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Author: Pam
Date: 06-19-02 07:42
I've been having a lot of stress in my life lately and it seems like I've been gaining more weight every time something stressful happens..I know I tend to lean toward foods that are bad for me when I'm stressed out.. I'm just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to deal with stress without going for the bad foods.. Good foods just don't cut it when I'm stressed out...
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Author: Katie P
Date: 06-19-02 09:22
Trust me - Jack-in-the-box or In-and-out never looked better to me than when I'm stressed out or hung over. Everyone has a different set of taste buds so I have no idea if these sound good to you - but here they go!
Vegie Sandwhich:
1 avacado smashed
cucumber slices
sprouts
tomato slices
Smash it all on a piece of flourless bread, salt it, maybe some parmesean cheese and you're good to go!
Vegie Huevos Rancheros:
1 can of pinto beans + one can of black beans + 1 tub salsa
Put in a non-stick pan, boil it. Once it's hot, add a couple of raw eggs - cover until the eggs are cooked to your liking. This is a heavy meal, but it's better than McDonalds. You can serve it over salad, or with avacado
Also, crackers with hummus is a quick snack. If you need sweet, get some Werthers Carmels - 6 for 160 calories and you'll feel like 6 is alot after you've chewed through them!Pam wrote:
>
> I've been having a lot of stress in my life lately and
> it seems like I've been gaining more weight every time
> something stressful happens..I know I tend to lean toward
> foods that are bad for me when I'm stressed out.. I'm just
> wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to deal with stress
> without going for the bad foods.. Good foods just don't cut
> it when I'm stressed out...
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Author: jen
Date: 06-19-02 11:00
i was once stressed about weight gain. i used to lye around the house a lot. then i took action,i got slim fast and i joined the Y.if you lye around the house of course your going to eat yourself out of house and home.But dont think ahead of yourself its a slow process it takes time. but the more you sit around and think about it the slower the process sems so do something that interests you (not watching t.v)
something with activity.My doctor said that im at risk for diabietes if i dont lose weight. i was shocked thats why i took action before it was to late i think you should too
you get more stressed the more you eat
iluvlcy14
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Author: Melanie
Date: 06-19-02 11:19
Stay busy. People tend to snack when they are sitting around and are bored. If you are constantly busy with work or hobbies, it keeps your mind off food.
Melanie
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Author: Michelle
Date: 06-19-02 15:26
Hi Pam -
Stress causes our body to produce cortisol at higher than normal amounts. As a direct result of this hormone's action we tend to retain water and crave sugary stuff.
The water retention stuff (which can lead to some increase in weight, although temporary) we can't do much about save for not eating too much salt and drinking adequate water.
As for the sugary craving, the one that leads to real weight/fat gain, it really becomes a game of mind over matter (or hormone, in this case). For me, just knowing that there is a biological explanation for the matter helps a lot, aka I play "it's just the cortisol, I really don't need it/ will die without it" over and over in my head. But I'm rather very cerebral that's why the technique somehow works to damper my cravings by around half.
More practically, however, I use this knowledge to give into my cravings with the least damage. Since its really just the sweet taste that cortisol makes us crave, this then means that you can get your cravings satisfied in a low calorie way by choosing sweet (artificially sweetened being my choice for even lesser caloric "damage"), low fat choices. For instance, you can suck on a piece of sugar free candy twenty-four / seven without too much damage to your diet (your teeth are another issue, I'm afraid). Same goes for those sugar free fruit popsicles which are only 15 calories each - you can suck on a whole pack and just be consuming 120 calories. No, fat is not necessary to placate cortisol. It just so happens that most of the sweet stuff readily available are also loaded with fat.
But, as the been mentioned already, activity is your best ally. It does not have to be that physical if you're not up to it (we can't really all be that peppy when we're worried and stressed out), but should be at least mentally engrossing to take your mind of food - reading a compelling, book, solving crossword puzzles, detailing your spice rack...lol...you get the idea. It works well, especially after you finish a task and get a sense of control and accomplishment. I swear, our house is at its cleanest when I'm stressed, and just seeing it clean helps with the stress itself.
I'm hoping you'll be under less stress soon. Although as I'm increasingly realizing, life seems to be just a series of one stress after the other (at least my life seems to be that way). We'll just all have to learn to deal with it coming out whole and healthy in the end - aka, you are not alone.
Michelle
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