I am 51 and the change in life has left me... well, um CHANGED! I have hot flashes, low thyroid, high cholesterol and an interesting range of emotions. The hot flashes are under control, though it makes it hard to snuggle with my boyfriend. He is sweet about all this and is very understanding. Bless him! The thyroid is under control now with a little medication. The cholesterol is being tested again, but it is hereditary, not my diet. My diet is not bad. The emotions are what get me in trouble with food in particular.

I am an emotional eater and recognizing that is helping a lot! When there is a stress, I have to recognize the stress and find a way to relieve it. Many times it will be meditation, listening to some music, going for a walk or journaling. If I find myself obsessing over an issue, I set myself an appointment to check on the situation in a couple days. The reason I obsess is that I have been taken advantage of in the past and I would just ignore the things that would bother me. I learned to stuff down my feelings. Then eating made me feel good.

I also obsess because I don't want to forget some things, like that pesky hide a key that one of the kids has, but I never remember when they are home. We get too busy dealing with our crazy lives and I forget. Creatively placed post-it notes help me too. This doesn't have so much to do with eating, but the stress built up from obsessing could contribute. What do you think?