Trying to avoid the trigger of stress!

Hi Everyone,

I started to "get organized" yesterday but today is official all programs go! Protein and water and movement!

The biggest trigger is stress......it can change my meal planning in a second. I have a very stressful professional job and a family too so there seems to be lots to trigger me....set aside the fact that I have gained so much weight back....

I will try and check in several times today to ease the stress!! Everyone have a great day.

Great idea to check in to OH. Support is MAJOR.

I used to hide post-it notes of encouragement to myself around. I had one in the bathroom on my mirror and one in my purse. 

You got this... (that was one of the notes) but YOU got this :)

Best to you!

Stress is my biggest struggle as well - busy mom, busy job, busy life.....As I head into a revision (from a band to an RNY) I'm trying to make sure I'm focusing on getting the adequate support I need to make this a win - I've even started going to therapy regularly to help diffuse it beforehand.

I actually just set up a bunch of reminders on my phone yesterday to help me remember when to take my various vitamins and what to take , I hope it helps me time stuff better because I get busy and tend to forget.  I'm trying to get these habits down pre-surgery so I can just keep on going once my date arrives.

Check out the Menu posts too if you haven't already! Great place to check in, respond to other posts, and get to know everyone so much better!

Stress is a tough one! Hang in there, and find ways to relieve it that don't include food... easier said than done, but the surgery helps you find your way while you start losing... because once you really start losing, it's so much easier to make better choices!

Jobs and family probably top the lists so you are not alone.  The Holidays can be another challenge. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving; for the first time ever, we are meeting my DH's side of the family at a local buffet.  My plan of action is to drive separately, order off the regular menu to avoid the all-you-can eat-mentality, excuse myself early, and drive to my mother's assisted living apartment to take her for a car ride. Your plan of action sounds good; POWER  to you.  P=protein  O=optimism  W=water  E=exercise  R=resist grazing

Therapy has helped me sort out my stressors. By doing that I have been able to develop strategies to help me deal with each type.

There is the stress of just being overbooked. I'm learning not to do that to myself and to actually SCHEDULE down time and be true to myself (learning to say no).

There is the stress of worry. This is a huge one for me because I have control issues. I have had to learn to let go and let the Universe deal with things. It is okay that I cannot control the decisions my grown children make for themselves and frankly, what they do is none of my business. I can't control it when things happen in the world that I don't like (like this Trump election). But I have to remind myself frequently that such matters are not in my hands and I have done what I could do. I can prepare for the worst as best I can and be okay with that.

There are money stresses. This one requires me to say "no" to myself. In addition to eating for self comfort, I used to spend money for self comfort. I'm really not in bad shape financially, but I could certainly have gotten there if I had not reined in the spending. Now, I'm learning new "self comfort" techniques like spinning yarn, weaving, crochet, painting, photography. I tried using exercise as a stress reliever but I do not enjoy it at all, so it goes into another category.

The stress of keeping up appearances. Used to be there too. Now, who cares? Really. So long as I'm not going to the grocery store in my bathrobe and slippers, who cares what I'm wearing or what car I drive? Turns out, it's nobody.

Now, I took some really drastic measures. I quit my job as a senior probation officer supervising mentally ill felons (retired early with a reduced pension). I will not live in luxury to the end of my days, but I have other health issues (Alzheimer's symptoms are beginning to show) and so I don't need to prepare to live like I'm 50 until I'm 100. I just need to make sure I keep up that policy that covers long term care. And I need to live my life now as I want to be remembered... not as some *****y, control freak, governmental employee, but as a woman who loved life, gave back to her community and make beautiful art. Thankfully, the weight loss has improved my overall health so I'm ABLE to do the things I want to do.