The Mental Health and Wellness Thread

[Flint Marko]

Everything JMC just said is dead-on. It sounds so simple and cliche, but eating, sleeping, and exercising right really is 80% of the battle.

 

[Flash525]

@spiderman2 , I agree with a lot of what @jmc has said in his post, regarding exercise though, especially if you don't have a lot of time (or even money) for the gym, I'd encourage you to download an app called 'Freeletics'.

I know I've mentioned this before on here, though unsure whether it was directed to you or not. Suffice to say, it's a bunch of set workouts (some are free, others you pay for - the free ones are varied enough) that includes the likes of squats, lunges, push-ups and burpees among other things. Everything you need to get into better shape.

Honestly. Some workouts are 10 minutes, some 30, some 45, depending on how you choose to set it up, but do it right, and you'll be sweating like a madman by the end of it, and you'll get a buzz too. I don't do it myself much at the moment cause I'm either out running, cycling or at the gym, but when I couldn't run (knee injury) or cycle (if it was raining/wet) the app was practically a saviour for my cardio fitness.

 

[jmc]

Get your **** together now @spiderman2. The longer you put this off the worse it will get.

 

[spiderman2]

@spiderman2 , I agree with a lot of what @jmc has said in his post, regarding exercise though, especially if you don't have a lot of time (or even money) for the gym, I'd encourage you to download an app called 'Freeletics'.

I know I've mentioned this before on here, though unsure whether it was directed to you or not. Suffice to say, it's a bunch of set workouts (some are free, others you pay for - the free ones are varied enough) that includes the likes of squats, lunges, push-ups and burpees among other things. Everything you need to get into better shape.

Honestly. Some workouts are 10 minutes, some 30, some 45, depending on how you choose to set it up, but do it right, and you'll be sweating like a madman by the end of it, and you'll get a buzz too. I don't do it myself much at the moment cause I'm either out running, cycling or at the gym, but when I couldn't run (knee injury) or cycle (if it was raining/wet) the app was practically a saviour for my cardio fitness.

I started trying to work out several months ago I need to do a better job keeping with it though. I will have a few weeks were I do good and than a week or two were I skip like 4 days.

 

[jmc]

Clean your fridge out immediately dude. Get some proper nutrients in your system.

 

[spiderman2]

I'm going to provide some tough love here as someone who's gone through **** like this. First things first, you need to get your health in order. Cut out the sugar immediately, and when I say immediately I mean as of right now. Not in a few days, not next week, not when you feel 'ready', do it now. A few years ago I went through a depression and a big part of what was screwing me over was what I was eating. You're using this junk food as a means to give your brain a dopamine hit because you're looking for something to make you happy, which in turns is affecting your body making you miserable, which in turn makes you turn to bad food again because that provides a brief dopamine hit. It's a vicious cycle.

First thing tomorrow, throw out every piece of bad food you have in your environment, go down to your local supermarket and by a bunch of fresh produce. Leans meats and vegetables, eggs, a little bit of dairy, and stay away from all grains. Right now your body is hooked on artificial flavours, and that is screwing with your mind. The sugars are also causing your sleeplessness because they providing too much energy in your system. This is going to be your first step.

next - your sleep. You need to work out a proper sleep schedule. You need at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Once you've workout your schedule here's what you need to do. One hour before your scheduled sleep time turn off all your electronic devices, phone, computers, tablet, TV, whatever it is, and turn off as many lights in your house as you can. Artificial light reduces the production of melatonin which is needed for sleep. This will start to teach your body that your bedtime is approaching. On top of that, sit in bed and read something, a book, a magazine, whatever. Reading at night with a low light will start to tire your eyes. If there's any issues with noise in your environment buy some ear plugs to eliminated the sound. Work out your sleep schedule and stick to it.

Third - exercise. You have to schedule time to work out. You don't have to become a gym junkie, you've just got to find enough time throughout the day to fit in 30-45 mins of exercise. If you can't do it all in one session, sprinkle it throughout the day in 5-10 mins sessions. Spend 5 mins doing pushups, 5 mins doing squats, then come back in 2-3 hours time and do 5 mins of lunges, 5 mins of star jumps, etc. Watch this dudes youtube channel: ATHLEAN-X™

Before you can do anything about your job, you have to clean these other areas up first. Your job may suck and you may want to find something better, but until you fix this other stuff first changing jobs isn't going to magically solve your problems. You have to do this do this other stuff first. Right now you are in a cycle, and if you don't actively try to break it now you're going to continue on ****ing up your health and sanity. We can't change it all at once, we have to pick and choose our battles one at a time. If you do these small steps first, you will start to feel better about yourself, which in turn mean your chances for improvement across other areas of your life will be enhanced, including your work.

