When it comes to weight loss, stress reduction is extremely important, according to Pam Peeke, MD, MPH, and author of the The Hunger Fix. “When life’s stresses hit, you must learn to adapt and adjust without resorting to self-destructive habits—your False Fixes,” she says. Studies have shown that forming what is referred to as an implementation intention (‘If I encounter situation X, then I will perform behavior Y"’) increases your probability of carrying out your goals. Here’s how to adjust and adapt to these 5 common stressful scenarios:

  1. Work DeadlineFalse Fix Response: Stress eating, late nights, too much caffeine, too little sleep.Healthy Fix Response: Get up from your desk ever 30 minutes and stretch, sip green tea, chew gum, do mini-meditations, eat healthy foods every 3 to 4 hours.
  2. Sick KidsFalse Fix Response: Skip exercises, stress out over missed work responsibilities, lose temper, eat mindlessly, don’t sleep enough.Healthy Fix Response: Do yoga/Pilates stretches or dance to a Zumba DVD while the kids sleep, take naps when possible, delegate some work to a co-worker whom you’ll pay back. MORE: 2-Minute Stress Solutions
  3. Business TravelFalse Fix Response: Airport and airplane food, buffet breakfasts, skipped meals, late nights drinking, midnight in-room dining, raiding mini-bar in hotel room, no exercise.Healthy Fix Response: Bring your own travel food(dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter on mini whole wheat pita): stock the fridge in the hotel room with yogurt/cottage cheese/fruit; set curfew for 11pm, use hotel gym before breakfast, get rid of mini-bar, drink sparkling water instead of alcohol, sleep 7 to 8 hours.
  4. A Fight With Your SpouseFalse Fix Response: Bag all exercise, withdraw alone to watch endless Law & Order reruns, head to the ice-cream scoop, drink extra glasses of wine.Healthy Fix Response: Call a friend to unload, take a walk, meditate, regroup and repair with spouse ASAP.
  5. You Have A Parent Sick In The HospitalFalse Fix Response: Vending machine food, no exercise, not enough sleep, feel physically sick with worry.Healthy Fix Response: Walk around the hospital grounds, use the stairs, bring your own food in a cooler, do stretches in the room, get up every 30 minutes to walk and stretch, meditate and/or pray, call upon your friends/family to support you. Adapted from The Hunger Fix: The Three-Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction by Pam Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP, Rodale 2012. Available wherever books are sold. MORE: 12 Ways To FixYour Marriage