Stress Is the Word

 It’s been an “interesting” week of eating, and I use that term loosely. I lost six pounds at the scale at this week’s CAPP Beach Biggest Losers competition. I should be thrilled. And if it were only about the number, I would be.

But I’m not, and here’s why. I had a very difficult week personally, filled with parenting stress. And this wasn’t just the “work is busy and life is busy and I don’t have a minute to cook so I'll just eat cookies" stress. This was genuine, honest-to-goodness, “I can’t take any more and I can’t keep down anything I eat” stress. It was horrible, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

So the question now becomes, how do I maintain that kind of loss, in a healthy way, without having to deal with the extreme stress that comes with it? I know exercise is one way to do it, and I will say that my boot camp classes and my time at the gym have been my saving grace. Physical activity really does help when you need to let off steam or just have time to think. Anything from taking a walk to lifting weights qualifies here.

I’d also like to use this space to thank the other members of the Biggest Losers group who attended Saturday morning’s weigh-in and listened to me.  Everything you said to me was very helpful. And thanks especially to April, who weighed me in and committed to paper that six-pound number…it was good to hear, even if it was for all the wrong reasons.