You are not trapped, you just don't have the tools to work your way out of the problem. Right now, I'm giving you the tools. You have to start small and work your way up, and you have to say to yourself this is a long term plan. The plan, and I want you to write this down and stick it on your wall in big black letters - find a new job. But you've got to do this other stuff first. You're no good to a new employer if you haven't sorted this other stuff out first. This won't be solved overnight. You have a choice right now. Continue on this path, or start breaking the cycle. Do this now.

Its not the grains that I would say is a issue my issues is to often buying like ice cream, cookies, cake etc and when I do buy it I also eat a lot of it. So like if I buy ice cream instead of maybe having a bowl and than not having any more for seveal days I will have a bowl several nights in a row or I end up eating a really big serving of it and yes its the trying to fell good like you brought up. I hate vegetables could go the rest of my life with out it but I love fruit and so I have started making fruit vegetable smoothes some has than the fruit covers up the taste and taste great.

With sleep its not like lack of my eyes getting tired or any thing I just cant relax and turn my mind off and not doing any thing like a hour before bed would just like kill me. I just have way to much anxiety and when I do try to go to bed or it even gets late my mind just goes to crap I got to go back to work and waste another 9 hours of my life away the next day has right now ever day just fells like a waste of time I wish I could get back. I do need to get back into a rotuin though of going to bed at the same time that would help some to.

I have been trying to exercise I have a few weeks were I do it and a few weeks were I dont. I started trying to do it because its at least 30 minutes or so were I can get the chemicals that make you fell good and take away the depression felling even though like 10 minutes later I fell the same crap again.

About the job I known from the past that just simply getting a new job would fix things. I am not going to be happy un till I get a new job. When I am felling anxiety, depression 90% of the time its because of work and I get pissed off at work like a million times a day. I am 30 and before I started hating my job 7-8 years ago I had zero depression and almost never felt anxiety or any thing. The looking and looking and not getting a new job is just pissing me off more and more ever day.

 

[jmc]

Dude, I'm going to tell this to you straight, if you don't fix your intake of vegetables you're not going to get better. Fruit is fine but you need to force yourself into eating vegetables. If you don't cut the ****ing artificial sugar out of your diet now nothing is going to change. This is part of your problem. Trust me, I know what this **** does to make you feel anxious. Right now, you have to be your own parent.

 

[Flash525]

I started trying to work out several months ago I need to do a better job keeping with it though. I will have a few weeks were I do good and than a week or two were I skip like 4 days.

I have been trying to exercise I have a few weeks were I do it and a few weeks were I dont. I started trying to do it because its at least 30 minutes or so were I can get the chemicals that make you fell good and take away the depression felling even though like 10 minutes later I fell the same crap again.

How often were you exercising though? Sometimes too much can become ... too much. You need variation. Until you're at a point where you enjoy it, you don't need to exercise everyday.

I'm quite active, in fact, I do exercise everyday. I really ought to have a rest day once in a while, but I sometimes end up feeling lethargic if I do. I try and go to the gym twice a week, go for a cycle twice a week (usually weekends) and go running twice a week; that's typically my summer routine. I'll throw in the odd Freeletics workout if I'm a bit pushed for time one morning.

My winter workout tends to be an extra run and an extra gym session or two over the cycle (because cycling in the cold, wet and rain utterly sucks). If you worked out every other day, you'll be setting yourself up nicely. Exercise doesn't have to be a gym session or a run, it can be something as simple as a brisk walk, or even climbing some hills, swimming, etc; just something, and somewhere where you're not sat on your backside starring at a screen.

Its not the grains that I would say is a issue my issues is to often buying like ice cream, cookies, cake etc and when I do buy it I also eat a lot of it. So like if I buy ice cream instead of maybe having a bowl and than not having any more for seveal days I will have a bowl several nights in a row or I end up eating a really big serving of it and yes its the trying to fell good like you brought up. I hate vegetables could go the rest of my life with out it but I love fruit and so I have started making fruit vegetable smoothes some has than the fruit covers up the taste and taste great.

You have a sweet tooth, I can relate to that, however the trick is, quite simply, make it a treat. How? That's even simpler; don't buy any treats in, only ever have them out. If you don't buy them in, you can't gorge on them when you want that boost, and you'll eventually come around to not needing them. If you're out with friends, family or whatever, treat yourself to a slice of cake or an ice cream, but don't bring them into the house. Comfort foods are bad for us.

Regarding vegetables too, there's so much you can do with them;

• Bacon & Veg stir-fry
• Cauliflower and/or Broccoli cheese
• Carrot, Swede and Potato mash (with or without cheese, maybe add garlic and chives instead?)
• Pasta with Chicken, Peas and Sweetcorn? - Don't forget your canned tomatoes for the sauce
• Jacket Potato? There's ample choice of topping here from chilli, cheese & coleslaw, baked beans, coronation chicken or even tuna. Goes down well with a nice salad too.

There really is so much you can do with vegetables, I've barely scratched the surface.

 

[jmc]

Blend the bloody vegetables into a fruit juice if you have too. Carrots, broccoli, spinach, beetroot, kale, celery, some apple, orange, berries, ice, and mix it all together. Don't add any supermarket bought juice, just a little water. Do that twice a day. If you need to snack on something snack on nuts if you're not allergic, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, etc. Don't buy the nuts covered in salt, only the unsalted ones. Also, have 100% peanuts only peanut butter on standby. It's a decent substitute in case you don't have any lean protein around you and better than any confectionary.

 

[MissMarvelous]

Being an "emotional eater", myself, I can tell you that I really get what you mean about eating huge amounts of food. Mostly a lot of junk food, sandwiches, flour, candies.

Getting a new job is a good change but bear in mind that this also entails a lot of stress too. New things, new routine, new people, new systems, so it will take a while until you settle but eventually you will make it! You can do it.

As JMC said well before, eliminate the sugar-based food right now! Sugar is addictive so you need to let it go. Don't even buy it, that worked perfectly for me. Buy fresh fruit and veggies, meats, eggs, nuts, the good stuff. Take a pic of yourself, print it and put it in your refrigerator door, so everytime you go to check "what can I eat now?", you see what you want to leave behind.

What also worked for me was baby steps. If your goal is to loose weight in the process, start with 5 kilos, then add 5 more, and so on and so forth.

 

[spiderman2]

Being an "emotional eater", myself, I can tell you that I really get what you mean about eating huge amounts of food. Mostly a lot of junk food, sandwiches, flour, candies.

Getting a new job is a good change but bear in mind that this also entails a lot of stress too. New things, new routine, new people, new systems, so it will take a while until you settle but eventually you will make it! You can do it.

As JMC said well before, eliminate the sugar-based food right now! Sugar is addictive so you need to let it go. Don't even buy it, that worked perfectly for me. Buy fresh fruit and veggies, meats, eggs, nuts, the good stuff. Take a pic of yourself, print it and put it in your refrigerator door, so everytime you go to check "what can I eat now?", you see what you want to leave behind.

What also worked for me was baby steps. If your goal is to loose weight in the process, start with 5 kilos, then add 5 more, and so on and so forth.

Its interesting some people say when they are stressed they eat less. I am still eating like a normal 3 meals a day and a small snack. So its not that I am eating big meals or snacking all day or any thing but its the darn sugar. I have been stressed out of my mind for like 7-8 years and at first I didn't crave sugar all the time but I think because its been so long being stressed out and felling depression that its now taking a toal and making me crave the sugar. I just dont known how to deal with the depression and anxenity any more and keep turning to the sugar. Losing weight is hard and its easier for some people. Before i started trying to exercise even if i went like a month having zero fast food and like no ice cream, cookies etc i would lose maybe 2lbs and I do need to lose weight I am about 30 lbs over weight and when I am like 200+ I tend to have much worse heart burn. I am at like 215 right now. So I do need to exercise has just eating good I dont really lose weight has my metabilis is just not good enough to lose weight with out exercising. But at the same time yeah if I am exercising but still eating a lot of sugar I am not going to lose weight either. The sugar stress eating might make me fell better for a few minutes or so and I do crave it but I known sugar dont satifiled either has when I do eat it I also than crave it like even more than when I dont.

 

[MissMarvelous]

I would, and I'm speaking from my own experience, go to the doctor and take as many medical tests as required. Given that you are a big guy, have some extra pounds AND the sugar intake, you may wanna check your sugar levels / possible diabetes, which is a serious thing.

Before i started trying to exercise even if i went like a month having zero fast food and like no ice cream, cookies etc i would lose maybe 2lbs

This is OK, every body has a different response to exercise. Also, the trick is NOT stop eating, you just need to control the amount and the space between meals and snacks, no more than 3 hours between each other, is what I've been advised.

 

[jmc]

Mate, your taste buds are hooked on the sugar which is helping to cause this cycle. You have to break this cycle. You know what the root of your depression is, it’s your job. That’s the root. But the food and diet is the biggest factor in this. If you don’t draw that line in the sand and say ‘enough’ you won’t get anywhere. The sugar is helping cause the very anxiety and depression you’re going through. I know this, I’ve gone through this. You probably don’t even know how good food can actually taste when you eliminate the processed foods, so here’s your goal. If you are serious about change you have to put it down in writing in this thread - you have to commit to fixing your diet now in digital ink in order to hold yourself to account.

By writing that commitment down in this thread you’re making a public statement to yourself and to everyone else that you’re going to turn yourself into the best possible version of yourself, one that that is written for the world to see. If you need support then you can post in here and people will give advice. At the moment you’re not even acknowledging the benefits that this lifestyle change is going to bring. You will be more energetic, you will feel better and your anxiety and depression will decrease. Right now, your afraid that if you eliminate your main source of dopamine you’ll slip further into depression. The exact opposite will happen if you follow the advice people are giving you. In the words of a once and powerful Jedi - There is no try, only do. So do yourself a favour - commit to change right here in this very thread. Acknowledge the benefits you’ll get from making this change, and start planning for that change in career. Every day you make a post explaining your situation is a day you’re wasting. Stop making excuses as to why you can’t and start planning for how you can.

 

[jmc]

What’s your choice mate?

 

[jmc]

What’s happening dude?

 

[Lighthouse]

I've been going to therapy now for about 12 weeks, and I have to say it's really been helping. My therapist has been helping me through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which is a branch of Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. It's got a big emphasis on being willing to accept and feel negative emotions fully, because trying to avoid them actually amplifies them.

It also emphasizes meditation, separating you from your thoughts, and living in the present. I've come to realize that a lot of things I prioritized in the past have no guarantee of making me happy, my feelings of failure are rooted back to obscure standards that I set up in my own mind, and that my thoughts from my "word machine" are not always true. I can't control my circumstances. I can't cure my end stage renal disease or the toxic way societies warp our values and priorities, but I can change how I think of them and find purpose and peace in the now.

I'm not all better now, it's still a work in progress, but just taking the step to try and get help took a huge amount of the stress off my shoulders.

 

[Lighthouse]

Mate, your taste buds are hooked on the sugar which is helping to cause this cycle. You have to break this cycle. You know what the root of your depression is, it’s your job. That’s the root. But the food and diet is the biggest factor in this. If you don’t draw that line in the sand and say ‘enough’ you won’t get anywhere. The sugar is helping cause the very anxiety and depression you’re going through. I know this, I’ve gone through this. You probably don’t even know how good food can actually taste when you eliminate the processed foods, so here’s your goal. If you are serious about change you have to put it down in writing in this thread - you have to commit to fixing your diet now in digital ink in order to hold yourself to account.

By writing that commitment down in this thread you’re making a public statement to yourself and to everyone else that you’re going to turn yourself into the best possible version of yourself, one that that is written for the world to see. If you need support then you can post in here and people will give advice. At the moment you’re not even acknowledging the benefits that this lifestyle change is going to bring. You will be more energetic, you will feel better and your anxiety and depression will decrease. Right now, your afraid that if you eliminate your main source of dopamine you’ll slip further into depression. The exact opposite will happen if you follow the advice people are giving you. In the words of a once and powerful Jedi - There is no try, only do. So do yourself a favour - commit to change right here in this very thread. Acknowledge the benefits you’ll get from making this change, and start planning for that change in career. Every day you make a post explaining your situation is a day you’re wasting. Stop making excuses as to why you can’t and start planning for how you can.

