I feel like an addict.

latinawilson67

Great advice. I'm new in the game. But these sound like words to live by.

JoanneC1216

Here's an impressive success story http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1210379-down-69-lbs-since-june-pics

deebee227

Thank you all so much for the amazing advice! I just began tracking my food yesterday and I did write down every single ing that I ate, which obviously made me feel worse lol. I also started the slim in 6 beach body challenge and as out of shape as I am I actually made it through the first video which was such a huge success for me. When my kids go to bed I will do round 2! I really am one of those people that needs to take it one day at a time thanks so much

ajeybabes

Instead of thinking of it as "living without the foods" try thinking of it as living without AS MUCH of those foods. I think where a lot of people go wrong is in their thinking they have to completely stop eating foods they love, when that's not true. Relax, cut your calories a bit, move around some more, and you'll find that this doesn't have to be a painful experience! Baby steps. Don't just cut off foods you love cold turkey. That's a recipe for disaster. Just try not to eat as much of them You can do it!!

This is completely right. Don't cut anything out yet but have smaller portions and be more active. Just 30-60 mins of walking a day and you'll see a big difference. That will then spur you on to make more changes to your lifestyle bit by bit. You can do it - Good luck!!

salvaje913

I am a binge eating addict too. However I have resisted since January but I feel I could fall off the wagon at anytime. Whenever I feel I want to eat a lot of something or perusing the refrigerator I go do something else. Usually I take that time to walk a mile or two. If I fail and do binge eat, such as taking down a half a block of cheese, I force myself to go exercising/walking to pay for it.

I am slowly not having urges to binge eat and have started to think more "If I eat all of this then I have to spend X time walking.... is it worth it?" So I guess I am slowly conditioning my habit to good.

Also what helps is counting the calories and the notion that I can have the foods I like in moderation. So it helps that at least I can taste the food I like as long as I exhibit self control for portion sizes or paying for it in exercising.

And you are never too far gone to start losing weight and being healthier.! I started in January at 310 and so far I am down to ~289 lbs. I feel better than I have for awhile and all I can see is a bright future with this. If you start and work hard at it you will not regret making the choice to change.

Good luck and be strong!

EllieB_5

You sound just like me.

I started keto and I do not feel as though I am missing out on the foods I love... I still get to eat most of them (cheese, whipping cream, cream cheese, bacon... yup, and have lost a few pounds instead of adding). When I'm feeling like some comfort food I go snuggle a dog or cat, or go play with the rats; interacting with animals gives me a huge dopamine boost, you need to find your boost that will replace the food.

If you want support, add me

Iknowsaur

I have trouble with binging even when I don't try a restrictive diet. Now what I do is I LOG my binge, look at the damage, accept it, and learn from it. It still happens occasionally, but I don't let myself get truly upset over it. I see it happening less and less.

Another good strategy is to know your trigger foods. It doesn't mean you have to avoid them entirely, just be aware of them.

wheird

I suggest that you ignore "dieting" for a few weeks and start focusing on logging your food accurately and perhaps starting to move more. A 30 minute walk 3x per week is plenty at the beginning.

kmglennie

For me the physical act of logging everything I'm taking in is a big change to how I think about what I'm eating, and whether or not I want to go to the trouble of eating something if it means I have to log it, see how much it was in terms of calories, etc, and so forth. It gives me pause, and helps me make more mindful choices. I am having good results treating it kind of like a video game, where I just have to stay within my calorie numbers to win. I also found that remembering that it was ok if I wanted to eat a piece of chocolate or something, I just had to log it and plan for it in my counts. This has made me feel FAR less deprived, and as a result I find it easier to make healthier choices now, because I know I'm not forbidden from treats *forever*

AmyZ46

Don't worry about what you're eating right now and just start running, run/walk, or C25K. Get moving first.

