Last resort as I am out of control

Cherylsutcliffe1

Ive just joined my fitness pal with the recommendation of a friend. I have tried different diets ect. I am getting old and I am desperate to loose weight however its not that easy as I am emotional ,stressed and compulsive eater. It ok saying de-stress but my child is terminally ill and I also look after my in law so who do I pass those stress onto ?? However I need to sort myself out before I am no longer able to look after them, not just physically but mentally. I get my respite going to work as a freelance medic and my husband is a fantastic support too , but hes the main bread winner and therefore I am the one who deals with the day to day life's stuff, inc appointments ect. I'm not looking for sympathy but some hard support to conquer my eating habits and any advice would be welcomed.

springlering62

Hi @Cherylsutcliffe1 first and sorry to sympathize when not wanted, but I do. That’s a lot on one plate.

You owe it to yourself to take better care of you, so you’re the best person you can be for that kiddo (you owe nothing to the in-“aw but god bless you anyway).

I’d simply start by logging the first week or two. No guilt, don’t let it make you anxious. That’ll give you a chance to ease yourself into the mechanics, the weighing, the searching for accurate entries to log etc.

It will also give you insight into how many calories you’re eating.

I was shocked to discover I was eating four or five times what I should just to maintain.

Investing in a fitness tracker that syncs with MFP is an investment in yourself. The easiest to sync are Apple Watch, Fitbit and Garmin. They are available in all price ranges.

Tracking was the lightbulb for me. It helped me correlate how much activity it took to burn off a single serving of cookies (typically 2). I was so naive I thought a little walk would burn off a whole package of cookies.

Understanding that helped me to start thinking in terms of, what could I substitute for the same calories that’s more satiating and satisfying than two lousy little cookies?

It’s a building process. We’re learning to double back and go in the opposite direction of the road that took us to (in my case, obesity) “fat”.

I bet you’ve spent hours researching how to help your child. Spend a fraction of that researching how to help yourself.

These boards have a search function. Enter “snacks”, “sugar addiction” (nvm the blowback in that term, there’s good suggestions in those types of threads), night time eating”, “how to…..” and so on. Also read the various boards and threads. That’s how I stuck with it. Getting adive, asking questions here, reading “success stories” for inspiration.

You’ve just got to make up your mind that “now is the time”. And speaking of which, once you get the knack of better cooking and better choices, it takes no long to cook or grocery shop than it does the “old” way.

totameafox

i would also talk to your doctor. find out what your health is. they may be able to prescribe something to help you handle the stress or recommend safe ways for you to proceed with weight loss. I also think you need to find someone you can talk to so that you don't keep this stress pent up. Good luck to you. I know taking care of others is hard, stressful work.