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Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Is It Really Week 6?

     The last week has been an absolute rollercoaster.  My trip to California was bittersweet, and I made it back to Kansas just in time to turn around and begin a drive to Oklahoma.  This is when life happened and in the past it would be knocking me off track.

 
     I'll be completely honest, for the last week as I said goodbye to my dear friend Jessie, and then went to Oklahoma to speak at a ladies' Bible study, I didn't really think much about the transformation challenge.  When I left for the airport that Saturday, I had a feeling it would be difficult to stay on track.  I was talking to my husband about it yesterday, and determined that it would do me no good to retroactively track my nutrition for that week.  There's nothing that could be done about it at this point, and it would just leave me feeling bad.
     Instead, I have decided to focus on moving forward.  This week is about rebuilding a sense of normal for me.  On one hand, I feel guilty doing that.  On the other, I know that it's something I need to do.  The only way I can truly honor Jessie is through striving for my dreams and loving the life I've been given.

 
     I have learned that in very stressful situations, my eating is non-existent.  I did a mental check of what I ate while on my trip to California, and it wasn't much.  Sometimes it was because of circumstances like trying to make a connecting flight, and other times it was just the fact that I didn't even think about it.  In contrast, my Oklahoma trip was less stressful, and I was wanting to eat more comfort foods.  I feel like the two trips balanced each other out in that regard.
     I did do my progress photos, and will post them here.  I am not seeing huge differences yet, I do feel a difference though.  The trips reminded me of that.  When I am eating well and staying active, I feel so much better.  Just doing a short workout last night helped me stretch out.  I will persevere. 
     While I don't feel like I failed, the quote above is still a good kick in the pants.  Keep going.  That's what I have to keep telling myself.  It's about getting back into it more quickly than I did the last time.  Instead of letting myself be thrown off and wake up 3 months later wondering why I couldn't keep it up, I am back after a week.  That's progress, and that's what this is all about. 

All the best,
OkieGal



 
 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

A Revelation About Stress

     What a day!  I was just not feeling it at all today.  Chickpea woke up several times last night, which is not normal for him.  I think he's having a growth spurt or something because he also wanted to eat a lot today.  He was tired, I was tired, and it was just a more challenging day than normal.  I woke up with a headache, but it seemed to subside after I got breakfast.  We went to church, and after we got home it was just one mess after another.  I will spare any details and just say that we ended up with impromptu bath time this afternoon and a load of laundry to be done. 
     Overall I was feeling a bit grumpy and tired.  Just felt stressed.  In the midst of all this I did become aware of several things about myself.  First of all, I am proud to say that while the DDP Yoga schedule allowed for an optional rest day, I opted to do a workout.  I knew I'd feel better after doing it.  I just finished, and can say that I'm glad I did it!  I feel more relaxed and will have a much easier time getting to sleep, assuming Chickpea lets me stay that way! 
     The other thing I learned is that when I get stressed, I start thinking about all those comfort foods that tempt me.  This gets even worse when I am feeling very hungry.  It starts a spiral to where it impacts my decision making, state of mind, etc.  I have a tendency to be hypoglycemic, meaning that when they made the candy bar commercials about "you're not yourself when you're hungry," they were describing me!  Add these symptoms to stress, and you have a perfect storm leading me to less than optimal food choices.  Luckily by this point hubby had come home from work, and was able to make me a quick protein shake to help get me out of the "hangry" situation. 

 
     The revelation about how stress impacts my food choices is a great one.  Now that I'm aware of it, I can give myself healthy alternatives to those comfort foods.  For example, I usually find some sort of potato sounds awesome when I'm in this state of mind.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  I love sweet potatoes too, and that could be a great alternative.  It would give the comfort food vibe, without killing my nutrition goals.  Another option is to choose to allow myself a treat.  In today's situation, I didn't want to burn my treat for the week on the first day.  That's the beauty of it, I gain so much by becoming aware of my thought processes.  I can begin to think through what is really going on, recognize it for what it is, and then make a choice based on what I know my goals are and the information in front of me. 
     In the past, I would have more easily said "screw it," and ended up diverting off my path.  Then that diversion would give way to more, and then I'm nowhere near the path I really want to be on.  Now I see the situation for what it is, own that situation, and then make a decision.  Today I chose to stay on the path.  That's a huge win for me!

All the best,
OkieGal