There are certain things that can cause people to gain weight, and I am not talking about chocolate or pie.

In my case, the thing that almost guarantees I will gain weight is stress. I gain weight when I am stressed. It isn’t obvious behavior. It isn’t like I down a quart of ice cream in one setting. No, I am much more subtle.

I’m not sure exactly what it is that I do. How is that for subtle?

I suspect I rely on convenience foods more, which tend to be higher in calorie. When I am stressed, the last thing I want to do is really cook. I’d much rather stop somewhere on my way home and buy dinner than take time to cook it.

So what are my stressors? Worry about money, I would have to say is the biggest one.Most of the time it is just figuring out what has to be paid when. It seems like so many things end up being due during the same pay period. Or when I think there will be some extra cash and some unexpected expense happens — like the dead clothes dryer.

I have four children, and there are times when the money worry is pressing — like back to school time when I must buy everything times four. Well, except I only have to buy one graphing caluculator right now, which is a good thing since it costs $140. This can also be a problem around holidays like Christmas, Easter and Halloween. It is just downright depressing to take the bill for any of these things and times it by four. I knew this when I decided to have children. I just didn’t realize the full extent.

But stress isn’t always about money. Sometimes it is about work. A lot of times it is about parenting. Am I doing the right thing? Am I making a mistake? Why is parenting a teen so hard?

So, I am pretty sure stress is one of my triggers for overeating or eating the wrong things.

I suspect my dad had stress as a trigger too, but he also battled depression. He didn’t eat huge meals, but he ate a lot, and he didn’t move very much. He would get up in the morning and go to his chair or to his spot on the couch, and he would remain there all day. The only time he moved was to use the restroom. For everything else, I was his remote. I fetched pop and food and changed channels (before there were remotes). And after there were remotes, I had to find the remote.

In other words, he didn’t move a lot.

This is another problem of mine. My job is pretty senentary. I spend a lot of time working on the computer, and I can go for hours without moving very much. I need to change this.