Best strategies you've found for keeping up healthy habits when you're stressed/underslept/in pain?
kiela64
Posts: 1,447 Member
I've had a bit of a stumble in my weight loss attempts. I lost and regained about 15lbs. I've noticed I tend to be on top of things and motivated until I miss a few nights of sleep, have a big assignment due, or get a headache. I tend to stop working out, say "whatever" and eat more junk food, stop making lunches ahead (and my laundry and organization suffers too unfortunately). I'm motivated, but I turn into a big baby when I'm uncomfortable from one of these things, then "getting back into it" is harder. It starts to feel like I'm undermining myself, that I "give up" too easily, and I worry that maybe I'm "too weak" mentally to make the changes that I need to make.
Life is full of stress, sleepless nights, and headaches. There isn't really a way to turn that off. It just happens/is part of life, and I need to learn how to grow up and deal. How do you strategize your way around/through these things?
Life is full of stress, sleepless nights, and headaches. There isn't really a way to turn that off. It just happens/is part of life, and I need to learn how to grow up and deal. How do you strategize your way around/through these things?
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Replies
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it has to be a priority.
thats all there is to it ....0 -
I work out when I'm scheduled to regardless of my sleep or pain. Almost alwAys I feel better. It is ususlly better to do a light workout even with less sleep than skipping it. Unless you would be risking injury. Doing so establishes a HABIT and good habits are the key to this whole process.0
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Plan ahead. Get into a routine, and stick with it. I do not exercise when I'm in pain, but I stay on top of my meal planning no matter what.0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »it has to be a priority.
thats all there is to it ....
Yeah...
Like the saying it, if you want it, you'll find time. If you don't, you'll find excuses.0 -
I know what you mean. I have been dealing with this for years. What helps ME is to put your health first. It doesn't matter if you life around you is falling apart (or yours kids have to wait 10 mins while you eat your breakfast) your body is the one supporting you though this life.0
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It's understandable when people get derailed sometimes due to major life events. I myself was derailed by two massive bereavements. However, having an essay to write or having the odd headache for me don't come into that category. That's a case of "suck it up buttercup" and get on with it. That's life! Make a plan and stick with it and like you say, stop "being a baby".
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Logging logging logging really helps me.
When life seems to be spinning out of control, I find that if I keep loggng--even on bad food days--it makes me feel like I'm holding on to SOME control in my crazy life.0 -
Sleep is a priority. Meeting my calorie goals is a priority. Working out comes after those two. I have arranged my pantry so that if I'm feeling crappy I can make good choices anyway.0
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I find that planning even further ahead helps me. For instance, if you know you have a big assignment coming up, have some healthy snacks and meals around that you've already portioned out so you don't run out and find yourself going out to eat/eating whatever is easy but not as healthy. If you know you'll need three days to hunker down and work and you won't be able to make it to the gym, then don't try to stick with your plan that requires you to be at the gym for an hour the night before the assignment's due--label those days as rest days and schedule work-outs the days before and the days after when you're available. I cannot make myself pack lunch every night--so I plan my lunches out for the week on Sunday. If things are hard, try to find a way to make them easy.0
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Meal prep has been vital. I even have some meals sitting in the freezer in case something happens and I simply don't have time to cook. It takes me about an hour on Sunday to make meals for most of the week.0
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PS I just wanted to add that whether you work out in pain depends on the nature of the pain and the workout. Obviously you don't want the workout to aggravate the pain. If pain is due to injury, that's a diff story too.0
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I was a bit similar to the OP. I have started recognizing that "i don't want to" thought as a trigger--and instead of letting that thought continue into action, I recognize where that thought could lead and I literally force my brain into the opposite direction. It gets easier with time. Now stress is not a trigger for my Thin Mints, it is a trigger for me to walk around (or walk away), go on a run, eat a banana, etc.0
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While Ive only been on here a couple weeks I completely agree you have to make it a priority and then it becomes a habit.0
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I am all of the above (stressed, tired, in pain) - working 50hrs a week, 7mo pregnant, plus a toddler who doesn't sleep. Logging religiously is the one thing that keeps me on track. As soon as I fail to log one thing (especially things that I know will blow out my cals for the day), it's all over, red rover. It's taken me a very long while to become truly honest with what I log in my food diary.0
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Plan ahead. Make yourself accountable for your choices instead of giving up and making excuses.0
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I have different responses to how I deal:
If I know ahead of time I have big work loads I stock up my freezer with healthy meals I've made in advance so I can just stick them in the microwave or oven and eat. I normally have 2 or 3 portions for 'emergencies' anyway. My cupboards also have lots of cans of soups as these are healthy and quick.
