stress eating
 

Received some disturbing news yesterday. The company I've been with for 12 yrs has been sold and as of Aug 1 will be under new management. The new parent company is very large (we are 300 employees - down from 750 a few years ago before the economy tanked, they are 10000 employees). While for most people this means a return of lost benefits and wages from all the economic troubles, for me, it will likely mean termination as I know that my job function is centralized with this company. The economy here is still pretty bad and jobs in my career are hard to come by.

So, last night I had dinner plans with my brother and family visiting in town. The main meal was healthy, grilled venison steaks, salad and a small amount of potato salad. (guestimate 1/4 cup).

It was pre-dinner - the free-range potato chips and dip that was my downfall last night. I had enough calories for the day for dinner and a small snack, but went over on the chips.

Last night I had a very fitfull night of sleep. Lots of dreams, waking up at 3am, tossing and turning for the rest of the night, which is leaving me very tired this morning.

I'm here to try and stay on track today. I brought my lunch so that I can eat in, and not be tempted, but with the stress, I'll likely want to give in and get away from the office. The news still has not been given to all employees. Most will not be told for another week or so. So it is hard to look at everyone now.

Being over tired, and stressed is not a good thing for staying on plan.

Maybe you can take your packed lunch outside and at least get away that way? The important thing is to take care of yourself - mindless eating and junk food won't help you feel better physically or psychologically.

As for the changes at work - you might get lucky. Even if your job is centralized within the company they might need someone to be their local person. I always try to not borrow trouble (it seems to find me just fine without any help from me...). While you keep hoping for the best possible outcome at work you can also start looking - even if jobs are scarce there might be the right one out there just waiting for you.

Good Luck!!!

i'm so sorry you're going through this. you deserve congratulations for being aware so quickly of what is going on with the stress and food. i'm not sure i really have an answer, because i am still learning this stuff myself, but i just wanted to say that i am cheering for you.

is there anything that you might find relaxing, like a hot bath or pedicure or massage? or maybe go for a long walk/jog to get some of the stress out and free up your mind. some of my best thinking has come when i've been on a good long walk.

would there be any possiblity that you could channel some of the nervous energy into updating your resume and getting in contact with some recruiters, and that way you'd have a current idea of what is out there, and that might make you feel more empowered. hopefully this new company will keep you. but maybe if the role you're in now is something they wouldn't need you to do, could you approach them about the possibilty of transitioning you to a new role.

hang in there! :)

Thanks Skygirl. I am working on the resume and starting to reconnect with previous coworkers and acquantances to start the networking process, but I am also going on a 2 week vacation soon, and am hesitant to do too much and then be unavailable. (not to mention we are sworn to secrecy until the announcement is made public).

I'll also be gone thru the bulk of the acquisition process. That's nerve racking alone. I'm in a position where I have access to highly sensitive data, therefore, traditionally, when someone in my position is let go, they do not give notice, as they do not want to have a security risk. While the current company I'm at knows I'd never do anything, if I were in the other company, I would take all precations with someone in my position. (hope that makes sense)

On the positive side, when I find something, I'm likely to get back some of the 40% paycut I've taken and some of the benefits I've lost over the past couple years. So it should turn out to be postive in the long run.

I have decided to go out to lunch with a fellow co-worker. We both need to get out of the office. But we are going to a local healthy deli where I generally get their salad which will allow me to remain on plan.

EXERCISE!!! I've been going through some pretty stressful times during this portion of my weight loss journey and the only thing that has kept me from stuffing my face into a bag of whatever is daily exercise, usually in the form of running. I'm pretty sure it's kept me sane. Other than that just lots of hugs for you. I'm sorry you're going through this. I've found that planning my meals can be a great distraction from the stress as well, and looking for new healthy recipies. Just do your best to keep the triggers foods out of the house during these trying times. Good luck!

chnkymonkey, you're welcome. it sounds like you've got a great plan in place. maybe you could "do as much as you can do" before you leave for vacation and then let it go, so that the worry doesn't "take your vacation away" from you, if that makes any sense. and then you can really make the most of your time off and and enjoy where you are and what you are doing and come back reinvigorated. i hope everything works out well! :)

So sorry to hear this! You are already showing that you can center yourself and get through this without hurting your progress.
I just wanted to tell you that as I look back on my working career, I can say that often difficult career changes ended up being blessings in disquise as I moved into something new. I hope you don't lose your job, but if you do, be ready for a new door to open.

I'm sorry to hear of your bad news! I can commiserate with overeating due to stress. I've had some serious family issues lately, and today I overate (on healthy foods, but still) by 400 calories. I didn't kick myself about it though, I just let it go. I knew these large, dramatic issues would effect me, I just wish I had been a little more aware of it while it was happening.