Moving, Tornadoes, and other Stress is Affecting My Diet Topic

KristinaHarr 04/30/21
Sorry this is gonna be really long.

Hi! I’m new here. Been using MyNetDiary for a little less than a month now, but haven’t introduced myself to the community yet. Anyway, I am trying to lose a little bit of weight but one thing that makes it hard is that I have GERD. I already eat very healthy, for instance I don’t do gluten as I’m sensitive and I don’t do most dairy products except yogurt, and I lots of fresh fruits and veggies and water every day and rarely ever indulge in treats or go out to eat. I cook almost every meal at home, everyday for my husband and I, from scratch (most of the time). But because of my GERD (I’ve had acid reflux since birth, it was not due to poor lifestyle), I can only eat small amounts at a time, and whenever I get stressed out, my stomach hurts even more. And when my stomach hurts I can’t eat. I recently found out two things, one, that I was protein deficient, and two, that the reason I was not losing weight (I’ve been the same weight for about 4 years now, but thankfully haven’t gained as I eat healthy food and exercise), is because I was not eating ENOUGH food. And apparently overtime that can cause several problems, including weight gain/being unable to loose weight, and further aggravating other issues like my GERD, among other things. At first I almost felt sick trying to eat all 1800 calories every day, but it has gotten easier with time. So anyway I’ve gotten better about that and abut including more protein in my diet. However one thing that still gets me is stress. It hurts my stomach, aggravates my GERD, interrupts my sleep cycle, and makes me want to eat too little as I can’t eat when I’m stressed. But by the time I have calmed down enough to eat I then eat a meal that is too much calories now, which I’d don’t use to do, now that I’ve gotten used to eating more for about a month. Lately the biggest stressors for me have been moving across the country with my husband, leaving all my family and friends (and support network) behind, living on our own in our own place for the first time (we are young and been married only a couple years), trying to conceive, and most of all......tornados. Ever since we moved to Alabama, tornados have become a thing for us. Ever since I first learned what tornados were and saw pictures and vids of them, I have been scared to death of them. Literally! As in, when I have nightmares in my sleep, it usually involves a bunch of tornados coming at me from all sides, while I am feeling trapped as I stare at them all from the top story of a tall building, which has glass windows everywhere instead of walls. So you can imagine how it’s been going ever since we moved back in February, right before spring, which is prime tornado season over here. Although they can happen anytime if the year. And hurricanes as well during mid to late summer. So yeah. Every time we have had a storm day with severe weather watch, I have been super stressed out. It’s been affecting me in the way I described above, in regards to stress and my diet. What are some ways I can mitigate this stress? I really need help.

Dietician 04/30/21 replied to KristinaHarr
Hi KristinaHarr- Sorry to hear you are struggling! Moving and health issues as well and tornados are all big things! Make sure to cut yourself some slack. You are dealing with a lot.
Sometimes the act of tracking continuously can be helpful when you are going through a lot of stress. Our food choices and keeping track are one thing in our lives we have control over!
I am sure you will get lots of suggestions from others- though here are a few tips to get your started.
1. Stress can make it harder to lose weight and impact our stomachs. Here is an article that addresses the connection: https://www.mynetdiary.com/brain-and-gut-connection.html
Here are some healthy tips for managing stress so it doesn't sabotage your weight loss: https://www.mynetdiary.com/healthy-ways-to-deal-with-stress.html
Here's some info on GERD: https://www.mynetdiary.com/is-your-heartburn-getting-worse-tis-the-season.html

Please keep us updated on your progress! All the best, Joanna (MyNetDiary Dietitian)

KristinaHarr 04/30/21
Thank you for the tips and insight, Joanna. I appreciate it.

Dietician 05/04/21 replied to KristinaHarr
Hi KristinaHarr- Happy to help! How's your week so far? Joanna

Moving, Tornadoes, and other Stress is Affecting My Diet