I know I'm an incorrigible snacker when I'm stressed so I try not to have any temptations in the house, but instead load up on popcorn and sugar free jelly as that covers my sweet and savoury snacking requirements.
I have some habits that are now so far ingrained into me that even the stress doesn't shift it. My exercise levels may drop to this minimal baseline, but I know it's enough to keep me going for a few days of stress. For example I walk up the 3 flights of stairs to my flat, not taking the elevator. I always have a good stretch in the morning. On a non stressful day I would do stationary biking, go to the gym or go for a run.
I make sure to always take 10 min to just relax and not think about doing anything. Making sure I give myself at least a little time to myself is crucial on these stressful days.
Sometimes there is no anticipating a shock, an injury, a life changing event. In those cases make the attempt to make a 'good choice' where possible, but don't kick yourself if for a while you find you are slipping your new habits. When I come down with a cold I always come off of my diet calories wise, but think of how to make myself feel better while eating healthy food and sleeping on the sofa half of the day lol.
Then there is the non stop pressure of something. If you know there is going to be a stressful period for months on end the only thing you can do is to sit down, and write a list of the habits you can keep, habits you will have to adapt and new habits you can have instead to change your life in this time.0 -
Steve Jobs reported that he could make only so many decisions in a day, and then he would be all done, locked up, zzzzhhhhhhh. He knew he was going to be called on to make decisions all day at work, so he eliminated unimportant ones from his daily routine as much as possible. For him, a reasonable choice was to wear the same black-turtleneck outfit every single day. Putting some things on total autopilot sometimes helps. That might mean a meal routine, so that planning and logging calories becomes a no-brainer when you need to concentrate on all the hair-on-fire emergencies.
A really important thing for me, though, is getting thoroughly comfortable with what I'm willing to tell people "no" about. If a client needs a 24-hour all-out effort, that's one thing, but you're never going to say, "OK, I'll hold my breath for an hour for your convenience and my ambition." If you also have to say, "I'm going to set aside x minutes every day to be sure I'm eating the right food and taking appropriate exercise," then you have to say it. Your client/boss/fans/family/etc. aren't going to hold your hand and make you do it if you're sending out signals that it's optional, while their needs are 100% paramount. When self-sacrifice goes beyond altruism and becomes self-destruction, it's no longer about being a good person.0 -
For me...making sure my eating is on track. That means keeping around 10 preportioned meals in the freezer for breakfast/lunch and 5/6 family freezer meals. Minimum.
We eat fairly simply as a family. Usually just a protein, a veg and a salad. One of my kids wont eat raw veggies, like in a salad...and one will ONLY eat veggies raw, lol. So i serve both.
Once a month or so (really whenever i see a great sale on meats), i buy a ton of meat. Bring it home and separate it out into meal sized portions. I dump it in a gallon bag, along with a marinade or seasoning. Write on the outside of the bag whats in it
. Lay flat and freeze. Once frozen I Then place that bag with the meat into a 2 gallon bag, along with a bag of steam in the bag frozen veggies im planning on serving with it. If i plan anything else for the meal, that can be frozen (rice, bread, whatever), i toss it in the 2 gallon bag too. That way when its time to think about dinner, i just grab a bag and make a spinach salad. For the salad, i try to chop some up at the beginning of the week so i have less prep work each night. Sometimes i dont have anything pre chopped, and zero time to chop...those nights we just eat spinach salad...maybe some cherry tomatoes if i have some.
I usually make 4-5bags of the same meal. That way i can make a larger batch of marinade just once.0 -
Its a tough issue - but if you're not getting enough sleep, does food help that? If you are stressed, does eating something make the stress any less? If you are in pain, does a high calorie meal eliminate the pain? I feel you sister, I really do, because I do the same thing. You say to yourself that I'm (insert excuse) so I deserve some treats. Ultimately though you are shooting yourself in the foot. Keep your eye on the prize - life will always have stressors, so you just have to learn better ways to manage them, like some of the good advice already in this thread.0
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For me, the insufficient sleep is the critical part of the equation. There's no getting around the fact that I need it, and that not getting it makes everything else fall apart.0
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Sleep--I have to sleep. I don't care, it's my #1 priority. Non-negotiable. Nothing and I mean nothing good will come from forcing this past a certain point for me, because I've tried. OP, only you knows how much you can push it.
Stress--In this scenario, forcing myself to exercise can actually help. Having easy button options for food (pre-prepped meals, frozen dinners, stuff for sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, etc.). Giving myself the luxury of going to maintenance if needed until things ease up.
Headache--sometimes this is from lack of sleep and I just need to go dark and get rid of it. Sometimes it is from stress, in which case a workout or yoga or foam rolling helps. Sometimes I need to drink more water or manage my caffeine intake more carefully. Having easy button options helps here as well.
You don't have to say negative things about yourself to get the job done. You are not too weak as a person, even if you have a weak day. You only see from other people what they choose to share with you, that does not mean they don't have problems or weak days. Everyone does, and we all keep working at it!
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I work twelve hour shifts at an extremely stressful job, the kind of job where I might not get a chance to sit down and eat a meal the whole day. I also struggle with anxiety and insomnia.
Planning ahead helps. The fewer decisions I have to make at all when I'm tired and overworked, the fewer opportunities there are to make bad ones. I pack my lunch and lay out my clothes the night before- it seems silly but those five minutes are nothing at night when I'm not tired or busy, and are SUCH a help in the morning when I'm groggy and racing around. Getting those things together might make me late in the morning and start my day off badly, or I might run out of time for them and wind up having to eat vending machine or fried cafeteria food. So I take the time to do them in advance when I do have time. Similarly, general meal prep- having a few healthy crockpot meals prepped on a day when I had some free time frozen and ready to go reduces the odds I'll get junk food on a busy night. And it's actually LESS work than even getting junk food- just toss it in the crockpot and dinner that day is sorted.
Being realistic is also helpful. I will not work out on work days. There isn't mental energy or time- I'm already waking up at 0500 to be ready for work, and I might not be home till 2000. I know myself well enough after 32 years that I simply won't do it, and if I try to force myself, I'll either have a terrible workout or not do it and feel defeated.
Accepting that limitation and scheduling my workouts for other days increases the likelihood they'll actually happen.
Also, mindfulness. I've often found myself using food as an excuse to take a momentary break in a stressful day. Second helpings at breakfast to excuse sitting there another five minutes before facing the day. Grabbing a snack in the break room to feel like I have a "reason" to stop for a minute. Having a dessert I'm not really hungry for to justify to myself that I'm allowed not to cut my lunch break short.
I had to accept that IT IS OKAY TO JUST RELAX FOR A MINUTE. You don't have to eat to stop working for a moment. If you're not hungry, eating is not going to make your stress go away. If you associate food with the only time you're allowed to take a break, you will find yourself craving food when what you really want is a moment of peace. Take the moment of peace and then re-evaluate your hunger. Is it real, or did you just need to rest your body and mind for a bit? So often for myself, I've found it's the latter. Now I bring cans of flavored seltzer, and when I find myself craving a snack, I go to the break room, sit down for a moment, and drink a can. 75% of the time, the craving wasn't truly for food at all, it was for a moment of reprieve from the chaos- but years of self-reinforcement that I was only "allowed" to stop for food had taught me to interpret those needs as one and the same.
