This week I finally dropped below the level where I’d plateaued for so long…and then, according to this morning’s scale, I put four pounds back on. In four days.
I know that weight can vary by a couple of pounds just depending on whether you’re dehydrated or not, so I’m trying not to panic, but a four-pound gain does—and should—get my attention a bit better than a two-pound gain.
It’s been a few weeks since I made time in my schedule to write everything down. I did, this week, fulfill the resolution I made to my diet group to spend a couple of hours preparing healthy foods on the Good Mood Diet Plan. Meaning, I spent a few hours shopping, hard-boiling eggs, putting bulk dried fruit in individual-size serving bags, making a diet recipe ahead of time, putting some breakfast bars in the car for “emergencies”.
I am justly proud of myself for doing this, and I know I would be in even worse shape had I not done it. But what went wrong with the weight?
My husband has been working overseas this week. Our youngest daughter gets “off-the-wall” when he’s gone. He’s always been better at calming her down than I am. Throw in four doctor/physical therapist appointments and the fact that my kids’ schools have decided to observe the Veterans’ Day holiday on different dates, and it’s been a very rough week—malfunctioning alarm clocks, printer jams and all.
I’m becoming more and more aware of how much I overeat emotionally. I’ve never been gorged myself, but it’s just that snacking has been a habit I’ve turned to under stress. I literally found myself in the kitchen when I had no memory of having gotten up from the computer.
I am trying to replace that habit with a better one. I am trying to tell myself that I break to take a walk to look out the window . (When the leaves are off the trees, we can see a tiny glimpse of the lake.) I also stashed some tea bags in my room. When the kids are arguing, I can go take a deep breath and have a soothing smell rather than a soothing bite.
Mastering emotional eating is more critical than ever now. One night I found my nine-year-old explaining that she “just had to eat the candy to calm down”. Yikes! Getting my own act together is probably the best help I can be to her right now. That means taking care of myself through sleep and exercise, and through eating a healthy, “Good-Mood” diet.
I hope you all have a good week.
To read more about weight management challenges during a tough week, read Mary Ann’s blog: