Quarantine struggles


(Jill F.) #1

So after a successful 40 pound weight loss in 2019 and maintaining since last June I have found myself stress eating during this quarantine.

Has anyone else been doing the same? Please tell me you have! I have chronic anxiety, recurring depression, I am a psychotherapist with a barely afloat practice right now on phone/online, and a cranky autistic teenager at home 24/7. And an adult step child who has lost her job and is moving back in with us due to COVID.

Look, I am not creating excuses, I am just so stressed and surprised how much I have turned back to junk food for comfort. I feel so badā€¦physically and emotionally as well. I have gained 6 pounds back in a month, quit working out since yoga studio closed, just kind of feel like a hot mess.

Anyone out there in the same boat??? How has all of this effected you??? No criticism needed, trust me, I am beating myself up enough. #feelingbummed


(Polly) #2

You are not alone @MommyJill2005. Some things I never normally eat are creeping in to my menu and being at home all day makes it harder to resist grazing. I am trying to take it one day at a time and not beat myself up when I fail to live up to my expectations.


(Jill F.) #3

Thanks that helps! I bought Easter candy ā€œfor my sonā€ and I plowed through a lot of it yesterday. I have a roaring headache and feel like poop. I am trying hard to not beat myself up as well. The struggle is real these days.


(Ron) #4

This has been the tuff one for me as well, I find myself snacking on food (good keto stuff though). I am not actually putting on weight but am surely not losing any either.
I am also struggling with finding any drive to do anything as the depression factor has increased here too.
Hoping we are reaching the peak and starting down the mountain soon so I can get back to keeping busy!


#5

Open a window, the blinds and breathe. :slight_smile:

What is the autistic teenager eating? (Since he seems to be a source of stress.)

Stress eating is obviously an indication of chronic stress. Address whatā€™s causing it and flush the garbage food down the toilet so youā€™re able to regain control.


(Jill F.) #6

Yes his routine being disrupted is causing a lot of meltdowns for him, and hard in mama too. He eats the typical ā€œautismā€ diet of pizza, nuggets, chips, crackers, etc. Due to his texture issues so getting the junk out if the house isnā€™t an option unfortunately. Thankfully he likes fruit, the only healthy thing he will eat, lol.

I went to the store and got some salad stuff, bone broth, and other good clean keto stuff. I am starting over today and trying to give myself grace!


#7

Sorry to hear youā€™re struggling. Itā€™s a very strange time, isnā€™t it? All of a sudden being confronted with the bigness of it all and having the majority of our social coping mechanisms removed. But itā€™s a season and it wonā€™t be like this forever, I hope in the mean time you find something that works for youā€¦ Iā€™ve been doing extra fasting - for me I need to be a bit fixated on something and itā€™s either snacking or the opposite. Iā€™ve been trying to set myself mini goals: get to 20hrs, 22hrs, may work up to 36hrs. Anyway, when I make it to my goal, it scores me a win and that feels good. Plus a welcome side effect of fasting is that my appetite has reducedā€¦ win/win for the win.


(Jill F.) #8

Absolutely! I started IF again today and am trying to just drink some coffee and broths during the day and just eat one meal a day to kind of ā€œdetoxā€. I feel better today already starting this. Amazing how fast our bodies can adapt back to keto way of life after a few days of bad choices.


#9

No, you are not alone, by all means. So many jobs have disappeared, no longer exist, Iā€™m hoping my jobs are there when I return, although one of my jobs has completely changed and now I have to do online classes to learn the new way weā€™re doing themā€¦ So this whole thing is changing the face of how we do business, how we socialize, and will we recover? Thatā€™s the biggieā€¦ how many of us will be able to keep our shelter? Will we recoverā€¦
Iā€™m just as scared as youā€¦
you are not alone. (((((Hugs)))))


(Troy) #10

This!
Nice

You are not alone at all

A Bare Bones Back to Basics
BBBBšŸ˜€

Graceā€¦
A NEW Beginning thus bestowedšŸ‘


(Susan) #11

I am sorry that you are having this difficult time; Jill, I am sure that you will get back on track easily, you are a strong lady =). Stress is very very high for all of us during this, for sure. I have been doing more the opposite food wise --no appetite and not eating nearly enough ā€”a lot of anorexia thoughts coming in waves that I have to dismiss --from years of living that way. I have had many days where I am barely eating --I have lost 4 pounds since all this started, so I have the opposite eating wise, but loadssss of stress (my family all upset that we are out of certain foods and I am telling them to deal with itā€¦ I am not shopping).