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it has to be a priority.
thats all there is to it ....
Very black and white approach but not the end all (IMHO)....
Even the most dedicated can have events that throw their routine off - look at former professional athletes in retirement that completely fall apart. Who could have been more dedicated to physical well being?
That said, I adopted the "10 minute method". On those days where a more intense workout seems impossible, so many activities can be done in 10 minutes: walking, jogging, stepping in place, yoga, jump rope, plyometrics, etc.... Certainly, those 10 minutes may not be equivalent in calorie burn or impact compared to your normal routine, but it's something to say, I gave effort. If eliminates, I've completely fallen off the band wagon moment.
On diet, that's a tad more challenging because my dietary choice (whole-food, plant-based) was both a health and belief change and has resulted in my most successful transformation I've had in my life. So, I cannot properly speak to the food aspect. I have no other alternatives, per se, with the exception of plant-based junk food. Ultimately, my body is going to give me indication I've gone too far before too much damage is done if my consumption of processed plant food increases.0 -
I've had a bit of a stumble in my weight loss attempts. I lost and regained about 15lbs. I've noticed I tend to be on top of things and motivated until I miss a few nights of sleep, have a big assignment due, or get a headache. I tend to stop working out, say "whatever" and eat more junk food, stop making lunches ahead (and my laundry and organization suffers too unfortunately). I'm motivated, but I turn into a big baby when I'm uncomfortable from one of these things, then "getting back into it" is harder. It starts to feel like I'm undermining myself, that I "give up" too easily, and I worry that maybe I'm "too weak" mentally to make the changes that I need to make.
Life is full of stress, sleepless nights, and headaches. There isn't really a way to turn that off. It just happens/is part of life, and I need to learn how to grow up and deal. How do you strategize your way around/through these things?
What are the sources of your lack of sleep and headaches?0 -
emmycantbemeeko wrote: »I work twelve hour shifts at an extremely stressful job, the kind of job where I might not get a chance to sit down and eat a meal the whole day. I also struggle with anxiety and insomnia.
Planning ahead helps. The fewer decisions I have to make at all when I'm tired and overworked, the fewer opportunities there are to make bad ones. I pack my lunch and lay out my clothes the night before- it seems silly but those five minutes are nothing at night when I'm not tired or busy, and are SUCH a help in the morning when I'm groggy and racing around. Getting those things together might make me late in the morning and start my day off badly, or I might run out of time for them and wind up having to eat vending machine or fried cafeteria food. So I take the time to do them in advance when I do have time. Similarly, general meal prep- having a few healthy crockpot meals prepped on a day when I had some free time frozen and ready to go reduces the odds I'll get junk food on a busy night. And it's actually LESS work than even getting junk food- just toss it in the crockpot and dinner that day is sorted.
Being realistic is also helpful. I will not work out on work days. There isn't mental energy or time- I'm already waking up at 0500 to be ready for work, and I might not be home till 2000. I know myself well enough after 32 years that I simply won't do it, and if I try to force myself, I'll either have a terrible workout or not do it and feel defeated.
Accepting that limitation and scheduling my workouts for other days increases the likelihood they'll actually happen.
Also, mindfulness. I've often found myself using food as an excuse to take a momentary break in a stressful day. Second helpings at breakfast to excuse sitting there another five minutes before facing the day. Grabbing a snack in the break room to feel like I have a "reason" to stop for a minute. Having a dessert I'm not really hungry for to justify to myself that I'm allowed not to cut my lunch break short.
