Stopping before you really do damage?

idahomommy

Hello, I'm new to this group although not new to MFP.

I need some tips. I normally have a very structured food routine up until dinner. Today I thought I'd grab "just one" yogurt covered pretzel while getting ready for work. Then four. Then I figured, how many calories can these things really have, so I ate all we had left which thankfully was not really that much. I just logged it in and now I have already eaten more calories than I normally eat up until dinner.

Honestly I'm so upset with myself that I'm sitting at work with tears in my eyes. I've been doing so well the last few days and then I did this. I feel like since I screwed it up so bad already today, I may as well go all out and completely blow my day. If I want to salvage this, I need to eat nothing until dinner and then eat about 1/2 the dinner I normally eat (which is already about as little as I can eat without being starving). I don't think I can do that.

How do you stop yourself at this point from just giving up and caving in to all of your cravings? I gained 3 pounds over the weekend from binging and I already hate myself for that. I know I'll regret it if I keep it up today, but I feel like such a failure that I am really not sure I'll hold it together today.

Thank you!

idahomommy

Also, I can't make up for this in exercise. I already missed my window for running this morning and it's so hot here that even at the coolest it will be today it's still 94 degrees. I tried running at 88 degrees last night and did not make it.

khannickwechanged

It's so easy to get caught up in that all-or-nothing thinking. I do the same thing. Even if I eat my food for the day off schedule or out of order I'm tempted to think I've "blown it" and want to binge.

Don't eat nothing for the rest of the day. That will only make you ravenous and much more likely to binge again. I've been caught in the restrict-binge-restrict-binge cycle for a while and this is the #1 thing I've learned.

Take things one meal at a time. The pretzels are behind you now, and you can't change that. Eat balanced meals for the rest of the day, and really try to listen to your body's hunger and fullness signals. Then tomorrow will be a fresh day to kick butt at this. You can do it.

idahomommy

Thank you - that's a really good way to look at it. I think for that to work I need to avoid logging my foods until the end of the day so I don't obsess over the number as the day goes on.

THANK YOU!

red_road

I agree. Don't restrict or you will just set yourself up for a lot of pain. I have done what you did many times, after forcing myself not to starve myself for the next 24hours i would usually drink a lot of tea and immerse myself in something i enjoyed to get my mind of food. ( im a night binger so reading a good book before bed really helped me, along with sipping apple cinnamon tea. Just start over from your next meal and remember that to gain a pound you would need to eat 3500 calories over your maintenance so for me that would be roughly 5500 calories. When i look at it that way i feel more relieved.

idahomommy

Wow, that's a really good point I've never considered. My numbers are set way below maintenance so you're right - even if I hit maintenance, I'm ok. At least I won't be gaining at that point. And one day of maintaining can still result in loss if I'm "good" the rest of the week. I had no idea about the 3500=1 lb.

Thank you!

idahomommy

I really have to thank you! I've been able to move on and not sabotage the rest of my day. Granted I still have 7 hours left, but I no longer have the mindset of blowing it all because of this morning. This is probably the first time in my life I've actually been able to do that!

DucksandOranges

Yes I completely second the thoughts above - dont restrict yourself (or beat up on yourself) too much after a binge either! If it motivates you to get some more exercise the next day that's okay but don't try to starve yourself the next day!

I've found that asking myself one simple question - Am I even hungry? is helping me a LOT from even starting a binge these days. Why am I eating? Am I lonely? Then I should call a friend...

Check the thread below this one "tricks and tips..." it has some good pointers:)

mixedbag4444

I know that this happened a couple of days ago, but I just want to congratulate you I will have to save this thread for later

idahomommy

I know that this happened a couple of days ago, but I just want to congratulate you I will have to save this thread for later

Thanks! I wish I could have been able to do it yesterday too, but instead of focusing on yesterday's "failure" I'm trying to just move on. I was successful once - I can do it again. And we can't expect to be able to change our behavior's over night. We've been doing this for years, it will take more than a day to change.

mixedbag4444

Definitely Don't worry about it, I had 3 binges last week... but I stopped one last night. We're all in this together! :drinker: