The Diet Detective: Plan ahead so life’s stressers don’t derail your diet, exercise routine

The Diet Detective: Plan ahead so life’s stressers don’t derail your diet, exercise routine

By CHARLES STUART PLATKIN
Special to The State

During times of anxiety, people’s priorities tend to shift, and it’s not unusual for things like exercise and a healthy diet to seem less important.
We sometimes can avoid this kind of meltdown just by thinking ahead. Below are a few of the most common life changes that can bust up your diet and exercise program, as well as ways to fix the problems.
MOVING
Moving is stressful, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you might overeat or eat erratically. “And this is where an otherwise healthy meal plan gets derailed,” says registered dietitian D. Milton Stokes of the American Dietetic Association. If you’ve skipped a meal or two, when dinner comes around you might make up for it by breezing into the first fast-food joint you see and ordering a large size burger, fries and soda.
The fix: Before you move in, make sure the fridge is stocked with low-calorie frozen foods — they’re fast, simple and portion-controlled. Also, scout out restaurants and takeout places in the area weeks before you arrive; scour their menus for healthier options. Pick a few key dishes from each restaurant and verify their healthy preparation by calling ahead.
A NEW JOB
When you begin a new job, you need to adapt to new rules, a new boss, a new environment and new co-workers. Drastic changes can lead dieters to high-calorie foods as a source of comfort. Candy, cookies and other junk foods are quick and accessible, but they’re also full of empty calories.
Also, a new job might bring you closer to new, unhealthy food sources. Maybe there weren’t any bakeries near your previous office to tempt you, and now there’s one right on the corner. Or maybe your new boss treats everyone to bagels and muffins every Friday. You’ll have to establish new automatic behaviors to replace the ones that worked in the past.
The fix: Again, you need to scout out your new area. Gather up area takeout menus and take 15 minutes to contact a few about their healthy offerings. Highlight those and keep them in your desk drawer or locker. Don’t be shy about asking for healthful recommendations from your new co-workers — it’s a great way to break the ice.
Stokes recognizes that some new employees might fear appearing rude if they refuse office treats, especially those prepared by the boss. He suggests breaking the item in half for a smaller portion or simply taking it back to your office in a napkin for a stealthy discard.
With your new job, try to find new opportunities for physical activity. You can create new automatic habits, such as walking or biking to work, taking the stairs more and walking to see a co-worker instead of using the phone or e-mail.
LOSS (JOB, LOVED ONE, RELATIONSHIP, ETC. )
As devastating as a loss can be, it also can wreak havoc with your eating habits. For instance, if you lose a job and don’t find another one soon enough, despair and self-doubt can make the refrigerator your favorite companion.
The fix: Come up with comfort food alternatives and make sure to have them on hand (i.e., calorie bargains). A little preparation can keep both psychological triggers and biological responses to stress under control and prevent “comfort food” binges from ruining your weight-loss efforts.
And you never know, preparing low-cal comfort foods might just be a way of getting your mind off your loss. Make a big pot of healthy soup; bake some low-calorie muffins.
For a few examples of healthier comfort foods, see www.dietdetective.com/content/view/1123/158/
ILLNESS AND INJURY
Any issue that sets you back physically can create havoc with your normal activity level. If you stop your usual activities, it’s important to replace them with others. Any decline in your fitness level can, in and of itself, be detrimental to your physical and mental health. (Of course, there are always situations where rest is best.)
The fix: Even though you might have other things to discuss with your physician, it’s imperative to talk about your activity level. You also might want to seek the expert advice of a physical therapist. Explain your activity level, and make sure to get advice on how to maintain mobility during the healing process.
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate and author of “The Diet Detective’s Count Down” (Simon & Schuster, 2007).