Feeling pretty helpless now.

jessicakaty

Only some days ago I was at 150 (first goal weight achieved), perhaps more the unhealthy way, but it made me happy (ish?)

Then last friday I ended up at my house all day and had a hugeee binge. My binges usually last no longer than a day. But it went on until about sunday.. And I went from 150 to 158, just like that. All hard work gone.

So i started afresh, trying to do this a healthier way, and today was going so well but I just went back to the kitchen after having my soup, and made nutella bread, ate cookies, and chocolate coated raisins - putting me over my limit for the day, when I was under.

I thought this would have all gone away by now, but I can't stop eating and craving sweet things?

I feel pretty helpless because I was doing so well, made a decision to start afresh, and seem to have lost all motivation.
It took SO long to get to where I was, and now I've lost it I just feel like giving up.

What can I do? I won't be happy unless I lose weight, but I also won't be happy if I don't get food.

Charli666

try and get around your sugar cravings another way, i dont really crave sweet things, so dont have many ideas, but i've heard dried banana chips are a good one, and dried fruit too, or look under the recipes board on here, and make some healthy (ish) sugary treats. You can do this, forget about today and start again tomorrow! This journey will never be easy, but it will be worth it. Good luck x

amymeenieminymo

I'm sure you didn't gain 8 pounds of fat in just three days, that would be pretty impossible. It's likely mostly water weight from all of the sodium in whatever junk you ate.

I know the feeling of wanting to give up, but the beauty of this is you can keep starting over as many times as needed. Screw up today? Start fresh tomorrow. Screw up tomorrow? Start fresh the next day. You're never a quitter unless you quit for good. I've been doing bad for months, but the last two weekends I've hit the gym hard and had really great work outs. It's really got me going again....go for a nice long walk, clear your head and tell yourself you CAN do this.

SlimmingSarah

Ohh noes That's such a shame! Unfortunately big binges have their price!

I'm the same as you however! I crave sweet things all day! But I have a fail safe method of curbing my cravings whilst staying on the wagon. Whilst it does involve me going to the shops FREQUENTLY I don't mind. I keep two sweet snacks, either an 'Atkins Endulge' bar from the healthfood isle or a 'Skinny Cow Sundae Cup' in my cupboards/fridge at all times (Limiting the amount on hand to two prevents any heavy binging). Then all day when I get cravings I think 'I can have my ice cream or chocolate at the end of the day when I have been good all day!'. I use my (relatively healthy) sweet snack as a reward for not touching anything naughty earlier.

Also, If you have nuttella and cookies in the house, you're not doing yourself any favors. Even if it is a waste of money, just go throw all of that junk away, into your big garbage bin outside. You don't need it all hanging around.

shug458

awww don't beat yourself up - we all fall now and again - but word of advise - if you know you fall more times then you truely want - don't buy the "junk" that you like. See I have 2 boys and a husband - healthy food with them - yeah right - LOL - they pig out - boys ya know - so when I buy them their "bad foods" i make sure it's stuff I don't like so even if I am tempted< i don't like it therefore I won't eat it . I hide my stuff in my own cabinet - i have chocolate, i have my cereals that I LOVE, my "bad stuff" but very low in calories. I just bought "reese's puff" cereal so when I have a sweet tooth and want that "bad taste" i have 3/4 of a cup dry and it helps with the craving soooooooooooo much! i hope this helps but really don't beat yourself up too bad - but it's very hard to get back fully on track when you have the bad food in your house that you like.

woja9640

If you're having trouble with your cravings try this....

Drink water mixed with the Crystal Light Flavor of your choice, there are tons and you can get the packets made for water bottles. And they are low cal.

Try eating healthier options like pickles, or carrots or celery that are low calorie. That way you are still under your calorie goal and can have 2 snacks and 3 meals.

Drink water most of the day with your meals instead of milk or juice. The normal size glasses we drink out of are not the 8 oz. they are 16 oz, and there for a glass of nonfat milk in that glass is about 160 calories.

Hope this helps.

MeredithLee11

A few things: Most of the wight is probably water and won't stick around long. Get the junk out of your house - if it's not there then you can't eat it.

You can get back on this horse! Don't give up. You have the tools to lose weight; just do it. I know you can!

petithamu

How did you feel after your binged? As a fellow binger...I know what you mean...but after I have a binge session, I feel horrible. Not just mentally but physically I feel horrible. My stomach hurts, my chest hurts, I feel like I've eaten so much I want to throw up. Believe it or not, I focus on that feeling. I ask myself, do I want to feel like this again? That usually gets me out of the binge mood. You can start over any day but only you can control what you do. I'm sorry you feel this way and I know it sucks and sometimes, you think food will help you through the tough threshold but it doesn't, it actually drags you deeper. Focus on how the bad food made you feel and don't let it do that to you again. Good luck hon and don't give up.

AnneGenevieveS

I HEAR YOU. That is very much me. I have a problem with binging, and its usually the worst after I've been eating good or if I'm eating too little. Don't forget to eat!! You need some food or your body WILL go crazy.

