So, I've been on plan and losing weight for about 7 months now. I've lost 60ish lbs and I'm doing pretty good, if I do say so myself, but these past two weeks my entire routine has been thrown out of whack.

I started dating.
I got a cold.
I started birth control
and midterms are right around the corner.

I feel like everything normal in my life just got picked up and thrown out the window.

Luckily I haven't gained any weight but I just want to make sure I keep on plan. How do you guys deal with large life changes, especially when it comes to taking care of yourself?

I think i'm mainly going to speak from theory but i am aware that my practice is improving.

So 1. Keep the bigger picture at the forefront of your mind. Remember that saying about the small stuff? I can't remember how it goes but it was right. Oh yes, don't sweat the small stuff.

2. Keep your priorities in order. I can help to make a brief list from time to time. When you've got your priorities written down its easier to see which you should choose when theres a conflict e.g. your boyfriend wants you to go out to the pub the night before you exam. Which is your priority here the boy or the future career?

4. Take things a day at a time, and sometimes even moment to moment. That's another way of saying focus on your priorities first. Do the important stuff first. Then you've got time to play with a guilt free conscience.

5. You will have to train yourself to shut out thoughts about the boy when you need to focus on your studies. You can do this. Its not that hard. The thoughts may come through often but you just keep letting them go and turn back to whats more important right now. What i found if you are giving in too much to the boy thoughts is that is what you prefer to think about. You do have a choice. It may not be easy. Certainly when study is proving hard or problematic in some way, we prefer to think of easier things.

3. Birth control shouldn't make much difference to your life. It made none to mine. But others have health issues. if you do have issues, keep talking to your doctor about it. If its too hard, consider an IUD but only keep it in for the recommended time.

4. For a cold - rest is paramount, so get good sleep, don't drink alcohol. Eat nutritious food. Don't exercise too much, if at all. Take paracetamol to help you get to sleep if your head is stuffy and lying down is uncomfortable and you feel really crappy. Its a painkiller and i've noticed on numerous occasions that it really does help. In the past i never used to take anything or do anything different. So i have been able to observe how much difference this treatment takes. Things like ginger, lemons, garlic make no difference. Its too late if you've already got a cold. There is no actual cure for a cold. It just has to play itself out. Wash your hands often so that you don't transmit your germs to everyone else.

Big changes to my life routine always tend to throw me off a little bit. I need some time to feel at home in the new world I'm living in, and then I make adjustments to stay on track. I try to keep some healthy routines going from the start though.

Hey OP! I am in the same boat as you! I have been on my journey for 3 weeks now, and I am currently on antibiotics for recurrent tonsillitis, and I am facing surgery in the very near future. It is so disappointing! Kudos to you for doing your school work! And congrats on dating As for birth control, depending on what it is, some can cause you to gain weight, get headaches, etc. I tried at least 10 different types before finding one that didnt make me aggro, or gain weight, or give me bad migraines, or to cause my skin to go crazy. All I can suggest is to put yourself and your exercise/eating plan first, and have the study/partner in moderation. Life is a biiiiiiig balancing act, and it isnt always easy! Keep us posted

I look at it this way.

When life starts tossing curve balls, or whatever, the 2 things I know I can cling to are my food and exercise plan!

Rather than look at those as another chore, I make those 2 things, the 2 things that keep me sane!

Some form of exercise is easy! Walk. No matter what, you can always find 20 minutes for a walk.

Food, I realize, is sometimes a tough one. But, in the words of wisdom from a friend, you can learn to make BETTER bad choices.

When my DH whacked off 2 of his fingers in a work accident, that turned into 14 months of surgeries and therapy and so on, my WW meetings and friends their and the fact that I kept up with at the very least a walk several days a week, were the 2 things that kept me sane. Because those were 2 things, that were totally in my control!

When I catch myself feeling overwhelmed, I stop for a moment and focus on my breath--everything about it that I can notice, how the air feels going past my nostrils, muscle tightness or not in my chest, etc. I don't change anything but just breathe and notice, just for a moment. It makes me feel better--sort of stops & resets my mind.

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I think tonight I'll do some calm yoga and just try to start a routine again, I think that will really help.

I listed birth control as a change because whenever I mess with my hormones my eating gets thrown out of whack for a while and sometimes it's frightening and I feel like I'm right back where I started.