So true , Pretty soon you'll start to realize that working out is hard work and is that bag of chips really worth all the hard work you are putting in ? Good luck .I was at 270 so I know you can do it .

wrenegade64

Instead of thinking of it as "living without the foods" try thinking of it as living without AS MUCH of those foods. I think where a lot of people go wrong is in their thinking they have to completely stop eating foods they love, when that's not true. Relax, cut your calories a bit, move around some more, and you'll find that this doesn't have to be a painful experience! Baby steps. Don't just cut off foods you love cold turkey. That's a recipe for disaster. Just try not to eat as much of them You can do it!!

SASSYJAE IS 100% ON THE MONEY!!! I had a bacon cheeseburger at work yesterday and I simply told them to hold the bun and triple up on the garnishes, and I grabbed a packet of fat-free Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, cut the whole thing up, and had a bacon cheeseburger salad. One evening we went to one of our favorite mexican restaurants for fried taco night. I had 2 pairs, a pair at a time, left one in the shell and emptied the contents of the other and discarded the other shell, broke it all up on the plate and ate it like a salad with just a little salsa

---

minus one fried shell, double the protein!

These are just a couple of examples, but there are dozens of ways you can cut back and not be deprived. YOU REALLY CAN DO THIS!!!

rhonda6373

I agree with the person who said to get a sponsor that you trust of sorts. It will help with accountability -- and when you feel like you are going to binge -- give them a call! Call them every day if nothing else just to say Hi I am doing good today. It also may help with emotional eating b/c you may need to just get something off your chest and get better perspective instead of overeating. If you see it is a pattern you cannot seem to break and need additional support, you might want to check out an OA meeting. There would be great support there and people who can relate.

Also, you can always message a friend on the boards. I am sure 90% of the people here would be willing to help out at any time. You can message me if you ever need to talk.

Cre8veLifeR

As you have already heard, don't diet! Make a lifestyle change I also suggest you find the book "Body Intelligence" because it addresses eating from the point of when it is a disorder - like bingeing is, and you are making yourself feel terrible and creating an impossible mindset for yourself. I know this hamster wheel - I was on it! I got up to 220 lbs before I changed! You're young sweetie. It's never too late - even if you were 60 it's not too late. I suggest you make a GOAL - a simple goal, and start walking toward it, one day at a time!! It's hard when you are overweight - I remember wanting it to just BE GONE, not wanting it to take forever...but you have to remember you gained weight one day at a time, and that's also how you lose it. You can do it!! Stick with it.

ninerbuff

But I can't stop bingeing! Every time I begin a diet I fail on the first day! I get so scared of living without all of the foods I eat to cope when I'm upset that I can't get started. I can do well half the day and by dinner time I will be pigging out. On junk or I will ask hubby to go to the store and buy it for me. I'm so big (240) I feel like im too far gone at this point which is depressing because I'm only 27.


Anyone have suggestions to stop myself dead in my tracks before I ruin this attempt?

The first step is for you to have a pow wow with yourself. You didn't get to this weight by accident, so you know how it happened. Then you really have to figure out if you REALLY REALLY want to do this or is it just something you just want to attempt? Are you ready or not? If you're not, all the suggestions in the world won't make a difference. It's gotta be about YOU wanting it to stop.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

bkw99508

Don't worry about what you're eating right now and just start running, run/walk, or C25K. Get moving first.

So true , Pretty soon you'll start to realize that working out is hard work and is that bag of chips really worth all the hard work you are putting in ? Good luck .I was at 270 so I know you can do it .

I agree with my friend Amy. When I started this whole journey, after so many failed attempts, I started with a personal trainer because I wanted to move more. After one week with him I realized that I didn't want to hide my pain and efforts with a layer of fat and started with MFP.

I read everything I could on the forums. I read about what other people were doing and the struggles they were dealing with and came to a conclusion that really helped me. Dieting will not work if I don't change the way I think of food for the rest of my life. I only eliminate things from my diet if I think I can do without it for the rest of my life. Otherwise I have just learned to eat within my calorie goals. I think that one change from past diet behavior has led to my results. I'm not saying it is easy and that my journey has been linear.....but it is trending downward so I'm good with it.