Some good advice here, but I don't think it addresses the root of the problem. The "pull up by the bootstraps and do it" approach only treats the symptoms and not the cause. The root problem here isn't the weight, it's how you think about yourself. If you think you're a ****ty person and a failure, exercise and diet will be limited in it's effectiveness. Getting the right job and losing the weight might make you feel better, but the way of thinking remains. All things can be taken away from you: you're job, you're family, you're relationships; you're body(in my case), but you can always change how you deal with them.

spiderman2, you need professional therapy. Defintely improve diet and exercise, it really does help, but you NEED professional therapy. Put your effort into finding a good therapist and make that decision to go. For two years, I sat at home and wallowed in my own misery. I can't work because I don't have working kidneys, and dialysis drains me physically, emotionally and financially. I had pretty much given up. Making the choice to get help was very hard, I put it off for YEARS, but its helped immearusably. It's not going to be perfect, it's going to take time, and there WILL BE SETBACKS, and you'll probably have to do it the rest of your life, but that's part of the process and once you make that decision to go and talk to someone, I really think you'll start to improve. Good luck, man.

 

[jmc]

The diet is the one thing Spiderman2 can fix immediately though. Of course there are other issues to overcome if it's gotten to this stage. But the diet is going to go a long way to alleviating some of the distress and lead to improvement. I agree with you on the CBT therapy though. Once you know where the root of your emotional responses are and what is likely to trigger them you're able to better manage a healthier response to said triggers.

 

[spiderman2]

How often were you exercising though? Sometimes too much can become ... too much. You need variation. Until you're at a point where you enjoy it, you don't need to exercise everyday.

I'm quite active, in fact, I do exercise everyday. I really ought to have a rest day once in a while, but I sometimes end up feeling lethargic if I do. I try and go to the gym twice a week, go for a cycle twice a week (usually weekends) and go running twice a week; that's typically my summer routine. I'll throw in the odd Freeletics workout if I'm a bit pushed for time one morning.

My winter workout tends to be an extra run and an extra gym session or two over the cycle (because cycling in the cold, wet and rain utterly sucks). If you worked out every other day, you'll be setting yourself up nicely. Exercise doesn't have to be a gym session or a run, it can be something as simple as a brisk walk, or even climbing some hills, swimming, etc; just something, and somewhere where you're not sat on your backside starring at a screen.

You have a sweet tooth, I can relate to that, however the trick is, quite simply, make it a treat. How? That's even simpler; don't buy any treats in, only ever have them out. If you don't buy them in, you can't gorge on them when you want that boost, and you'll eventually come around to not needing them. If you're out with friends, family or whatever, treat yourself to a slice of cake or an ice cream, but don't bring them into the house. Comfort foods are bad for us.

Regarding vegetables too, there's so much you can do with them;

• Bacon & Veg stir-fry
• Cauliflower and/or Broccoli cheese
• Carrot, Swede and Potato mash (with or without cheese, maybe add garlic and chives instead?)
• Pasta with Chicken, Peas and Sweetcorn? - Don't forget your canned tomatoes for the sauce
• Jacket Potato? There's ample choice of topping here from chilli, cheese & coleslaw, baked beans, coronation chicken or even tuna. Goes down well with a nice salad too.

There really is so much you can do with vegetables, I've barely scratched the surface.

I have been trying to work out like 5 times a weeks and take two days off. I will do good for a few weeks and than have a few weeks were I do worse. Lol enjoy working out that is funny. I hate exercising un less I am playing basketball or something other wise it just fells like a chore and is just boring have never liked working out un less I am playing a sport. I got a total gym and a elliptical and I try to do one day leg on total gym than upper on it next day than next day cordio on the elliptical. I got the elliptical and the total gym because I am much more likely to work out if I can do it than if I go to a gym. Gyms are not cheap and being able to exercise while I watch tv that I want makes me much more likely to do it and I fell like I have zero free time has my life is like work, looking for work, home work and school so going to the gym and than like getting home late I am likely not going to do. So having more like a home gym is my best option but yeah I hate working out always have. I have asthempa to makes it hard has I can only work out so much before I like just cant breath. The working out makes me fell better while I am doing it and getting the chemical reaction that comes with exercising in my brain but only about 5 minutes after I fell the same again. So it only helps me to fell better for the 50 minutes or so I am working out. I have not had a sweat in like 3 days and I am craving it so bad just so hard to not give in to the temptation when you are craving it 24.7. Before I was depressed/stressed I only craved sweats once in a while and going like a week with out something wasn't to hard known like 1 day is torcher. When I say vegtibles I really mean I cant stand them.

