Monday, March 29, 2010

Stress and Weight Loss

I often wonder how stress will affect my weight loss. I have heard on many occasions that this phenomenom will cause you to gain weight, ultimately. Historically, most people turn to food when they feel stress coning on in their lives, hence the word choice of "comfort food" to help ease your troubled mind. They grab their favorite snack or meal and just keep eating until that cozy feeling of calm washes over them. I feel differently, though. In my personal experience, when stress begins to creep into my existence, my appetite falls off. Yes, I stop eating! Not altogether mind you, but certainly less than when I'm genuinely happy with life.

However, this time, I seem to be plateauing. I think that is because when I feel these pressures, I also stop exercising. This is incredibly perplexing to me, since I know that when I exercise I seem to escape into a different world for those brief times, and my worries almost sweat off of me with the unwanted weight. I also tend to have a greater affinity for naps when I'm feeling down. This is likely brought on by the fact that my migraines increase substantially as well. So instead of taking something for the pain and trudging through, I lay down and sleep for a couple hours hoping the pain will be fooled into going away while I slumber.

I'm currently dealing with a problem that I have become all too familiar with in the past years, my son's grades/schoolwork. He's 14 years old, just days away from 15, a freshman at high school...and one of the most unmotivated kids I think I've ever encountered when it comes to schoolwork. Every day it's the same conversation: "Have any homework?" "Nope. Finished it already." Or the ever popular: "Why didn't you turn in that assignment today?" "Our teacher wasn't here, so I couldn't turn it in." Well, that school certainly needs to take some of our taxes and work on a more effective preventative program with regards to their teachers and insurance, because far too many of them get sick far too often!!

I get very little from the teachers themselves, until there's a problem, of course. But I am trying. He's asked me if I can give him two days to turn things around. Time to get several assignments turned in, get some of his failing grades up. I've informed him that if at the end of this time I do not see marked improvement, then he and I will be attending morning tutorials TOGETHER in any class where he is not currently passing. I will be sending out numerous emails in the morning to inform his teachers of this fact, as well. I would love to say that I have every faith in him that he WILL turn things around, but sadly I don't. I have religious faith, faith in things I have not seen, but this faith is going to require evidence to return.

Thank you friends, for sticking with me through this. I think tonight I'll try out a new Wii game I just got (Just Dance), on top of doing some more Wii Fit Plus.

2 comments:

Mary@Holy Mackerel said...

I lose weight when I'm under stress, which may sound like a good thing, but is actually bad because I end up getting sick. Sick and stressed. Not good.

Here's hoping things look up for you soon!!

Lawyer Mom said...

If stress reduced my appetite, I'd be a stick right now. But alas, it just brings on cravings for mac and cheese.

 
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