Good luck with YOUR journey and remember just get back on the path when you divert and eventually you will get to your destination.

paxbfl

First of all, do NOT feel like you're too far gone. I used to look at all the weight I had to lose and feel overwhelmed, and that kept me fat YEARS longer than I necessary. I was able to lose 40 pounds in 4 months and I felt great. I wish I would have done it years sooner. I started when I was 45 - a lot older than you.

Second, I really agree with the advice to eat every 3 hours or so. If you're like me, your willpower goes out the window when you're really hungry. So don't allow yourself to get really hungry. Learn your BMR and TDEE and set your goal between these numbers to lose weight. Then split that goal up between 5 or 6 meals. For me, I make dinner a "double" and eat 5 meals - breakfast at 9 (post workout), lunch at noon, snack at 3, dinner (double) at 6 and evening snack at 9pm. I'm never hungry.

As others have said, know your trigger foods. I can't eat cake, cookies, or peanuts in moderation. So I don't eat them at all. When I first started I went sugar-free for the first two weeks. I felt awful at first but then felt FREE of the cravings. Now I can enjoy a piece of chocolate now and then and not go crazy. But I still avoid the baked goods.

I weigh in once a week. If I make my weight goal for the week I allow myself a free day or (at least) a cheat meal and dessert. Usually I feel so crappy after eating so much that I'm ready to get back on track and feel very motivated.

I work out like a crazy man most days (burned over 800 calories in an hour on the treadmill today) but I believe your greatest leverage comes from getting your eating under control. Do that, and you will lose weight. Work out also, and you will lose weight faster and easier.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

Allterrain_Lady

As long as you're alive, you're not 'too far gone'. Definitely not! Some people here made way bigger changes than the ones you need / want to make. Turn to them for advices. You might not like what you read, at first, but they really know what they're talking about. Some of my MFP's friends are like mentors to me.

Bingeing is a well know territory for me. It used to be a nightmare to get out of that pattern. One meal out of the lines led to a week of disaster. At least.
It doesn't have to be that way but require a complete change of state of mind.

Here's what worked for me, three steps:
1 - Counting calories. I had so much weight to lose at first, I went for the 80/20 thing. 80% of my daily / weekly allowance was as healthy as possible and 20% was free. Chocolate, cheese, junk food...
It makes you realise that you can lose weight while eating everything you like. If something is forbidden, you'll want it bad. If you can have it, anytime you want, you'll feel less inclined to eat crazy amount of it. Human beings are twisted that way.
It doesn't fix the problem completely though

2 - Once you get the REASONNABLY counting calories part working, the urges don't diseppear.
Try to postpone the start of the binge, by any means. A walk, a movie, a shower, a phone call, anything that get your mind off of food. It helps if you're moving. I used to dance and sing in the shower.
If can survive 15 minutes, you're very less likely to binge.
Trick your mind. If what you want is cheese, tell yourself you can have it first thing in the morning the day after. I can promise you won't want it.

3 - Identify the triggers. When you feel the binge coming, take a pen and a paper or make a note on your computer / phone and think about what you feel. Are you genuily hungry? Are you mad? At yourself? At someone else? Is there something going on at work? Do you feel deprived by the way you eat?... Once you get to the roots of the problem, deal with it first! Bingeing is the symptom, never, ever the cause. You won't want to eat like a crazy person if the reason why you want to eat is taken care of.

Last piece of advice: Remember you're in charge of yourself and bingeing HURTS you. Treat you like you would treat a friend. Be kind but clear-headed.

Hope this helps!

jacquiearchambault

sounds like you need to start real real slow. make small changes to your eating and lifestyle. switch out some foods or ingredients in what you eat for healthier choices. Get your "high" not from food but doing an exercise that you love. join a group of nice people and get outside for exercise and FUN! YOU CAN DO THIS! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!

Bernadette60614

Two adages which have gotten me through some tough days:

You only fail when you give up trying.

I haven't failed a 1,000 times, I've eliminated a 1,000 things which didn't work.

You're not failing, you're in the process of finding what works for you.

Be kind to yourself.