I need encouragment, a pep talk or maybe a kick in the butt!

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run4yourlife
run4yourlife Posts: 379 Member
in Motivation and Support
For about 8 weeks I worked hard and exceeded my 15 pound weight loss goal, but more importantly than that, I didn't binge which is something I have struggled with for a long time. Last week I went on a trip to the Carribbean to attend my cousin's wedding and even without using MFP at all I feel like I stayed in control of my eating and made good choices. I've been home for 3 days and I don't know what the heck is going on but I have been binging non-stop. I was hoping to wean myself from loggng my foods because let's face it, I can't be counting colories forever, but I'm just doing horribly on my own. So, I guess I'm back to logging my food and counting calories. But I just don't understand what went wrong here. I'm happy. My husband just got a new job which we are thrilled about and things in my life are better than they've been in a long time, so what gives?
Any encouragement or *kitten*-kicking you could send my way would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks MFP!

Replies

  • lulabellewoowoo
    lulabellewoowoo Posts: 3,125 Member
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    First of all, no kicking. Just smiley_hug.gif

    Possible you are hitting you TOM? That might happen. If you are having difficulty with binging, get rid of all junk and "binge" on healthy food, then wean your portion size down slowly. I am having a similar problem with cutting out processed foods and so I feel the need to eat nonstop, so I have been eating apples, bananas, carrots, celery, hummus and after three days of that I'm finding that I am not binging so much. Hormones play a huge part in not just our moods, but our desires. Great job on eating well on your vacation. You can get back to where you are comfortable. You can do this!
  • upsy
    upsy Posts: 42
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    Looks like you relaxed (as everything what caused stress, sorted out great), so you body desided to relax too. You are just mean and dont want it to have fun. LOL
    You know 18lbs in 8 weeks is quick drop, so you will need to stay here for a while, while you will learn to eat small for life.
  • byHISstrength
    byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
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    The next time you feel like binging, stop and ask God for help.

    What has worked for me is a lot of prayer. I know that on my own strength I will fail. And that is not a defeatous (not sure if I spelled that right) attitude. I just recognize that I need supernatural strength. I have tried many times before to lose weight and did not have much success, BUT since March 2nd I have lost 13 lbs and the difference is that when I started I (and continue everyday) brought this issue to my heavenly Father and He has provided me so far with what I needed to see change (including MFP). The Bible says that His grace is sufficient and that are weakness is made perfect in His strength.

    So, pray, pray, and pray. All prayer is is a conversation with God. He already knows what is in your heart; He just wants you to spend time with Him.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    get in the habit for sure. If I can't log it online I keep track in a journal or in my head. Food and I have a love-hate relationship nd I have accepted the fact that I will be counting calories/nutrients for life in some way.
  • uli2477
    uli2477 Posts: 9
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    As someone who quite smoking many times I can tell you it is easy to pick up old habits back up right where you left off. Instead of trying to quit all at once, I found it much more effective with smoking and more recently with snacking binging to quit 1 binge at a time. If you want some chips take 100 calories of chips and leave the bag. You only need be strong enough to overcome 1 craving at a time. Keep the goal small, I will not binge right now! Soon you will be back in the groove.
  • uli2477
    uli2477 Posts: 9
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    You are dead on. Keeping track of what you eat is a great tool. I lost 40 lbs before finding MFP, it made it so much easier. But the mere act of logging in your calories for the day helps you visualize your goals and feel empowered to achieve them. As a male, I am a visual thinker. I can only focus on 1 thing fairly well. So the more help I have keeping track of stuff the better my chances are of achieving all of them.
  • FabulousFifty
    FabulousFifty Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Have you gotten back into your exercise routine? That always helps me get back on track. :heart:
  • squoozyq
    squoozyq Posts: 305
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    KAPOW! There's your kick in the butt!
  • nicolina823
    nicolina823 Posts: 450 Member
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    For me it is normal to come home and binge after not being home doing my routine. For example: We travel down to my Mother's house and the future in-laws. All they do is cook and eat. So you eat and you eat everything!

    Then by the time I come home I crave sweets from the inlaws and I crave delicious very bad food from my family along with salt. I cant stop for a day or two until I look at the scale and it screams (get off me fatty) when I see the number jumped 4-6 pounds in less than a week.

    Thats all the kick in the butt that I need! It doesnt help when my boyfriend can look at a bowl of cereal and lose weight along with eating everything in the house...
  • drjonesdvm
    drjonesdvm Posts: 1
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    Congratulations on losing over 15 pounds! You've done a great job, so don't get discouraged if you've been bingeing a little. I also found myself bingeing at times and I started to beat myself up over it, but I realized that I can't eliminate all the treats that I love and stay on track. It's a vicious cycle because when I get upset I just want comfort food, then I feel guilty... You know the story. Everyone tells you that people who lose weight and keep it off successfully make lifestyle changes rather than "dieting". So don't try to eliminate all the things you love because after a while you do feel deprived and you end up eating the whole pint of Ben and Jerry's instead of just savoring one spoonful! Give yourself 100-200 calories every day for a treat and adjust your meals and snacks accordingly. Even better, add in another 20-30 minutes of exercise to burn some of those treat calories. You'll feel better overall if you know that nothing's forbidden and you can enjoy that small scoop of ice cream or piece of chocolate. Life is short so you should enjoy each day and feel good about taking care of your body and your mind.:smile:

    PS You should also journal with a friend. I do this with my best friend and we check in with each other every day. We celebrate each other's successes and we laugh over the days when one of us ends up eating a batch of cookie dough or a monster cheeseburger. It helps us to remember we're human and even though we have setbacks we can pick ourselves up and keep moving towards our goals.
  • amylynna1
    amylynna1 Posts: 152 Member
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    Jen
    I experienced this last week! I was away with my boyfriend for the weekend. Eat well and had a wonderful time without thinking of my "diet" or calorie counting each minute. I came home and lost control.

    Its funny that you question your happiness relative to the binges becuase I do the exact same thing. I am very happy yet how come I can not feel in control of my binges.

    Relapse is a part of success. It helps you identify where, when and what led to the binge. I will happen, sadly. But you have come SO far that although it doesn't feel like it right now you ARE winning the battle.

    You question your self becuase you want to know what is "wrong" "missing" "Bothering you" but the truth is NOTHING. You are happy, you are healthy and you are working hard to improve your eating habits. YOU ARE WINNING THIS FIGHT!

    Your going to fall, I encourage you to look at this as a step in the process. A tool to allow you to reflect on where you are, how far you have come from and redefine your goals.

    Focus on long-term goal and the progress you have made.

    I am so proud of you! your life will not be controlled by calorie counting but some days you will need to "monitor". "check in and need encouragement. This is why we are here!!!!!

    If it feels overwhelming and you need support reach out as you just have. I also ask god for strength and direction!
  • meokk
    meokk Posts: 787 Member
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    Hi Jen,
    I'm so proud of you for coming all of this way. :flowerforyou: :drinker:
    I get the bingeing thing because I've totally been there myself.
    You did an amazing job keeping your food in check while on vacation but this week just shows that you do still need some extra support. There are some people on here who reached their goal weight a year ago but they still use MFP. Maybe you need to wean yourself off more slowly. How about logging for 3 more months??
    I find that when I connect with people on MFP I feel more accountable and it keeps me in check.

    Stick with us for a little while longer.....please :heart: :heart:
  • lreed
    lreed Posts: 348 Member
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    Here is your encouragement! Great job on the weight loss and doing so well on your vacation! That is truly hard! Most likely it could be stress or TOM for the 3 day binge. Today is a new day my dear. Start NOW!!! I have realized even when I think I am doing really good through out the day, if I don't log and plan, I will be anywhere from 100-300 over on calories. So now you realize this, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT? Take back control! You can do it! Kick in the butt now!!!! :flowerforyou:

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