Feeling Stressed? 15 Ways To Combat It This Holiday Weekend!
November 24, 2016If you're stressed about the Holidays, you aren't alone! It is common to be stressed about the food choices, the abundance of sugary "treats" and relationship dynamics. You can stay on track with your healthy lifestyle and combat your stress so you can enjoy the Holidays.
Combat Holiday Eating Stress
12 Tips to Overcome a Day of Overeating and Get Back On Track - If you overeat or eat food choices you regret, put that day behind you. It isn't the day that you indulged that is the most important, it is the day after. It is easy to put off getting back to your normal eating until some magical day in the future. Don't do it - get your mojo back the next day and read this article.
Weight Regain and the Return of Old Habits - The Holidays can be a time that we put our normal healthy eating on the back burner and "enjoy" the Holidays by eating the way we did previously before surgery. Beware - that's a set up for weight regain and an invitation for your old habits to creep back in. Check out this article so your old habits stay away.
8 Ways to Manage Anxiety Without Turning To Food - Whether it is anxiety, stress or another uncomfortable emotion, we've coped with them by turning to food to numb or calm those emotions. It is important for weight loss and maintenance that we use other ways to cope. Read this article to fill your arsenal with healthy ways to manage emotions.
Face Your Feelings Without Food - It may seem as though you want to partake in certain foods or that you're hungry. Is that a cover to mask Holiday stress? The Holidays are filled with emotions - many happy, good ones and others may be frustration, worry, and food, family, financial stress. Learn how you can handle your feelings without food.
10 Holiday Food Bombs to Avoid - A healthy food choice, such as broccoli or green beans, can be yucked up with lots of high-fat ingredients that add up calories and lower their nutrition. Read this article so you don’t get bummed out or bombed with some Holiday food choices.
Combat Sugar Stress
Beware of the Vicious Cycle of Sugar and WLS - There's a cycle to sugar - the more you eat, the more you want. This cycle comes into play with all of the Holiday goodies and treats. Once we are in that cycle, it is difficult to get out of it. To help combat any sugar triggers you may have, read more about the vicious cycle of sugar.
10 Tips To Tame Sugar Cravings - If a Holiday dessert is screaming your name and you are struggling with eating it, STOP and read this article for your support. With sugar, the more you eat, the more you eat, the more you want. Confirm your healthy lifestyle by not getting into the vicious cycle of sugar.
The Not So Sweet Facts About Sugar - We know that sugary food choices are usually high in calories, fat and have little to no nutritional value. Sugar isn't a friend to anyone wanting to lose weight and keep it off. There are other facts about sugar that compromise our health. Check out the other facts about sugar.
Sugar, Obesity, and Weight Loss Surgery - Sugar seems to be a mainstay food group of its own during the Holidays. At Holiday gatherings, parties, and practically everywhere you go, sugary foods are there. This article is a great reminder, especially at the holidays, why WLS patients (or anyone) should not be a fan of sugar.
Four Ways To Overcome Head Hunger - Many times when it comes to head hunger, visions of eating a sugary food enter our heads. There are many reasons we have head hunger but one of them isn't true physical hunger. Read how you can tell the difference in physical hunger, head hunger and ways to overcome it including removing the sugar triggers.
Combat Relationship and Family Dynamics Stress
Everyone Has a Hungry Heart, What Does Yours Want? - Keep your hopes and expectations in check for relationships at the Holidays. If you've had an estranged relationship with someone that will be attending your Holiday celebrations, don't expect that to necessarily change or improve. If you experience sadness, rejection or the dynamics of dysfunction, read about your hungry heart and how to nurture it rather than turn to emotional eating to fill that hole.
Recognizing Emotional Hunger and Fullness - With the stress and family dynamics, emotional eating can occur as a coping mechanism to nurture, numb out or just get through the uncomfortable emotions you’re experiencing. Be aware and prepared that old emotional issues you've resolved can return at the Holidays. WLS can resolve health issues but doesn't resolve emotional issues. Make sure you know the difference from this article so you don't eat over them.
The Masks We Wear - Family dynamics can become more prominent during the Holidays. Our relationships with family can be complicated. Sometimes family members see us differently or as we were when we were younger than we are currently. At the Holidays, these dynamics can be stressful and potentially cause us to emotionally eat. Think about taking off any masks you wear for people you'll be with during the Holidays and be who you really are.
Relationships After WLS - Changes in our relationships can happen after we've had WLS. Be realistic with yourself as you see family and friends during the Holidays as to what you can expect (and not hope for). Read about changing relationships with family and friends, and improving the most important relationship in your life.
5 Steps To Improve Your Relationships After WLS - The changes that can occur in your relationships after WLS can make it even better and stronger or make you realize you need to improve them in some ways. Check out the five steps you can use to evaluate the relationships that need improving.
Don't give in to the Holiday stress by eating off track, getting into the sugar cycle, reacting to relationship issues or family dynamics. Make it a goal to welcome the New Year with your healthy lifestyle solidly intact.
