long lost update

Forgive me community, it's been a long while since my last update/participation here. Things have been a bit hectic, which is good and bad.

I've continued to lose the weight (151 pounds, 7 dress sizes) and haven't had any further episodes of passing out from dehydration and low blood sugar. I can walk several blocks without a problem or sweating profusely. I can take the stairs without issue. Little things like this are cool. The only drawback now is that when I ride the public bus, people are more likely to sit next to me and I don't really like that close contact with strangers. When I was bigger, people opted for other seats or standing. 

Anyway, I got a great new job with a 29% increase in pay (more on this later), have been working on a political campaign, having a flirtation of some sort with a handsome Brit, and shopping... lots and lots of clothes shopping.

All was going well until a couple of weeks ago when the rug was pulled out from under me. First, my new boss has resigned. The resulting restructuring means more workload for everyone and I am still in the midst of training. I feel completely overwhelmed. Not to mention, my boss had a positive impact on the office climate, which I fear will turn to s*** now that she is gone given a couple of the personalities in the office.

Additionally, some old feelings about being slighted and taken for granted resurfaced as a result of some things that happened with the campaign I've been working on. These are some of the feelings that made me overeat as a coping mechanism in the past.

All the shopping has gotten me into a bit of a financial bind and I'm worrying over that.

My mother's health seems to be declining and I'm worrying about that.

And finally, I don't know where this flirtation is going. I just don't. And I'm frustrated.

So... for the last couple of weeks, I've been cheating. Regular intake of sweets has crept back in and there were a couple of instances when I ate (and too much at that) even though I wasn't hungry. The good thing is, I realize I am doing the emotional eating thing again. The bad thing, I have yet to be able to put on the brakes and my pants are a bit tight today.

I'm taking a weekend to myself to do housework (major fall cleaning) and hopeful break the cycle I've gotten into lately with snacking.

I guess I just needed to confess. Thanks for reading.

Holy crap, that's a lot of stress.  Look how far you've come!  How amazing is that?  Breathe.  Things will work out.  You have a kickass new job and this restructure could be an opportunity to shine.  And if not?  A job is a job and not worth your health or sense of self.

Keep it up, one decision at a time.  And good luck with the flirting.  If it doesn't work out, chalk it up to a practice round for the even better one who's next in line.

Good luck!

What she said. Love your attitude, Urseo.

That's great advice-- especially the part about breathing because I tend to hold it. Thanks for the reminders.

Especially when we get further out from surgery, stress is one of the most difficult things to deal with, imo. You can't control other people. You only have control over you. You have an awesome tool. Use it. Lean on it during the stressful times. Make sure you have an action plan for the stress. Lots of protein at your fingertips (shake, bars, whatever). Water is your friend. Make sure you are drinking lots of it.

Stay under the radar with the political office crap and stay focused on the other political crap (you know what I mean).

As far as the shopping is concerned, transfer addictions are a very real problem. You can choose a different transfer addiction that could add to your health: couch-to-5K, volunteering, martial arts, weight training, walking, Zumba. Find something that gives you some YOU time and stick with it. I actually schedule it into my days as an "appointment" so that I can always go and no one questions it.

The flirting and discomfort on the bus go hand-in-hand, imo. You are no longer invisible. This was one of the toughest things for me. What helped me was to come up with a plan of how I would deal with interacting with people in these situations. Do I smile? Do I pretend like I don't see them? I'm married, so I completely ignore any possible flirting. I always have something with me to do - my phone, Nook, computer. Also, I chose karate as a transfer addiction because it gave me a sense of empowerment.

Anyway, You've done great. Celebrate what you've accomplished and fix what you feel you need to fix.

Good luck.

Thanks! This is also great advice. I probably haven't been drinking enough water (been in the coffee quite a bit).

I am trying very hard to stay out of the office politics and focus on what I need to do (stay, start looking, etc.). I got sucked into it in my last job and I remember how completely horrible, energy and attention sucking waste of time it is.

I've already been in touch with a couple of organizations about volunteer work after the election. And I'm hoping something will develop out of this thing with Mr. Brit. And I think I've found a great yoga/pilates studio near home. Things are just so uncertain at the moment. That's what's stressing me out.