why do I sabatoge myself

sofakingawesome69

I am a guy and I do it too. I think you just need to try and have a safety binge food around. I keep sugar free Pudding in the cupboard for just that reason. I can whip that up with some milk and I get my sweet taken care of and it fills me up. Stress sucks and we just have to know that it is coming and be prepared with something to combat it. The jar of things to do sounds like a good idea too if you can do that..

mzhokie

I do think I sub consciously try to keep the weight on sometimes. Every time i see weight come off.... I want to go eat ice cream or eat wings or chips or something. But sometimes for me it's hormonal. Log the info and look for a trend.

I found that I retain weight or go up on the scales when I ovulate more than with my period. I wouldn't have known that if I wasn't tracking and logging. So now when I see the weight gain I get it and don't get so down on myself. Because in the past I would see the weight go up and go eat.

but it could be something you aren't aware of that is giving you cravings or something. Worth watching out of curiosity.

charlottra

I believe sometimes we need a stick to hit ourselves with and so we make one. I used to do it with overspending as well. Apparently overeating and overspending are linked and its a choice we make between immediate gratification and long term happiness (achieving our goals). Also it can be habitual, becoming addicted to that buzz of immediate gratification. It doesnt last though, so I guess the hard bit is working out how to break the cycle and get the buzz from the long term happiness instead...

if you work it out, please let me know xx

MadelinesGrandbaby

WOW!! That's a great idea....Thanks for sharing!!!

krissagray

I think everyone does this, but females more often. I find that when i go off the deep end and eat myself silly, usually I'm right about to start my period. Sometimes if I'm on top of it, I'll eat like a CUP of cooked oatmeal and a giant glass of water cause what my body is usually craving is carbs. Instead of going straight to carbs, I'll eat all my good foods, then some worse ones, then finally end up with chocolate and ice cream. Ends up being like 1000 calories. Then, I'll think, I could've just carbed up with 300 calories of oatmeal and been WAY ahead.

Sometimes my body is craving an old fashioned PB&J. Sometimes it's better to eat something off your plan, but just eat what you're craving and get it over with.

The key for me is to have it not turn into 3 days of eating straight crap before I snap out of it, you know???

I agree with just eating what you WANT or CRAVE. Sometimes I want a Think Thin bar or Peanut Butter but I'll try something else first only to come right back to the kitchen for peanut butter. Lol. (now I don't keep jars of peanut butter in the house though. Only Barney Butter 90 calorie Almond packets).

I think this is good advice!

krissagray

I am a guy and I do it too. I think you just need to try and have a safety binge food around. I keep sugar free Pudding in the cupboard for just that reason. I can whip that up with some milk and I get my sweet taken care of and it fills me up. Stress sucks and we just have to know that it is coming and be prepared with something to combat it. The jar of things to do sounds like a good idea too if you can do that..

Yum, sugar free pudding

momma_eck

I am a guy and I do it too. I think you just need to try and have a safety binge food around. I keep sugar free Pudding in the cupboard for just that reason. I can whip that up with some milk and I get my sweet taken care of and it fills me up. Stress sucks and we just have to know that it is coming and be prepared with something to combat it. The jar of things to do sounds like a good idea too if you can do that..

yeah on that idea..I think I need to do that..I was ultimately looking for something sweet!

Dyetcoke1

I know how it is. There are lots of reasons. My usual ones: I am putting off some thing or thingd I should be doing but dont want to do. I am tired but dont realuize it (time for power nap). Frustrated because something ir someone isnt happening or doing what I want or need (watch out ffir that co dependecy. I;; I have pain and trying to treat with food - yes it happens...The thing u need to do is trat yourself like a baby thst is crying...what does the food cry mean? Usually there is a simple reason...i have eaten too much because I was constipated! Good luck, keep trying!

MamaDee2

I do it too! Cause a ugly cycle - eat for whatever reason (nothing I can relly pinpoint) then I get all mad cause I went crazy and that cause more eating.