Blend the bloody vegetables into a fruit juice if you have too. Carrots, broccoli, spinach, beetroot, kale, celery, some apple, orange, berries, ice, and mix it all together. Don't add any supermarket bought juice, just a little water. Do that twice a day. If you need to snack on something snack on nuts if you're not allergic, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, etc. Don't buy the nuts covered in salt, only the unsalted ones. Also, have 100% peanuts only peanut butter on standby. It's a decent substitute in case you don't have any lean protein around you and better than any confectionary.

I said that is what I have started doing is doing furit and vegitble smoothies like blue berries with spinach type of thing is the only way I can like stand it.

Some good advice here, but I don't think it addresses the root of the problem. The "pull up by the bootstraps and do it" approach only treats the symptoms and not the cause. The root problem here isn't the weight, it's how you think about yourself. If you think you're a ****ty person and a failure, exercise and diet will be limited in it's effectiveness. Getting the right job and losing the weight might make you feel better, but the way of thinking remains. All things can be taken away from you: you're job, you're family, you're relationships; you're body(in my case), but you can always change how you deal with them.

spiderman2, you need professional therapy. Defintely improve diet and exercise, it really does help, but you NEED professional therapy. Put your effort into finding a good therapist and make that decision to go. For two years, I sat at home and wallowed in my own misery. I can't work because I don't have working kidneys, and dialysis drains me physically, emotionally and financially. I had pretty much given up. Making the choice to get help was very hard, I put it off for YEARS, but its helped immearusably. It's not going to be perfect, it's going to take time, and there WILL BE SETBACKS, and you'll probably have to do it the rest of your life, but that's part of the process and once you make that decision to go and talk to someone, I really think you'll start to improve. Good luck, man.

I dont belive in therapy has its not going to change the situation, and its 100% situation that is causing this, and I belive siatuations causes depression but I known that scientific that is wrong but to me depression is 100% situational just like you dont laugh for no reason or smily for no reason. Depression is like extreme sadness its a emotion and emotions are caused by situations/things that happend. I never understood how some one that is like ritch and has there health could be depressed I dont get it its like you have nothing to worry about? But I guess some people do fell depressed for no real reason and that it is like a chemical inbalance in the brain but I just dont get it. Just got another rejection email for a job today and its just like of course why do I even try, and kt just pisses me off, and makes me bitter, and I am naturely not a patchent person at all, and this whole thing is really testing my patchents. I understand like with stress and emotion eating what like they mean when they say what are your triggers that cause it and to advoied them but when its a job that you are at like 40 hours a week you cant really advoied it than. Oh man I am sorry about your kidneys and dialysis. How long have you been dealing with that? Any improvements.

 

[spiderman2]

The diet is the one thing Spiderman2 can fix immediately though. Of course there are other issues to overcome if it's gotten to this stage. But the diet is going to go a long way to alleviating some of the distress and lead to improvement. I agree with you on the CBT therapy though. Once you know where the root of your emotional responses are and what is likely to trigger them you're able to better manage a healthier response to said triggers.

The diet I am trying to get a handle on because I fell like my job is slowly killing me because of the stress/anxentiy it is causing me and has long has I am at my crappy job I cant control those things were diet and weight I can some what control on the other hand.

 

[X Knight]

@spiderman2 I hope you can find a better/less stressful job. and I agree with others about the diet. it is something you have control over. and if nothing else, try to cut out the sugars and sweets - those are the worst for your health but they are also the most addictive.

If you crave something sweet, try to eat some fruit instead. though be careful about too much fruit, as it's still sugar. I found eating something like unsweetened applesauce for dessert as a way to satisfy my sweet tooth instead of eating cookies or cake or ice cream.

if you normally eat sweets everyday, you can try limiting it to just 3 times a week, then 2 times, then just 1 time.

you can also try plain, raw, dark chocolate bars, but aim for a high coco/cacao level like 70-80%. the higher the level, the more bitter/stronger the flavor is. But because of this, it makes it harder to "overeat" dark chocolate, imo. and you just need to break off 2-4 pieces of the chocolate bar. that will go a long way and help to satisfy your sweet tooth. again, just eat a few pieces in moderation and try to limit it to once or twice a week.

I know how hard it is to change diet, especially when it comes to sweets and sugar. You become addicted to that stuff ( along with all the carbs, bread, etc. ). And when you are stressed out, it leads to emotional eating of the bad stuff for "comfort" or "energy."

The past 2 years have been extremely stressful for me due to personal and family issues. during that time, I scarfed down sweets like nobody's business and ate lots of junk and fast food. It was quick and convenient, and I know the stuff is bad for you but it's stress/emotional/comfort eating. I had even given up drinking soda/pop for the past 4 years, but this past May and June, I broke that streak and started drinking pop again.

I gained about 12-15 pounds in just the past year and I weighed the heaviest I had ever been.

Now, though, I am making changes to my diet and lifestyle and I have vowed to move on from the stressful/sad period and make positive changes in my life. I've started on the Paleo/Primal diet. It's very restrictive and I'm only on my second week, but already have lost 4 lbs. So, I'm going to try to stick with it. I am also starting to exercise again, but instead of lifting weights and chronic cardio, I am focusing on functional fitness that helps you move better.

Plus, following this new diet and exercise approach may even open up a new career path for me. If I can turn my life around, then I think I'd like to help others do the same. So, I am starting to look into becoming a personal trainer/coach down the road. Which at least gives me some purpose where I was unsure about my purpose in life previously.

I wish you luck in your efforts @spiderman2. If you need someone to talk to, I am here for you, as are the other Hypsters here.

 

[X Knight]

also, I will add, when changing diets, you can also try to make small, healthier changes here and there which add up.

For example, order grilled chicken instead of fried. Instead of fries or onion rings or chips as a side, try to get apple slices or a side salad. If at a fancier restaurant, ask for non-fried veggies as the side.

Instead of soda or sugary drinks, ask for unsweetened ice tea ( which usually has 0 calories ) if water is too boring.

like to eat burgers and sandwiches all the time? try eating just the meat part without the buns/bread. wrap the meat in lettuce instead.

try filling up your plate with more veggies, which will help fill you up so you'll eat less of the "bad stuff" like the fries and chips.

 

[X Knight]

and when you are trying to resist the junk, sweets, and bad food, before you give into temptation, ask yourself do you currently look good in the mirror? do you currently feel good?

if not, think of how you want to look and feel ( slimmer, more energy, etc. ) and ask yourself is this cookie or candy bar or soda drink going to help me achieve that goal? Is it really worth it?

it takes will power to change your diet and lifestyle and resist the temptation of all the crap food that's out there. but keeping that "end goal" in mind and visualizing it can help.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

 

[jmc]

The diet I am trying to get a handle on because I fell like my job is slowly killing me because of the stress/anxentiy it is causing me and has long has I am at my crappy job I cant control those things were diet and weight I can some what control on the other hand.

You've got to take care of things one step at a time. Diet is paramount. Second is your sleep patterns. This is something I want you to try also - meditation. I'm willing to bet right now part of the anxiety is because there's a bunch of chatter you can't control, probably related to your job. You have to learn to clear the chatter from your mind. Even if you don't have much chatter mediation will help you develop the skill of remaining calm in situations that are likely to cause an anxiety attack. Mindfulness, being present in the moment, acknowledging what you're feeling and learning how to respond to said situation in a healthy way. There's plenty of youtube videos that cover this, too many to recommend. But I suggest trying to do mediation for at least 20-30 mins each day. Like exercise the more you learn to be mindful of what you're feeling at a given time, the better equipped you'll be to respond to the situation in a way that isn't distressing.

Also, get yourself a hobby. You need to have some type of activity that is as far away from work as you can possible get. Said activity will help release dopamine into your system, making you feel better. If you're the creative type I can recommend some activities online you can do. I'm not saying any of this to be harsh or anything, I've gone through this type of thing before and know the way out of it. So do yourself a favour, start making these changes now. And most importantly - be kind to yourself. Try and look at the positives that you've got going for yourself. Remember what your goals and values are and what qualities you bring to the world. Commit now and you'll eventually get out of that job you hate. You can do it dude.