I had to accept that IT IS OKAY TO JUST RELAX FOR A MINUTE. You don't have to eat to stop working for a moment. If you're not hungry, eating is not going to make your stress go away. If you associate food with the only time you're allowed to take a break, you will find yourself craving food when what you really want is a moment of peace. Take the moment of peace and then re-evaluate your hunger. Is it real, or did you just need to rest your body and mind for a bit? So often for myself, I've found it's the latter. Now I bring cans of flavored seltzer, and when I find myself craving a snack, I go to the break room, sit down for a moment, and drink a can. 75% of the time, the craving wasn't truly for food at all, it was for a moment of reprieve from the chaos- but years of self-reinforcement that I was only "allowed" to stop for food had taught me to interpret those needs as one and the same.
I know I do that wow, I'll definitely try to work on mindfulness/non-eating breaks! Thanks 0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »I've had a bit of a stumble in my weight loss attempts. I lost and regained about 15lbs. I've noticed I tend to be on top of things and motivated until I miss a few nights of sleep, have a big assignment due, or get a headache. I tend to stop working out, say "whatever" and eat more junk food, stop making lunches ahead (and my laundry and organization suffers too unfortunately). I'm motivated, but I turn into a big baby when I'm uncomfortable from one of these things, then "getting back into it" is harder. It starts to feel like I'm undermining myself, that I "give up" too easily, and I worry that maybe I'm "too weak" mentally to make the changes that I need to make.
Life is full of stress, sleepless nights, and headaches. There isn't really a way to turn that off. It just happens/is part of life, and I need to learn how to grow up and deal. How do you strategize your way around/through these things?
What are the sources of your lack of sleep and headaches?
It's just always something I've had. I've never been "good at" sleeping. Sometimes it just doesn't come, especially if I'm worried about something, but it doesn't always correlate with stress. I also know I need to be more active, because I do sleep better or just have more energy if I don't when I'm active. Headaches can come from anything, I have a dust allergy that can give me a sinus headache out of the blue, they can be from stress or a lack of sleep as well. Pressure changes, weather, etc. Migraines are one thing, I know that's ok to stop and recover. But regular, moderate headaches are often enough I need to just learn to keep going/power through.0 -
I actually found it easier to stay on my diet when I was extremely busy and under stress. Being on a diet was almost a relief because it was consistent. I didn't have to make decisions or think about it. I ate specific food at specific times ... I knew what I had to eat and when, and that was that. Plus I was too busy to boredom eat or even to get out and buy extra snacks.
Since I finished my second semester of post-grad school in October and have been relaxing my way through the summer, I've found it harder to stick to anything. Fortunately it doesn't really matter because I'm that close to maintenance, so I've basically been maintaining.
But one of the reasons I'm looking forward to starting classes again next week (in addition to working full time) is because it will be easier to stick to "the usual" again. I'm hoping to lose the last few kg.
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hopeandtheabsurd wrote: »Sleep--I have to sleep. I don't care, it's my #1 priority. Non-negotiable. Nothing and I mean nothing good will come from forcing this past a certain point for me, because I've tried. OP, only you knows how much you can push it.
Stress--In this scenario, forcing myself to exercise can actually help. Having easy button options for food (pre-prepped meals, frozen dinners, stuff for sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, etc.). Giving myself the luxury of going to maintenance if needed until things ease up.
Headache--sometimes this is from lack of sleep and I just need to go dark and get rid of it. Sometimes it is from stress, in which case a workout or yoga or foam rolling helps. Sometimes I need to drink more water or manage my caffeine intake more carefully. Having easy button options helps here as well.
You don't have to say negative things about yourself to get the job done. You are not too weak as a person, even if you have a weak day. You only see from other people what they choose to share with you, that does not mean they don't have problems or weak days. Everyone does, and we all keep working at it!
I've definitely had luck working out to alleviate stress lately. Unfortunately I haven't had decent sleep in a few nights, so I'm trying to keep at it but I'm very tired and kinda just want to laze around doing nothing. Thanks 0
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