I am struggling big time

ms_sugar

Alright so I joined this site just about a year ago and I think I managed to lose close to 20lbs which was almost half way to my goal. Then I got a new job and bought a place and my routine went down the sh*tter. Just recently my phone was stolen and like an idiot I cancelled my account and lost all my awesome supports I had. I have been finding a few of them slowly which is great.

Since my new job and new condo I have not been able to find my grove. I find myself stuffing myself with food every night so much so that my stomach muscles hurt the next day from eating too much...who knew that was even possible.

I told myself that I was going to join the gym tonight the one that is only 1/2 a block away and I didnt leave my bed. I ended up lying in bed stuffing my face and trying to find something good on TV which there was nothing on. I want to stop EVERY DAY i tell myself today is the day and then by mid day I give up.

Food is my addiction and I cant seem to get enough. Any suggestions to break this visious cycle would be great.

Pebble321

I don't know the answer, but - welcome back!

I can only suggest that you try every day. If you eat well and log for half the day - that's a victory!
If you can do it for a whole day - that's a fantastic victory!

Treat each day as a new start, maybe pick a small goal that seems acheivable.
Don't start out by saying "I'm never going to eat junk food again" because, frankly, that is setting yourself up for failure.

Instead pick something like "I'm going to eat a healthy breakfast every day for a week". Much more likely to succeed. And if you miss one day - well, you've still eaten 6 healthy breakfasts and that's a good start.

Good luck!

lucyhoneychurch

It sounds like you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself to make TODAY the DAY to stop stuffing yourself and so on. I don't know if you have any eating disorders or a history of bad food habits, but you have to at least WANT to change the vicious cycle. And it seems like you do. You can still break that down even further by

1.) not having the bad foods readily available -- don't buy any more junk food
2.) substitute the junk food with healthier options, or
3.) reset your personal daily food goals. You can tell yourself that food is for fueling your workouts, not for comfort. You can set a nightly deadline that there is NO MORE SNACKING after 9pm or whatever time you set. If you've eaten dinner and you get the munchies, go do something else. Better yet, exercise. Earn back the right to eat extra calories.

If you really want to get back on track and you are honest that food is an addiction, you will have to face the music and deal with your eating habits directly. You can do it! Get back to that happy place where you were working on yourself, eating right and losing weight because you took care of your body. Good luck!

appleseeds

I do similar things to you and its often to do with being unhappy about certain aspects of my like. Not my own life but my friend gained 30kg when her relationship was going bad/ lost 40 when it was going well/and then gained most of it back over the last year since everything went bad again (theyve just seperated).
I gained a lot of weight during the year my parents declared bankruptcy and moved away from the town I grew up in, along with family members dying, a family fued, all teamed with the stress of my honours degree.
It might no be appropriate for a public forum, but perhaps you need to have a good sit and thing about the things you are happy with, and the things you are unhappy with in your life - find out what hole you are trying to fill with food.

sloanie1

Hiya! I am a diagnosed food addict...:o) food is my crack!!! it's tough......REALLY tough and the only way to break the cycle is to create new habits....this takes TIME....you have to be patient and consistent.....I don't believe there is an actual cure as it's a mental thing (for me anyway) but it can get easier, believe me I have been where you are, it has taken me 15 months to lose the weight, this was only a tiny piece of the journey, the changes I have put in place have been life changing.....you have to look inside and see what makes you tick, this can be scary but it's worth it....I would start by writing down exactly what you want and why you want it, list your goals, you have to do this so you can commit to them and own them...we all fall down but it's how we get up that counts...xx

GeneaCindy

Try taking small steps to get back on track. Like maybe a 10 or 20 minute walk? Heck, even a 5 minute walk. It doesn't have to be outside - try walking inside your condo. Anything to get moving - it may help lift your spirits and give you some inspiration to get back on track. Friend me if you want

indianajonex

I write you from Spain. Here we have high unemployment rate and they're rarely giving mortages so kudos on both!!!!
Congratulations girl!!
Second, I suffered for years from anxiety so I eated my *kitten* off.
My trick:
- Little goals and no punishing you for that. First, no junk food. But no limit in other things.
- Then, when you're confortable with that, start improving, change to healthier food.
This year I made a discovery: It was the food what gave me anxiety. The kind of food you eat is important. I tried and tried, changed a million things until one miraculous day I WAS STUFFED AND THERE WAS FOOD LEFT IN THE DISH.
I think it's different for each person. For me, it was vegetables and meat ( not red meat) for lunch. And tofu, seitan and 3 or 4 home made cookies for dinner (less or no carbs at night will you help feel thinner the next morning). I still eat as much as I need. I do my training, and lose 2 pounds a week. Try until you can cook things so that you find them delicious. Don't give up, "diet" food is not bad, I put soy, gomasio, ginger in food and it is fun to try new things.
The exercise is important, help endorfines give you peace, and helps you rest properly. Don't do it as homework, find something that you enjoy, and do it.

I lost 40 pounds and now training for triathlons, so If I could, you can.
Enjoy your condo and keep trying!!!
Jane.

KatesJourneytoLookGr8

Try drinking tons and tons of water today. First thing when you wake up slice a lemon and put some ice in your glass and fill with water. Make it your goal to drink as much water as possible. The next day, try seeing if you can beat it.

A lot of when I snack and binge or get in bad ruts is when I am

A) Tired
Dehydrated

drink a ton of water and get enough sleep. Take bubble baths. Take care of you mentally. Then remind yourself how precious your body is, you woke up today and you are alive. Why not treat your body the best you can. Get a bath scrub or lotion. Kinda detox yourself. Have a healthy breakfast and small meals throughout the day or healthy lunch and dinner. Try not to eat past 8 or 9 and have tea at night. Meals should have complex carbohydrates(sweet potato, brown rice, oats, no salt rice cakes, Ezekiel Bread or if that is too expensive whole grain), a protein source which is lean (flank steak, grilled chicken, cod, salmon, halibut, shrimp, tuna, lean ground beef, lean ground turkey), and some veggies (Tons!) Spinach, broccoli, Green Beans, Squash, Tomatoes, stick with those! I get a large spinach lettuce from Costco and have tons of salads. For condiments, balsamic vinaigrette only.

Stick to clean eating, you will feel SO much better, and weight will fall off. Eating the right foods is hard but it is so worth it

You can do it!!

KatesJourneytoLookGr8

Also, natural sources of fat, wont make you fat avacdos, olive oil, peanut butter (natural!) will help!

Protein is very important for post working out. Whey protein is a staple in my diet. Beverly International is great!! You got this!