I'm a Stress Eater and I Don't Know What to Do About It

TyFit08

I realize now that when I'm stressed I lose the desire to workout and eat a lot of junk. Even when I'm on a roll with my routine, all it takes is a work or family matter to completely derail my efforts. I have no idea what to do about it. I have been trying to lose the same 50lbs for over 2 years. Funny thing is I gained it in a matter of months back in 2009. I am constantly facing setbacks. It's not like I don't know what to do, but I lose the motivation to do it. Any ideas of how to overcome this?

Firefightergirl18

bump

KeithAngilly

I posted this in a similar topic, it might be helpful here:

"Believe it or not, meditation will help with this. Setting aside a little time everyday to be quiet helps with a lot of our destructive habits. Simply set an egg timer, sit down in a chair and follow your breath. Breath in, breath out. When your attention drifts, notice that, and return to following the breath. Don't concern yourself results. Just do it daily and see what happens.

Of course, counseling can help too, if the problem is very serious."

What is important is that you noticed something...now you can do something about. Be kind to yourself along the way.

Good luck!

stephdeeable

Local hospitals and other places sometimes offer stress management courses,..could probably offer a lot of alternatives for you.

I just lash out at others, probably not a good alternative to eating

DaniKenmir

I used to stress eat but now I go and have a shower, and if I'm out or at work I go for a walk, I can't eat while doing either of those things so it's really a lot easier than sitting there telling yourself no!

amp162

The most important thing to do is before you eat, ask yourself, are you hungry, stressed, etc. If you truly are hungry then measure it on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being not hungry and 10 being starving. About half-way through your meal/snack, reevaluate again and before you finish reevaluate again. Constantly asking yourself why you are eating. Eventually it will be eating when hungry. Also if you need sweets, use the 3 bite rule. (Trust me, it really works.) Take 3 bites, but enjoy each one. I've been told that this truly satisfies the sweet tooth, and it really does, just hard to believe at first.

Good Luck. Best thing is we are all struggling with our weight and we can help each other.

126siany

I think you've hit upon the first step, which is realizing the pattern. You can't fix problems you don't realize you have, right?

I think the next step is figuring out when you START to feel stressed, instead of only realizing it when you are overwhelmed. If you can teach yourself to recognize the signs that you're heading for stress-eating, you can stop it more easily than after you've binged or not worked out for a week or whatever. This is not an easy thing for many of us! If you can identify the stressors, that helps too.

But ultimately, you have to find new ways to deal with stress. Maybe it's calling up a trusted friend. Maybe it's a therapist. Maybe it's carving out a half hour for yourself every day or learning to say "No" comfortably. Maybe it's getting out of that job you can't stand or cutting ties with that friend who always makes you feel bad. Coping mechanisms can vary based on the cause of the stress, as sometimes you can actually eliminate some stressors; but ultimately, you have to think of other things besides food that help you calm yourself and re-energize and then utilize them.

TyFit08

The most important thing to do is before you eat, ask yourself, are you hungry, stressed, etc. If you truly are hungry then measure it on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being not hungry and 10 being starving. About half-way through your meal/snack, reevaluate again and before you finish reevaluate again. Constantly asking yourself why you are eating. Eventually it will be eating when hungry. Also if you need sweets, use the 3 bite rule. (Trust me, it really works.) Take 3 bites, but enjoy each one. I've been told that this truly satisfies the sweet tooth, and it really does, just hard to believe at first.

Good Luck. Best thing is we are all struggling with our weight and we can help each other.

That's great advice, often I'm not hungry. I do best when there's no junk food in the house but my husband complained the other day there were no snacks, so I bought him cookies and I haven't stopped eating them. I stay with my mother some days out of the month for work and always has a stash of snacks. My will power is great when I'm not stressed, but when I am its like I can't help myself.

I think what I find the most discouraging, when I'm stressed I don't want to work out. I haven't been consistent at the gym in the last month and it is frustrating. I'm just trying to get back on track and stay there. I go hard for a few months and then I stop, then I start back, then I stop. Ugh

TyFit08

I think you've hit upon the first step, which is realizing the pattern. You can't fix problems you don't realize you have, right?

