Coping With Stress From Cravings

Hey, I have a question for the non-ops.  I'm asking ya'll because I usualy hang with the WLS patients and their answers are different.  I don't have a tool to 'work'. Now I know that I am addicted to food, and thank God that I have been able to overcome in the weight loss department, for the most part.  I would still like to lose twenty more pounds, and if it happens that's great, but if it doesn't, I'm happy as a pig in a poke where I'm at now. Most of the time I am pretty good at dealing with the stress that comes with wanting something evil to eat.  I usually go out to the patio, work in the gardens, go online, work out, anything to get my mind off of what I want, till the stress passes. But now that I can't go outside, I need some pointers on something different to do till Spring gets here. So...what do you do to get you over the hump of a craving.  Like when one side of your brain is saying,  "Take me to Taco Bell", and the other side is saying, "Fuhgettaboutit!" Thanks, Mary  

Hi Mary! You have great posts!  I am glad you are coming around. Here are some things I try to switch hit toward when I got the munchies for no good reason:   let me pause here and say that my first step is to ask myself:  SHOULD I be hungry? If it's been several hours, then I prepare something. If I have been eating, I survey and see what I am missing so far today:  in my case, its veggies, fruits or water, so I eat those things. THEN, for stuff to do that is not eating: 1.  Call a friend or DD 2.  do my nails, really do my nails.  A mini pedicure or manicure - working in cuticle remover, buffing, filing, etc.  3.  Look at pictures 4.  Read, especially my SHAPE mags or bike mags, or yoga mags 5.  go to the library 6. Make coffee or tea 7. bust out my i-pod 8.  shop if budget allows - nothing better than clothes shopping to kill a binge 9.  wash my car, or vaccuum it 10.  change the sheets 11. go thru my closet and get rid of clothes 12.  polish my shoes 13.  Take a bath - with bubbles 14.  get in the hot tub 15.  get naked under the covers and summon DH

Neecee, thanks for the warm welcome.  That's a very impressive list you've got there.  I vote for number six and number fifteen is the best!  Coffee is one of the things I used to get me through.  No calories and comfort in a cup. Mmm...coffee!    You make a great point about checking to see if I've had enough water.  I try so hard to get in the water, but it seems the only time I do well is after I work out.  My bad, I know, but I just ain't thirsty! Thanks for the great advice, Mary 

Hello my darlin Mary okay, toss some sympathy my way.  Try being in a hotel training for a week at a time, 7 weeks total.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the fly.  The first week was a huge learning experience.  The second week I made sure my room had a fridge and a microwave.  I hard boiled enough eggs for the week and brought my oatmeal and flaxseed.  I stocked up on turkey and cheese and yogurt, blah bah blah.  Well, 15 meals is hard to do all alone in the hotel room.  So out I went.  Choices, choices, choices.  Thankfully I made mostly good ones....although not all...and I worked out in the morning and went into the pool to swim at night.   Honestly, I just kept saying "no, that's not good for me" when I wanted to eat somewhere or do something that wasn't in my best interest.  I also remember how it feels to be icky and bloated and how great it feels to feel my stomach  nice and flat and feel "on my game." And water, totally.  A nice bottle of ice cold water does wonders. You know I'm always feelin' your pain. Donna

Awwwe...my poor darlin' D, plucked from the security of her regular routine and thrown to the crappy food decision monstas.  But I have faith in you Sister.  You didn't lose all of that weight being afraid of a few choices.    Keep kickin' ass and taking names...you're making some great decisions.  And now ya done shamed me into drinking that damned water.  If my girl can do it on the road, then I have no excuse not to get r done.   Miss ya plenty, Mary

Miss Mary Belle,

Winter sucks that way. I tend to give in the the craving- but healthy-SOUP.  Soup will help you keep your fluids up. 

  

When I get those 'comfort cravings' in winter I make up a HUGE pot of veggie soup lots and lots of tomato, celery, zucchini and chicken stock with lashings of seasonings like fresh herbs and tons of pepper. 

Now freeze in 'big bowl full ' quantities and there's a snack ready for you.

Micowave (see that means you have to wait a bit...) then splash on a little tabasco sauce and whoo hooo!   Too spicey to guts that down in a hurry! 

If you can handle it, a SMALL sprinkle of low fat cheddar cheese is sensational (but adds calories).

Em

Em, see why I think you are a genius in the dieting arena.  They say great minds think alike, cuz I've got that in my freezer!  But mine have onions in them because I'm a little onion freak.  And I like mine with the fat free parmesan cheese.  I won't use a microwave, so it takes even longer to heat.  Now I'm hungry and it's midnight here.  Better go get some water!   Hey, I didn't know they had Tabasco in Australia.  How cool is that?   How are your roses doing?  Those pics were gorgeous! Mary