I am 12 lbs from goal weight. I lost my job January 24th & have been reverting back to my old bad behaviors of eating to compensate for the boredom, fear & stress. So far, I am maintaining my weight. I tell myself every day that I am getting back on track & I don't. I am scared to death of gaining weight back. Any suggestions?

You have done so amazingly well. Just stop it all now and don't look back. Think how sad and depressed you would be if you blew this wonderful chance you've had to weigh 160. No matter what-stop the eating! You can do it.

Turn lemons into lemonade. With time on your hand..pamper yourself. Exercise more. Read a good book. Experiment with different recipes . Do things that u always wanted to do but put it off.

Every morning when I get up, I tell myself I am going to do well & keep busy but then I get depressed & lose all motivation. Especially, when those around me are getting jobs and interviews. My ex-employer outsourced our jobs to India so 38 of us were laid off. I have the same amount of experience as many of them & they are finding jobs in our field. I can barely get an interview. It is disheartening. We got severance depending on our length of service so I got one month & my last check for that will be 3/10. I can get unemployment but can't live on it. I ate 3 magnum double chocolate ice cream bars & 3/4 of bag of kettle corn tonight :-( I am sabotaging myself & feel so out of control right now.

I am so sorry you are going through the stress - I cannot imagine having to deal with that as I am the breadwinner for my family...but my husband did lose his job and has found another. For him, he really had to plan his day like he was working. He would have a schedule for meals and for job hunting - and he found it helpful to leave the house to do it - go to starbucks and have decaf something while you are applying for jobs on the computer. I showed him how to sign on Runkeeper and he even got up to 3 miles of walking/jogging a day - also free and helped with depressing/boredom and took up time! Good luck to you - have faith that good outcomes will happen! One last thing - forgive yourself, write down the food you ate and put it behind you! :-)

Being out, pounding the pavement, is very hard. I know, I've been there myself. But you've come too far to turn back to where you came from now. You've hit a big bump in the road, that's true, but the bump can be overcome through patience and perseverance. What helped me was waking up every day and setting goals for myself - send out x many applications/resumes, exercise for 1 hour, make meals for myself for the week, meditate, etc. I volunteered, interned, and temped as well to keep busy, something that hiring employers seem to like. It may take some time and effort to get back on your feet in this regard, but you will find a new job. You can't have the attitude that you won't - it's not true or healthy.

As for the junk food, my advice is now that you need to really prioritize financially - pitch the junk off the grocery list. It's a waste of money and calories. Save your money for better quality food that will keep you sustained.

I got offered a job today! I start March 18th so that stress is off of me now. Now I can focus on getting back on track. Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom!!!