I think the next step is figuring out when you START to feel stressed, instead of only realizing it when you are overwhelmed. If you can teach yourself to recognize the signs that you're heading for stress-eating, you can stop it more easily than after you've binged or not worked out for a week or whatever. This is not an easy thing for many of us! If you can identify the stressors, that helps too.

But ultimately, you have to find new ways to deal with stress. Maybe it's calling up a trusted friend. Maybe it's a therapist. Maybe it's carving out a half hour for yourself every day or learning to say "No" comfortably. Maybe it's getting out of that job you can't stand or cutting ties with that friend who always makes you feel bad. Coping mechanisms can vary based on the cause of the stress, as sometimes you can actually eliminate some stressors; but ultimately, you have to think of other things besides food that help you calm yourself and re-energize and then utilize them.

I think I know what some of my triggers are. Lack of stability. My husband works in Canada and so I split my time between Toronto and NYC. I live with my mom when I'm in NYC. Once I get a routine, I'm traveling up North or vice versa. My career has been stagnant, but I freelance work in NY to stay relevant since I can't legally work in Canada. When I am in Canada I am at home all day alone while my husband is at work and I have no friends or family here. My husband hates Toronto and wants to leave and so both of us are unhappy with our living situation. It is hard to stay motivated when your life isn't in order. I don't binge, but when I'm stressed I just want pancakes instead of greek yogurt or cake instead of grapes.

126siany

I've lived in my current location for several years and really thought that moving to the burbs as a single person was a huge mistake. I'm disconnected, everyone around me is married w/kids or over 70, and I often feel that I could leave tomorrow and no one would notice. (I unfortunately bought my house at the HEIGHT of the market, and would end up owing a few hundred thousand dollars if I sold it now, so I am stuck here.)

Then Hurricane Sandy hit, and I immediately began volunteering. I just felt as though I had to do something to help. But after 13 days of showing up at the shelter in my community, suddenly I know a ton of people and have something in common with them. Several other volunteers actually live on my street, actually also own dogs, etc. We can't get over that we live literally a few hundred feet from one another and haven't ever met in all these years when we like each other so much.

I understand the feeling that you are sort of always in limbo. I move a lot with my job, travel frequently and have an irregular schedule even when I manage to stay in one place for a few years. It's quite isolating, as you feel you can't commit to any sort of group activity since you'll miss half the meetings/events. The few people who do reach out feel rejected when you cancel because you are suddenly going to be out of town. That's been my situation for most of my adult life--that's the sort of work I do and the schedule I have. As we get older, it gets harder as most people our age are settled.

Find something within your interests and/or skill set and volunteer. Or join a club that incorporates an interest, even though you are going to miss half the meetings. Get out there. It helps!

126siany

The most important thing to do is before you eat, ask yourself, are you hungry, stressed, etc. If you truly are hungry then measure it on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being not hungry and 10 being starving. About half-way through your meal/snack, reevaluate again and before you finish reevaluate again. Constantly asking yourself why you are eating. Eventually it will be eating when hungry. Also if you need sweets, use the 3 bite rule. (Trust me, it really works.) Take 3 bites, but enjoy each one. I've been told that this truly satisfies the sweet tooth, and it really does, just hard to believe at first.

Good Luck. Best thing is we are all struggling with our weight and we can help each other.

That's great advice, often I'm not hungry. I do best when there's no junk food in the house but my husband complained the other day there were no snacks, so I bought him cookies and I haven't stopped eating them. I stay with my mother some days out of the month for work and always has a stash of snacks. My will power is great when I'm not stressed, but when I am its like I can't help myself.

I think what I find the most discouraging, when I'm stressed I don't want to work out. I haven't been consistent at the gym in the last month and it is frustrating. I'm just trying to get back on track and stay there. I go hard for a few months and then I stop, then I start back, then I stop. Ugh

Pick a competition that's 2-4 months from now. Maybe a road race? Find a way to make that commitment stick--a friend is going to do it with you or you join a team raising money for charity--so you can't back out. Then if you quit, you are not only letting yourself down, you'r letting down a friend or a charity you feel passionate about. It helps get you to workouts you'd rather skip!

126siany

I've lived in my current location for several years and really thought that moving to the burbs as a single person was a huge mistake. I'm disconnected, everyone around me is married w/kids or over 70, and I often feel that I could leave tomorrow and no one would notice. (I unfortunately bought my house at the HEIGHT of the market, and would end up owing a few hundred thousand dollars if I sold it now, so I am stuck here.)