(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #12

I understand stress eating is a thing. For myself, itā€™s more eating out of boredom. But the easy answer is, just keep it low carb. I mean if you just absolutely eat all day long, you might put on a couple pounds, but you wonā€™t balloon up and put on a bunch of weight, and have to start all over again.

Iā€™ve been really pigging out myself, and I think I finally added about 4 or 5 lbs, which for me is nothing. Iā€™d lose that in a week if I were able to get out and stomp up a few mountains.


#13

Iā€™m thinking about doing some fasting. Itā€™s probably not good to do an extreme fast right now, but I may at least go back to some OMAD. Iā€™m working from home right now and the downtime has put me back to eating three times a day. My usual bourbon weekends have started to become more frequent since we are sitting around the fire pit more since there is not much else to pass the time. I will be so glad when this is over.


(Bunny) #14

I have always been the polar opposite, I can barely eat when Iā€™m ā€˜emotional.ā€™ So it is hard for me to understand when somebody inserts that term ā€˜emotional eatingā€™ into there reasoning for eating or over-eating what they should not be eating. Itā€™s my own hand lifting the food to my mouth and when I look at the science, I highly doubt it is because we have slow metabolisms, genetics etc., it is availability of the foods we choose to buy and put in our kitchens or hide in our room or secretly stash somewhere?

When I think about working-out although exercise is good no doubt (but am I really burning body fat)? I think about how much muscle Iā€™m going to build and that involves hardcore ripping and tearing with lots of metal, so if I do decide to pig-out on junk Iā€™m prepared for the consequences of doing so.

Fasting, time restricted eating, calorie restriction etc. all quit working after a-while from my experience.

If you donā€™t have the enthusiasm to build muscle, all roads lead to gaining it all back and on your way back to insulin resistance and diabetes?

I always make room for paying attention to me and me only and donā€™t mess with me when Iā€™m working out or the gates of hell will open.


(charlie3) #15

I seem to be having a kid-like reaction, an adventure, a challenge. Two years ago the goal was be fit as possible with zero health compromise and look the part. In light of the virus the emphasis changes a little. Now, how can I fiddle with diet, exercise and rest to better resist the virus if I get infected? Iā€™m working harder on sleep, backing off a bit on exercise intensity, and taking 50mcg of D3.

The lockdown is to protect the medical industry from being overwhelmed by too many hospitalizations to fast. Iā€™m supposedly high risk at 71. But itā€™s my job, not government, to keep myself safe.


(Susan) #16

I am guessing that yourself and all of our other lovely seniors here on the forum, eating a healthy Keto lifestyle, are are a much lower risk of not only contracting the Covid19 Virus; but of getting ill with various other things as well, then the average seniors that at eating a SAD diet, Charlie =).


(charlie3) #17

That would apply to me (low carb). I know a 92 year old living in a nursing home. He tested positive, was confined to his room, currently on the mend. Iā€™ve seen videos of a 99 year old WWII vet leaving the hospital and a 98 year old woman home from the hospital, chatting and playing piano. I know the 92 year old has always been vigilant about exercise. All three are skinny. Most of the photos I see of people who died are very overweight. The virus doesnā€™t know your race or age or wealth or the last time you went to the doctor. What it does know is chronic conditions.


(annette) #18

You are not alone! My 19 year old daughter asked me yesterday if I thought we would ever go back to normal. I had to honestly answer ā€œI donā€™t know.ā€ Maybe eventually we will, but normal will not mean the same thing it did 2-3 months agoā€¦not for a long time, if ever.

I find immersing myself in positive information to be helpful. For me this means podcasts, you tube videos, reading, forums, journal writing, etc related to my way of eating. I donā€™t know if itā€™s subconscious or what but when thatā€™s what Iā€™m putting into my head, the result looks more like I want it to. Also, your mind is occupied thinking about something other than the crackers in the cabinet. I listen while I clean, while I drive, while I shop (I think I have my headphones on more than I donā€™t), etc.
I find when I get interested in another topic and I stop listening to these things, I do tend to stray much easier from my healthy eating goals.

Last night after dinner, I was sitting with my daughter while she watched her movie but I was on and off reading and writing on this forum. It kept me in a positive head space and kept me out of the rice krispie treats. Win-win!

A friend reminded me how therapeutic my online journal used to be so Iā€™ve started one here in the accountability section. That might really help you as well. A place to ramble on about your day, your struggles and to receive encouragement from othersā€¦for me that is almost like going to a therapist. I have learned so much about myself and my own thoughts by writing in my journal.
The journal reading/writing also reminds me, as well, that I am not alone.

Best of luck to you.


(Candy Lind) #19

I am a chronic habitual overeater, usually due to stress or boredom. So, this isnā€™t much different for me, except maybe at a higher level. I have seen so many posts about weight gain that Iā€™ve started weighing more often - I finally got confident enough to get rid of all the clothes that didnā€™t fit me any more, and I donā€™t want to have to buy a larger size! So far Iā€™ve only seen normal fluctuations. Iā€™m cooking a lot, and I canā€™t cook without sampling. I am eating too much keto ice cream. BUT! I am staying low carb. I would NOT be able to say that if I were in a house with non-keto food. I can count that as an ā€œIā€™m thankfulā€ moment. Maybe you can keep a keto snack stash close at hand to hit when youā€™re tempted to grab the junk. Too many keto calories is far less harmful than too many calories from carbs. KCKO


(Brandy) #20

Your back story sounds similar to mine, regarding the anxiety and depression.

Back in February, when our first cases showed up here in Seattle, I knew what was coming. I started to stock my freezer a bit and ordered seeds for my garden. But beyond having a little extra time to physically prepare, I couldnā€™t have prepared for the emotional aspects. I found myself in a constant state of anxiety, near and sometimes in total panic. I wasnā€™t sleeping. My gut was always burning with worry and my chest was constantly constricted. Even though I practice mindfulness meditation daily, it was providing little relief. I remained Keto for the most part, but definitely reverted back to eating my feelings by making tons of Keto treats and big complicated meals, all of which I was eating ALL DAY AND NIGHT. I was most certainly over consuming carbs. Put too many low carb foods together and eat them all dayā€¦the result was a small weight gain, mind fog, body aches and depression.

So I started Keto over again. I stopped the treats and complicated meals. I went back to Keto basics like bacon, eggs and steak. I opened up my tracker and began tallying and planning again. I decided not to attempt extended fasts for now but did reinstitute the four and six hour eating windows. Throwing myself into the procedural aspects of dietary compliance allowed me to focus my nervous energy in a positive way. Iā€™m still cooking, but Iā€™m cooking stuff Iā€™ve planned for and eating it at designated times.

I also took on the task of cleaning up my yard and converting my hobby seasonal veggie garden to a year round one. By the time this year is over, I hope to have much more permaculture going on back there. But itā€™s at least eight hours a day of back breaking work, which leads to physical exhaustion at night- no more insomnia.

On the mental front, Iā€™m so glad I started my meditation practice months ago. Because so much time is spent wondering if youā€™re even doing it right, itā€™s not a short term solution to stress and anxiety. But I think it does help me focus my attention more productively and allows me a little grace. What HAS helped me in the short term is EFT practice (tapping). I use an app called the Tapping Solution. Itā€™s normally kind of spendy, but theyā€™ve opened up a huge portion of their library for free right now, in response to our current circumstance. Iā€™m not your typical new age-y kind of gal. I donā€™t know why tapping works. I only tried it because my OB/GYN recommended it for increased anxiety due to peri menopause. But it does work. Itā€™s like it surgically removes all the emotional discomfort.

So the results thus far have been some new weight loss, although itā€™ll be a while yet before Iā€™m back down to my lowest ever and can start focusing on new weight loss. My mind is much more clear and the fog head has abated. And while Iā€™m still grieving the losses of people I know, missing my kids and parents, worrying about the world over more acutely than I ever knew I could, Iā€™m finding that I can hold them, without lashing out behaviorally to my own detriment in an effort to numb them. With that, I find pockets of space that hold gratitude and hope. It sounds like youā€™ve begun the process of carrying forward in our new circumstance as well. Just remember, on the daily, to summon for yourself the same grace and compassion you summon for others.