I've always been an emotional eater but when my mother-in-law moved in -- a tiny little woman with a powerful sweet tooth -- the constant presence of "mom's sweets and treats" became my undoing. Instead of allowing myself to really absorb the changes in my life and my home as a result of becoming her caregiver I ate my troubles away. It's been a rough 10 months but now I'm in a 12-step program and have defined a plan of eating that I prioritize no matter what. Food is an easy escape.

What timing! I just started a diet yesterday for this very reason. Ironically, since moving in with my mother, I have lost 4 lbs., but my waistline has grown 2.8 inches. And I'm back on my exercise classes last week. I don't like how my clothes feel on me.

Thank you!! I am 1 1/2 weeks in to no sugar and better exercise and feeling soooooooooo much better, in control, fitting my clothes, thinking more clearly and hopeful, happy mood! It was so helpful to read someone else go from a healthy lifestyle and living around challenging choices taking one down that path...It has been difficult, and hopefully with support of others, I will get beyond the 'well I feel better now I can have just....." Blessings and self love to us all!!!

Hi, Jessie Belle. Enjoy your cheese cake if you have no reason not to. I pack on weight so easily that I have to be careful about extra calories. I have that old pioneer body type, robust and energetic, but holding on to every calorie. Not everyone is like this, I know.

I should have waited until after I finished my cheesecake before reading this. :-D

My mother does everything she can to undermine my health habits, most of which I learned by myself in adulthood, even basic teeth cleaning. She says she never had a toothbrush when she was a kid. She seems envious of my relatively good
health and tells me I'm "lucky" - nothing to do with my health habits, of course, but she still tries to undermine them every chance she gets. She's always trying to push food on me too. She thinks I should eat everything on the table so she doesn't have to put any leftovers away. I refuse over and over and say I am not the family garbage can. This she finds hilarious. Then she wonders why I absolutely will not move in with her and keep my visits shorter and shorter.

Wonderful, well-written, insightful and extremely helpful to hear so much familiarity ringing true in the telling of someone else's experience.

You have taken an aspect of caregiving that can be a source of great resentment [the desire/expectation of our elderly parent/person to join them in everything they do and eat] and shown how adjusting our perspective with a little understanding and acceptance [allowing the resistance to dissolve enough to view it as a form of bonding] can illuminate the love - which is all too easy to lose sight of. And that includes love of ourselves.

I'm afraid I've not been as successful at reclaiming as many snippets of healthy living as you seem to have - and maybe even have developed several additional UNhealthy routines - but I am inspired to try a little harder to overcome those now.

And the most important thing is the reminder that this is all about LOVE. Thank you!

I am having the same problem. I even had a gastric bypass to get rid of a lot of weight about 9 years ago. Now, caring for my husband with Alzheimer's, I tend to let him have what he wants too. And like you I am eating that bad stuff. I have to get off the sugar! I am feeling lethargic and lazy. This is bad for me. I had the bypass because he is 10 years older than me and I figured I'd be caring for him soon. I think he started showing symptom of AD about the time I had it done. Well I am taking complete care of him now! But I need to care for myself too. Thanks for pointing this out!