Getting a handle on food during hard times

When life seems to be spinning out of control whether it is a difficult situation at work, troubled finances, a stressful marriage or relationship, you feel that you can no longer limit your food choices. Food is then your number one drug of choice. 

Ever been there? I have.

Whether we are at the beginning, in the middle, or having just reached our weight-loss goals, focusing on what you don’t eat will make us feel constantly deprived. And deprivation leads to frustration, desperation, and potentially failure. 

Instead, we have to focus on everything we are gaining through this process. It is always helpful to remind yourself that what we are giving up in the short term will help us get what we really want in the long run.

No matter what issue you are currently dealing with, remember that setbacks are not failures. They are a temporary interruption in our path. You can have a bad day, a bad week, month, or even year, but you can always start where you are and change your own ending. 

Weakness does not mean defeat. Mistakes are part of existence as no one is perfect. Mistakes help you learn and grow in life. They create the opportunity for new thinking. New and expanded points of view are generally a good thing.

While current reality can be challenging and disappointing, by taking a longer-term view, you can reassure yourself that current realities will shift, and good things will come—ultimately—from today’s experiences and lessons.

When life is hard, make sure that the foods you are reaching for aren’t only packaged snacks and be sure to include things like fruits and non-starchy vegetables in your snack choices.

Eat healthy during office hours

Considering that on average, we spend most of our waking hours at work, it only makes sense that the food choices we make at work can have a significant impact on our ability to lose weight.

Office environment with an endless list of corporate events that provide a readily available feast of sugary indulgence can easily sabotage even the most willful dieter. 

We can’t avoid the employer events that involve food. We just have to figure out the best approach to deal with temptations at those events. Make sure that you don’t show up hungry and focus on interacting with people, not eating. Show up with confidence knowing you have the tools and mindfulness needed to enjoy everything about the event.

Peers' attitudes and behavior are linked to success in weight loss. While peers' encouragement helps, dieting failures or negative attitudes among colleagues can discourage people from sticking to their own weight-loss plan.

Co-workers who try to tempt you even though they know you are dieting, or who try to make you feel silly or even guilty for trying to stay healthy, can be the biggest stumbling blocks to eating healthy at the office.

When it comes to the office, your co-workers are your peers, and you might even spend more time with them than anyone else. Ideally, just as in your regular life, you'll find co-workers with the same common goals of a healthy lifestyle. 

I am lucky to work in an office where the environment is generally healthy. My most important co-worker brings a salad to work every day and I am inspired by his healthy eating. However, many (if not most) office environments are not quite like mine.

No matter what your office environment is like, you can still take action to make sure your workdays are healthy and energizing, not enervating and fattening.

Craving sugar can be controlled

Many people struggle with sugar cravings. I am one of them.

Our modern lifestyle often includes processed foods, irregular sleep schedules, artificial light, and inactivity. These factors all contribute to sugar cravings, weight gain, and mood problems.

Yes, I am addicted to sugar. It became obvious after eating not a healthy food lunch last week. I felt hunger for something sweet after my lunch and I supplemented it with four bars of chocolate snack. That made me realize that sugar controls me.

I am writing this post to help me go back to eating food that supports weigh lose and overall health.

Craving sugar when I do not need to eat can be controlled.  I know I can override it. It will help me to physically and mentally feel better. I will be able to handle stress and overcome daily challenges more effectively. And I do not want to hunger for something sweet half an hour after my lunch or dinner every day. 

The answer lies in my choice of foods at main meals and generally resuming the eating style that helped me lose 91 pounds in the past. One of the pillars on my method was not allowing myself to become hungry. That is what I will focus on to help me move away from craving sugar.

Giving up sugar can feel unpleasant. Getting there will be tough and fighting off the cravings will be a constant battle.  

I don’t want my next blood test to show that I am close to pre-diabetic, or worse yet, already in that level. That fear will be my best motivator.