Then Hurricane Sandy hit, and I immediately began volunteering. I just felt as though I had to do something to help. But after 13 days of showing up at the shelter in my community, suddenly I know a ton of people and have something in common with them. Several other volunteers actually live on my street, actually also own dogs, etc. We can't get over that we live literally a few hundred feet from one another and haven't ever met in all these years when we like each other so much.

I understand the feeling that you are sort of always in limbo. I move a lot with my job, travel frequently and have an irregular schedule even when I manage to stay in one place for a few years. It's quite isolating, as you feel you can't commit to any sort of group activity since you'll miss half the meetings/events. The few people who do reach out feel rejected when you cancel because you are suddenly going to be out of town. That's been my situation for most of my adult life--that's the sort of work I do and the schedule I have. As we get older, it gets harder as most people our age are settled.

Find something within your interests and/or skill set and volunteer. Or join a club that incorporates an interest, even though you are going to miss half the meetings. Get out there. It helps!

Joining these clubs and volunteering makes a huge difference. When I live in another major city, I joined a sports club. I lent my rather hideous volleyball skills whenever I could show up and met a lot of people. That also got me into a volunteering website in that city--you could sign up just for a day or project, but it turned out to be the same core group of 20-30 people my age at all of these projects.

5 yrs later, I moved several hundred miles away and called the one person I knew who lived in the new city--who had been part of this sports club and the volunteer group in the old city. He spent the first 3 months I lived there inviting me to EVERYTHING. I still missed or had to decline half the invitations, but he knew my schedule from our previous acquaintance and never gave up on me (no, he wasn't trying to date me, he was just a nice person and liked organizing events). Because of his generous efforts in always including me, I met my new social set in the new town.

Join something--anything! It pays off!

Four_Leaf_Clover

Wow - really thoughtful advice!

I am just popping in to say you are not alone. I always blamed my pregnancies for my weight gain - even though I was heavy before I got married. In reality, I never gained much while pregnant, I gained it all after my kids were born when I was stressed taking care of them, stuck in the house a lot, not sleeping, feeling isolated, etc. Babies would cry or I could not calm them down and my stress or anxiety would rise and there I would find myself shoving an oreo into my mouth or eating a bag of goldfish - stuffing down the feelings. I try to be very self aware of why I am eating now - esp when those feelings come on - the food does not make the stress go away, it just adds more when the weight creeps on and you look in the mirror.

Exercise always makes me feel better, but I know just what you mean - when I am stressed, I am less likely to do it - it is easier to make excuses. Make a deal with yourself to just do 10 minutes. Once I am dressed and out the door - I do a full workout every time.

Sorry I don't have much new to add in the way of advice - but I think we cn overcome this in time!

126siany

It even got me out of a ticket! LOL I had lived in the then-new location for about a month, still had the old plates on my car, ran a red light accidentally at about 6 AM on my way to a volunteer project because I was reading the directions while driving and was promptly pulled over.

The cop looked at my printout of directions, which validated my claim of trying to get to a volunteer site, and said to me, "You've lived here a month and you're already volunteering? You deserve a ticket--you ran that light--but I just can't bring myself to give you one when you are already trying to help us and you just got here. But please get in-state plates tomorrow."

I said. "Thank you, Officer. I will try to be more careful, and I will get right on those plates."

You can't go wrong volunteering.

mackzaj

I think you've hit upon the first step, which is realizing the pattern. You can't fix problems you don't realize you have, right?

I think the next step is figuring out when you START to feel stressed, instead of only realizing it when you are overwhelmed. If you can teach yourself to recognize the signs that you're heading for stress-eating, you can stop it more easily than after you've binged or not worked out for a week or whatever. This is not an easy thing for many of us! If you can identify the stressors, that helps too.

But ultimately, you have to find new ways to deal with stress. Maybe it's calling up a trusted friend. Maybe it's a therapist. Maybe it's carving out a half hour for yourself every day or learning to say "No" comfortably. Maybe it's getting out of that job you can't stand or cutting ties with that friend who always makes you feel bad. Coping mechanisms can vary based on the cause of the stress, as sometimes you can actually eliminate some stressors; but ultimately, you have to think of other things besides food that help you calm yourself and re-energize and then utilize them.

I think I know what some of my triggers are. Lack of stability. My husband works in Canada and so I split my time between Toronto and NYC. I live with my mom when I'm in NYC. Once I get a routine, I'm traveling up North or vice versa. My career has been stagnant, but I freelance work in NY to stay relevant since I can't legally work in Canada. When I am in Canada I am at home all day alone while my husband is at work and I have no friends or family here. My husband hates Toronto and wants to leave and so both of us are unhappy with our living situation. It is hard to stay motivated when your life isn't in order. I don't binge, but when I'm stressed I just want pancakes instead of greek yogurt or cake instead of grapes.

I'm in TO! If you need some suggestions of places to go, things to do, people to see, let me know. I'd be glad to play tour guide. Toronto is great, but you have to know where to go.

lveh8lve

The most important thing to do is before you eat, ask yourself, are you hungry, stressed, etc. If you truly are hungry then measure it on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being not hungry and 10 being starving. About half-way through your meal/snack, reevaluate again and before you finish reevaluate again. Constantly asking yourself why you are eating. Eventually it will be eating when hungry. Also if you need sweets, use the 3 bite rule. (Trust me, it really works.) Take 3 bites, but enjoy each one. I've been told that this truly satisfies the sweet tooth, and it really does, just hard to believe at first.

Good Luck. Best thing is we are all struggling with our weight and we can help each other.

That's great advice, often I'm not hungry. I do best when there's no junk food in the house but my husband complained the other day there were no snacks, so I bought him cookies and I haven't stopped eating them. I stay with my mother some days out of the month for work and always has a stash of snacks. My will power is great when I'm not stressed, but when I am its like I can't help myself.

I think what I find the most discouraging, when I'm stressed I don't want to work out. I haven't been consistent at the gym in the last month and it is frustrating. I'm just trying to get back on track and stay there. I go hard for a few months and then I stop, then I start back, then I stop. Ugh

Pick a competition that's 2-4 months from now. Maybe a road race? Find a way to make that commitment stick--a friend is going to do it with you or you join a team raising money for charity--so you can't back out. Then if you quit, you are not only letting yourself down, you'r letting down a friend or a charity you feel passionate about. It helps get you to workouts you'd rather skip!

I've had more stress then I care to remember since May. It seemed like every single facet of my life (work, personal, family) was in major crisis. The absolute best thing I did was to re-join the gym. Even just walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes watching something like TMZ is a huge stress relief. When I am at the gym I am there for me, just me. I don't check emails or answer texts because it's my time. No stress, it's me focusing on ME!!! Plus they have lots of punching bags at my gym to let loose on!!! If I have a cruddy super tired day, I just tell myself "30 minutes and thats it". Most times Im there for at least an hour.

SmileeBarbFLA

Exercise is a great stress reliever, at least for me it is. And I don't mean going to the gym and walking at a 3.0 pace on the treadmill I mean a hard workout where you can release some of that energy. I take martial arts/kickboxing classes and that is an amazing stress reliever. Punching and kicking does wonders for a stressful day/bad mood. When work or people get on my nerves, I crave the workout because it makes me feel so much better. I take out my anger in a workout instead of towards someone. I keep my gym bag in my car also. That way i have no excuse not to go. Or get lazy or distracted while stopping home to change. Putting your needs as a priority will help your efforts and reduce stress.

About the eating, chew (sugarless) gum. I have a pack with me at all times. When I feel I wanna eat just because, pop a piece of gum. If my mouth is minty, I don't want chips or anything else to mix with that minty taste. Gum is my savior!

Just the few little tips that help me.. good luck!!! :flowerforyou:

GingerRunner

I love this thread. Much of it is applicable to me and I appreciate everyone's input, as well. I have identified that I am an emotional eater. (How have I just figured this out--isn't this a common problem)? I love healthy foods. I eat them every day. BUT I top it ALL off with great big double and triple servings of junk junk junk.
I voluntarily put myself in a HIGHLY stressful situation of quitting my career to take a sabbatical and am in China teaching English for a year. This place is madness and I've been seeking refuge in junk food. The oreos and snickers have taken over this place and taken over my cupboards. I am also growing despondent because running is my favorite exercise and I cannot run outside due to the air quality and I cannot afford a gym. So I've given myself a two pronged obstacle.
Reading everything everyone says is tremendously helpful so thank you!

