I don’t know what it is, but there’s definitely something weird going on. Maybe it’s the season. It’s getting really dark, and cold. Winter is well on its way. I know one of my fylgja is a bear, but this is ridiculous. I’m not in the habit of going into winter hibernation.
I feel like snacking all day long. For several weeks now I’ve been trying not to snack too much and failing miserably. I’ve been eating candy, snacks, nuts, dried fruit. Just about anything within reach. And even though nuts and fruit are good for you, a lot better than candy and snacks, that is only true in moderation. Too many calories are too many calories, regardless of the source. I can count the days without refined sugars on one hand. It’s very hard to keep from snacking like willpower has taken a vacation. I still have over 12 lbs to loose. I really can’t afford this kind of setback.
My mood has been pretty low as well, for the last week or so. I’ve been completely exhausted, to the point of crying over nothing. But I think that might be because of the cold, and lack of sleep. I’ve been thinking of ways to fix this snacking thing, and I keep coming up empty. I can’t get more sleep than I’m getting because I have to work for a living. It’s impossible for me to go to bed before 9:30 PM. I’ve tried, and it won’t work.
In addition to not getting to sleep, nothing gets done if I go to bed that early. No one cleans the house or puts out clothes and food for the next day. No one does laundry, takes out the trash, etc. It’s like I said before: I need a maid! And the way things are financially I need a FREE maid! I’ve taken the step to join FlyLady. To see if I’m able to create a routine that works. And continues to work, even on my worst days. On my worst days, I can’t do any housework at all. Which then forces me to play catch-up on the other days. Especially when people are coming to visit. This time, I had to play catch-up while dizzy, cold and exhausted. Because Lilith’s 4th birthday was yesterday, and her grandparents came over. They stayed from Saturday to Sunday, and even though we have a good relationship, and I have no problem having them as guests, it’s hard sometimes. I spent Thursday and Friday at home, because of the cold, but I didn’t get much rest at all. Anyway, I prefer the animal companion version.
Join the party! 🙂 I’ve gained a few pounds myself the last few weeks – and I really think this is the way nature intended it, preparing you for those cold winter months. Sleep is vital, I think, and from now on (I’ve been busy with midterm exams, just finished the last one tonight), I plan to spend a lot of time walking and maybe even jogging or running in the forest. I’m hoping for a reversal in the spring, though, that those extra ponds will just come off as I’ll eat a more spring-ish diet with salads, sprouts etc.
Maybe you could try substituting snacks with a cup of unsweetened tea? Works wonders for me. 🙂
Misunderstand me correctly when I say I’m glad I’m not alone 🙂 I drink so much tea during the day, I feel like I should be floating. I’ve totally stopped using artificial sweeteners, so I only use honey in some of them. I think sleep deprivation is the biggest problem for me. But there’s really not much I can do with the number of hours I sleep. I hope to be able to improve the quality in stead. I hop to see the two pounds I gained go before Jul, but that might be optimistic. I wish I could run/jog. But I haven’t been able to in the last 25 years. First because of an oversized chest, and then the knees added top tho the ‘why not’. in 2008.
Yeah, sleep deprivation is a bad one… I feel that too, the need to sleep more and then you have a four year-old not quite of the same opinion. I’m lucky to “only” have studies and to be able to control most of my time, but she still awakens me in what feels like in the middle of the night now that it gets darker outside. I’m thinking I need to start meditating during the day again, just to keep everyday stress at bay. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is not too weight loss friendly either, so I’ll do everything to keep those levels down.
I have to get back to meditation as well. Lilith rarely sleeps through the night. I still have to get up and go get her most nights. And then she gets up at 5-5:30. I can count the days I’ve slept past 6:30 on one hand. Having a husband who doesn’t help much doesn’t improve the situation either. I think cortisol is what’s been keeping me level at 77 kgs for a while.
Have you considered co-sleeping? My 4 year-old rarely sleep through the night either, and I find that instead of having her wake me up at night, I may as well just go sleep beside her when I go to bed. 😉
We were co-sleeping for a long time, then she got her own bed in my room, and as of this summer, she has her own room. Neither she, nor I get any quality sleep any more when sleeping in the same bed. She kicks about and wakes me up all the time. I can’t sleep in her bed either, because of my back. When she’s ill, she sleeps in my bed. Otherwise I try to have her sleep in her own. But she kicks her covers off and wakes up cold, and then she wants to come to me. I guess I just have to teach her to come down on her own, not scream and make me run upstairs.
I see, and it sounds familiar. Co-sleeping is not always possible, I find that it gets harder the longer they get. 🙂
I’m trying to tell mine that she can just “trick us” by sneaking in on us without us knowing, and she finds that thought quite amusing. Maybe some day! 🙂
I agree with you there 🙂