Like petithamu said, I usually feel horrible and so disappointed in myself afterwards.

Have hope, though!! Usually the weight gained after a binge lasts only that week, because some of it is just the physical weight of the food in your stomach. So the pounds actually gained (if I get back on track right away) are none to only like 1 or 2 pounds.

I also find that treating myself from time to time (with a controlled portion) stops me from going crazy and eating everything in sight.... sometimes. Also, if I binge, I try to do a ton of exercise to offset it and burn the calories off.

Don't let this defeat you! Get back on track today, and you will be back to 150. Its a constant struggle, but you can do it. We have all been there.

MisMolly

I agree with Sarah and other...Get rid of the junk! I know I crave sweets way more when I know they are on hand. If they are in the house all I need is an excuse, boredom or stress or rewarding myself or whatever, and I will gobble them up.

In regards to the binges, try to think about why you do that to yourself. For me, I had it myself convinced that if I wanted to loose weight, I would have to suffer through being hungry all the time. I would try to watch what I ate but my negative thoughts thought discouraged me so much that I would get frustrated, and decide that I would eat whatever I wanted to make myself feel good. But after binges, I still didn't feel good. Recognizing this was key for me to controling my eating. Eating lots of crap doesn't make anyone feel good. Try to replace bingeing with something else that does make you feel good: exercise, a hobby, time with loved ones, or talking to a supportive friend all take feel much better than hoovering sweets and snacks.

AmandaB4588

I have the exact same problem, and I have yet to get it under control. One thing that has helped is, like others have said, getting the really bad junk out of the house. I have also found that letting myself get hungry is a terrible idea!

::EDIT:: I don't think the fact that you did this after reaching a new low should be ignored, either. That is usually when I binge, too. I think it is some sort of self sabotage.

bburson

Sorry to hear that. For me, if I exercise it is really easy to maintain my calorie count. If I don't, it is virtually impossible. My challenge is to force myself to walk 1st thing in the AM, and at least get something registered on MFP. Somehow that helps trigger discipline. Best of luck!

gardenmama

I know if there are treats in my house, I will eat them, or at least be thinking too much about them. In order to overcome our weaknesses, we need to recognize how much we can endure in our own strength, and how much puts us over the edge. If you do not yet possess the self control needed to pass up on the sweets in your house, you need to get the sweets out of your house. Otherwise you are expecting something you aren't able to do, and essentially setting yourself up to feel like you failed.
When I have a sweet craving, I'll eat a couple medjool dates (about 140 calories). Now it's definitely not a doughnut, but it does help SO much with the craving. Eventually, you will change your habits enough that your cravings change. You can do this!

popsicle33

Sorry to hear you feel dejected about things. I am here for you and so are all of us. I regard dieting as a long-term commitment where sometimes we have 5 steps forward and then 3 steps back. It's always the 3 steps back that are hardest to take.

I wonder where the bingeing comes from? What are you seeking from it?

I binge rarely anymore, but it's because it's too expensive for me. I try to approach eating as a gift.

Also remember, we can't be perfectly good all of the time. Sometimes the simple reward system doesn't work for people who binge because we can't just eat 1 cookie or 5 Pringles (that's my problem - chips!).

There are things that also keep me from bingeing: remembering how yucky I felt after a binge, and trying to drink as much water as possible so I feel full all the time.

Don't give up. This is just a blip on the radar screen of your life and this too shall pass if you return to the plan.

Like everyone else is saying, every day is a new day to start fresh.

Amy

jessicakaty

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to write and help me out My weight has already begun to go back down, now that my stomach isn't as bloated / the water weight is out, and it's given me motivation again, along with all of you guys. Such wonderful support on this website I didn't think I'd get Thank you all.

And yes, binging does make me feel absolutely wretched after.. But at the time, it is so good to just eat whatever your want and think "who cares!" But then you realize, "oh, I do.." And it's not worth the pain and regret after.. Time to find a healthy balance now, I think. Off to go throw out the remaining sweet things in my house! And treat myself on the occasion.

Thank you all again Feel free to add me for any motivation and support!

SHBoss1673

hello jessica, and welcome to MFP.

As an experienced member on the site, I've talked with a lot of people and come to understand some things about the nature of nutrition and the psychology of food as I like to call it.

In my experience, binging is rarely related to actual hunger. Generally there's an underlying psychological reason behind binging. For most people it boils down to some kind of control issue stemming from either buried trauma in their life, or some other feeling of inadequacy or loss of control.

My advice to you is first try to reason out what your feelings are when you start a binge. Whether that be on your own, or with friends, or with a mental health professional (there are people who focus on eating disorders) is up to you and whether you feel you can figure this out on your own or not. I will say this, no matter what your size, the binging will probably not go away until you get to the bottom of the reasons why you binge. After that, figuring out what the triggers are for your binging periods, and trying to mitigate them so the temptation is minimized.

hope this helps,

-Banks