Stress, Eating, and Life

This week was horrible. I have been working on a Phd on an accelerated rate for three years. I have come thisclose to finishing early. This week I found out that  that would have to wait another year. The worst part is that there were components of my job that were hinging on my getting done quicker that have to wait as well. Three years to have to wait does not feel well. Cue the food.

I can look back at my life now and realize the times I've eaten the most is during times of stress. Usually it was in the form of a whole large pizza or a Chinese buffet. It was often chased with a side of processed sweets like cake or brownies. Followed closely with a bucket of frappacino. Stress also has a tendency to raise your cortisol levels which causes weight gain as well. This week....well this week it was different. This week I checked myself. I exercised when I didn't want to and ate as close as I could to what is now normal. I went out to eat a couple of times related to work but even then it was very small and not offensive. My stress eating this week -- 13 baked potato chips. That's it. My sin encompassed 2 grams of fat, 120 calories, and 23 grams of carbs. This is freedom. Yes, I went a little nuts but it was on something that was as least offensive as possible. This week I report no weight loss but I'm still at 101 pounds. It could be that with everything that has happened it was victory nonetheless. Yes, the clothes are still shedding off because the workouts are still in tact.

I hope next week goes better.

Travel and eating....

You're in the car for an inordinate period of time. You get hungry and realize that a blizzard of decisions begin to swirl in your mind. It is then that it hits you  that most choices for food on the road - other than stopping at a sit down restaurant - comes in buns, flour tortillas, or deep fried. Then, you think to yourself, my temporary inactivity won't help what I am about to eat. At that point, you either give up or give in. You have to eat. It's part of what keeps you awake on the trip. It's a bit of work but eating on the road shouldn't be something you fight to keep off the weight.

My suggestion? First, leave as close to your normal meal time as possible. So that we know, this is about being in a car for an extended period of time.  Keeping yourself on a schedule is important to keeping you from eating too much. Second, pack a lunch. I've invested in an insulated lunch box with a frozen gel pack to keep my food cold and ready to go. Lunch is usually what you consider a sack lunch - sandwich, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, maybe a bag of baked chips, a bottle of water, and a measured portion of home made trail mix. Third, if you stop and must purchase something to consume - sometimes habits are hard to break - buy either another bottle of water or a V8 juice. With only 70 calories, the juice will fill you up without creating a  tipping point. Whatever lunch you don't eat, you can string out over the day until your next meal but remember always eat in control and in portion. I have a tendency to eat small every two hours while driving long distances. Last, when you do eat, do it to keep yourself from quickly becoming more hungry but don't idly eat. Idly eating is the same thing that happens when you sit on the couch all night. Driving distances can be much the same thing. You have to focus on everything around you but driving can become a familiar activity as well.

As always, stop every once in a while to do some stretches and breath oxygen. Always keep on your schedule. Yes, I do this when I travel. Have lost another pound and a half.

Benchmark

Okay, after much work and toil, I can now report a loss of 100 pounds. A new day is about to dawn because the first time in a long time I will weigh a less than three hundred pounds. I spoke of empowerment a couple of blogs back. Today, I speak of cautioned victory. Yes, my health is taking a very positive upswing. Yes, my wardrobe is in constant flux. But, this is just the beginning of the next step.

The workout situation still continues. One way or anther, I am doing a regimen six days a week. Personal sin now includes pastries, sodas, and white bread. I can now stare down a cookie. It and other foods like it, have no hold on me. I eat slower and stop when I get full. Overeating is a habit I no longer do.

After all is said and done, there is still much more to do. For now, I relish the thought that not only am I losing weight but gaining health.

Here it is, Saturday again.

The clothes are still falling off but I've hit another plateau. It is a particularly insidious plateau in that I am stopped at 99 pounds off. Why the plateau couldn't be a hundred, I'll never know? Food is still under control. Probably going to have to cut bag a bit more on the carbs. I never knew egg whites could be so filling. I have cut out protein drinks as well beginning this week in an attempt to keep things moving along. Last week, I wrote about empowerment. The topic still carries through today. I had the occasion to go out to eat four times last week because of my schedule but didn't fall off the wagon. I fear that weight loss zeal is beginning to show some but, really, I do feel good. Not just well-being and self-esteem but feeling overall healthy. My days are beginning to be more stressed as a I walk fiercely into the final lap of my Phd program. This time, different from any other time in my life, I am not turning to food for stress relief. It is a marked psychological paradigm that I don't see food as a hobby but rather a necessity of life to be measured in doses instead of consumed in bulk. It is these times that I have identified in my life that I would slip backwards into self loathing.

Yes, I'm still stuck but I won't be for long. As long as other indicators in my life let me know that I'm losing - inches as well as pounds - it is alright. Here I am at 99 maybe next week, I'll break a hundred.