[PrairieGirl]

I have a theory about why this weight loss journey is so hard for me and maybe others as well.

I think it is because my life is generally out of balance. It's been out of balance for as long as I can remember. I spoke to a counsellor recently and she asked me about what I have going in different aspects of my life (occupational, spiritual, recreation, friends, family, community, health, home). We went through an activity of dividing up the hours in a typical week and I spent 75% of my time on work and school, 10% on home, 10% on health, and 5% on friends and/or family, with nothing in terms of spiritual, recreation, or community. Some weeks no hours are spent with friends or family.

The activity reminded me of the things that are missing from my life. I'd like to get involved in volunteering in my community, through my office coworkers volunteer at Habitat for Humanity home builds and I always think 'that would be fun' to myself every time I see a sign up and then I never find the time to volunteer. I also used to have these great hobbies that I enjoyed including jewelry making, reading, painting and I never do any of this anymore. I've also wondered recently if there is a place in my life for faith and I've never explored that. In addition to these aspects that are completely absent from my life, I don't find enough time for friends and family or health.

I think the next step for me before I can really progress is to balance my life more effectively. Too much time is being spent on work and school. Other areas of my life are suffering and I end up stress eating because I'm unhappy. I also justify eating junk because I feel deprived in my life, it takes only a few minutes to stop for some takeout, but it takes hours to go out for coffee or out to a zumba class with a friend. I want to change the system of rewards in my life and find balance.

Anyone else find that being out of balance impeded your weight loss efforts?

[qtkitty]

DEFINATELY!!!

I have known this fact for years about myself. I am suprised no one has noticed the fact that when I am unhappy I gain weight, because I fill that void I feel inside with food. Does knowing and understanding this fact keep me from doing it. Uh... Embarassingly enough not always.

I tend to be very anti social and it is not because I want to be. I tend to feel as if I am not welcome if that makes any since. My mom always says that I am welcome to family events ( being the biggest person at them makes me feel like some sort of odd ball .. and getting those uncomfortable comments just doesn't make it feel any better.. or worse presents that are several sizes to small because people don't picture you as the size you are Ouch). I feel very sad that I have missed those moments, but I try not to dwell on it.

I think for many of us our mental wellbeing does play a large part in our body mass. If we are stressed our bodies tend to gain weight. If we are over eating to cope or somehow protect ourselves. Then we begin to resent our own bodies for holding us back. Then we start the whole vicious cycle again.

I made the comment a while back that it is amazing how some people are so happy and everything goes their way and wondered why I was not that lucky. I got the response that most people who seem to have the perfect life and nothing goes wrong are usually faking it and have skeletons locked in their closets the same as everyone else. And that is part of life I believe. That we have those messy horrible crazy sad depressing moments so that when those good happy lovly amazing moments happen that we can truely appreciate and charish them.