Need help old habits die hard

My sleeve was done on feb 24 and I was doing great !! 2 weeks ago my Daughterinlaw was admitted to hospital 32 weeks pregnant ..(my 1st grandbaby)

every day there seems to be another scare .. This leads me to my problem ..i am seeing my old habits wanting to creep back.. The first week I was still great and exercising everyday and trying to prepare my meals b4 I go to hospital... This week I had a stall on the scale and my cravings are coming back due to nerves 

i always exercised even b4 surgery so I am not so worried if I miss a day here or there .. 

things are just getting harder and it could be another few weeks of this roller coster ..

i need help staying on track!! I knew I was going to have to deal with my eating out of nerves but this test came too fast!!! 

Any  advice is welcome!!

Breathe. Food is comfort, but that is how we needed up where we are.  Make sure to have some healthy choices available.  If you slip, don't beat yourself up.  I've stumbled, cried, and every emotion in between.  

I take myself back to my decision to have my surgery and why.  You can do it. Stress is part of life, find new ways to cope....read, knit, sleep, set reminders whatever you need to get through. 

I hope everything gets better and your DIL and grandchild are delivered safe and sound.

I'm so sorry to hear of your daughter-in-law's difficulties with her pregnancy.  I'll hold you all in my prayers. 

Eating is a means of comfort for most of us here, and I've worked hard to find alternative ways to comfort myself.  But when things get really stressful, nothing calms me like eating. 

My daughter had a cancer scare recently, and living thru several biopsies and procedures was stressful, not to mention her mood swings.  And I did gain a few pounds, but I'm back on track now.  And I tell myself "I did the best I could and that's ok." 

So my advice is, Be gentle with yourself, and do what you have to do to get thru this crisis.  Do the best you can to limit the foods that are bad for you, but don't worry too much.  You can get back on track when this is done. 

best wishes,

Carol

What helps me is always always pre planning my food for the day and sticking to a strict 3 meals and 2 snacks a day rule. I don't eat any sugar or flour bc of the cravings they cause on their own, let alone any stress factors. Grazing for me is what puts on the lbs. 

find some music that will put you in a better more relaxed state of mind. I like to listen to some guided meditations or just relaxing sounds/music. It does take some work to get to a point where you can clear your mind but it's always worth a shot. 

I know exercise is different for everyone but for me, when I have high levels of stress, strenuous exercise is bad for me. I find walking at a moderate pace more relaxing for my mind and body. Getting my heart rate up too much mimics stress for me and I get worked up. Walking is great bc you can do it anywhere so even if you're at the hospital, you can go take a 15-20 min walk to de-stress a bit.

At the end of all my blabbering, you ultimately just need to find some coping skills depending on what you find helpful - some tips that I've done that help: coloring (#1 destressor for me), journaling, drawing, writing (I have fun little books that give me silly topics to write about - usually just a paragraph), reading (I have a couple daily meditations for Overeaters kind of books), texting/calling friends, massages (even if I just find a friend to give me a 5 min neck massage), hot tubs, petting/playing with my dog, shopping (worst ever habit but whatever works :-p) , cleaning (sometimes), lighting scented candles, taking a bath/shower, 

Hope some of this makes sense/maybe helps you. Just remember eating over it only gives you 2 problems to deal with at the end. It will never resolve the stress but just adds to it when you get frustrated bc you feel bad/out of control/gain weight. 

My final note: sometimes even on my strict plan, food does bring some comfort so my go to is an apple: low in cal, very filling for me, and it takes longer to eat :)

Thanks everyone for your help..

I isn't the amount of food (I am not overeating) that I am eating but the choices a am making .

so I decided the until the baby is born and everything is good ,(as I am sure it will be)  I am going to take food out of the equation .. I went back to 2 shakes a day and a meal.. It migh not be the best way to cope and deal with my stress eating but it is the best I can do right now and I am ok with that ..

just being able to voice my eating issues has been a big help thank you ! 

The emotional eating is something most of us, myself certainly, learned in infancy.  It is so hard to unlearn it.I have a stressful job but earn a high I come and am my families sole provider so I really can't change that without creating other stressors. Being g mindful helps but I agree that nothing calms me down more than high carb food I can quickly reach for- crackers, cookies, pre sweetened cereal, chips, chocolate candy, you know what I mean I'm sure. A hot bath is soothing and prob works better than anything else but can't hop in the tub at work?. I did recently discover I like the adult coloring books.  There will be times we are all in control, and times we aren't and we have to learn not to beat ourselves up and move on, cause we will make bad choices now and again.