Yes. It looks like stress and tiredness set off a similar bunch of hormonal reactions.
When I first came on here one of my goals was to try and go to bed at 11 pm - early enough to always get 8 hours sleep and still wake up in time to work (sort of). However, after tracking it for about 6 months and keeping it only about 4-5 times I gave up. It looked like I was going to be able to lose weight without an eleven o'clock bedtime, and I decided to leave that goal for some other time ...
I still see the value in it though. Maybe if I'd kept it, I would be at goal weight by now! LOL or maybe not, since being on-line encourages me to stay up late, and also encourages me to lose weight.
Nah. I think that goal was too tight for me - but I definitely struggle a lot more with both food and exercise when my night's sleep sits at 6 per night for too long, or if I really try to ignore it and get even less.
Also, I find that a regular 8 hours makes things easier - of course when I'm getting that, it usually means that I'm on holidays - staying up late but sleeping in late too - so I guess you could debate which aspect is causal and which is just associated with the primary cause.
As far as yesterday goes, well I just remember sitting in the theatre thinking that I knew my irrational behaviour was stress related and that I should try to destress a bit and at least drop my shoulders and take deep breaths and stuff, and I did, and it helped a bit, but it was like a single ice cube in a boiling kettle. From the article, I was reminded that on the one hand the situation I was in wasn't just about "feeling stressed", it was about significant amounts of adrenalin and insufficient physical movement to shift it - I actually remember teaching people to use their large muscles to try and manage "butterflies in the stomach". Pacing is useful for more than burning calories in this sort of situation! At that time I didn't use that myself though, as it was in relation to public speaking, and I would just focus on what I had to do and on making my feeling excitement and not nerves. Of course when I myself am not the speaker or the dancer and am trying to interfere just enough and no more, that doesn't really work ...
Also, yesterday, I remember thinking that as the major stressors had passed I should be able to snap out of it - but it just wasn't happening. And that article reminded me that cortisol kicks in, in a longer lasting way than the adrenalin and also impacts negatively.
I don't think these things have to be controlling though. I just think that being more aware of what might be going on, makes it easier to deal with.
Wednesday December 12, 2007.
Breakfast: 7:30 Toast (70-80) with plum and cinnamon jam.(15) A boiled egg.(70) Weetbix (107) with soy milk (122) and tinned peaches (50). Coffee with a little hilo milk. (5)
Lunch: 12:00 6 Vive crackers (157 cal) with 100 gm low fat cottage cheese (91), 2 small amorato tomatoes (20) and a med. Mushroom (4). Nectarine (45). Coffee with milk. (5)
Snack: large diet passionfruit drink.
Dinner: 7:00 100 gm tinned red salmon.(190) ~ 400 gm tinned asparagus (80). 100 gm tinned 4 bean mix (119).
200 gm diet apricot yoghurt (84). Small lady finger banana (50).
9:30 A peach (40).2 weetbix, tinned peaches, soy milk (280). ~ 12 almonds (85). Green tea.
(total 1700)
Still working on the new improved easy use specially adapted for felici calorie+ counter. There is value for me in actually paying attention to calories, and carbs remembering more about them, and knowing more about how much protein is in different foods and so on. I need it to be quicker though. I need to finish making my tool and practice using it.
