This is why I joined MFP

oops sorry - wrong forum

It's hard when a child does things to sabotage a parent's weight loss. Sometimes, the child is jealous.

Stay strong and believe miracles can happen, because they really can! I will keep you in my prayers that this all works out! Until then, please don't limit yourself to only 300 calories, your body will enter starvation mode, and can cause your body real damage. Feel free to add me if you'd like a buddy to talk to! :flowerforyou:

Yep, that's one hell of a stressful situation. That being said, you really do need to eat some more right now, because 300 calories ain't enough for this time of day, and I'll bet your blood sugar is low and is having a lousy effect on your mood. Go have whatever you have on hand that's healthy -- an apple, some nuts, tuna, whatever.

Secondly, you might want to take a look at the following websites and see if there are any grants or scholarships that your daughter is eligible for:

http://www.studentgrants.org/
http://www.grants.gov/
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

I'm sure other posters will have other links for you, as well. Good luck to both you and your daughter -- you've both made some remarkable achievements, and you should be proud of yourselves!

It looks like there are also some resources out there that specifically give scholarships to children of single parents.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/226665-scholarships-for-children-of-single-parents/

This is big, difficult life stuff and I so appreciate the stress you're under. You've already blown past the biggest hurdle which is to fight it and to seek out support instead of food. I don't know about everyone else, but for me, before I started MFP, extreme stress always went hand-in-hand with this sense of extreme entitlement to eat whatever I wanted. And yet, I can honestly say, I never found any meaningful answers in food. You can totally do this. There's an answer to this problem out there somewhere.

Sometimes a parent can feel guilty for the circumstances of life and take on a larger burden of care than is necessary. I have felt very guilty about not being able to have another child, and my son is lonely- we live in the desert, and it can be a lonely place... as a result of my guilt, go to extremes to make sure my boy is entertained.
But if I didn't try to make up for it, and I just behaved normally, I think my son would adapt and learn to be ok- alone. He goes to school, so he gets lots of time with peers.
My parents dropped me off in a college town with a Chevy Chevette and my first month's rent when I was 18... and that was all.
I did not have the opportunities that other children had. I was poor, we all were.
My life could have been very different, had my parents paved the way for me financially.
But I like how I turned out as a result of this version. 8)
I guess what I want to say to you is:
Is it possible that you are trying to make up for something out of guilt?
If your daughter does not get to go to the college she most desires, won't it be ok?

When life is trying to tell me something and I stubbornly insist that my way is the only way, I usually lose... and then come to the conclusion that I should have let go of my way a long time ago and spared myself the misery.
You are a good mom. Every life has it's trials, burdens, losses. It will be ok.
Go for a walk, take a bath, listen to music, journal about your feelings. Find the core or root of the problem, stalk it like a cat stalks a bird, and take it out.
Show your daughter how incredibly strong and resilient a woman can be.

I wish you the best.

You're an amazing mom. Your daughter is amazing to have overcome what must have been an incredibly difficult time to get into the school she wants. And if you have to defer for a year while you save some money, she'll understand. Try meeting with the financial aid office at the school and see if they can help you set up a payment plan or if they have any ideas. Also check out www.fastweb.com and www.scholarships.com. There are quite a few random scholarships out there and every little bit can help.

I'm such an emotional eater, I completely understand. You could go for a walk or do something to distract yourself. You could go eat something healthy(-ish) or drink some tea or hot chocolate to soothe yourself. All of that will work. But as others have said, today is only one day and if you go over your calories you can start over tomorrow. Forgive yourself... it's a long journey.

The trick for me is figuring out how to make food no longer the enemy. We get a chance to start over again every day! And we do need food to survive, so we (I'm including myself in this because I'm still learning this lesson) have to figure out how to change the mentality. It's hard, but for me it's one day - one moment - one meal/snack at a time. Sometimes I just have to forgive myself and allow a treat, and other times I just have to tell myself no. Posting on here was a fantastic way to get the emotion out, and we all wish you and your daughter all the best!

Not bored and not a saint. For what it's worth, my parents couldn't afford to pay for college. I went full time, worked while I was there, never had a summer break and even had to get student loans. i hate debt, but it was an investment in my future. i don't hold it against my parents, they did the best they could and that's all any kid can ask for.

Please, you have to eat, you have to take care of yourself. There is no strength where there is no struggle. I don't know where I heard that, but I always liked it.