Hurdler

It is my opinion that most people that have a weight problem also tend to be emotional eaters. Having a bad day? Eat a dougnut and try your best to forget that pesky electricity bill that you can't afford. I know that I looked for comfort in food.
Food also evokes feelings of nostalgia, homemade tortillas remind me being at my Grandma's house in Fremont with my entire family. I remember my Aunt Lorraine's homemade rocky road candy and my Uncle Rueben's love for giant apple pies. And of course my Grandfather with this love for certain foods and dislikes for others. Huge batches of homemade chicken noodle soup to cure a cold, buckets of ice cream to combat any sadness or depression, yup I have found comfort in food. We base entire holidays around food in some form or another: Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, even the Fourth of July. It's no wonder that whenever we are stuggling emotionally that we tend to want to reach for food for comfort, to bring back feelings of happiness and home.

I can not say that I have completely conquered this behavior, I have been able to modify it though. Instead of reaching for a pint of Ben and Jerry's Ice cream, I will grab a Skinny Cow Truffle Mocha Ice Cream bar or better yet a piece of fruit.  I remember waking up early on Thanksgiving morning to the smell of sausage frying in preparation for the sweet and savory stuffing that my mother always prepared, huge bags of Halloween candy, the special tamales that the family would make assembly line style for Christmas, and Fourth of July bar-b-ques all are happy memories. Believe me, this is not an easy behavior to fix or modify, but if I can do it, anyone can.
I have been really lucky to not suffered from injury since I have started this whole fitness journey. I do have a separated abdomen that dictates the amount and kind of core work that I can do and that has been a huge pain in the butt, but it has not stopped me from doing cardio work. Unfortuanetly I did get the stomach flu for a few days and there was really nothing that could be done about it. I could not exercise and when I finally was better I had to start exercising again very slowly because I was so weak. It sucks to get sick and to try to lose weight and be fit, but ultimately you need to slow down, take care of yourself and just focus a bit more on your nutrition instead of your elliptical. Remember the whole idea is to improve your health, not prolong your illness. As the cold and flu season is upon us, I suspect at some point or another I will get a cold or flu. I hope that it won't derail me for too long.
One major hurdle that I have encountered is my ever changing schedule. There are times when I have to work a graveyard shift and that messes up my sleeping, eating and exercise program. I literally cried to my Richy because I was overtired and not sure what or if I should eat. When you are awake for 24+ hours it's hard to stop eating, especially if you are using it as a mechanism to stay awake. I found that my stomach was growling constantly and in my efforts to stay awake and warm at work I was exercising. Then when I would get home my willpower was not as strong as it normally is because I was so tired.
Everyones obstacles and hurdles are different and what works for me may not work for you.