Stress

We all have stress in our lives.  Some days more than others. Some days we can handle the stress that we run into. Other days the stress takes over, this my friends, typically leads to trouble.

I have been very stressed the last week.  Trying to get Tyler ready for kindergarten, fighting with Emma to potty train, all the stuff that needs to be done around the house, finding a new sitter, running a 10k, get ready for an upcoming trip.  AHHHH!!

I just wanted to snack all week.  The first day I ate pretzels.  The second day I wanted chocolate.  Today I wanted pizza.  I just wanted to eat like a mad women.  I did my best on Monday, I fought off the urges and really didn’t over eat past my calories.  Yesterday, I went over my calories, I wanted chocolate but I kept eating pretzels.  Some where along the way I found a jar of peanut butter.

I don’t know how it happened.  I don’t remember the first bite. I don’t remember the day or the time.  But I know it happened. there is a lot of PB missing out of the jar.  And as my husband asked “why are there so many Peanut butter covered spoons in the sink?”  You know it is. You take a spoon from the jar and get a big scoop.  You savor it as you empty the spoon.  You put the spoon in the sink because you were only going to have one scoop.  oh But it was so good, what's one more bite?  You get another spoon out and when you are done it too goes in the sink.  Well Peanut butter is a protein, so third spoon in the sink.  Sound familiar?

So I am back to step one, admitting that I have problem with peanut butter, admitting that the stress is taking over.  Step two, remove the trigger item.  Well I can not go get a new job, but I did find a new sitter, and packing is started.  I will not be taking peanut butter on our trip.  So I will be going cold turkey again.

Quitting cold turkey will probably add more stress to my day.  So I need to find ways to distract myself.  A recent blog entry by Rachel Cosgrove has 25 ideas on distracting yourself (can be found here).  These are great to keep posted on the fridge. 

Tracking my food and seeing the calories add up and up and up..that stopped me from eating even worse this week.  I am mad that I did this, mad that I didn’t make the decision to walk away from the peanut butter.  But the good news is that the one thing I am not stressing over is the binges this week.  So what, I am eating like shit and going over my calories.  I am not losing weight, but I am being active. I am walking and attending bootcamp.  I try not to focus on the meals I already ate, I can not change the past only improve the future.

what is your plan to keep from eating whiles stressed?