Stress and weight loss

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izenzo
izenzo Posts: 57 Member
In dealing with extremely stressful issue in personal life, I have found that my weight loss stagnated dramatically. I noticed that when the doctor put me on a med to assist with the stress, it played havoc with my metabolism and my HRT. So she took me off of it. I went back to what I know works.... food diary and exercise. Scale movement has been slow as the stress is sort of an ebb and flow, sort of like a pendulum. I have a few good weeks and then I spiral for a week or so, then back again. It is slowly getting better, but I know it will still take time.....a lot of time to recover emotionally.

Prior to my shoulder surgery in July 2011, I had discovered yoga and meditation. I realized I was really good at meditating and utilized it to help with pain of healing from screw put in shoulder. So after the personal trauma, I decided to try meditation/hypnosis after I did not like what meds were doing to my system. It helped and continues to help. It got me through some of the worst of it, and keeps me from spiraling.

Previously I was an emotional eater....eating the emotions I felt, and putting on well over 100 pounds. The saying of 'its not so much what you are eating, but what is eating you' is so true. I cannot go back to that. I WILL not go back to that. I have worked WAY too hard to get to where I am in my weight loss. Its a struggle some days, and I find that I have pushed so hard the other way that I almost have to remind myself to eat. Yesterday was 'one of those days'. Very stressed, so I was under my goal, but by way too much....500 calories. Which also meant no working out...I know that I can't workout on a day when I am way under on calories. Not good for the body. Such a balancing act sometimes between calories/exercise.

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  • Daysednconfused
    Daysednconfused Posts: 975 Member
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    I also went through some personal stuff that had me really messed up in 2012 (2 deaths, 1 overdose [not me!], my son going to jail (again), loss of job, etc). I stayed away from this site, ate and drank my pain away (I suffer from depression), stopped eating healthy, stopped exercising and put back on approximately 12 lbs. Then one day I just decided that I couldn't wallow anymore. I couldn't believe that I could actually just make that choice! I realize that I have to put my health - mental and physical first! It's working. I'm back at this for months now, going strong.

    I'm happy that meditation and yoga are helping. I hope they continue to! Good luck to you.
  • doin_it
    doin_it Posts: 414 Member
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    I went through a divorce a few years back after being married for 25+ years. It was a very stressful time in my life. Having to start over at my age was very scarey. I gained a lot of weigh after having lost over 100 lbs in 2006...sadly I gained most of that back. I was not in a good place and I had to do a lot of work on me both mentally and physcially. I was an emotionally eater and always turned to food for comfort but all it did was make me feel worse about myself. I hated that I allowed food to have that control over me.

    I am in a much better place in my life now and things are finally following into place. I am proud of the person that I have become and all that I have accomplished on my own. I have a very stressful job but I do my best not to let it get the best of me..when I am having a bad day I go for a long walk..I always seem to feel better by the time I am done!! Walking is my alone time to sort through life's problems.

    Keep up the good work..glad to hear that you have found what helps you deal with life's troubles. You care doing great!!