Quote:
Originally Posted by Renwomin
Eight months ago I was almost under 200 pounds. (I barely didn't make it into onederland.)
For a while I maintained the weight and then it started creeping slowly back on. Five months ago my mother started having SERIOUS medical problems that was severely debilitating her. Doctors thought she had advanced cancer, then they didn't know what she had. She was finally diagnosed about two months ago with a rare, aggressive, stage 4 cancer. The majority of people treated for this particular cancer do not go into remission.
It probably comes as no surprise that I've been depressed and stressed for months. As one of my mom's care givers my life, work, and schedule has been turned upside down as well.
I've always been an emotional eater and lately modifying/restricting my diet has been the furthest thing from my mind. I've been eating whatever I want whenever I want. I've gained back 33 pounds in 8 months.
I know this needs to stop and I need to get back on track, but I've been too depressed and stressed to snap out of it. I'm even more crunched for time and doing a lot of traveling, so that makes it more difficult for me to make my own meals and exercise. I've faced a lot of hurdles and excuses in the recent past regarding my diet, but this one is taking me down for the count.
With months of treatment and uncertainty in front of me, if I don't find a way to navigate through this I'm going to end up heavier than I've ever been.
I wonder how others have made it through major stress when they have historically relied on food as a stress reliever. How do you deal with major stress like this?
Ren,
Hi, and thanx for sharing your story! I too am an
emotional eater and have been all my life. I can still remember 3 decades ago when I was making Barbie Doll clothes as a child and accidentally stabbed scissors in my side (tripped over an extension cord) and my mother frantically asking me, "Do you want a Pepsi...
DO YOU WANNA PEPSI???" So I learned early on that sweet stuff can temporarily assuage any ache -- emotional or physical. I didn't ned the
Pepsi then; I needed (and got) six stiches! And so now I try mightily every day to carry a mental list of "stitches" or
remedies in my mind for when I want to eat unhealthy foods ... which to be honest, is just about every day of my life! I am food addict. Food has always been my comfort. I was always trying to fill the hole / emotional
void with food, and paradoxically never realized that I was just making the void larger and hurting myself more.
I am now on the
Medifast / Take Shape for Life eating / lifestyle plan. I have learned so much. To date, after 12 weeks, I've vanquished
54 life sucking pounds! I still have a ways to go, but I'm about 1/3 of the way there, and I have hope that I will reach my goal very soon.
My "list" of
remedies / alternatives to unhealthy food choices includes:
*gardening (instant gratification -- making my little corner of the world more beautiful one flower at a time!)
*kayaking through the marsh (awesome discoveries await when your boat has no motor to scare away wildlife!)
*journaling / poetry
*posting to this website and also tsfl.com discussion forums
*planning meals
*walking my small pony / large labrador
*cleaning house (dust makes u not wanna eat!)
*reading on the dock (sunbathing = great appetite suppressant for me)
*when all else fails, I GO TO BED EARLY!!!
If you were to formulate such a list, what would it contain?
Best wishes, and thanks for your post!
Sidanne