Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Not really. But close. Noticing elevated stress levels. I've been stress eating and sleepling very little. What suggestions can you give me? Especially with regards to my eating habits....And, please, lets be realistic here and not tell me to munch on "healthy stuff" because part of the reason people "mood" eat is to boost seratonin levels in the brain for a "high" that acts like a drug...
a temporary drug in the form of chocolate, simple carbs, etc...

My stress issues are being addressed...what can I do in the meantime to eliminatee poor eating habits???

Hola madre.

YOU ask US? Hey, you're the pro in psychological help! Read your own post in the drug-addiction thread i suggest

Maybe you can try and eat more complex carbs, this will keep your glucose level in the blood steady and reduce hunger attacks. And fresh fruits and veggies raise the spirit, it's true!
A little discipline won't hurt, either And to tell yourself everytime you're facing a tub "Is it really good for me? Do i want to eat it?" If the answers are yes, then go ahead and eat it, but slow and with pleasure (and without a bad conscience!). After every bite ask yourself if you've had enough, if you're satisfied or not. Delay the time between the bites.

And don't be hard on yourself after eating one or two tubs. Analyze why you ate them and think on it, and remember the reasons why you wanted to stop eating tubs all the time.

What tubs are you talking about, by the way? Tin tubs? I found quite a few translations for tubs.
bathtub; bath tub; {pl} bath tubs
butter tub; {pl} butter tubs
twin-tub
shower tub
square tub

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No one said it would be easy.

I ask myself when I feel like just eating junk food, will this help me get stronger or set me back. I know reason will not help when you are feeling really stressed and low so somehow if you can deny access to these things you dont want to eat but replace them might be a way to force different behavior. Remember madre the desire for junk food is a conditioned response. You can recondition yourself if you can just find a new way to cope with stress and eat healthy foods like fruit and veggies. But sometimes you just eat some junk. For example this weekend I am looking forward to making those bicuits and gravy you posted. Only problem is saving some b/c I think i'll eat everything I make. Take care madre.

veganmadre,

sorry you are so stressed out. MAN i can totally relate to stress eating. I am notorious for it.

Before I was vegan, every time I was stressed out I would eat a piece of cake with blue icing. had to be blue. something about the blue.

this has been by the far hardest thing for me to kick, and I am still not always 100 % successful.

i think Brian is on to something about the "reconditioning"bit, although I know that that is WAY easier said than done.

sorry i was no help to you whatsoever

Thank you all for your empathy and suggestions! I made a huge pot of veggie soup today and endulged guiltlessly! CollegeB, you are on the money with the reconditioning. I've amazed myself with my ability to continue an exercise regime through all of this intense stress (I used to quit when i "sensed" stress on the horizon). Food is sparce in my house as well, right now, so it's minimizing food hording....I'm going to focus seriously on reconditioning - My major issue is that one way that I "destress" is by cooking. It's an artisitic outlet for me. I should get into photography or something else to avoid overeating...Blah Blah. How's that for an internal counseling session, daywalker???

With re: to type of tub - Daywalker, get your head outta da toilet and look. You'll figure it out. (don't blame the stressed girl for bad jokes...at least she is trying! _

I don't know if this helps at all.....

When I am stressed I do push-ups and sit-ups, I write rap songs so my mind is focused on rhyming lyrics and thinks about nothing else.

I think of inspirational quotes, things that keep me going, keep me focused and make me think about each choice I make.

When I eat, I eat broccoli, beans, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, nuts, fruits, etc.

If I want a "treat" I go for fruit. I'm not big on sweets, although I like chocolate as much as the next person.

I think Robbie, Daywalker, Mike and a few others know what it's like to restrict diet to only specific foods for weeks or months at a time. When we prepare for bodybuilding competitions to get in the shape we are in for many of the photos you see of us, we restrict our diet for many many weeks and control our cravings for sweet stuff and junk foods. We just focus the big picture and realize the steps we have to take in points a,b,c etc, to get to point z, a finished product.

So I've been down that road of rather than going for the sweets and treats, going for the healthy eats......but I know you don't want to hear that.

So maybe some of those other things will help?? light or intense exercise when stressed, think of motivational/inspriational stuff, write, think, and sometimes I sleep (not as much as I wish, but I had a nice nap today).

Anyway, maybe some helps, maybe not, but I gotta get going to bed.

Take care,

Robert

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Check out my Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness Book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuildin ... 497&sr=1-1

A couple of things you can do. One is to think what happens if you continue that behaviour. Say you eat something bad today, so tomorrow you get that stress again, so do it again, then, that continues, how will you feel/look in 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, that's exactly how obese people become obese, they don't visualise, then take action to correct things before the problems become, a vile habit.
The second & more positive suggestion is to plan your cheat meals. Once or maybe twice a week, you can have a meal of whatever crap you want. So, say you really want that ice cream or chocolate on Monday, instead of going "No, I can never eat one of those tempting lovelies again ", you can go "Alright, you are safe for now, but on Thursday evening you are mine ". As you've planned the meal, there's no guilt, no worries either & it can reenforce a weakening will. You can also plan cheat meals for special nights out, visiting people, BBQ's etc, so you don't have to be the one eating the celery stick while everyone else has the veggie sausages
You don't have to go on one of those crazy Bodybuilders diets just to get & stay lean ( a quick Tee Hee to Robert & Alex-the daywalker ). Just aim at clean eating most of the time, but allow yourself the odd treat in a controlled way, that way you'll have the best of both worlds, a lean body & guilt-free treat munching

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Pete
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Ate a tub of what - I eat tubs of soy delicious all the time... I think it depends on what the tub is.. a tub of cream cheese or something might be bad:)