GingerRunner

70 lbs lost! GO YOU!!! That's amazing. I put 50 as my goal but if I were to be honest 70 is much closer. How long has it taken you?

126siany

The most important thing to do is before you eat, ask yourself, are you hungry, stressed, etc. If you truly are hungry then measure it on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being not hungry and 10 being starving. About half-way through your meal/snack, reevaluate again and before you finish reevaluate again. Constantly asking yourself why you are eating. Eventually it will be eating when hungry. Also if you need sweets, use the 3 bite rule. (Trust me, it really works.) Take 3 bites, but enjoy each one. I've been told that this truly satisfies the sweet tooth, and it really does, just hard to believe at first.

Good Luck. Best thing is we are all struggling with our weight and we can help each other.

That's great advice, often I'm not hungry. I do best when there's no junk food in the house but my husband complained the other day there were no snacks, so I bought him cookies and I haven't stopped eating them. I stay with my mother some days out of the month for work and always has a stash of snacks. My will power is great when I'm not stressed, but when I am its like I can't help myself.

I think what I find the most discouraging, when I'm stressed I don't want to work out. I haven't been consistent at the gym in the last month and it is frustrating. I'm just trying to get back on track and stay there. I go hard for a few months and then I stop, then I start back, then I stop. Ugh

Pick a competition that's 2-4 months from now. Maybe a road race? Find a way to make that commitment stick--a friend is going to do it with you or you join a team raising money for charity--so you can't back out. Then if you quit, you are not only letting yourself down, you'r letting down a friend or a charity you feel passionate about. It helps get you to workouts you'd rather skip!

I've had more stress then I care to remember since May. It seemed like every single facet of my life (work, personal, family) was in major crisis. The absolute best thing I did was to re-join the gym. Even just walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes watching something like TMZ is a huge stress relief. When I am at the gym I am there for me, just me. I don't check emails or answer texts because it's my time. No stress, it's me focusing on ME!!! Plus they have lots of punching bags at my gym to let loose on!!! If I have a cruddy super tired day, I just tell myself "30 minutes and thats it". Most times Im there for at least an hour.

I LOVE this idea of setting a minimum time and then letting yourself off the workout hook. It just ain't gonna happen on some days.

Back when I was a serious runner, I had a rule like that. I committed to 20 minutes, because it actually often took my creaky body that long to actually FEEL GOOD running. If I hit the 20 minute ark and would still have preferred shoving bamboo shoots up my fingernails, I called it a day. But ore often than not, at the 20 minute mark I felt good to be out there and kept going.

TyFit08

Thanks for the advice guys. I really thought 2012 would be the year. I joined a gym in December last year. I've had stretches where I worked out 6 times a week for a month or more and then start slacking. I do enjoy working out, but when I'm stressed I'm not motivated to get off the couch. The last month, I have only worked out once a week. While I feel good when I'm done, the next day I'm back feeling unmotivated. My latest excuse is the darkness. I am not a morning person and my husband works evenings so generally I go to the gym while he was at work, but now its dark so early and its an 8blk walk and pretty desolate. So I have used that as a reason to justify missing workouts and lay on the couch all day.

Also there is something I realized about myself a long time ago, I'm either on or I'm off. I have a hard time with in between. So when I'm focused I go hard, counting calories perfectly, in the gym 6 times a week, intense workouts. But when I'm off I'm barely moving. Sometimes I wish I could find a happy medium so that life's stress wouldn't lead to a complete shutdown.

SmileeBarbFLA

70 lbs lost! GO YOU!!! That's amazing. I put 50 as my goal but if I were to be honest 70 is much closer. How long has it taken you?