I do love the slips of paper in the jar idea!

jzammetti

I think the quote below may be the key for you. It definitely was for me. I grew up in a large Irish family - we celebrated everything with food and fed all the sad stuff too. No matter what was going on, I was accidentally trained to feed it. SO, food became my self-soother and my self-celebration. Until I figured that out - I had no success in maintaining weight loss. Now I have lost 65 pounds and kept it off over a year.

Hang in there! You can do this!!!!!

I was watching some talk show at some point this past year where it talked about relationships with food.

How do we treat food? What role does it play in our lives? Etc.

Anyway, this did help me understand why I do what I do. I realized (especially after a visit from my mother this summer) taht in our family growing up, we would abuse food to make ourselves feel better after a bad day, to celebrate a good day, to have social time with friends or family, etc.

Thinking about what food represents in your mind might help. For me, I realized that I most use food to soothe myself when something isn't going great. If life is being an *kitten* to me, I can at least have my pizza and wings and chocolate milk and donuts.

Since I have realized this, I catch myself in the act. I will have a cruddy day or something cruddy will happen and I will find myself driving toward the grocery store. The trick is to catch yourself doing it, identify why you are doing it, and then deal with what is really going on rather than letting yourself get swallowed up by food.

Gr8mum77

I realized (especially after a visit from my mother this summer) taht in our family growing up, we would abuse food to make ourselves feel better after a bad day, to celebrate a good day, to have social time with friends or family, etc.

Gr8mum77

I can absolutely relate to this. In my family food was love so I learned to eat for the wrong reasons. Now I just go to the gym or go for a walk. Never think of it as denying yourself, but as what you will gain by being more stubborn than your craving. Afew extra years with my son and my future grandchildren is plenty of motivation for me!

befitandfearless

Such a good idea thought!! =P

ssbarfarkle

I can't offer any advice. All I can do is say you are not alone, I can totally relate.

direwolfprincess

I know I'll binge soon when I catch myself not counting calories. I'll pop 2 m&m's because they wont count, this chip won't count either, just a sip of his juice, etc. I allow myself to eliminated reporting and then it escalates to a handful of nuts. a slice of cheese, etc. If I just allow myself to have it and log it, it reduces me trying to attack all the delicious goodness in a mad frenzy.

janehadji

I do this, too, and have often tried to figure out why! I think that it's self-sabotage because I'm unhappy and want to punish myself in some way. I don't want to let myself succeed. Now, if I could only figure out what I'm unhappy about! There are answers out there somewhere. Hang in there!

ruurik

When I'm tired to the point of exhaustion, I have to be careful because I want to binge. I try to go to bed early and just lie there if I can't sleep. Keeps me from passing the fridge!

My doc says I'm borderline diabetic so initially when I start a diet, I get problems with my blood sugar. Then after a while, my body gets used to the new regime and I'm fine. But in the early couple of weeks of a diet, I will be tempted to binge when my blood sugar's low.

The biggest factor in my binging is my core beliefs. I had to study my core beliefs a couple of years ago. *big sigh* lol. One of my core beliefs is that I'm a fat person. If I'm fat or gaining weight, I feel like I'm being myself. So binging is a good thing in my eyes but I'm fighting against it and I am having success. But it will take years for my core beliefs to change and they may not. At least I'm now aware why I behaved like that in the past.

It doesn't help that the wife of one of my closest friends is furious everytime I lose weight. I dread socialising with them. She looks like she could go to war. Apart from insults and looking bitter, she won't acknowledge I'm there and even grits her teeth in anger! It feeds into the belief that I'm doing the wrong thing by getting in shape and that it's bad, I'm bad and all the guilt from making someone react angrily. But if I binge, put on weight and meet them, she's really nice to me.

I am someone who wants to celebrate anyone's success and I'm never jealous, just ecstatic for people, so it can feel like a bit of a lonely road!

yoovie

You may be scared of succeeding. Once we conquer something that at one point we never thought we'd be able to do - or get really close to conquering - we panic and stop ourselves from reaching it.

