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I have royally fallen off my whole 30. Granted, I am eating more vegetables, drinking more water and I have cut back on a lot of what I typically consume. However, I am stress eating when I am at work. At home, I am completely fine and can manage beautifully. Typically, if I work day shift I eat breakfast and dinner at home, or evening shift, I eat breakfast and lunch at home. I work on a busy unit, (inpatient psychiatric) and it can get quite stressful. I had noticed over the years that I stress eat, but I've come to realize how bad it is when trying to do this program. It's like I go into survival mode and just eat what is around on the unit or in the cafeteria, even when I bring food from home! I am not a huge fan of leftovers and I am struggling terribly. I have decided to change units, one that isn't so high stress, although no matter where you go floor nursing is tough. I think I also have a coffee dragon - I have been craving home lattes of skim milk and stevia or sugar - another thing I've realized while trying to be compliant! Has anyone else dealt with this? What has worked for you? Even with my gluten intolerance my adherence goes out the door despite knowing what I need to do for myself. I would like to do minimum 30 days of clean eating, ideally 60.

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You have to establish a new normal.  You work in a stressful environment, and it doesn't sound like that will change. So you have to get used to the feeling of being in that environment without reaching for food.  Find something to hug.  For me, I hug a big thermos of hot water. At night, when I'm used to going out to the kitchen to get a late night snack, I make a hot tea instead.  It's my new habit.  The stress doesn't go away, so I have to feel it and break the association of stress with eating food.

 

I have a huge coffee dragon. Starbucks flavored lattes are my nemesis. For this one, I'm tapering instead of going cold turkey. I can still walk into Starbucks, but I'm ordering black coffee instead of lattes.  It's my new normal.  I can bring the coffee home and mix it with coconut milk and unsweetened cocoa powder, frothed up with an electric mini whisk.  Not my favorite, but it's getting me through.  I'm not afraid of Starbucks any more.

 

This is my new normal, and the longer I do it, the more history I have to remember for the next time that I may fall off my bike again.  The memory of going back to this normal instead of the old normal is enough to get going again. So that's the goal.  Keep going with the new habits long enough that they become your old familiar friend, replacing the food that you used to use as a crutch for stress.

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When you crave straight BLACK coffee you will have a coffee dragon, with milk and sugar substitutes... It is still just a sneaky part of your sugar dragon. I am working on killing that one too!

Sounds like some yoga or meditation practices might help you in your job. I just downloaded an app with a quick 7 min during work de-stressing meditation. When it is stressful enough for you to take a snack break, can you switch that to a walk around outside instead? Your body is telling you that you need a mental emotional BREAK. So try to take one that removes you from the stress and the food. They say that most cravings will go away if you distract yourself for as little as 5 mins. And I have found that to be true so far. Even a quick walk to use the bathroom on another floor and splash some cold water on your face, neck and wrists can be mentally refreshing.

I am building up a list for myself, I go back to work in a week... Teaching middle school, which is a lot like working on a psych ward. :)

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Great ideas! I never thought about  how that is my body telling me to take a break. It is a bit difficult to go outside at times, however, I foresee being able to do what you've suggested when I go to my new unit next month (inpatient rehab - high focus on patients getting physical therapy). I will check out the application you mentioned :)

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