Stress can be disastrous in so many ways! It can keep you from concentrating, make you irritable, and keep you from sleeping well as you worry all night. The effects of stress can go far beyond mental and emotional effects, too.

Stress can become a physical problem, and that can get in the way of weight loss. Stress can make you hungrier. It can lead to poor judgement or stronger cravings, so you It can make you upset, and you might eat away those feelings.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a holiday for giving thanks and for appreciating your loved ones, but all too often it becomes a stressful occasion. Just a few of the possible sources of stress on Thanksgiving are:

• Having too much cooking and cleaning to do.
• Handling family members who are less than supportive about your weight loss surgery.
• Worrying about each food choice and your ability to resist the foods you know you should not eat.
• Playing family politics as different sides of the family require different commitments on the same day.

Do you find yourself stressed out before and on Thanksgiving? How do you handle it? Have you found some healthy ways? For example, you could start the day with a brisk walk by yourself to clear your head, you could write down the foods you plan to eat so decisions are easier at meal-time, or you could practice your responses to the questions and maybe criticism you are sure you will receive.

Share your low-stress strategies for Thanksgiving – we can all use the help!

Xanax

Stress can be disastrous in so many ways! It can keep you from concentrating, make you irritable, and keep you from sleeping well as you worry all night. The effects of stress can go far beyond mental and emotional effects, too.

Stress can become a physical problem, and that can get in the way of weight loss. Stress can make you hungrier. It can lead to poor judgement or stronger cravings, so you It can make you upset, and you might eat away those feelings.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a holiday for giving thanks and for appreciating your loved ones, but all too often it becomes a stressful occasion. Just a few of the possible sources of stress on Thanksgiving are:

• Having too much cooking and cleaning to do.
• Handling family members who are less than supportive about your weight loss surgery.
• Worrying about each food choice and your ability to resist the foods you know you should not eat.
• Playing family politics as different sides of the family require different commitments on the same day.

Do you find yourself stressed out before and on Thanksgiving? How do you handle it? Have you found some healthy ways? For example, you could start the day with a brisk walk by yourself to clear your head, you could write down the foods you plan to eat so decisions are easier at meal-time, or you could practice your responses to the questions and maybe criticism you are sure you will receive.

Share your low-stress strategies for Thanksgiving – we can all use the help!

I've never been much for holidays. They're just days to me now. My family kinda does their own thing. Boyfriend and I have no kids. We go to his family.

This is not a healthy way to cope but I am an avoider. Large amounts of food and pressure to eat? I'll just stay home. drinks with friends? I pass on the invitation. Trying out a new restaurant? I end up declining.

It's worked out ok. I've gotten comfortable declining things and being alone. It sure beats explaining yourself to people that just don't get it.

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We go nearly every year to my sisters and this year is no different. Except I'm only on soft foods and probably will have to explain to a couple family members what that means. (Yes pumpkin pie is a soft food...no I'm not allowed to eat it!)

My sister has not been supportive but she's not been critical either so I have to say I shouldn't have much flak.

I wish I was further out and had more weight loss....there's always Christmas.

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@@Alex Brecher, thank you for your suggestions. This will be my first Thanksgiving where I really think about what I'm going to eat. Next year will be a different story because I will probably not eat anything but Protein shakes and Greek yogurt. Hoping my taste buds change by then.

This will be such a challenge!

As crazy as this sounds, we invite more people. We love to cook and we find that more people means more conversation. Less opportunity for the whackadoodles in the family to narrow their focus! As it is my father in law is in the nut house and he will have a 2 hour pass to be at our house. During those 2 hours we are required to have someone with him at all times and we have to lock up all sharp objects.

We've taken over the family dinners from my parents, as they are in their 80s now and just can't handle it anymore. Just getting them here can be stressful, but we are grateful for their presence.

My sister-in-law always finds an excuse not to attend, so that relieves a bunch of stress on everyone else. She is an MD. Between the two of us, we know everything in the world. She knows everything except that she is a butthole, and I know that. All of us do, actually, but most are afraid to say anything about it.

We will have four little monsters under the age of seven (aka grandchildren) running around, but they are well behaved for being boys, and provide as much comic relief as they do stress, so that's a wash.

This will be my second family gathering since I started the pre-op program, and the first since my surgery, but I am not having any issues with food, such as how much I can eat. Once I am full, I am content, and waving stuff around in front of me has had no effect.

My wie is very supportive, so anytime I need to blow off steam, I can vent to her. I can also disappear out to my outbuilding that is converted into the man cave if things get real bad, but that almost never happens. Now, if the doc were to show up...

This will be my first Holiday since my surgery. I will be 5 weeks post op on Thanksgiving Day. I know that it will be hard on me but I will focus on my goal an keep the willpower up so that I don't overeat, eat too fast or eat what I am not supposed to.

Thank you Alex for the words of encouragement and suggestions to make it easier.