I'm assuming you're talking to me, LOL!!! I lost 50 in under a year in 2010. Kinda stopped being strict and gained 10 back. Then gained almost 20 back, then felt awful and miserable and got back on track big time and since July of this year lost 30. So it's been on and off since 2010. Hoping to break 100 by the spring to be smokin' in some sexy clothes come summer time. I am now the smallest I have EVER been :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

DawnEH612

I agree with several other posts, get out and meet people thru volunteering or by taking a class that will help relive stress like yoga, Pilates, tai chi, art, theater... Any place that you can connect with others that share similar interests. That will do two things, 1) you will have an outlet for stress and 2) you will meet people and not feel so alone and that may reduce much of our stress and possible depression. You may also want to look at a website like meetup.com. They offer, literally thousands of meet up type groups. You're bound to find something on there that interests you.

As far as not eating, chew gum, take a relaxing shower/bath, blog on MFP, drink warm tea. I happen to like chamomile or white tea with a tsp of honey. Chamomile is decaffeinated and also relaxing. Drinking tea helps with the hand to mouth urges without a lot of guilt.

Remind yourself that food is not able to feed your emotions...no matter how much you eat, you're still going to feel like a bottomless pit if you try to feed your emotions. They are insatiable when it comes to food. Instead, learn how to openly communicate your feelings. Harboring anger and resentment or your true feelings lead to eating, trust me I know. I have learned how to communicate my TRUE feelings to others. I may not say what they like to hear but i do it in a tactful way. I put boundaries around myself and let people know why... I do not give ultimatums, i just do what I NEED TO to keep myself healthy, in every sense of the word. As a quick example, one of my family members is an alcoholic. I work with drug addicts and alcoholics in my job and it is quite stressful. Over a summer getaway weekend at my sisters vacation home this other family member was obnoxious intoxicated, so much so i was not able to relax and enjoy my weekend. I avoided the person all weekend but when i got home later that week, i called them up and told them they must have realized i did not spend much time around them over the past weekend. They agreed they had noticed. I then proceeded to tell the person that i am not able to relax when they are that intoxicated. I also told them i do not expect that they will stop drinking or change their behavior so I was going to change mine. I let them know that they next time i am around them and they get that drunk i will have to remove myself from their presence or cur my weekend short. I was prepared to do both as this was NOT an ultimatum, meaning, i didn't tell them, stop drinking OR else i wouldn't spend time with them. The person was taken back that i addressed this sensitive topic so directly but because i did not ask THEM to change, i instead only told them how I was going to change, they were open to hearing me... And they ultimately respected me enough to curb their drinking while i am around...

Remember, if you have unmet expectations, are harboring resentments, are annoyed with someone SPEAK UP.. But keep on mind, the only thing YOU can change is YOU. Perhaps taking a communications class would help or talking with a therapist or reading a good book on good communication skills. Check out this link.. http://serenityonlinetherapy.com/healthyboundaries.htm

I like to quote the Serenity Prayer.."God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (everything but YOU and your mind/actions/thoughts), courage to change the things I can (YOU) and the wisdom to know the difference."

Good luck to you and keep me posted!

TyFit08

Thanks guys, you gave me a lot to think about. I guess I really need to just evaluate my feelings and deal with them in a healthy manner.

Barkingshelties

I'm a stress eater too, I figured it out about 6 years ago. I thought, great, now it's fixed, I know what to do. Weird thing, I'm heavier than ever, I look at my life, it's pretty good, not too stressful, not more than I can handle. Yet I find myself eating stuff I'd never eat normally not because it's unhealthy (it is) but I don't even like those foods.

I just figured it out this summer, I always assumed it was MY stress that made me eat. It turns out my best friends, let's call them Doom and Gloom, are very nice however they're never happy and if they are, I never know about it because they only tell me how awful their lives are. They call, text, email and it's always depressing and I have to cheer them up, I have a couple family members that do the same thing, a few coworkers too. By the end of the day, I'm no longer upbeat and happy and end up eating junk food!

I've been avoiding Doom and Gloom and various family members and coworkers for the past few weeks and it's going great! I'm losing weight, I'm not overeating or craving junk food and I'm upbeat almost all the time! I don't want to lose these friends but I don't know how to tell them they can't keep doing this. I feel like it's killing me, my weight is causing my asthma and other issues to act up and I just can't continue this way.

