Losing weight during stressful times

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3/22/12 3:59 P

Sounds like you've gotten some good information from the other Sparkers!

I'm sorry that you're going through a stressful time right now. But I can tell you from first hand experience with my run in with anorexia/bulimia that it is definitely not worth starving/bingeing yourself.

I went through that about 15 years ago and still have the side effects.
One of the main ones is that I've lost alot of the enamel on my teeth from bingeing.

One of the things that helps me when I'm most stressful is to pull out my journal and just start writing without thinking what I'm going to be writing about. Turns out, if you do that, all the emotions that you are feeling end up on the page and not filling your heart and mind anymore. When I can catch a minute or 10, excersizing takes away some of the stress and if that doesn't work, I try to remember that life is good and that if I just take 5 minutes for myself, the world will not crumble.

I hope this helps, even if just a little.

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2/23/12 12:44 P

Very helpful information, thank you!

And Jen- I will check out that blog! Any information is good information. He's had a good week this week, but we have to take it day by day. :)

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2/23/12 10:31 A

You really do have a lot of stress! I know that for me, I had to learn to handle my stress so that I didn't eat or not eat due to how it was affecting me. Your stress is far different than that which I have to deal with, but I know some things work for me, like making lists of things I need to do to get through the day. Sometimes it has things that I think about and know I have to deal with, sometimes it is a million little things, but it helps me organize my thoughts and deal with what is ahead.

Second, I have a friend with a bipolar 12 year old son. She has a blog about it, http://blogtastickw.blogspot.com/ She has a ton of helpful information in there for any parent of a bipolar child.

As for comfort options... there are so many things that might be able to help you, listen to a favorite song (20 times if you have to) or just sit back, take a deep breath, and relax as much as you can. Exercise. Do you have a hobby? Snack on something that can mimic what you might need from your comfort food, but is a healthier option.

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2/23/12 10:19 A

I found talking to friends helped me yesterday. But I also have in the back of my head they are going to get tired of me talking about the same old thing (even though to me its different) and stop taking my calls. So I think in turn this msg board is a good way. At least you can put it out there and if some one replys more power.

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2/23/12 8:19 A

I don't know about any of you, but I've discovered two types of stress dealers... one - eat, eat, eat! That's me most of the time. The other - starve, starve, starve. I need to find a happy medium so I don't eat my way out of dealing with reality or starve myself and go on those huge binges once the stress lets up! Regardless of food, my stress is going to continue, so I need to learn how to cope with it while still focusing on my weight loss, and I'm finding this to be very difficult! I have a bipolar/oppositional defiant disorder 10 yr old son, and that's just one stress factor. There are plenty more! Anyone have any good ideas on how to handle the stress without gorging myself or starving myself? What other comfort options can I use that don't include 1200 calorie meals? lol