Dealing with work stress on a fitness journey

lyndsfattofit

I thought I had this all planned out, I was doing well, two weeks and no cheating which was big for me as I haven't stayed on track for long at all for ages.

Then my manager went on holiday and I was left in charge and *kitten* hit the fan. I don't think I've ever been so stressed in my life everything that could go wrong did and I just ate my feelings.
Does anyone have any tips or ways to bring yourself out of that moment and rationalise before ruining your progress?

hipari

First, you did not ruin your progress. Maybe you had a bad day or two, but life isn’t linear or perfect.

Second, a practical tip for work stress: instead of eating those feelings, find an aggressive workout/exercise of your choice and leave the stress there. Personally, I kick and throw things. Pounding a 13-lb soft medicine ball repeatedly to the floor as hard as I can usually does the trick.

mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12

Sorry to hear that work is stressful right now. I find that it’s easier to stay calm under pressure when you feel like you have the rest of your world under control.

Don’t panic, we all fall of the wagon. Now you’re ready to get back to it try to keep your routines. If you go to the gym, go even when work is crazy, taking a moment for yourself will make you more productive when you’re back at work so everyone wins. I also find that excercise helps me deal with stress..

Eatting a balanced diet will keep you clear headed. Take food with you so even if you need to work through lunch you won’t make bad choices.

Long term weight loss is a lifestyle change. one day or one week of less than perfect eating isn’t the end of a long term decision to make healthier choices.

sofchak

I’ve been in your shoes - plan for the stress! Either A. Pack healthy snacks like veggies or sunflower seeds in the shell that you can spend time munching on while you work through your stress, or B. If you’re getting your stress snacks from vending machines or an on-site cafe, purposefully don’t bring any extra money with you into the building so you take away the easy fix for your stress.

Good luck! It takes time to establish new habits - especially ones tied to really stressful events since you’re not always under duress, so it’s harder to create a regular routine around it.

Lastly - good job recognizing your behavior and the root cause. That’s key to working through finding a resolution. Kudos to you!

witchaywoman81

hipari wrote: »

First, you did not ruin your progress. Maybe you had a bad day or two, but life isn’t linear or perfect.

Second, a practical tip for work stress: instead of eating those feelings, find an aggressive workout/exercise of your choice and leave the stress there. Personally, I kick and throw things. Pounding a 13-lb soft medicine ball repeatedly to the floor as hard as I can usually does the trick.

Wow! As another gal who tends to eat her feelings, thank you for this! Great idea!

lyndsfattofit

Thanks for the advice guys

I'm planning all my food so I know what I'm taking and having every day at work. Snacks included. And I'm scheduling in my workouts. It does help when I get into it, it's that first getting changed and starting that I struggle with.
I think it's the planning that let me down last week as well so I'm planning to death.

Might leave myself 300 or so free calories so if I want that treat to comfort me etc I have the option to but included in my calories? Maybe.

hipari

lyndsfattofit wrote: »

Might leave myself 300 or so free calories so if I want that treat to comfort me etc I have the option to but included in my calories? Maybe.

Budgeting some "extra" calories for treats can be a good idea. My daily calorie goal is 2000, and I try to keep it at around 1700-1900 per day on "regular" days so I have some room for treats, a bigger restaurant meal etc. in my week but still average the 2000. Sure, it doesn't always work, but at least it's damage control (as long as I don't start doing some near-fasting scenarios to save calories for a binge).

ETA: also, it leaves room for random surprises, like people offering treats to you. For me, free or unexpected treats are the ones that really throw me off my game.

witchaywoman81 wrote: »

hipari wrote: »

First, you did not ruin your progress. Maybe you had a bad day or two, but life isn’t linear or perfect.

Second, a practical tip for work stress: instead of eating those feelings, find an aggressive workout/exercise of your choice and leave the stress there. Personally, I kick and throw things. Pounding a 13-lb soft medicine ball repeatedly to the floor as hard as I can usually does the trick.

Wow! As another gal who tends to eat her feelings, thank you for this! Great idea!

Thanks! I'm lucky enough to see my gym from my office window and I usually go directly from work, so I can actually leave all the work thoughts and stress there and go home after I'm feeling all relaxed after my workout. In fact, I'm leaving the office and heading to the gym right now!

lyndsfattofit

hipari wrote: »

Thanks! I'm lucky enough to see my gym from my office window and I usually go directly from work, so I can actually leave all the work thoughts and stress there and go home after I'm feeling all relaxed after my workout. In fact, I'm leaving the office and heading to the gym right now!

I have the opposite problem. Directly outside the branch I have Burger King, KFC and a massive food court filled with all sorts of amazing restaurants. Oh and an old fashioned pick and mix sweet shop hahaha! As long as I bring food I'm fine!
Enjoy the gym!

mbaker566

so i exercise my stress away. good run, hard aerial conditioning, aerobic aerial choreography

someone said here and it's been sticking with me
if hunger is not the problem, food is not the solution

ESJ4444

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Don't let a few bad days define what you're accomplishing on a larger scale. Give yourself a 6-month window to look at and count up the "bad" days and you'll see progress. Just make the good days more...

Kapoten

mbaker566 wrote: »

someone said here and it's been sticking with me
if hunger is not the problem, food is not the solution

I love that! Thanks, @mbaker566!

VUA21

I've learned to channel my stress/anger/frustration into my workouts instead of food. I find that when I get really pissed off, my run times get a lot better, and I can run for a lot longer than when I'm having a normal day.