Check In June 4, 2014
Options
KarenZen
Posts: 1,430 Member
Good morning, duckies! Guess I'll get us rolling this morning. It's a chilly, rainy day here, more like fall than summer, and I want to stay in bed under a double comforter.
I'm pre-coffee and non-functioning and have no ideas for a conversation starter... maybe someone else has one?
I'm pre-coffee and non-functioning and have no ideas for a conversation starter... maybe someone else has one?
0
Replies
-
Good morning everyone,
Ugh, I could really use your help! I havent tracked my food since Friday, had a horrifically calorie laden weekend and here it is Wednesday and is still continuing!
I was offered a new job Monday and put my notice in here yesterday. My boss is a psycho, micro-manager who will throw anyone and everyone under the bus because she lacks confidence in herself. Last month she accused me of doing something intentionally to sabotage her and then she denied saying it when we met with her manager. I decided I had had enough (I have worked in this dept for 7 years and have been under her for 3) and secured a new job in a month. It took her 5 hours yesterday to even acknowledge the resignation to my face and we sit 2 cubes away from each other. And all she said was "so, you're leaving us?".
I am going to a great new job, but my eating has gone out the window, I think, for several reasons: I am using it to get through the tense days here (although thankfully she leaves for vacation this Friday and then I never have to see her again), I am celebrating to a degree and things are just so crazy right now that I'm not making the time to plan meals, weigh, measure, pack food, etc. And we have a really awesome cafeteria down here and its easier to go down there and eat something than it is to pull my tired old salad fixings out of the fridge.
How do I get myself under control??????????? I've lost 8 pounds (minus the .4 I gained back this week) and I dont want to gain it back. But it's like I can't even get up the motivation to give a carp!
HELP!!
~Becky0 -
First, I am no expert. I have been playing around with the same 10lbs for about 3 months now. So with that being said, I think you need to cut yourself a little slack, but choose something to focus on. Whether it is log everything, regardless of whether you will be over or not, or exercise, or drink water. Really pay attention to what and when you are eating. Keep low cal foods around that you can grab and munch when the stress eating wants to take over. Go out and walk at lunch.
Good Luck.
And congrats on the new job!! :flowerforyou:0 -
Maybe use the June challenge as an opportunity to get back on track? If you've got 10 minutes to stop by a grocery store, just hang out in the produce section looking at all the things you haven't tried. Pick one (or more!) and add it to your "tired old salad" or figure out a way to cook it for dinner. Jicama is a fun thing to add to salads-- it's like a potato/apple thing. Really good with a lime dressing, red peppers, and mandarin oranges!
I know how hard it is to prioritize this kind of thing when everything in your life feels hectic, but remember that you're doing this to make a better life for yourself and the people you love! You DESERVE to treat yourself well, and part of that is giving your body foods that nourish it and bring you closer to your goals.
Best of luck!0 -
Becky, just reading your post made me hyperventilate, so I have one piece of advice: BREATHE. Every hour, take 2-3 minutes to close your eyes and deep breathe. Don't fight to get your food under control- - get your stress under control and then the food will follow.
What a crappy way to have to leave a job, but I'll bet once you're settled into your New one, you'll blossom. A friend of mine made a huge job change for the same reasons about six months ago, and she is GLOWING now. None of us had any idea how much stress that manager was adding to her life.
Karen in Maine0 -
Maybe today's conversation is going to be about how to rally when you're losing it! I have a huge ball of stress right now from paperwork hell, medical bills that went into collections because of insurance and hospital billing screwup, the maine income tax breathing down my neck for not filing (I need to figure out my medical deductions for the past four years), my car in the shop because I backed into a friend's car in my own driveway! Hubs sprained his ankle and is whining like a baby.
AND... I got on the scale today and was UP 4 pounds since last week!!! What???? I know that must be water weight, but still. I hate the scale.
Time to take my own advice and BREATHE.
Happy hump day, LOL!
Karen in Maine
(Oh, and thank you guys for signing your posts yesterday. I love knowing names and locations--you're so much more REAL now!)
Edit: okay, so I just lost 3 of those pounds by peeing, stripping, and moving the scale back to where it was last week. But. STILL.0 -
Becky - my advice is to take two more days and hit the ground running or he'll, even start Monday. Get thru this stressful time, cut yourself some slack and come up with a solid plan you know you can stick to. When I feel like the same old thing is not working and I need to get back on track right nd, I usually hop on the planning train. I will recipe search, plan out meals, even make up a schedule and try and stick to it to get regimented again and back into the swing of things.
