I joined this site about 2 years ago. I use to post often (haven't been on here in MONTHS though), I had a lot of good advice for people. I have read as much as I can get my hands on about weight loss, being healthier in general. I can pretty much tell you most of what there is to know about eating healthy, exercise, etc. BUT, I have only lost about 5 pounds since I joined almost 2 years ago (and I chalk that loss up to getting off the depo prevera shot)! I plan, I journal, I know what I need to do (and sometimes I will follow through with this for a week very well) but it always ends up in the trash. I don't know why, I long for being healthy, I crave being in shape, but yet for some reason I feel I can't stick with it. I have even been to counseling for it. It's not a medical issue (I've had my thyroid checked). I know what it is, a permanent vacation off the wagon! I am a emotional and boredom eater, a stay at home mom with three kids age 11, 8 and 3 (one which is special needs). I have a lot of stress.....I know being healthier will help me handle the stress better but for some reason I just can't seem to follow through! I need some help, some advice. Maybe some stress relief techniques would help, know any good ones? I have a hard time finding time to work out even though I bought a treadmill this past winter so I could do it from the comfort of home. I am sorry for the long rant (which is pretty embarassing), but I just can't seem to pull my act together!
Thanks for listening

Hi, Just Jess. I don't know what the solution is, but I just wanted you to know that I sympathize with you. I'm just coming off a period of 3 years where I felt very similar to how you're describing yourself above. I think the problem is that it takes more time and energy to be healthier---at least in our society. Also, food is the easiest, most convienient way to feel good fast when you (general "you" not YOU specifically) feel stressed.

What has helped me get back on track is to actually start a strict calorie-counting diet again. I know that seems counterintuitive (and it might be in your case), but by the time I was three days into it, I felt SO much better, physically and mentally. Also, I'm already planning on my maintenance plan, so I have an end-game plan in mind. But I realize that this may not work for you.

Perhaps you could make just a few small changes, concentrating on instilling habits rather than just losing weight. For example, replace your whole milk with 1% milk. Get on your treadmill for just 10 minutes each day (don't try more than that; just try to get the habit down for now). Eliminate one snack a day. These are just examples, but the point is that it's probably a good idea to try to work on habits rather than weight loss at this point.

Good luck to you!

Jess, a fantastic way to reduce stress is yoga. Find a class near you or get a DVD if you feel weird about group exercise. Really let yourself get into. Back when I was in school, I would be so so stressed, then I'd go to the University gym's 1 hour yoga class and feel so much better afterwards. Make sure you get a good one though. I went to the class at my Gold's gym, and it was pretty crappy. Right next to some weight and cardio machines. Yoga is supposed to be calm, tranquil, quiet. So find a good one and go once or twice a week. It helps reduce stress and burns calories. It's a win-win!

Thank you for the replies. Lynn, I have already started the switch in the foods I eat. I never cared much for whole milk, was always a skim milk drinker, but I have upped my veggie and fruit intake and have become more aware of what I drink, replaced regular soda with diet about a year ago and now am trying to get myself off the stuff altogether. I was using up alot of my calories in my coffee so I either don't drink it or when I feel the need to have a cup I have found ways to greatly reduce the amount of calories in it. You may be right, I have found that when I start a program gung ho I do well the first week or so and then decline from there....I'm going to take steps to fit in exercise 10 or so minutes a day just to get in the habit, I am also going to work on my nighttime binging and emotional eating issues.
Rachael, I was never sure if I could do yoga as I'm not very flexible anymore but they have got to have a beginners session, right? I would most likely do it at home but it would have to be late evening after the kids are in bed. Does it matter what time of day you do it? If you do it too close to bedtime will it help relax you more or make it harder to fall asleep?
Thanks again for the motivations you two have given me, letting me know that it's ok to start out slow and just add a few things, tweak with stuff alittle, I think this will really help!

Jess, I tend to get on and off myself. I go to Weight Watchers meetings weekly and that seems to help me to keep my motivation going. It is half an hour for me. I have two kids (2 and 3 year olds) and I look forward to getting out of the house. Some weeks when I feel like quitting, there is always a good pick me up at the meeting.

I did not excercise for a year of following the program but I stopped losing weight and at times could not control my eating. So, I joined a gym and got a book by Bob Greene "Total body makeover" or something like that. It changed my feeling about exercise completely and got me excited and motivated. The book is a bit harsh and forces you to look at things the way they are, no BS (excuses and what not that we make not to exercise). I find that sometimes a hard look is what we all need.

Do what you can and build on that. You can really do anything you put your mind to.

I guess it just depends on the person, but I would think that it would help you go to sleep faster. The last thing you usually do in a yoga session is the "rest pose" or "relax pose." Basically you just lay there on your back and focus on relaxing - sounds simple, but it's amazing how hard it is for some of us to just chill. Also, I think they have some yoga DVD's specifically tailored for AM and PM. You could check into that.

Jess,

You sound a lot like me. I am definitely a bored-eater. I'm sitting here right now eating sunflower seeds. Normally, I would have a can of Mountain Dew here too, but now it's just water. I've been hanging out at about 290lbs for the last few years and not really caring what I ate at all. (I'm 6'5" so it doesn't look too bad). I started working out regularly a couple of months ago but that didn't make much difference in my weight because I wasn't doing cardio, just strength training.

Anyway, my wife just had a baby and for medical reasons went on this no sugar, no yeast, no wheat, no gluten diet. (We're talking not even sugar substitutes like splenda, carrots have too much sugar for her to eat!) Anyway, she asked me to do the diet with her and I've been on it for about a week. Wow, is all I can say. The first few days were really tough but I feel better than I have in a while. I also put a little bike riding into my workout (just 20 minutes, three times a week) and I've lost 17 lbs in the last week. That may sound a little unhealthy, but I've got plenty to lose. (I hardly think that rate is sustainable either, but I feel great.)

The hardest part of the diet is just finding things you can eat, but it helps me because I'm not concentrating on counting anything, just finding things that don't have any sugar or wheat at all in them. And when I have just decided that I'm not going to eat sugar at all it's easier to say no to soda and ice cream and cookies (which I would have never passed up a week ago.)

As an example, today I'm going to eat sunflower seeds, celery and organic peanut-butter, boiled eggs, and a little unsweetened yogurt with granola in it. Then probably a steak (or chicken) and a salad for dinner. (Last night I made this great steak with an Avacado-Hollandaise sauce, yummy, and no sugar. Saturday we went out to Ruby Tuesday and we split this dish with grilled chicken, crab, and asparagus topped with a lemon-butter sauce and with broccoli and brown rice, tasty!)

Initially I signed up for two weeks but I'll see how I feel about it after another week. I'm already tightening my belt so we'll see how much I can lose in another week. Like I said, I was a definite compulsive eater, and I never wanted to "diet" for anything. I'm doing this one to help my baby girl, but I may be getting more benefit than her at this point. (especially because I have a history of diabetes and heart disease in my family).

If anyone wants to "motivate" me, I'd love it.

Thanks,

Grant