Stress Eating

Stressful Eating

The leaves are changing, it’s getting colder and the Holidays are just right around the corner! This is my favorite time of year; pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING, sweater weather, time with family and friends. And all the football you can handle!

But with the Holidays soon to be here there also comes with it STRESS! The stress of preparing for the end of the year, in-laws coming for Thanksgiving, for Mountain View Employee’s 4^th Quarter brings all sorts of daily stress into your life. And just the word “Christmas” only can bring a sense of alarm. Let’s face it for how wonderful this time of year is it can also be the most stressful!! And stress can be deadly when trying to lose or maintain your weight!

Many people turn to food when they are stressed. If that's you, learning new ways to handle your emotions is a must!

Experiment to find things that work for you

Some ideas:

•Get outside and enjoy nature.

•Torch stress (and calories) with a serious workout.

•Go shopping (although this may get you into a new kind of trouble)

•Do yoga to chill out.

•Connect with family or a friend.

•Find somebody who needs lifting up and serve in ways that you can.

•Clean House (or like my mom, do “spring cleaning” in November)

•Read a Book.

There are so many other ways to deal with the stress rather than turn to food, just find what it is that works for you and stick to it!

Don't go it alone.

Another tip when trying to lose or maintain weight during the Holidays is having support or a team behind you, not trying to do it all on your own! Whether it is a gym buddy or a walking buddy, a friend or family member that can offer you support or help keep you accountable!

Try teaming up with family, friends, or co-workers, keep checking in with that person every now and then. Stress can derail you from the goals that you have for yourself but when you have someone to support and cheer you on, you can accomplish anything! Vacations, holidays, and stressful life situations happen, and no one eats according to plan all the time. That's OK. The trick is to get back on course as soon as possible. Make it a learning experience, not a failure. Remember that you can move on from setbacks, and maintenance is a marathon, not a sprint!