I'm having a very tough emotional week, gah.

I have a friend  in town, that is proving to be a lot of work to entertain.  Work is very stressful.  I just found out my sister is going into hospital for a biopsy on Thursday.  I'm unable to run because I had an injury last week = lower calories to stick to my weight loss.

All  in all is making for a cranky me.

What I'd love to do is go home and binge for 4 hours.   How do you keep motivated when weeks like this happen?

I've had a bad last 6 days and this morning I was feeling the tug.  My house was probably 100 degree and I was home until noon before going to work.  Everything was tempting...so I got in my AC'ed car and drove around for a bit then went to work early. 

When I feel like I might binge I tend to avoid going home at all costs.  I don't know if that's really an option for you, but I find anything to distract me.

Thanks guys :)

Hey canuckabroad,

It does sound like you are having quite an emotional week! I have had one as well; my love has left for 3 months to go fishing (no communication available), a few family friends have died, and I am in a job that I do not like and its really getting to me. I have cravings for chocolate every thirty minutes like clockwork and I just want to tear the cupboard open and dive into chips (which I usually don't eat).

Here is what I usually do:

1. Every time I think about binging, I drink a long gulp of water. I don't drink water enough, and I don't think anyone can, and it reminds me that I must stay on track and be healthy. It is also refreshing and I find that lots of times when I think I am hungry, I am just lacking good old H20!

2. If you are stuck on a craving, oh, like some nice dark chocolate or something sweet, shift your desire for something sweet to something you like equally well that maybe is not food, or is food that is actually low in calories. For example, instead of biting into my devil choclate birthday cake that was leftover, I made some tea and gave myself a manicure. My mind was put on something else and my craving went away. Cravings usually only last for 15-20 minutes anyways!

3. If you do find yourself in a tough spot and you have been good for so long in eating right, well maybe a small amount of your craving food is alright. The trick here is portions and having the will-power to stop eating when you know you should.

4. Exercise! Okay, I'm craxy right? No energy from this tough emotional week, how are you going to do that? Well, I find that exercising actually helps open up my mind and I do a lot of thinking while going for even a 20 minute walk. Strenght training exercises like situps and weights help me take the edge off and channel my emotions into a productive activity. Face it, binging is not productive.

5. If your emotional week has left you strained and stressed, there are great stress management exercises and activities that really help. It will make you feel less focused on expending energy on those stressful things and be able to focus on your longterm personal goals.

I hope that helps!

Sincerely,

Britty

When the going gets tough I take a break.  It is good to take a break from dieting and maintaining a deficit anyway.  Rather than beating myself up over every little bite, I plan a new menu based on maintenance rather than a deficit.  That way I remove one of my stresses right off the bat.

The tough spot passess easier and once it is over I am eager to get back to dieting. 

You know what my craving is for............... mcdonalds!   I might just have to factor a big mac into my calories for a day. lol

hey, at times like this it might just be okay to give into your craving.  If you don't you could end up eating the whole house anyway.

If you end up that McD's be sure to savor have little bit of your big mac.  You may end up realizing you don't even want the whole thing!

My biggest stress killer is kickboxing. I used to do thai-boxing 2-3 times a week, and looking back, it really was great not just for my cardio but my overall emotional health as well. I know that this may not be an option for you, but its something to consider.

I'm having a really stressful week, too.  I haven't been eating well and I've not been to the gym once--and I don't think I'll make it at all this week.  I don't really know what to do about all the stress, other than to try to just rise above.  I did get some diet A&W, which will hopefully lift my spirits some.  I'm also going to cuddle with my cat. 

When I am having a tough week, I take carrots with me everywhere.  I get the baby carrots in the bag already washed and peeled.  I give them a rinse and put them in a plastic container.  The carrots take quite a bit of energy to eat compared to pudding or other cravings I might have.  It seems to help me get some of the stress energy out.

I put individually wrapped dark chocolate pieces in another container, but only two.  I know the pieces of chocolate are in there if I really want them.  This way I don't stop at a convenience store and buy a whole candy bar.

This only helps when I'm angry/nervous/scared kind of stressed.  When I'm upset/sad stressed I'm really not in the mood for carrots.