I will say that will job changes it could go either way. Some people see it as a fresh start all around time to make good choices, or others, (like me) find the anxiety of new learning and social situations too much and the diet goes out the window. It is up to you to decide now which one you are going to chose.
I am so happy for you getting out of that toxic environment! Woo woo!
- Heather in Texas0 -
Oh and stress rally. Sounds like you are in it for sure, Karen. I'm feeling it too. Sleep helps. I felt so much better after sleeping last night but funny thing, get to work and boom, it's back. Stress, money, hubs. I had 3 freaking drumsticks in the middle of the night. Hello? 1000 calories! Half awake, I barely even tasted them.
I haven't lost any weight in over 2 weeks. In fact I'm up 2lbs. So, yep. I'm right there with y'all. Something definitely not worky. Hand to mouth disease.0 -
Hi Becky,
You got to look yourself in the mirror and remind yourself how far you have come and why your doing this. A stressful week at work wont dictate the rest of your life, a bad week can't be the thing that derails you for another year. Your leaving your crazy *kitten* boss (manager? sorry) behind and she will be someone else's problem. Look what you have done. You've taken control of your life, you've landed yourself a new job. Thats something to be proud of.
Not planning meals out for part of a week is ok, it happens, it makes it harder to handle but its not the end. So pull out the app or open up the website, flick back to friday and start filling in all those missed days the best you can. If the news isn't great then just shrug your shoulders say "oh well" and move on to today knowing you took control.
if your bored with what your eating then it's time to shake it up. If you enjoy the cafeteria then walk yourself through the healthy options int he morning before you go to work and decide on what you will have and put it tentatively in your food journal.0 -
Well Becky, all of the above is great advice! Not much I can add, but will also throw in my 2 cents worth anyway! lol
I have been there too...was there for about a month most recently...I traveled, then go sick and put back on 5 pounds and that was depressing....but I decided that enough was enough...this is all about me and getting healthy (I don't have family, so it is just me and the cats!). I set a date (today was that day) to start back on this journey of weight loss and it is the end of the day here, and I made it thru the day as planned! So I think you should pick a date, and pick it up from there!!! What is done is done...that is the past, move to the present!!! And I agree with those who have said...if your food is boring , then plan your meals....look out for low calorie (or low carb) meals...the internet is full of sites that can help you out with that!!! No extra cost....just move that 'mouse' and click and find some recipes you like!! I find it cheaper to make my meals and take them to work, that to purchase food in the cafeteria. Plus I try to plan my lunches to take to work out during the weekend so I am ready to make the food the night before I go to work.
Congrats on the new job!!! Don't let that toxic manager make you make poor choices in food.....you can do this!!!!0 -
Blond, your post really hit home with me. This whole eating in the middle of the night thing. I do well, measure, weigh and record my food. I am on track and them BOOM I am eating in the middle of the night. I have to say it is not hunger. It is junk food that I don't eat in the daytime. I try to keep this stuff out of the house, but sometimes it sneaks in with other people. I find that I am very vulnerable (and anxious) when I awake in the middle of the night. My usual defenses against a binge are down. Short of Ambien, what can I do to stop a binge at 2 AM? I am tired of logging in my calories before breakfast. Any suggestions?0
-
Oh and stress rally. Sounds like you are in it for sure, Karen. I'm feeling it too. Sleep helps. I felt so much better after sleeping last night but funny thing, get to work and boom, it's back. Stress, money, hubs. I had 3 freaking drumsticks in the middle of the night. Hello? 1000 calories! Half awake, I barely even tasted them.
I haven't lost any weight in over 2 weeks. In fact I'm up 2lbs. So, yep. I'm right there with y'all. Something definitely not worky. Hand to mouth disease.
Next time, take one bite of that drumstick (oh, one of my favorite binge foods... I can eat 10 at one sitting), then throw it into the woods. The obese armadillos in your neighborhood are counting on you!0 -
Blond, your post really hit home with me. This whole eating in the middle of the night thing. I do well, measure, weigh and record my food. I am on track and them BOOM I am eating in the middle of the night. I have to say it is not hunger. It is junk food that I don't eat in the daytime. I try to keep this stuff out of the house, but sometimes it sneaks in with other people. I find that I am very vulnerable (and anxious) when I awake in the middle of the night. My usual defenses against a binge are down. Short of Ambien, what can I do to stop a binge at 2 AM? I am tired of logging in my calories before breakfast. Any suggestions?
I'm going to bump up the night eaters thread. We've started a discussion on this because it really is a special problem. If you google "night eating treatment" or "night eaters treatment," you'll read about some different options. Ambien actually isn't a good one--night eaters will turn into sleep walking eaters! Nothing worse than waking up in a bed full of kitkat wrappers, LOL!!!0 -
Thanks Karen, Just saw the night eaters thread. Didn't mean to try to hi-jack this thread.
Viki (WA)0 -
I posted this in yesterday's thread, but it was the end of the day and probably got missed.
Do any of you know anything about Lipedema? I'm wondering if I have this. I mean, I'm pretty sure I have regular fat fat, but I think I have lipedema fat too. When I Google images of lipedema legs, the pictures of phase two lipedema all look like my legs, my mother's legs too. My mother's legs have always been disproportionately large; mine too. Even though I swim hard for hours, my legs don't get thinner; in fact, they just keep getting bigger.0 -
Thanks Karen, Just saw the night eaters thread. Didn't mean to try to hi-jack this thread.
Viki (WA)
Hijack away! I don't think we have any rules here! Other than me trying to minimize my profanity.0 -
Wow, thanks everyone for the great support and advice! Heather, I like the idea of taking a step back and doing some prep and planning for healthy meals. My boss will be leaving for vacation after tomorrow--I am actually leaving early tomorrow, so after 1:15pm eastern time tomorrow, I will never have to see or hear her again!
As far as the new job goes, it's something I did before, 7 years ago. I will be underwriting flood insurance. My husband is a flood underwriter at the same place and we have been friends with most of his coworkers for years. I have also worked with some of these people at prior flood insurance companies as well. Everyone is excited that I'm coming on board and I am looking forward to going back to something that always interested me. My future boss is so amazing that I find myself wondering what the catch is. For the first time in a long time, I feel motivated to do a great job, learn a lot, and move up! I'm being paid more and having fully paid insurance.
So I am lucky that I won't be going into this job blind. That makes it so much easier. I think my main thing now is to get the heck out of here--I feel like I'm in limbo and I just cannot wait to move on!
Can someone explain two things to me:
1. Night-eating: is this something that you are aware that you're doing at the time, or no? Do you just wake up in the morning not knowing what happened?
2. Karen, what is the difference between fat fat and lipedema fat?
Interesting topics up for discussion today!
~Becky in Florida0 -
Becky,
Obviously, none of use are experts in any of this - or we wouldn't be here! Sometimes remembering that you aren't alone in your struggles helps...I know it helps me. You can ask Karen...just yesterday, I didn't want to bring down the positive vibe in the check in, but I totally wasn't feeling it....so I sent a PM, and went for a walk, and did a few other things, and today is better, other than utter exhaustion... So, all that being said, just knowing that someone else is on your side is a big deal for me.
A suggestion is to find things that feel like indulgences that you can handle in small portions. For me, it is things like Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips. I've got this one down to a science. Each chip is roughly 2 calories. So, if I have 5 - that was a ten calorie snack - but It felt like 25+... If I have up to 50 chips, it is still only 100 calories. I can do this - and I'm on carb restriction per doc (25% daily, period). So, unless you are an unmanaged diabetic or allergic to chocolate, you can probably fit things like this in. (If you can't stop at whatever you decide a portion is, invest in snack size bags. Portion accordingly. Take your serving to work and freeze the rest. Only that that day's portion at a time, etc.)
