A special welcome to anyone who is new to The Grieving Room. We meet every Monday evening. Whether your loss is recent or many years ago, whether you have lost a person or a pet, or even if the person you are "mourning" is still alive ("pre-grief" can be a very lonely and confusing time) you can come to this diary and process your grieving in whatever way works for you. Share whatever you need to share. We can't solve each other's problems, but we can be a sounding board and a place of connection.
A link to all previous Grieving Room diaries
This is a quick diary to fill in since no one is scheduled tonight. We really need to get a few more volunteers. Please follow me below the fold.
I was already overweight when Karl died. But afterwards, I didn't want to move and food seemed like the only comfort I had. It's been 4 years now and I've gained 60 pounds. Weight gain isn't just about eating too much sometimes. Grieving people just want to hole up in bed and do nothing, no exercise equals weight gain too. And food is comfort many of us. And when you are grieving you need all the comfort you can find. So those of us who are emotional eaters may find that grief is the road to obesity. But after you lose someone that close to you, you may not even care if you live or die, so who cares if you get fat? And it's not like I'm in a relationship anymore. So pass the potato chips.
Unfortunately as you come out of the grief, the weight is still there and the older you are, the harder it is to lose it again. I've reached the point where I don't want to weigh this much, but now I can't seem to lose it. Sigh.
Am I the only one going through this, or do you sometimes ask yourself, "Does this grief make me look fat?" Anyone have any tips on overcoming grief-based weight gain?