What motivates you to stay on your diet when you're stressed?

[Donna Sundblad]

As a writer, I find when I'm stressed my diet goes out the window as I work toward deadline. What do you do to stay motivated and on your diet? I think the battle is mental, spiritual and physical. I'm looking for suggestions over at my Losing Weight From a Writer's POV if you want to leave a comment there or here.

Donna

[Donna Sundblad]

Hah, I've never had the problem of forgetting to it...EVER. My tendency is to munch while I write. Not a good habit.

Thanks Sandy.

Donna

[Jill James]

Donna, when I'm in the zone and trying to get something written on time my diet goes by the wayside too. I find if I stay in my office (where no food is allowed) I'm more apt to not snack too much during times of stress. I just drink lots of water.

[Donna Sundblad]

Hmmm, food not allowed. My office is the living room as I have the house to myself during the days, not counting my six birds. Maybe if I make a rule of eating only at the table....

The thing about my writing, when I'm writing fiction without a specific deadline--or my own non-fiction like my book Pumping Your Muse, I don't get stressed. It's writing articles and such that have been assigned that turn writing into work (I'm not complaining mind you) but that's when I seem to snack--as if it can help me think.

Thanks for your tip.

Donna

[Dawne' Dominique]

Well, I restarted my old Weight Watchers 1-2-3 Program just over two weeks ago. Lauren, a little eleven year old, I walk home every day from school, and she's the one that keeps me motivated with the exercise. The walk there is good and fast, but the power walk back home...OMG. It's just over 2K, but I really make the effort to push myself--and this entire week, the walk home has been against the wind. YUCK! It doesn't help that we got snow yesterday and it frigen freezing outside (again). So, I try to keep thinking that if I'm hurting this bad (the pain I suffer on the way home) I'm not blowing it on junk food. Hubby eats potato chips every night. He's no help! I force myself not to eat anything after 7:00 p.m. I may have a coffee or water...but I seem to be sticking with it.

It was a loooong, cold winter and I've put on ten pounds that needs to go...NOW! I don't have a weight scale, and that's another motivation for me. If I don't know what I weigh, I can't tell if I've lost or gained, but I can see and feel the difference, and this prods me along to continue. So, there's my motivation. A little girl and no scale. Okay, I'm weird, but you already knew that, Sandy! : )

Have a wonderful weekend, Sweetie.

Hugz,
Dawné

[Donna Sundblad]

My hubby has chips everyday too, but he doesn't snack a lot. He's one of those that doesn't eat breakfast, has his lunch and dinner and sometimes dessert. AND he stays thin.

So exercise, no eating after 7:00 and no scale. I'm taking notes. Thanks for the help.

Donna

[Teel James Glenn]

I know many of the writers out there will want to kill me, but I eat like a horse with no guilt when writing, but I also make myself workout at least once an hour while at the keyboard--get up, chin up or pushup or some such for five minutes or more--I find it actually helps me write--sort of gets the blood going. I find at the end of the day I have the best of both worlds (since exercise bores me senseless) so I do the carrot and stick thing to myself...:)
Teel

[Donna Sundblad]

You know T. J. I think that can work for me. I did do--now don't laugh--I did do three push ups one day last week, along with some squats, leg lifts and such. That once an hour thing could work for me. I too find exercise can get boring once it becomes routine.

Great idea, thanks.

Donna

[Kathy Crouch]

Donna, I haven't dieted in several years and my body shows it.:-( . But i can relate it to my stopping smoking maybe? I have been smoke free for 3 years as of Oct 2007. I found the hardest time to not smoke was sitting here. Trying to write or do anything else on the computer- I wanted a cigarette, so now it is the crackers, animal cookies, whatever. Instead of exercising I sit here. I spend 40 hours a week in a convenience store aka gas station. I end up at my computer all day on the two days I am off. I know I need to eat right and excercise but I am so worn out I can't seem to find the energy to do any excerise. Kathy

[Donna Sundblad]

Isn't that the catch 22, Kathy? When we do exercise it will eventually give us more energy. That's what they say anyhow. So it's habits, and habits can be broken and new ones established. Hear me giving myself this pep talk? Think it's working?

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone.

Donna

[Chiron O'Keefe]

Hmmmm.... A few years ago I found I had gained nearly thirty pounds. My joints ached. I was having night sweats (though I wasn't close to menopause). And to my shock I realized I couldn't sit cross-legged anymore. I became panicky and began working out and dieting.

What motivates me these days is my scale. I'm so paranoid about gaining that I keep a close eye. I make my own Ranch dressing with low-fat mayo and 2% milk and have huge salads once or twice a week. Yum-yum. With chunks of chicken and all my favorite veggies.

And I do buy those diet treats like Blue Bunny lowfat ice-cream cones. I allow myself one treat per night. I also stay away from salt and munch no-salt almonds. I realized that for some reason I can eat tons of those without gaining anything.

Good luck!!

--Chiron

PS... Dawne', Sandy is right. Weird is GREAT!

[Donna Sundblad]

Hi Chiron,

I eat a big salad almost every night with homemade dressing. I know my problem is munching during the day between lunch and dinner. I even have almonds--

As for the 30 pounds, I found it along with all the symptoms you described, but if you can do it, so can I. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience.

Donna

[Cassie Exline]

When I'm on deadline, I don't eat at all. It's write, write, write, edit, edit, hurt editor, rewrite, rewrite. lol