Food vacations

waukenabogirl

Its so tempting to tell myself that I’m going to “take the weekend off” and just eat anything I want to. In the past that mindset always set me off course and it took 20 - 30 pounds gained before I could call a halt. I’m almost to my goal and its so tempting to tell myself that I could lose it back if I just quit trying for a few days. I’m pledging here that it’s NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! I feel so much better physically and mentally. I’m not going back. How about you?

brenn24179

yes I am scared about gaining the weight back. This time I am weighing every day so I can see the consequences. I like fitting in my clothes. I have a little of those fattening foods and that means a bite or two. I am doing other stuff when I want to emotionally eat like journaling, walking, talking with friends. I have had to accept Mom, daughter and son like they are and not argue with them. This has helped a lot. I have turned to food so many times I dont want to this time. Bottom Line: I decide what goes on in my life and I want to be healthy and thin.

apullum

I think there needs to be balance between "I'm going to eat all the food" and "I'm terrified to gain the weight back." Neither of those is a great mindset.

In maintenance, your calories eaten and calories burned need to average out. There will be days when you're over your calories and days when you're under. That's how life works. Some people do this intentionally by saving up calories for a bigger meal or two each week. Your weight is also going to fluctuate within your maintenance range, and you can't let yourself panic every time there's an upward shift. If your weight is consistently out of your maintenance range and you know it's not due to things like water fluctuation, then it's time to adjust your eating accordingly. That's how you avoid regaining the weight.

At the same time, if you've struggled with binge eating, you probably know what your triggers are, and you are the best judge of how to handle those triggers. If you've made it to maintenance, then you likely know your body really well by now. If you can save a few calories each day and have a big weekend meal that still fits into your calorie goal, that's totally fine. But if you know that you're going to have trouble staying in your calorie goal if you have that big meal or that particular trigger food, then maybe you decide to avoid those things. That's fine too. Your maintenance plan just has to work for how you want to live.

Overall, you probably can't routinely eat everything you want with no regard for calories, but you also can't live in constant fear of regaining. Your maintenance plan has to be sustainable for the long term.