Another indulgence that feels like OMG! but isn't, is my variation of Strawberries Romanoff (as listed on www.skinnytaste.com). Essentially the original recipe is sour cream, berries, and brown sugar. I don't do well with more than a dollop of sour cream on a taco, so I use full fat unsweetened plain yogurt (Greek yogurt hits me at lot like SC...some sort of weird mild lactose thing from what my allergist and I could tell), so just the regular stuff. I think for one pound of strawberries, I use 1 6 oz (maybe 8 oz) thing of plain yogurt. (whatever Braum's or Hiland's size is). You take the yogurt and you mix it with up to 3 TBSP of dark brown sugar (in the raw is better if you can afford it), to taste. Add a tsp or 2 of vanilla. Stir it up. Now, only mix the berries and the yogurt together as serving. If for later, store separately, as the acid in the berries will break down the yogurt and make it a runny mess (still yummy - I ended up blending it for a drink when I did it...lol). Anyway, when serving, cut and prep your strawberries as preferred (thick enough to use as a dip, but I like tossing it together with quartered berries). Toss together or serve on side to dip. This makes four servings. Each serving, depending on how much BS and V is about 150 calories. Still very low GI and sugar overall because using the dark sugar is less "sweet" but still a bam of flavor. Some people might like a balsamic drizzle or whatever on this, but I like it this way. The yogurt ends up tasting like BAVARIAN CREAM... YUM! I might make some tonight... LOL
Another one I like if you aren't on a major sodium restriction is Terra Chips. These are chips made from veggies - and you can't tell for the most part. I LOVE these and could easily eat an entire bag at once, but they are good if you have to watch the carbs in addition to calories. I gave some to my water delivery guy and he swore he couldn't tell they were veggies... and you feel like you are getting chips!
Also, if you like nibble on things like cheese and apples or cheese and almonds, make sure you get the sharp cheese (or spicy if that is your thing). It is worth it. Your taste buds will appreciate the zing of flavor.
And for anyone wondering, by lowering my carbs, doc had me up my fat, so I don't do this lowfat nonsense... Fat, healthy fat, makes me feel full and crave less sweets (my weakness). That and protein helps too. I'm working on my macros. Two out of three aren't bad. And still hitting calorie goals. So, if major cravings (not the unusual things like night eating and other disorders), but just good old fashioned sugar/salt addition cravings get you, try some of these. I've heard for salt addiction adding iodine to your diet helps (it is a drop you add to your water) because our bodies associate salt with iodine due to the additive in table salt.
And I can tell you, the more carbs I eat, the more I crave, so if I eat the good fruits (berries, apples, etc.), I don't crave the TWIX bars and SNICKERS bars that are my usual stress cravings! LOL
So, long, long story summarized - find manageable indulgences to help manage stress. Combine that with walking, deep breathing, water sips, and loud, angry rock music to manage it - and that is mostly my thing. I'd say it works 75-85% of the time. Good luck on your transition!!!!
Carly in OK, formerly and eventually again of TX 0 -
Oh and stress rally. Sounds like you are in it for sure, Karen. I'm feeling it too. Sleep helps. I felt so much better after sleeping last night but funny thing, get to work and boom, it's back. Stress, money, hubs. I had 3 freaking drumsticks in the middle of the night. Hello? 1000 calories! Half awake, I barely even tasted them.
I haven't lost any weight in over 2 weeks. In fact I'm up 2lbs. So, yep. I'm right there with y'all. Something definitely not worky. Hand to mouth disease.
Next time, take one bite of that drumstick (oh, one of my favorite binge foods... I can eat 10 at one sitting), then throw it into the woods. The obese armadillos in your neighborhood are counting on you!
Hahaha. Better yet, I'll feed them to Odin dog. I've been doing that. I'll start eating something I'm not suppose to and give it to him. Then I feel bad because he is supposed to be on a diet too. Doc wants him to lose 20-25lbs! That's a lot for a puppy. I'm waiting for my husband's famous..."Woman. What the hell?" When he notices there is only one or two left. I know he had a couple himself.
Seriously thinking about the padlock idea but I really don't want my daughter to have to see that. Talk about emotional scarring.0 -
Hijack away! I don't think we have any rules here! Other than me trying to minimize my profanity.
Oh ****! That's a rule?!0 -
Becky, I know I'm late to the party and you've received lots of advice already...I have one tidbit of experience to offer.
Don't wait.
Don't wait until the next week or even the next day to get back on track...
I've lived years and years of "I'll start again Monday."
There is always something you can do with today. Even if it is just a nice long stroll and getting in all your water for the day. Or maybe adding a salad to dinner.
Waiting until Monday or tomorrow is just something we do because as perfectionists we want our good days to be pristine.
But the truth is life is messy. And thus our food logs may be messy from time to time.
Angie (in West Virginia)0
