Need diet help/advice PLEASE!

millalyte86

Cathlete
I'm getting married next October (2011) and need to start dress shopping in September. I've wanted to go but I've put on about 20 lbs. and can't seem to lose it! I work out 5-6 days a week so I think it has to do with my diet. I try to eat clean but am finding it extremely hard to not "stress snack". If I didn't pick so much I think I'd be ok. Does anyone have any suggestions to help me from stress eating when I'm not hungry? I'd like to try to lose atleast half this weight before I start dress shopping which is only a few weeks away! I need help! Thanks!

-Lauren
 
hi and congratulations!

for the stress eating, i can relate. although, for me its any mood my brain wants me to eat like 3 or 4k cal, but my body only needs less than 2k like a normal person.
so first,plan what you are eating, take it with you or have it ready in fridge/freezer. because it sounds like you are super busy. so if you need quick recipes too, lots of us would have those too. also recipe zaar has recipes you can make and freeze wks in advance.
when you're not hungry. stay out of any area with food. or eat something with very few cal. like raw carrots. chew gum. i have to stay out of the room and do something i cant think about food, exercising, cleaning. if you are tempted by vending machines/fast food, dont bring any money with you. if you can.
the biggest thing for me is just keeping my mind occupied. and learning that its just my head, my stomach isnt really hungry.

have you tried getting some stress relief? downsize/simplify the wedding, yoga, boxing, reading a really good book, anything that works for you.

try to replace that behavior ,eating when you're not hungry, with a healthy behavior. go for a walk/run w/fiance, drink water, fill in the blank.
everytime you think you are hungry, think about how you are feeling, why, does it go away if you wait 15 min.? you might try writing things down. maybe you can pin point at 3:00 i always want a snack. then you can bring fruit with you, or prevent what ever the problem.
geen roth wrote song great books about this. she has a website too. you can read articles she wrote or borrow a book from the library.
and if all else fails and wedding planning is the only thing stressing you out, go to the court house or las vegas baby!
 
IOWL has helped me with stress eating. Its a free podcast by Renee Stephens, you can get it at iTunes. It helps take the power away from food and gives it back to you. Its called Inside Out Weight loss. Also, when you are in a stressful moment, you can ask yourself if you want to take a nip out of your thigh or a bite of chocolate, I envision the little bite of chocolate (or candy) coming from my belly personally thats the part I would like to see go most, but different body parts offend different people.

Also, try this, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth ten slow breaths, check in with your stomach, if you aren't feeling hunger pangs skip it, if you are have a snack of vegetables with some humus (plenty of olive oil) or pesto. You may not be hungry at all. Since it is stress eating, you need to know that when you are under stress that is the time when you are most likely to gain weight from the same number of calories going in your mouth vs. a time when you aren't under stress, every hit of cortisol your body makes it also sends out insulin which is the fat storage hormone. This is not the time to eat! Try ten jumping jacks.

I hope this helps.
 
rapidbreathe, i think you had posted about that podcast in response to my question. thanks for reposting its always helpful to know, and i had forgotten to look it up. i dont have a cell phone or mp3 player, but looking on the website quickly its very interesting. insightful. alot like geneen roth.
i'll try to figure out how to learn about it w/out podcast. or can we listen to it free thru internet?
 

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