Think about it - if you are able to reach this goal and own it, handle it, incorporate it in your life legitimately... then youre going to have to take the next step too, reach higher, push harder, move toward a more difficult goal.

You'll be back at square one reaching to do something even tougher than this was.

its scary. And you're worried that you might disappoint everyone in that next level. Prove them right when they said you werent going to stick with it.

And why would you do that?

Do you think you might have the potential to be outrageously awesome and that possibility might scare you a little? Knowing that everyone will have higher expectations on your that you may not be able to continue to meet?

Well dont be scared of being awesome.

Everytime you level up and reach a goal, you are automatically stronger and strong enough to reach the next.

Its ok to be fit AND beautiful AND smart AND healthy AND creative AND loving AND happy.

It really is.

Thats not pride or hubris - its knowing you are valuable and being the living proof of it.

polarities

I'm so happy that I found this thread. I'm not sure what triggered it, but I just finished eating everything in sight after a good week of staying on track.
I seem to fall off the wagon hard once every 10-14 days, and I hate it. I refuse to give up, though.
There are some great suggestions here for coping with the urge to overeat. It's comforting to know I'm not alone.

Kimmy136

Are you bored? A tip I learned is to take a piece of paper, write things that you want or need to do (i.e. clean the closet, walk the dog, paint etc.). Cut the paper up into little slips so there is one item per slip. Fold them all up and place inthe jar. Put the jar in the fridge or pantry. Everytime you go into grab food, take a slip out of the jar and do the activity. This will help keep you active and your mind off eating.

I love this idea!! I'm going to use it myself. There are so many To Dos on my to do list that thinking of things to do won't be hard. Thanks for sharing!

vinnieti

I struggle also. I had a healthy dinner last night but for some reason felt compelled to have ice cream after haha. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep plugging away at it. Some of the tips here were helpful though

Culley34

I agree with the brush your teeth comment. My issue was never really binging on food -- it was just eating late at night while watching TV or a movie -- and naturally -- you can't sleep off calories. I brush my teeth a few minutes after dinner and use a basic fluoride mouthwash, which you're not supposed to eat after it's applied.

Second, and this is the most important: Do not buy JUNK food. Out of sight and out of mind is the best approach. Make a grocery list with no junk and only buy what is on the list. It's better if you don't go when you're hungry.

Besides, It's not a huge deal if you binge on celery, is it? :-)

Restybaby2012

I havent come up against this yet and it scares the bejeebers outta me that it will. I try to keep every single thing that is easy to eat, easy to munch on / binge on out of the house--literally. My kids are all grown and gone so it's just me and the fiance'. He knows if he wants "junk" he has to JUNK-OUT when Im at work and make damn sure its gone before I get home. I am so not forgiving about this. I feel the same with cig smoking in my home or car.

I love the idea of putting a jar on the fridge with things to do listed.

My worst isnt snacking. I can see it clearly being just plain over eating something I love...like potatoes with brown gravy, or frozen cake or frozen cream pies. OMG. I cant even think about that. However....in my house it's my fiance' that does the cooking AND all the shopping. He also serves me portions that he weighs and measures out for me. He knows Im dead serious on this new lifestyle change and he also knows I have to do this. (long story but it follows a hospitalization in July)

GAK Im babbling...sorry

med2017

i know this might be stupid but think about it this way.
if your feel like your gonna binge. pick something thats healthy. eat an apple, it fills you up quickly. then drink water till you feel satisfied. there you go. craving over



think about it this way. every time you are hungry your actually thirsty

ullgetthere

I totally understand! I was happy to see all of the comments because I am currently on vacation and not that I have been binging but I think I went a little of course (didn't record for 4 days ) but I am still not giving up!! And as for your cravings, it happens. We are human!! You just have to identify why it happens; is it boredom ? stress? or anuthing else and find something else to do when it happens or perhaps have ''special binging foods'' which tastegood but don't go overboard in calories.The best thing for me is support. So before it turns into a 3 day binge come talk about it first!