HOW do YOU deal with OVEREATING GUILT??

JeromeBarry1

I deal with what passes for the "guilt" of overeating, which in my case is just "eating like I did for 53 years", with eating less. Less, that is, than my MFP goal, which is my daily plan anyway.

AnnPT77

+1 to several thoughts above: A hobby that keeps your hands busy - especially one that requires clean hands, like embroidery or knitting/crochet - is a good one. Saving calories for something high-volume but reasonable in calories is another. Making plans, and changing habits, for sure.

Look for patterns, too: Did you snack more in the evening on days you didn't get a good breakfast (for example), or drank less water, or didn't get enough sleep, or had more stress?

But mostly, log every bit of it, and get back on your healthy track as soon as possible. If you can manage to make the "over goal" days less frequent, and less far over goal, eventually they'll be rare or non-existent. As long as over-goal days are rare, you'll still lose weight. I've lost over a third of my body weight since April 2015, and there were (a few) days in there where I ate twice my goal or even more. But the majority of our days determine the majority of our progress!.

Fiftyls2looz

thanks guys,
You've all given me some great tips and ideas and it was great to see what you all do too.

Do you think by looking at my diary, that I'm eating low enough calories? ??

Need2Exerc1se

I deal with it in the same manner I deal with any type of guilt over poor control on my part. I learn from it and move forward.

Have you considered looking for other ways to comfort yourself in the evening instead of overeating? A soothing bubble bath, read a good book, give yourself a mani/pedi, play a game or read a book, do something creative (draw, paint, knit, crochet, needlepoint...). Whatever you enjoy but don't have time for when the children occupying your time.

BoxerBrawler

Before I go for that second helping I stop for a minute, take a deep breath and remind myself how *kitten* that guilt feels. I ask myself if I want to feel that way again... if it's worth another couple of bites. The answer is always no and it always stops me in my tracks.

kthompson601

I also struggle with feeling guilty after I overeat. I've been working on my weight loss for over 20 months. At first, it was very difficult, and I overate a lot. Now, I rarely binge, though it does happen. I'll be stressed or upset or just really depressed and have a crazy 3.5k calorie day. The guilt afterward can be bad.

Here's how I handle it. First, I log it in MFP. To me, that's being accountable. I can't just sweep the eating under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. That's how I got to be 290 pounds in the first place--not paying attention, not acknowledging what I was eating, not accepting it. So now, even if it hurts, I log every bite I can. Every hershey kiss, every half donut, and yes, every nasty binge where I eat a family size bag of chips or a pint of ice cream or way too much take out food. It gets recorded.

Second, I move on. This isn't easy. But I remind myself: This weight loss journey is a long marathon, not a sprint. I've got the rest of my life ahead of me. And even though I just made a mistake and did something that was not good for me, I have a chance to make a better decision next time. You get a new chance every day, every meal! I say, "All right, yesterday I binged on junk food and ate too many calories. But today, I am going to have my regular smoothie breakfast. I'm going to enjoy my salad. And in the evening I'll have my homecooked meal and my dark chocolate. I can do that."

These two steps have helped me tremendously. It's taken practice, but I do have fewer binge days, and when I do binge, it isn't as bad as it used to be. The guilt lessens. I acknowledge and accept that I ate too much, and then I make a better choice next time.

Fiftyls2looz

kthompson601 wrote: »

I also struggle with feeling guilty after I overeat. I've been working on my weight loss for over 20 months. At first, it was very difficult, and I overate a lot. Now, I rarely binge, though it does happen. I'll be stressed or upset or just really depressed and have a crazy 3.5k calorie day. The guilt afterward can be bad.

Here's how I handle it. First, I log it in MFP. To me, that's being accountable. I can't just sweep the eating under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. That's how I got to be 290 pounds in the first place--not paying attention, not acknowledging what I was eating, not accepting it. So now, even if it hurts, I log every bite I can. Every hershey kiss, every half donut, and yes, every nasty binge where I eat a family size bag of chips or a pint of ice cream or way too much take out food. It gets recorded.

