Thursday, September 12, 2013

What To Eat?

To get a phone call or anything telling you something has happened to someone close to you is very devastating & stressful.

My sisters & I have always said how blessed we have been to have not really lost anyone close before what we believed should be their time.  Grandparents were around til they got older, etc. 

Getting a text saying Dad was in trouble in ICU was very stressful.  While my first thoughts were on him & how can we swing a flight up there & me leaving my family for a time, I knew I had to be there.  My husband was very understanding. 

Before I left I realized I had no idea what I would be eating while away.  I had just gone shopping & grabbed lots of Uberbars (my fave lately) and nuts.  My sis & I made sure we had water whenever we could get it as well.  The cafeteria offered good choices but you had to look for them.  Oatmeal in the am and eggs was my choice breakfast but we typically didn't eat again until dinner.  That's when the nut bars, nuts & any fresh fruit we could find came in handy.  We drank as much water as we could as well. 

We all deal with stress differently.  My sister was incredible with finding out all the information she could about what was happening.  The nurses with our Dad were very accommodating.  She was then able to route that information to her husband who is an RN & he could tell us what exactly we needed to know (and for me he was able to put it in very simple terms (: ) 

Saturday felt like a good day for Dad & we went back to the hotel on a little bit of a high.  We stopped for dinner take out from Olive Garden (have you had their salad with the GF salmon?  GREAT choice & oh so filling!).  Being that I try to respect my husband's wishes in not running alone my sis said she would come with me to the fitness room & walk while I ran.  That is the way I deal with stress.  I workout.  I felt giddy just thinking about getting there & running.  I couldn't get over how much I looked forward to it.  I did a HIIT workout on their treadmill & was able to eat & sleep well that night.  It's a good thing.  We woke up to a huge crisis my Dad was going through.  I needed that release the night before and was very glad I took it. 

Now,  I have comfort foods.  Unfortunately (well, fortunately) there wasn't much of what I like there (gluten free bread, chocolate, etc).  We did stop for our fave coffees that helped us to just feel a tad bit better about things :)  Even then I found another alternative at the cafeteria that I could use and my sis benefited from it too.

I realize everyone deals with things in their own way.  I think I have been doing this long enough that my brain just looks for other options that will give me that same feeling but is healthier for me in the long run.  On the other hand, I will not (and you shouldn't either) beat myself up over some comfort food you had in a stressful time. 

I get a clean slate tomorrow.  I'm thankful for that & I will take it!!

Tell me - how do you deal with stress?  Are you a comfort eater?  Do you turn to exercise or shut down?  I would really love to know.

Be Blessed & Healthy!!

1 comment:

  1. I'm not sure this is exactly what you mean...But I sometimes crave chips, Doritos, and those sorts of snacks. I have a deal with myself that I can indulge in those on New Year's Eve. So anytime throughout the year I crave those types of things I just tell myself to wait till New Year's. It sounds silly, but it works for me. Last year was the first time I did that. Funny thing was, when I actually indulged I found I didn't really want that much of it. In the past, before I began eating healthier and working out, I could sit and eat that stuff by the bagful. Now just a little of it and I am satisfied, almost not really liking it once I have it. Praise God for that! But, like I said I do get the cravings sometimes. Anyway, it works for me to handle those times like this.

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