dealing with stress

bonthomas85

hey all

im a bit of a silent stalker of the forums but could really do with some help !!

i'm under quite a bit of stress at the moment and my appetite has just gone i realised the other day i hadnt eaten for 3 days!! so forced my self to eat a bap managed half and felt sick im doing my fitness pal to get healthy i dont want my girls seeing my eating habits like this so my question is what do you all do when your stressed coping techniques (exercise does help! but i cant do it all day)

thank you guys

sorry if iv rambled my head just isn't straight at the moment xxx

LesaDave

Been there, done that. During my divorce. Went four days once. My soon-to-be ex sister-in-law called me over. She took one look at me and asked when I had last ate. And she made me eat. It was nice that they still claimed me.

But enough of that. Here is what you can do. Boiled eggs. I know, I know. But they don't have much of a smell. You can put them in your purse, but peel them before you leave home. Put them in a baggy with ice. Just force yourself to eat one every 2 or 3 hours. Good protein and it will be SOME calories. Another good one--jello. It won't feel as if it's taking much room in your stomach, so your stomach won't react badly. But not the sugar free, get the regular. I couldn't eat anything that smelled sweet, so I couldn't even eat fruits, FORGET candy/cookies. But the idea is to tell your mouth/stomach that you WILL eat, and jello has little smell. Graham crackers is good and something you can keep with you.

If you find a day that the smell of fried foods don't make you sick, eat something fried. Even if you eat half. Whatever it is, you will get through it. How do I know? Because you are concerned NOW! You didn't wait 2-3 mos to say HEY! I NEED HELP! I NEED IDEAS!! So whatever it is, it will be over one day. And you will SURVIVE!

Now is this the most healthy thing you can do? Not really. But right now you NEED to get back into eating again. And stress will mess with that routine. When you see that your appetite is coming back, you can start back on the healthy foods, starting with your vegetables. You can eat those raw. No food smells.

And if you need to vent, we will be here for you!

SweetSammie

Think of some simple, familiar, healthy foods. (For me, oatmeal, peanut butter toast, scrambled egg, PB&J, canned chicken, and stars soup, tomato soup, strawberries, yogurt, salads - takeout - from a restaurant I used to work at that is just a block or two away). Schedule when you are going to eat, and eat a small quantity of your familiar, reasonably healthy foods on a schedule. Take the thinking out of it. Try to make sure it is balanced and in your calorie goals. There is a certain level where your body NEEDS food, especially if you are stressed, without it, you will feel worse and worse.

morkiemama

I experience the 2 extremes of stress: 1. no eating 2. eating everything. :P

When I'm not really eating and DO NOT have an appetite, I set a timer to remind me to eat. When it goes off, I HAVE to eat something, even if it is something small, like a piece of dry toast. The other thing I do is entice myself with something terrible to get my desire to eat up (my go to is usually something crunchy/salty), then I will have something good for me along with it.

I hope this helps and HANG IN THERE!!! You can do this. I've been having a rough time myself, but my MFP friends have been so great and supportive. They are encouraging me to workout despite my stress and having no time for it, because it is good for me and helps stimulate my appetite. Love them for it!

LuneBleu85

I voluntarily have created a very stressful lifestyle for myself (I work too much, kind of leaves you putting out fires the rest of the time...!).
Some tips I have picked up to keep my head above water:

1) SLEEP. The most important. Make a sleep schedule and stick to it. You are no help to yourself or anyone else if you are exhausted.

2) Carve out a little bit of time every day to do something that makes your heart happy. (I play with my dogs or read a book for a bit!)

3) Try to meal plan as much as possible. I don't eat a lot when I'm stressed so at least if I have a planned lunch for myself I will pick at it. You need to fuel your body!

Not sure what kind of stress is happening for you right now. Big hugs your way! I'm just coming off of a week working 16 hour days and am excited to not do that again for a long time. Best wishes to you :flowerforyou:

JessieArt

Is there something you enjoy doing that would take your mind off of your stress? I know, for me, sitting around thinking about it makes it worse. I go to the movies, do some art, make a bowl of popcorn and put in my favorite movie. Anything where it's pretty much imposible to think about your problems at least for a little bit.

Figure out what sounds good and eat that. Anything. Just so you start eating again.

I'm so sorry you're going through a hard time. I hope it gets better for you really soon!

bonthomas85

thanks everyone iv done wee bit better today going to try the timer thing and meal plan i do the plan for my girls anyway so should be pretty easy to fit alongside that its amazing the ppl on mfp !!you guys really do rock !! hopefully be over soon it's only going to make me stronger just wish i wasnt such an emotional eater!! def. going to try the egg things !!


thanks again guys!!! xxx

Serenstar75

I'm a stress Under Eater. I'm striving and pushing myself because MFP helps me see that I need more. Even more so, I'm a stress exerciser. I use it to get out all of the tension so I can deal. Unfortunately, I'm in a very stressed month and struggling while trying to find small ways to get by. Nuts help me with calories and proteins. I didn't think about eggs, but I might try that too. I'm hunting ideas. I can't do sweet, even jello. Sweetest I can handle is peanut butter and oatmeal. That's it.

littlepinkhearts

i'm a stress under eater also. I usually just carry a small bag of cereal, cheese or grapes or whatever, around with me everywhere I go. Sometimes I sit in front of the computer or tv and watch something to relax myself. Then while i'm relaxed as much as I can, I shove in the food. I've found it a lot easier since being on MFP in that I know when I wake up in the morning what I have to do food wise. I'm learning how to shut my brain off to eat what I have to eat. Definately no meals happening when i'm stressed. Mostly just picking at stuff all day. Exercise helps a lot too to help get de-stressed. Good luck in finding away to work through your stress :flowerforyou:

Gloria67648

I wish I was a stress under eater! I've had a really bad month. I think I'm going to do yoga or add tai chi first thing in the mornings and see how that helps. I quit smoking and restarted two weeks ago and I want a non-smoking no overeating way to deal with the stress.

littlepinkhearts

not sure there's anything more beneficial to being either a stress over-eater or under-eater. The goal in the end for both is to cope with the stresses in life in a healthy way with our GOOD eating habits intact. I can walk through many days like a zombie performing the tasks I need to perform and not think of food even once. This is no better than stuffing ones face uncontrollably. Because either way, the body is being abused. My goal is to eat healthy no matter what my state of mind. Exercise is my answer so i'm leaning in that direction.

wantstolooseweight

Try drinking smoothies and milkshakes, most importantly try and take some time out for yourself. Good luck and keep your chin up

Cambrendle

Have you tried some Ensure or PediaSure or protein shakes? that way you're drinking something light feeling for your stomach so it doesn't react and give it right back. And at least you'll have some calories and get some vitamins in, and it might eventually force your body's appetite to come back a little at a time. I yo-yo between stress eating and under eating - and I've found the longer I go without eating, the less I feel hungry - that's not really a good sign :frown: