Stress affects eating

People handle stress in different ways but one fairly universal manifestation of stress is an impact on eating. For some it may mean skipping meals, for others it may be overconsuming junk, but however it's handled, stress inevitably leads to an imbalance in eating behavior. One way I know that I've had a stressful, overscheduled week is to look back at what I ate. For example, last week on Thursday I had a bag of popcorn as my lunch. I was juggling a bunch of projects at once and couldn't stop to take a break so grabbed a bag of popcorn (luckily it was light) and it ended up being my lunch. It was pretty much the caloric equivalent at 500 calories so I didn't do major damage, which could've happened if I'd grabbed chips or cookies instead. Most of my week was similar with grabbing this or that and failing to sit down to enjoy any meal at all. I could probably count the number of vegetables I had the whole week on one hand, which is really unusual for me. Luckily, things got back on track by the weekend and I had more acceptable meals that included some fruits and veggies.
Thinking about my week, it's easy to see how stress and "having too much on your plate" so to speak can lead to a downward spiral of overeating and weight gain. It's important to address stress and time management issues and find ways to "lighten the load, as in stuff to do" as we try to address eating and how to "lighten the load, as in pounds." Becoming aware of what you're putting in your mouth, how that's affected by everything else going on in your life, and a strategy for managing the stress is a good step towards a more healthful lifestyle. I've found just telling others about what's happening and how you're feeling can help in finding a creative solution to time crunches. Someone else may volunteer to watch your kids or run an errand for you, for example.
This week I have a plan so it doesn't happen again. I'm going to take a set 20 minute lunch break each day sometime between 12 and 1 - as a mom, I've learned I've got to be a little flexible with the schedule - and I have the whole wheat bread, turkey breast and baby carrots all ready to go. I'll let you know how it goes.