Anxiety, Stress and Dieting....Breaking The Cycle

I think one thing the pandemic did for me was point out where the existing support systems and habits I had in place were not as strong as they could have been. It's certainly a really rough way to find that out! And I think I was lucky because I was already starting to be mindful about that kind of thing, and I was aware that in the past I had used eating to cope and needed to stick to other, healthier methods. When under a lot of stress is a hard time to put those things into practice, but sometimes you really don't have another choice!

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that cultures use food as more than just detached, clinical "fuel." I think it actually has the potential to be wonderful and beautiful, to observe the changing of time and the seasons, momentous occasions in one's life, etc. It always bothered me when I was a kid and I'd watch "futuristic" shows where people would be so "advanced" and just swallow a pill to eat. That sounds boring and awful. It might keep you alive, but what a terrible way to live! Like having windows to let in the "correct" amount of light, but they're so high up you couldn't even look outside to see the landscape. Weird.

I do think some of us have to be more mindful than others to not let food become a primary coping method or a numbing agent to the rest of life. Eating alone all the time while constantly on social media or with the TV news on seems like a recipe for mental health disaster. Like @cmriverside I just quit most news and social media. I stayed in close touch with the friends I had even if I wasn't seeing them as much or at all in person. I kept up the hobbies that I could do at home. All of that helped a lot. And now that I am logging my food and exercising regularly, I feel a lot, lot better. The trick is to have the habits so ingrained that setbacks, minor or major, aren't a complete derailing event.

My depression made me not have the energy to cook, and so I would eat an entire pizza in the afternoon and snacks. Then i would look at how big I was getting and be despaired and consoled me with "I'll start dieting tomorrow, but today is ruined" and so I ate a box of cookies or a chocolate or crisps or all three.

Getting on the right medication, and changing to a better diet and starting doing exercise took time. But I am in a much better place now and have the energy to take care of myself.

When I lost 80 pounds my life was changed dramatically. From weight-as-a-shield to ice-cream-cures-sadness I had a lot of sorting out to do.

Absolutely keep writing. We'll keep reading. I learn something new every day and sometimes I learn just by writing it down somewhere.

You're on to something and it's going to change your world.





I would turn off the news, though.

There is a way to look at all life events from a distance without getting emotionally attached to their outcomes. That's what I have worked to discover. Most things I have no control. The things I do have some control I can work on but even some of them are not going to change a whole lot, externally. I have to change how I perceive them.

I definitely have been a stress eater throughout my life but, even more so, an emotional eater. I went to EAT and Overeaters Anonymous and a therapist, hoping any or all of them would help with this. What did happen was that I figured out that dealing with strong feelings, stress, and uncertain outcomes were too difficult for me, so instead I would succumb to the familiar coping mechanism of a binge. I would feel physically rotten afterwards, but something I was used to and could handle, and it helped distract me from the issue I really should have been dealing with.

What happened to help at long last was aging. Not a solution I recommend to all! But when it became a matter of life and death far more than an issue of vanity in appearance, I found myself more able to regulate my eating. The pandemic was incredibly helpful to me because of the lack of social engagements or meetings/classes, and I lost my remaining 40 lbs and have kept it off since October. But that was an anomaly, and now I'm starting to eat out with friends again and not be able to control every bite that goes into my mouth and it's a little threatening. Also the stress will increase with in-person responsibilities once more picking up. Hopefully I've learned enough during the pandemic and also through the aging process that I will be able to keep tabs on my behavior.

Did I ever eat out of hunger? Hard to say. Not sure I experienced hunger, just occasions when I either 'needed' or 'deserved' to overeat.

Knowing this past, maintenance will involve diligent logging for some time to come - I WILL have to be held accountable to keep this weight off. But the understanding of the emotional component plus this year off to look at it "from 30,000 feet" as they say should help me think through what it is I REALLY need when I feel like I have earned the right to eat, rather than scarfing down bowl after bowl of trail mix.

My experience was completely different. And to clarify, I am a “negative Nancy” of the first degree.

I saw the handwriting in the wall. There was nothing I could do about lockdown except take as much control as I could. I could either wring my hands and moan,”woe is me”, or do the best I could under the circumstances.

I planned several basic meals and stocked up enough supplies I could make them for quite some time if supplies or trips to the grocery became impossible. We didn’t go overboard but we did have about a month supply of canned goods on hand.

I’d lost 80 pounds and did NOT want to gain them back. I immediately cut my calories and set a goal to turn my Apple Watch exercise rings three times daily. My local studio offered Zoom yoga and Pilates classes. I would register a week’s worth in advance at a time. If it was on the calendar, it was writ in stone. We live adjacent to a bike path. No one was using it so I took full advantage a couple of times a day. I was able to work out mask free. It was months before I had to don a mask.

I didn’t want to be glued to the sofa or TV. To turn those rings, I started cleaning house two or three times a week. Not that it needed it. I needed it.

I stopped watching the news, following election and COVID updates, and tuned out of social media. I painted the interior of our three story house, and finished countless needlework projects.

What did I learn from all this? Having a plan, taking charge, feeling in control made me happier and healthier, and is a lesson I can carry in to the future.

I “ran” a family business for years, and had no control over the countless stupid business decisions my parents were wont to make against my strong advice until I finally had enough and walked.

Having control of my life, my surroundings, my decisions has been the healthiest thing for me.

TL:DR having reasonable, thoughtful control of everything around me meant I’ve actually enjoyed lockdown.

Beautyofdreams wrote: »

Last year, when the first outbreak of Covid in my state was diagnosed less than an hour from my home, I had 5 pre-existing conditions that would result in a poor outcome if I were to contract it. I made a list of what I could control or change and started my journey to health. I have lost 77 pounds and am still working to lose more since then. During that time, my fiance died from Covid pneumonia. I cried until I was sick but still stuck to my new habits of exercising while wearing a mask and counting calories. These habits gave me a tiny sense of control and security while my life changed.
Today, I am struggling. I have a series of skin grafts being done on my foot for an ulcer and have to stay off my feet for at least a month. I am twitching out of my skin without the exercise. Have not online shopped but have over eaten the last 4 days. Both are my vices of choice when alone and unable to move around. Today, I have resigned myself to the fact that the overeating and shopping are just distractions from the frustration, loneliness, anxiety and boredom that I am feeling. That I am going to have to allow myself to experience these feelings, breathe, and go on with my day. Repeat again, and again if necessary but not overeat, overspend or engage in temporary distractions until the feelings resolve and fade away.

I wish I could hug this more than once. I am so sorry for the loss of your fiancé and in awe of your determination in the face of bereavement and your own health risks. You have only overeaten for a few days and already recognised that you must allow yourself to experience those unpleasant feelings to work your way past them rather than avoid them by using unhealthy behaviours. It’s taken me a year and a gain of 15 lb to come to the same conclusion, and I haven’t experienced any personal loss. You can do this.