieLodge

ishietar wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I have no space in my mind, no energy stored up there to think about what i'm eating, when i'm eating or why. I just don't, and I know that all the depression and exhaustion i'm feeling is a direct result of that BUT....it's a vicious cycle. I don't exercise because I have no motivation, and I have no motivation because I don't exercise.
I try but i keep failing. I try using jedi tricks on myself but I'm immune!
Suggestions? Tips? Hints?

Only eat when free from distractions.
That means no eating in front of a screen - a windscreen, computer screen, phone, tv or movie screen.

Don't eat and tweet, don't read while you eat. It doesn't actually take that long to eat until you feel full if you do NOTHING but eat.


Do a weekly shop, don't buy junk food, make & pack your food for the next day the night before.

I literally live 200metres from a large supermarket, so I only buy junk food when I have a party happening in an hour or two. I get cravings but that 200metres to the supermarket is long enough to make me stop and think "Do I really want this".

ceva034

It is not impossible - I made it through law school and lost about 80lbs along the way. You need to make the time to plan and prioritise. With law school I found there was always something else I could be doing - another reading, more work on an opinion etc. So the key is to try get things done in the morning. For example on Sunday morning get up and plan and prepare your food for the week. Portion things out into easy to carry lunches/snacks so you are sorted for the week. You can also chop up heaps of veges, cook sweet potato etc in advance, so come the evenings just throw in some protein like chicken and you have a quick and easy dinner. There are heaps of ideas on this site about portable snacks and lunches you can plan in advance.

With exercise, if you are getting home at 4, even devote an hour then to walk or run or whatever you like. That time away from the books actually helps you remain focused.

Law school is the perfect time to set yourself up on the right path to live a healthly life which is essential for your long term career.

I now work with a lot of Judges who are the first to highlight how essential physical activity and health are for your career and for your sanity.

There will always be an excuse as to why you can not do something, or why something is too hard.

Make the decision that you're going to do it and go after it. Learn from your mistakes and learn from your successes.

Good luck.

lemurcat12

pondee629 wrote: »

You might want to have an exercise program to help with the stress.

This is what I was thinking, even if it's just walking extra miles. I also live in a big city, and it's really easy to get over 10,000 steps with just normal commuting and walking for errands, and San Francisco is likely a wonderful place to walk around in.

When I was in law school I exercised a lot, and it's something that always helps me with stress and my overall attitude and ability to deal with pressure.

I also agree with those who say take it one step at a time and don't worry if you aren't perfect. Decide on a healthy, calorie appropriate breakfast, perhaps, and eat that every day, start logging, add in some extra walking, perhaps. Do this for a few weeks, and then figure out one thing you can do to decrease calories (it might be that having a set lunch you can make during a break from studying and grab and go is a good option, but looking at the logs will tell you). Do that for a while and then add something else. If you break it up into little pieces it won't seem so hard or overwhelming.

ash_law

ceva034 wrote: »

It is not impossible - I made it through law school and lost about 80lbs along the way. You need to make the time to plan and prioritise. With law school I found there was always something else I could be doing - another reading, more work on an opinion etc. So the key is to try get things done in the morning. For example on Sunday morning get up and plan and prepare your food for the week. Portion things out into easy to carry lunches/snacks so you are sorted for the week. You can also chop up heaps of veges, cook sweet potato etc in advance, so come the evenings just throw in some protein like chicken and you have a quick and easy dinner. There are heaps of ideas on this site about portable snacks and lunches you can plan in advance.

With exercise, if you are getting home at 4, even devote an hour then to walk or run or whatever you like. That time away from the books actually helps you remain focused.

Law school is the perfect time to set yourself up on the right path to live a healthly life which is essential for your long term career.

I now work with a lot of Judges who are the first to highlight how essential physical activity and health are for your career and for your sanity.

There will always be an excuse as to why you can not do something, or why something is too hard.

Make the decision that you're going to do it and go after it. Learn from your mistakes and learn from your successes.

Good luck.

I just want to concur with this post right here. I've been out of law school for about 6 months now, and I can relate to your struggle. But, I promise it can be done. I significantly changed my body composition during law school, and it all comes down to priorities and choosing to get back on track when you fall.

What worked for me personally, was meal prepping on Sunday afternoons. Go to the store, get everything you need for bulk meal preparation, and spend 3 hours making meals. The three hours you use on Sunday will save you more than three hours during the week.

As far as the gym (or any other form of exercise), you just have to make time. For me personally, I would make myself go to the gym right after classes. I knew that even if it got late, I wouldn't not do my reading for class. I also knew that if it got too late, I would easily say "tomorrow" to the gym. SO, I always always made sure I went to the gym after class, because I knew I would always finish my reading no matter what anyway.

Now, choosing to meal prep and go to the gym/exercise/walk will cut time away from "bar review" and other social activities (usually involving drinking) that your law school friends will be doing. But don't feel discouraged by that. I was much healthier than most of my law school friends because of the fact that I had the gym as my stress relief, not drinking and partying. You will be surprised to see how many people from your class will have gained 25+ pounds from 1L year just from not putting their health/exercise as a top priority.

I promise that it is possible and that you can do it. You just have to make the first step, and keep going when you get sidetracked. I'm here for advice if you need anything!

fiddletime

Most of my life I've meal prepped and exercised, even in graduate school and even when broke. You can do this and put your weight and health higher in your priorities. I used to get up at 5:30 to do my 30 min workout before school. Nowadays there are a ton of free workouts on YouTube. Jessica Smith has some I've looked at (but now I can buy DVDs which are great too, and sometimes inexpensive).

When you take a study break you can do a 25-30 minute workout routine on if you don't want to get up earlier. Log your food and count the calories. You'll lose weight. If you make logging food and exercising a habit, in a few months you'll forget that you ever did it any other way. And I think walking two miles a day is a great start!

greatness

Although our stories have differences I feel like I can relate so much to your struggle. I stsrted med school this semester and its been kicking me in the butt so badly. I have always been an avid gym goer, it became apart of my life style. Not a hobby or an occasional something to fill my time, but a borderline obsession. From an early age I struggled with disordered eating, bouts of anorexia, compulsive exercising through my under graduate. All based off of a very negative image of my body or what I thought people were seeing on me. Exercising is only a step in the process of your health. First and foremost is your mental health and emotional stability. Make it a must to take 30 min every few hours of your study time to do something that you once enjoyed. It has help me when I felt overwhelmed and like I wanted to revert back to old habits (I see food and weight as one of the few factors in life that I can have complete control over which is terrible becuase it easily becomes obsessive when your world is kind of chaotic). Something I suggest is yoga. I picked it up a few yrs ago. Its not just deep stretching, its breathing technique and oneness with your mind and body that gives a very gratifying sense of relaxation and composure. It relsease tense muscles and encourages you to relax you to talk to yourself. Focus on the positives in your life if you decide to meditate every now and again. You are blessed to be receiving an education that many women and others would die for the opportunity. The knowledge you will gain in your field is an admirable feat, the security of your future, how proud you will be of yourself as you continue to progress, how proud your family must already be for you. A yoga mat is 8-15 buck and ive picked up a couple books from a half priced store. Its an easier way to motivate yourself into more strenuous or cardiovascular activities. Also, maybe a set of light weights or bands. Working iut doesn't have to feel like a chore. Its a great outlet to relieve pent up anxiety, stress, sometimes I'm too exhuasted to think about silly things afterwards.