Stress Eating

Wow!  Amazing what stress can do to the body and eating habits!  Last week, my husband has had a series of interviews with a company in California.  We think this could lead to a move to California.  Although that is exciting, I have been slowly progressing towards a BSN, and currently sit on the alternate list for the accelerated program at Regis University.  If I get in, I would be done in a year, and hopefully a registered nurse.  This will all change if we move to California. 

Besides the stress of possibly having to redo all the research on nursing schools and maybe take more prerequisites, I started a new job as a CNA last week into this week.  A friend of mine helped me get this job, and I'm worried about making her look bad if I end up having to quit for the move.  Also, I'm nervous about simply making her look bad by not living up to the expectations she has already set for me by telling my boss how awesome I am. 

So, how does this play in to nutrition?  Well, there are many ways.
1.  Stress is easier to manage when one is eating healthier.
2.  When I'm stressed, I don't sleep well; therefore, I'm exhausted, which I in turn compensate for by consuming tons of sugar.  This leads to inflammation within my body that keeps me from exercising.  The lack of exercise causes me to gain weight (not to mention the release of stress hormones adding to the weight gain) and leads me to be depressed.  With depression comes lethargy sometimes, and I continue doing nothing active.  To try & pull myself out of it, I consume sugar and carbohydrates for that rush of happiness only to crash a little while later.    Needless to say, it becomes a vicious cycle. 

So, what am I going to do about it?  I'm looking at various "diets (eating habits)." My husband on his quest to be the best runner has tried a variety of these behaviors.  As he tries them, I too join in the attempts.  Unfortunately, I have never stuck to one.  However, I think for the purpose of this blog, I will attempt each "diet" for about 30days.  A friend recently created a Salad challenge for 30days starting 1 April 2014.  The idea is to have salad for one meal each day.  Until the start of that challenge, I will continue to document my current behaviors and feelings to have a basis of comparison.  Maybe I will eventually truly kick on the mountain dew addiction that has held on to me for so long!