Second, I move on. This isn't easy. But I remind myself: This weight loss journey is a long marathon, not a sprint. I've got the rest of my life ahead of me. And even though I just made a mistake and did something that was not good for me, I have a chance to make a better decision next time. You get a new chance every day, every meal! I say, "All right, yesterday I binged on junk food and ate too many calories. But today, I am going to have my regular smoothie breakfast. I'm going to enjoy my salad. And in the evening I'll have my homecooked meal and my dark chocolate. I can do that."

These two steps have helped me tremendously. It's taken practice, but I do have fewer binge days, and when I do binge, it isn't as bad as it used to be. The guilt lessens. I acknowledge and accept that I ate too much, and then I make a better choice next time.

great. how much have you lost so far?

KareninLux

ahoy_m8 wrote: »

gradchica27 wrote: »

I also fold laundry in front of the tv. I also have kids, so I bet you probably have a ton of laundry too. Leave it till evening and fold away--keeps your hands busy. If you have a table or bed to fold on, even better. Dance a bit, march in place and you get some movement in too!

What a great idea! I rarely watch TV, but I do plan to watch a lot of college basketball this weekend, and I'm going to do this! Thanks!

Oh, my kids are much older now but I used to do this too!! Great idea.

perkymommy

Fiftyls2looz wrote: »

If anyone was to look at my diary they would quickly realize that for somebody wanting to lose 20kg of body fat, they have eaten a huge number of calories today. 3025 !!!

now my limit is only 1600. I have only had 1 day of eating at 1600.

I have lite.kids to look after and at the end of the day I find myself comfort eating in front of the telly because that's the only me time I get.

how does one NOT eat. and how do you guys deal with guilt if you eat too much??

I take it day by day and meal by meal. If I get off track I just do better with the next meal and so on. I make myself meals that are usually pretty different than my kids. I want this weight gone so I'm willing to work hard at it. I do look forward to a day when I'm not obsessing over getting the weight off though. Hang in there. Add some friends on here for daily support and to view their food diaries and get some ideas.

I always remind myself of this quote (from Weight Watchers) when I start to miss the bad foods or overeating: "What you eat in private - you show in public."

eldamiano

I deal with guilt by eating another burger to make myself feel better....

Fiftyls2looz

perkymommy wrote: »

Fiftyls2looz wrote: »

If anyone was to look at my diary they would quickly realize that for somebody wanting to lose 20kg of body fat, they have eaten a huge number of calories today. 3025 !!!

now my limit is only 1600. I have only had 1 day of eating at 1600.

I have lite.kids to look after and at the end of the day I find myself comfort eating in front of the telly because that's the only me time I get.

how does one NOT eat. and how do you guys deal with guilt if you eat too much??

I take it day by day and meal by meal. If I get off track I just do better with the next meal and so on. I make myself meals that are usually pretty different than my kids. I want this weight gone so I'm willing to work hard at it. I do look forward to a day when I'm not obsessing over getting the weight off though. Hang in there. Add some friends on here for daily support and to view their food diaries and get some ideas.

I always remind myself of this quote (from Weight Watchers) when I start to miss the bad foods or overeating: "What you eat in private - you show in public."

That is a great quote. Will remember that one

Fiftyls2looz

KareninLux wrote: »

ahoy_m8 wrote: »

gradchica27 wrote: »

I also fold laundry in front of the tv. I also have kids, so I bet you probably have a ton of laundry too. Leave it till evening and fold away--keeps your hands busy. If you have a table or bed to fold on, even better. Dance a bit, march in place and you get some movement in too!

What a great idea! I rarely watch TV, but I do plan to watch a lot of college basketball this weekend, and I'm going to do this! Thanks!

Oh, my kids are much older now but I used to do this too!! Great idea.

That's a fab idea but it doesn't replace the great feeling of tasty foods caressing my willing taste buds "/

callsitlikeiseeit

you ate food, you didnt kill a bus load of virgin nuns.

tomorrow is a new day.