Stopping The Stress Eating Cycle

Joanna Fowler October 14, 2015 Family, Self, Lifestyle, Food, Wellness

Stopping the stress eating cycle 2From close to my weight-loss goal (left) through gaining seven pounds (center) to losing six pounds.

Truth time. After rocking my healthy lifestyle like a champ at the beginning of the summer, and being within arms reach of my goal weight, I sabotaged my weigh-loss success. Stress hit in the form of my daughter going through the fretful fours, being too busy and my twin toddlers, well, being toddlers. So, true to form, I stress ate. Me stressed

This is a photo of me stressed. So hot right?

I hid, and avoided blogging about my body after babies journey. It wasn’t like I was reaching for junk food, I was just eating, and eating, and eating to comfort myself. Unfortunately, I am just barely five-foot-two, so basically a hobbit, which means if I even smell a dessert, I gain two pounds.gained weightThat smile on my face is very fake. If you ever see that smile, you know I am fake smiling at you. 

I was starting to think I should write a blog post about how it is normal for your weight to fluctuate after having babies, which it is, but that felt like I was throwing in the towel.

So, a week ago, I looked around at our home that was full of sick kids (’tis the season) feeling stressed out of my gourd. I was about to reach for a tablespoon full of peanut butter (yes, that is my vice, my sister’s too, so I can’t be that weird) and I voice in my head said “step away from the peanut butter Joanna.” So I did.

You see, I have been stuck in a vicious cycle. Our stress dies down, I get on track with eating healthy and exercising and then BOOM! Normal family stress hits and I start saying to myself “you deserve this.” Then I feel horrible physically and emotionally and get twice as stressed as I really should.

After I walked away from the peanut butter I hopped on my blog for advice, something that I actually don’t do that often. I re-read a couple of my posts that I wrote when I was in a good-place and was immediately reminded that I too, deserve to take care of myself and I don’t always have to go down with the ship.

So, for the last week I have gone back to eating healthy, and exercising when I can, without over-thinking it. I have lost almost six pounds since making this decision.

Here is the hard part, keeping the momentum. So, I am going to blog every Wednesday about my wellness journey. I hope that this will help hold me accountable. I debated about calling it “weight-loss Wednesdays” but I want to be able to cover everything, including my struggles with anxiety.

Here is the best part, I am what some may call an over-sharer. In fact, there are times in conversations that Mike will shoot me a look and tap his nose, meaning “reel it in a bit with the details Joanna.” That is why blogging is such a perfect fit for me. I really don’t give AF.

So, I will share every gritty detail, every pound, every photo.

Want to join in on the conversation? I’d love to hear all about your journey in the comments below or on Facebook.

Stay tuned…

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5 thoughts on “Stopping The Stress Eating Cycle”

  1. Looking forward to Wellness Wednesdays!!!
    I stress eat too….and when the stress is over, it’s hard to stop.

  2. I will look forward to your posts every Wednesday! I had my daughter about 2 weeks before you had your twins. Life threw my family and I for a loop 2.5 months after I had my daughter and ever since then, I have done some major stress eating. I can’t seem to get myself out of the cycle of eating due to stress, but will look at your posts as motivation!

  3. I started 21 day fix a week ago. I’m right there with you. I have a toddler and almost 8 mth old twins. It’s a rough journey. I cheated this week on eating and I get so guilty. It’s so frustrating and not worth it! Keep up the good work!

  4. I took great course run out of my doctor’s office called Craving Change. It’s a 10 week course for people wanting to understand eating behaviors and what psychological processes are behind why we eat the way we do. It gives helpful hints on how to change thinking and behavior with journaling, simple but effected practices and more. It was presented by dietitians with many years experience helping people to change. Maybe you can find something similar new you.

  5. I took great course run out of my doctor’s office called Craving Change. It’s a 10 week course for people wanting to understand eating behaviors and what psychological processes are behind why we eat the way we do. It gives helpful hints on how to change thinking and behavior with journaling, simple but effected practices and more. It was presented by dietitians with many years experience helping people to change. Maybe you can find something similar near you.

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