I was doing so well, I was getting close to my dream..

NowCanWillDo
NowCanWillDo Posts: 18
in Motivation and Support
At the beginning of my weight loss process or "healthy lifestyle change" I went 28 days without binging, 28 days of solid habits and new, healthy lifestyle choices (and a 1800 calorie daily limit). I felt confident and energetic the whole way through.

All was going fine until after that month period, and from then on I began getting off track. Now, I'm binging every THREE days or so, and I'm just no where as disciplined as that first month. But, I am going to the gym MORE then what I was during that great month (I'm going four - five times a week, for 1 hour sessions). It really frustrates me because I'm trying to get back on track, but the negative thoughts keep dominating the positivity, resulting in a severe binge.

I have now been, as they say, 'yoyo-ing'. I lost 20 lbs or 9 kilos, then put on 2 kilos, and then lost another kilo. I cannot get back to my starting weight, it would honestly be an utter nightmare. But so far, I have been able to *just* maintain my weight, but not lose any more (understandably - eating all that junk I'm eating during binges!!)

I've tried everything. Posting personal 'anti binge' letters on my white board with reasons on why I shouldn't binge, motivating blog sites, trying to distract myself...

And no, I am not under eating or restricting myself, I am being reasonable and healthy.

I've lost a good majority of the weight I want to lose, but I need to lose another thirteen pounds or six kilos. I want this SO bad, there are millions of motivations, external AND internal... How do I defeat those last thirteen pounds!! Does anyone have any constructive advice, opinions, tips?

Thanks all, you guys really could be positively changing a life :)

Replies

  • Nana_Booboo
    Nana_Booboo Posts: 501 Member
    I would think just exercising so strictly you'ld want to eat healthy.
  • jg627
    jg627 Posts: 1,221 Member
    If you're binging all the time then maybe you're just trying too hard. Set your daily calories a little higher and relax. Eat something you like once in a while.
  • NowCanWillDo
    NowCanWillDo Posts: 18
    I would think just exercising so strictly you'ld want to eat healthy.

    I don't understand this? I'm not exercising that strictly, I wouldn't say anyway?
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    There is an online book that may help you very much called, ACTIVE-PASSIVE DIET. I think it will open your eyes and help you understand what is going on in your body to create the rebllion against the diet.
    After reading this you will understand how many weeks to have calorie restriction and then go off the diet slowly by adding 1 treat a day for a week, on week two you get 2 treats a day.
    Keep at this untill you have gained 2-3 pounds real weight , not water weight. After the gain you go back to calorie restriction.
    The book is only 7 short chapters.
  • NowCanWillDo
    NowCanWillDo Posts: 18
    If you're binging all the time then maybe you're just trying too hard. Set your daily calories a little higher and relax. Eat something you like once in a while.

    I feel satisfied at my calorie limit though, and I'm often treating myself to things I like quite a lot. Again, I was doing all this during my first month and now my durability has just left the building!
  • crysiebrown
    crysiebrown Posts: 8 Member
    I talk to myself (like a crazy person) when I feel that I want to cheat. Crazy but it works for me because I talk myself out of it everytime. I've worked too hard to get these 56.6 lbs off and the thought of gaining even 1 lbs back keeps me motivated. I hope you find what works for you and get those 13 lbs off!!

    Good Luck!!!
  • NowCanWillDo
    NowCanWillDo Posts: 18
    I talk to myself (like a crazy person) when I feel that I want to cheat. Crazy but it works for me because I talk myself out of it everytime. I've worked too hard to get these 56.6 lbs off and the thought of gaining even 1 lbs back keeps me motivated. I hope you find what works for you and get those 13 lbs off!!

    Good Luck!!!

    That's an awesome idea, I've always done that but never that dramatically. Do you actually talk to yourself out loud, or in your head? Thank you, best wishes!
  • Carol_L
    Carol_L Posts: 296 Member
    Are there any patterns to your binges? What's different in your life this month that may be a trigger?

    What I have found works for me is the 10% rule. I make sure that whatever I'm eating, I keep a buffer of 10% of my meals for things that I would consider to be 'cheats' - aka things I really really like but recognize that having a steady diet of is not going to end well. The way I work this system is to look at how many meals I eat in a week (usually around 28 - 30), and take 10%, which leaves me a maximum of three meals where I pretty much do as I like. Do I use all three meals all of the time - no, but I do have them as a buffer against unexpected circumstances where the control I might have over what's available to eat is limited.

    By extension, over things like the holiday season, I take a look at the upcoming weeks between the beginning of December and New Year's Eve, map out the number of occasions where I have commitments and label those as cheat meals in advance. This allows me to govern the rest of my eating to accomodate things. I might end up with 5 cheats in one week, and none the next - it's all about planning in advance, learning to live in the real world, and not driving yourself crazy trying to be uber-perfect all the time.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    I did the same thing after about five months and losing about 50 pounds. For a variety of reasons, I just kind of stopped caring about losing the rest. I didn't want to gain any back and I didn't stop eating the healthy foods, but I was increasingly okay with adding alcohol back on too many days, adding back some junk foods, and stopping my workouts. The scale has gone up and down and up and down, never going past that lowest point but never getting close to my highest weight either.

    Then last week, I was surprised with plane tickets to visit home over this coming Christmas break. My mom hasn't seen me since my highest weight and has been really happy to hear about my progress; I've wanted to just shock her the next time she sees me. I thought I'd have more time though, so the deadline has helped me get my head on straight again.

    Still, I had a hard time keeping to it. I log everything I eat, but it just wasn't having the impact it once did. So I made a very simple visual aid. I messed with the math for a while and figured out how much I could reasonably expect to lose by then (based on my past results -- this is why it's important to log everything so you can go back and examine it later). I printed up a page with my goal in big print, a couple reminder rules/guidelines, and the calendar up until the time I'm going on my trip, then posted it right next to my desk. Every night, I color in the day (different colors depending on whether I ate within my calories, worked out, etc.).

    This has been more helpful than I could have anticipated. I put the sign in a spot where I look directly at it every time I get up from my chair; that instant snapshot of what I've been doing really makes me pause and think for a second when I'm getting up to head to the kitchen.

    I realized that my willpower hasn't faded any; I don't want to gain weight, and I still live the healthy lifestyle I've developed. What happened is that it became normal and mundane; when I stopped having to think about it, I just stopped being careful. It just took a simple reminder to tell me, "Hey, remember this stuff? This stuff is important." And I'm back on track again.
  • acbabbitt
    acbabbitt Posts: 50
    I've enjoyed listening to the Inside Out Weight Loss podcasts by Renee Stephens. They are free: http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/216-inside-out-weight-loss

    Here is her website: http://www.reneemethod.com/fulfilled/

    Good luck

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