Everyday is a fresh start then I binge ...

Untilproud11

I completely lost motivation , every single day for the past month I promise myself that this is it today I will get back on the wagon and then by the end of the day i binge , what’s wrong with me ??

The_Elephant_Man

You can do this!! NEVER give up on yourself !!! Just remember to log everything you put in your mouth and stay below your calorie goal each day and you will lose weight.

Dogmom1978

Maybe try reminding yourself why you’re doing this? When I have the urge to shovel all the cookies into my mouth, I take a minute and think about what that accomplishes. Yes, yummy cookies. But then what?

I was prediabetic and I’ve managed to get back to normal blood sugar as. Do I really want to undo that? I went from a size 16 (really tight and should have gone to 18) to a size 12 and I can ALMOST fit in a size 10. Do I want to put the fat pants back on?

You and only you can motivate yourself. You just need to find the right thing that helps keep you on track.

Best of luck!

ReenieHJ

mita271 wrote: »

I completely lost motivation , every single day for the past month I promise myself that this is it today I will get back on the wagon and then by the end of the day i binge , what’s wrong with me ??

Nothing is wrong with you!!
What were you doing up until a month ago? Are you just getting started or have you been at this awhile and it's been stressful? Just trying to get a feel for where you're at. Are you normally a binge eater?

Binge eating is my normal way of coping with emotions, usually negative emotions such as depression, fear, stress, anger. Happy emotions I do much better. You can tell what kind of a year I've had since January when I couldn't return easily from holiday snacking. Took 3 weeks. Then my BIL started failing and the stress had me eating/not counting for another few weeks. Then I had another topple end of summer/early fall, stressing and being depressed even more, from which I've yet to recover. Needless to say, I'm over what I was last year but even worse, I haven't been able to gain back the control and mindset I had.
BUT with that all said, and this is the important part, I have picked Sunday as my day to return to counting, eating veggies and fruits, putting a little exercise back into the routine, IOW taking care of me in a much healthier way than I have this year. Maybe wait until the bulk of your holiday eating is done, then get back to it and start over fresh? There are bumps in most of our roads forward but the important part is reclaiming your mindset and hitting the reset button. Don't give up!! I've spent my whole life doing that and did it again in 2020. Now it's time to turn it back. The thing I have to remember is how it felt to be thin. To be able to move without effort. To be able to cross my legs, run upstairs, wear my size 8's.
When I go shopping, the bakery and ice cream aisles yell to me. I've forgotten how to walk by and ignore them. And the poor veggie bins gave up on me awhile back. Time to make friends once again with the spinach and carrots.

yirara

Are you eating enough? What’s your calorie goal? Maybe try eating at maintenance for a few days and then slowly reduce calories

springlering62

I’m just some random woman on the internet, but do I detect some depression?

Are you coping well with lockdown, worries about family, depressed over Christmas falling on its face this year? Money worries? Partner, kids, even pets driving you mad in close quarters?

I handled lockdown really well til Thanksgiving and then it just kind of hit me all at once. My first ever holidays without my precious girls, family or friends. I find myself sitting in my armchair, surrounded by needlework projects I’ve begun, books I’ve started, magazines that would normally tempt me, staring into space. I’m even tired of surfing the net.

I’m not a social person by any stretch, I have a wonderful husband, sweet kitties, and no health or other worries. I can’t even imagine how it’s affecting other people.

I’ve begun eating more, feel hungry all the time, tired, rundown, have even allowed myself a few pig out days in the run up to Christmas. Food is nice, but I realize now it hasn’t made me feel any better. I haven’t cleaned the house in over a week and a half. That sounds ridiculous but I’m an OCD cleaner. My vacuum has more miles on it than my car.

If you are feeling down and unmotivated, join the party.

But when we make it a pity party, and allow ourselves to bathe in it, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors.

Set a small goal and do it. Then another, then a couple and work your way back into motivation.

Get outdoors and get some sunshine and fresh air in your system to revive your spirits.

I hope I didn’t read too much into your post and apologies if I did. Hugs if I did, and mega super hugs if I didn’t.

misslizzierod

I remember this and can relate. Every day was a new beginning of eating healthy. It could only be all or nothing, black or white, eating healthy or completely binging and overeating. There was no in between.

I just want to tell you you are not alone and many people can relate. If I could change things, I would probably see a therapist back then.

I have no full-proof answer that can fix your issues but here are somethings I did that really really helped me from that all or nothing mentality.

-Acknowledged my eating habits and relationship with food wasn't normal.

-stopped viewing healthy choices as a diet (try to program my brain to view healthy choices as a normal part of my life)

-cooked healthy foods I actually enjoyed and started my weight loss journey "gently", not too strict. I got "stricter" as months passed and my body and mind were more accustomed.

-I made sure not to starve myself because I know that led to late night binging.

-Tried my hardest to not feel guilty after my cheat meals or cheat days. This was important for me. The next day, I continued to make healthy choices and not look back. Indulging is ok as long as we continue to make healthy choices after.

-Tried to program my mind to not view food as good or bad.

-Threw away trigger foods around the house.

-Don't Rush to start your "health journey". Sounds weird, I know but I think for binge eaters, we have to mentally be ready and be prepared to "start." If you are not mentally ready, you deep down inside have doubt which will lead to sabotaging. Take your time but just know sometimes there are health consequences to our choices. Start this without putting too much pressure, set small goals first.

-Try not to "start" when you have a deadline. Stress and pressure also lead to sabotaging.

Best of luck!

lemurcat2

mita271 wrote: »

I completely lost motivation , every single day for the past month I promise myself that this is it today I will get back on the wagon and then by the end of the day i binge , what’s wrong with me ??

What do you mean by binge? I ask because people use it in many different ways. For some it is the clinical definition, basically a period of uncontrolled eating of almost anything, which is unrelated to hunger and can be a huge number of cals, and tends to be a way to suppress emotions (this is really imprecise, there's more to it and not all fit everything I said). For others, it simply means having dessert if you didn't plan to or eating more than intended.

One trigger for overeating in a seemingly uncontrollable way, even if you mean something closer to the latter than the former, can be overrestriction--what is your plan for the day before the "binge" and what does the binge tend to consist of? This is all normal, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you.

Speakeasy76

Oh, I remember those days so well. There is nothing "wrong" with you. People have already posted a lot of great support and ideas that I would've suggested as well.

Like someone else said, those who have these types of relationships with food (as I did) have to be mentally ready to start a weight loss journey. I don't necessarily mean like "psyching yourself up" to "Just do it," but really looking at what's going on in the rest of your life to see if you are ready to commit to a healthy eating plan for life. If things are really chaotic right now and you're overly stressed, it may be best to deal with that, first (which may indirectly affect your eating habits).

I think the other thing that has really helped me as someone who has had a disordered relationship with food for most of her life was changing my mindset. I didn't actually realize that's what I was starting to do and really needed to do to lose another 8-10 lbs. It's actually been my kids' school and the parent bookclub that's cemented this idea of "growth mindset"--we CAN change and get better at things we're not "good" at YET. Even though I wasn't technically "Overweight, I was at the high end and generally ok with myself. Anyway, I always had this belief in the back of my mind that I couldn't handle being just a little hungry, that it would lead to a binge, that I couldn't control myself around certain foods, etc. that I wouldn't be satisfied with eating an apple to curb the hunger, etc. However, after losing those lost 8-10 pounds very slowly (after keeping off 35) and not feeling deprived, I realized that having the right mindset was the biggest part of the battle for me.

There are a lot of books and videos on growth mindset if you're interested in learning more. I also think mindfulness techniques can be really helpful for binge-eaters, because i know personally when I was doing it I was basically numb.

kshama2001

mita271 wrote: »

I completely lost motivation , every single day for the past month I promise myself that this is it today I will get back on the wagon and then by the end of the day i binge , what’s wrong with me ??

It may be quite simple - for example, you don't eat enough calories during the day or don't eat foods that satiate you, which provokes overeating in the evening.

How much weight do you have to lose and what's your weekly weight loss goal set to?

Many of us make the mistake of choosing and overly-aggressive weight loss goal when we start. Here's what that can look like over days:

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/



So perhaps you are trying to eat 1200 calories per day when you really should be eating 1500 or 1700.

brenn24179

I had to finally get it thru my head overeating is abuse. I dont want any more abusive relationships. Food is such a trick not a treat. You end up depressed, sad. Now I say these donuts are causing me unhappiness. I dont want to abuse myself. Be kind to me with my food choices, love myself.

Untilproud11

Thank you to the amazing feedback pals
It has definitely helped to read all this ♥️
I been cutting sugar and flour for 2 month now
The first month I did very well and lost 3 lbs which is amazing to me after being stuck for 6 month
But after I just couldn’t handle it anymore...not sure if that’s what affected me
I have pcos and I hear a lot that abounding carbs and sugar does wonders
That format month it sure did , I felt amazing so energized but the thing is I can’t live like this forever ...

Dogmom1978

mita271 wrote: »

Thank you to the amazing feedback pals
It has definitely helped to read all this ♥️
I been cutting sugar and flour for 2 month now
The first month I did very well and lost 3 lbs which is amazing to me after being stuck for 6 month
But after I just couldn’t handle it anymore...not sure if that’s what affected me
I have pcos and I hear a lot that abounding carbs and sugar does wonders
That format month it sure did , I felt amazing so energized but the thing is I can’t live like this forever ...

Even with pcos, it’s about CICO. Excess carbs could cause bloating that could mask weight loss, but if it isn’t sustainable for you to cut them out, then make small changes that are sustainable. I couldn’t abandon my yummy carbs; I would also fail if I tried to do so, so I don’t. I do stay within my calorie goal though and make sure I hit my protein and come close on fat and then let the carbs fall where they will. Utilizing that method, it’s hard to go overboard on carbs and stay within my calorie goal for the day.

MsCzar

Hey! Happy (almost) 2021! Hope everyone struggling with the holiday can get back on track - including myself!

I admit to having a few binge-y days in the last week. Something that really helps me is that no matter how much I eat, I log everything IN REAL TIME. I know how easy it is to catch a case of the 'mise-wells.' As in: Oh, I had seven cookies and a bag of crisps - so I mise-well keep eating since I've blown it for the day."

Fight the mise-wells by recording every food immediately. You may just find that what you thought was a huge calorie load was in truth, only an extra few hundred calories that will mean you won't lose any weight - but you won't be gaining either. And when you are struggling - not gaining is a very good thing!

So I'd suggest that whatever you do, don't stop measuring, weighing and logging your food intake - even if that includes a whole package of cookies or a family-sized bag of crisps.

scott_90345

Identify the triggers you face just before you binge food. When you wake up in the morning your mind body is fresh and there is less chance of the actions or activities which are not good for your health. I'd suggest to find the time period in which you're more at risk of binge eating, and plan other activities like exercise, meditation at that time. If not possible then at least plan to eat healthy food at that time.

callsitlikeiseeit

if i set my calorie goals too low I can fall into this trap. for me, setting it at 1500 seems to work best. i can eat but am still mindful. but if I want cookies (or M&Ms, like yesterday)... I have room to make them fit.

better to lose at a slower rate than not at all.

springlering62

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

better to lose at a slower rate than not at all.

That should be the MFP motto. So many of us are eager to get it all off at once and start out too aggressively, get frustrated hungry tired, and give up.

sarah7591

You have been given a lot of good advice. I fall into this trap when I set my calorie goals to low. I don't eat meat so I am trying to eat more protein (having a premier protein shake) and I am hoping that will help as well. Wishing you all the best...I know how hard this is.

dragon_girl26

Take focus off of Restrict.

Instead, what can you do more?

More exercise.
More daily activity
More fruits and vegetables.
More protein.
More variety in your diet.
More accountability (tracking, for example)
More self respect and self care
More positive energy
More enjoyment of the process

By focusing on what you can increase, it helps to take the focus off the binge/restrict cycle.

ETA: to correct a previous poster,, make sure to eat TO your calorie goal, not below it. MFP already builds in the deficit.

lgfrie

You're in the classic trap - trying everyday to reengage with the diet, and then overeating, and then deciding that tomorrow with be a brand-new start, which then gives you permission to go crazy on the snacking, and then tomorrow comes and turns out the day after that will be the day you get serious.

Been there.

Two suggestions. One, make sure your calorie target is set high enough so that you're not easily exceeding it, for at least a week or two. I find, speaking only for myself, n=1, that it's that inability to get a total "win" on the board when I'm in your situation, that makes it so hard to get back on track. So if I set 1600 cals after a period of overeating, inevitably I get to 1650 and it feels like a wasted day, so "tomorrow will be Day 1", and then the binging starts. Loosen it up for a week - add 500 cals, e.g. 2000, 2100, 2200 calories, so that you can just feel good about hitting a number and gain confidence that you have it back under control, without it being deprivational.

2. You have to decide you want to do this. Macros, calories, strangers' opinions, being lectured that weight loss is just eating less calories than you burn - all of it -- nothing is going to make any difference until YOU are ready - until you decide that YOU want to lose weight more than you want the next bag of chips. You have to get past the failure mentality where you already 3/4-believe you're going to fail at it today, and get in there and nail it, like you nail other important things in your life when things MUST go right. Everyone has things they do right and times when they're completely nailed down - you just need to get to a point where you're ready to apply that to your body. How you get there mentally is up to you, but you probably won't succeed with this until you clear the decks of that "every day I fail" mindset and get into a fresh, new one. Sometimes just getting 1 solid, unequivocal success day under your belt is all it takes - for that see suggestion (1) above.

Untilproud11

Thank you all

silverpl2525

Have you wondered if you have an eating disorder, such as binge eating disorder? If so, you will need some help to overcome it.

richardgavel

If you think it's motivation related, are you doing something deliberate first thing in the morning to start yourself on the right track? Morning walk, logging a breakfast that fits in your calorie needs, something to build momentum right away?