Struggling a little today...

Today was REALLY stressful! Forecast calling for up to a foot and a half of snow makes people in the south lose their minds. I work in a pharmacy, and we were short staffed, crazy busy all morning, and then another person had to leave as it started snowing. Luckily the busyness declined after she left, but we were running around crazy all day. This caused a couple of issues.

1. We didn't have the time or coverage for lunch breaks. The other girls just ate on the go - sandwiches, chips, things that are not on my plan, so I waited until I could eat something better. Waiting was a mistake. I didn't feel "hungry," but I felt like I really needed some fuel!

2. Stress is a big trigger for me. Fortunately I reached for the turkey jerky instead of the chips/sweets, but today, I felt like I could have definitely raided the snack isle. 

3. By the time I did eat, I wasn't feeling satisfied, so I ate more than I would have on other days. It was frustrating to know that I was eating in excess of my norm. Since I usually have trouble even reaching my calorie goal range, I'm not too worried about it because my levels are still within normal range, but they were higher today than usual. This bothers me because I know as time goes on, it will take a bit more to satisfy me, but I don't want to start out maxing out my calories so that by the time I could be starting maintenance, I find myself still struggling to lose and wondering what the hell is going on.

one last thing, I noticed that even though I was in range on my carbs, MOST of them were sugar carbs. That might be a contributing factor on how I've felt (maybe?). I typically don't get anywhere near my carb limit, so maybe my body is reacting to the higher level. Any thoughts?

I totally understand about people going crazy over snow. I live near Seattle and if it snows one inch, people are stripping the grocery store shelves to stock pile food and supplies as if they'll be snowed in for months. It's nutty. 

Anyway, at 7-weeks out I'm still a "newbie" but I always keep one or two single-serving sized packets of protein in my purse (and desk drawer at work) just in case I'm stuck without food. I know drinking protein with only water to mix it with is a bit hard-core for some but it's saved me on a couple of occasions.

I have to-go packages of tuna stashed in various places in case of an emergency. Some of the nurses I work with and who have had WLS eat nuts that they keep in their scrubs. I try to avoid nuts myself but it seems to work for them. Stay warm!

I can so relate to your feelings.  If I'm late for a meal, I find my usual serving size doesn't satisfy me, and I feel driven to eat more.   I also find stress still drives me to over-eat. 

I think the best we can do is recognize the patterns, manage our eating as well as we can during these stressful times, and then make the commitment to get back on plan as soon as possible. 

In terms of carbs,  I know that I am very sensitive to carbs and the cravings will come back if I indulge.  It'll be good if you can determine how many carbs you can have before the cravings kick in, and then stay under that limit. 

It sounds like you did a good job of managing the stress.  You are doing great.

best wishes,

Carol