I understand not wanting to work out when you're stressed. I tell myself I love the gym, I live to go to the gym, it's my favorite thing to do, the best part of my day, whatever, I repeat it over and over. It's not true but somehow it makes me do it and put in a really good effort and feel good about it. I like everyone's idea of volunteering, everyone I know who volunteers finds it very rewarding.

lizbennet

oh my gosh, i totally gained my weight AFTER i had my first child. i was at a healthy weight when i got married and got pregnant, and gained normally. however, after i had my son, over about four months i gained like 45 pounds! it was awful! and i've only been able to get off about 10 pounds of it. at one time, i had lost 25 lbs, but then i gained 15 of it back...freaking sucks! so, i'm there with you. it's about healthier choices...but sometimes the motivation just isn't there, esp when stress hits! hugs to you! cuz i'm feelin' it as well!!!

GingerRunner

Yes, I totally meant you. You rock. And I'm rooting for you but you look smoking how NOW!

sammyjo0402

I posted this in a similar topic, it might be helpful here:

"Believe it or not, meditation will help with this. Setting aside a little time everyday to be quiet helps with a lot of our destructive habits. Simply set an egg timer, sit down in a chair and follow your breath. Breath in, breath out. When your attention drifts, notice that, and return to following the breath. Don't concern yourself results. Just do it daily and see what happens.

Of course, counseling can help too, if the problem is very serious."

What is important is that you noticed something...now you can do something about. Be kind to yourself along the way.

Good luck!

I'm not putting this advice down whatsoever... it may be very helpful for some! It just made me smile because for me, I'd probably want to smash something after a few seconds of pre-meditated sit down time, lol. I would just get antsy and more stressed and all that bejumble ha.
I can very much so be a eat when I'm bored, stressed, sad, etc. .. it is difficult.. but just start the day eating well with the attitude that you're not going to do that and finding something to do in place of it, whatever that may be.. is the only thing that helps me.

SmileeBarbFLA

Yes, I totally meant you. You rock. And I'm rooting for you but you look smoking how NOW!

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it :drinker: :flowerforyou:

Now, of to the gym, there is a body combat class with my name on it! Have a great Saturday everyone :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

InPieces3

I'm always under a lot of stress. I'm a single mother of 3 children and I work full time also. At one time I was also attending college but had to drop out... it was too much.
I do a LOT of walking when I'm upset. When I'm stressed I pop my ipod in my ears and go for a walk. I have a 14 year old so I leave the kids with him and go to the local park and unwind. There has been times when I walk for 3 hours and over 10 miles. Of course that is a huge burn also.
It seems like every day is a new challenge for me, so you can imagine I do walk a lot. Some times however I only walk 1 hour which has been about 3 miles and over 350 calories burned. Meditation is great for this.... but MY meditation is my ipod and walking. I get in a zone and I can't stop.

I do know one thing... since I have started that routine, I don't go to the fridge anymore... I go to the pavement. Much healthier.
Good luck and I hope you can find something that works for you. :flowerforyou:

KeithAngilly

I posted this in a similar topic, it might be helpful here:

"Believe it or not, meditation will help with this. Setting aside a little time everyday to be quiet helps with a lot of our destructive habits. Simply set an egg timer, sit down in a chair and follow your breath. Breath in, breath out. When your attention drifts, notice that, and return to following the breath. Don't concern yourself results. Just do it daily and see what happens.

Of course, counseling can help too, if the problem is very serious."

What is important is that you noticed something...now you can do something about. Be kind to yourself along the way.

Good luck!

I'm not putting this advice down whatsoever... it may be very helpful for some! It just made me smile because for me, I'd probably want to smash something after a few seconds of pre-meditated sit down time, lol. I would just get antsy and more stressed and all that bejumble ha.
I can very much so be a eat when I'm bored, stressed, sad, etc. .. it is difficult.. but just start the day eating well with the attitude that you're not going to do that and finding something to do in place of it, whatever that may be.. is the only thing that helps me.

Thanks for your post!

Yes, it definitely isn't easy and it certainly isn't a quick fix. I also can't help but smile a bit when I think that we have stressed ourselves out so much in this world, that idea of sitting still for 10 or so minutes sounds impossible. Btw, my wife says the same thing, so I understand the resistance! In the end, it you say you can't, the you can't. If you say you can, the world is wide open. It's a choice.

Our minds are like a stormy sea, which makes us "antsy and more stressed and all that bejumble ha.". Doing a little daily meditation practice helps to calm the storm.