Ok. so I finally reached onderland on new years eve, and since then I have only lost about 3 lbs. I had previously been down 6 lbs, but my Grandma passed away, and within a couple days I put on 8 lbs without over eating I promise. Besides the death of My grandmother, January 2009 was probably the most stressful month of my life: We struggled all month to get my brother into detox for heroin addiction, and had to hear and see a lot of painful stuff along the way. We had to deal with drug dealers trying to harass us if not harm us. The day my Grandmother died, my brother was away at the detox facility, and we had to debate wether to get him out for the services (that was something that really pained me because I couldn't think of anyone who had been in that situation. To make things a lot worse, after we went to see my Grandmother in her bed before the funeral director came to get her...we went out to blow off some steam...and on our way home we got into a terrible car crash (my second since september). We were hit repeatedly on both sides, and my mom's car was totaled. So all that did happen to me in January, and I swear I still didn't over eat and I exersized more than normal...do you think extreme stress really does have a negative effect on your weight?

I'm sorry this post is so long, I just needed to get that out there. Thanks for listening.

I don't have an answer for you, just an opinion. I have heard about stress keeping one from losing weight. You've just been through a lot of traumatic stuff, I think the fact that you didn't overeat is a victory in itself. Please stick to your plan, get some exercise to burn off the stress. I bet the weight loss will kick in and you'll drop that weight that you gained very quickly. It might just be water gain anyway.. is it close to your time of the month?
I'm learning to use exercise to deal with the stress. It is a huge help. I get in some of my best workouts when I'm mad/stressed/upset, and I feel better when I'm done.
I'm sorry you've been through such a tough time. Take care of yourself!

First off, I'm so sorry to hear about everything you've been going through. It's hard to focus on losing weight when you're dealing with so much stress. I really admire you for staying on plan and exercising!

I've read about cortisol, a stress hormone, being related to weight gain. So, I think it makes sense that extreme stress could affect your weight. I think you should just keep doing what your doing and maybe try looking into doing an activity that will be stress-relieving. Even something as simple as talking to someone has been shown to help relieve stress! So, maybe you've already gone a little way towards relieving that stress by posting on here!

I hope things start looking up for you! Keep your chin up!

DAYAM GIRL!

I had a time like that a couple years back...I like to refer to it as that time that life punched me in the face.....

it's great that you stayed on plan...amazing, actually.

I think stress can slow up weight loss...for the reason already posted....

if you think about it...what is your first reaction when being hit with too many things at once...? to STOP EVERYTHING!!

exercise is a great stress reliever....throw on some headphones and do your favorite thing and leave the world behind for an hour or so everyday.....it will help!

I am so sorry, extreme stress has an affect on everything. I hope things turn around for you.

Thanks for the support guys! I guess stress really can affect one's body in that way. I have been working out more, and it really does help. I guess I just feel a little betrayed by my body because I'm only 19 and it is giving me more trouble than I exspected. I'm sure I'll be fine by the middle of this month.