2 Week Cycle of "falling off the wagon"

Do you log your binges? Maybe you need to focus less on "staying on plan" and more on good habits like logging, exercising and healthy food choices. Try making a commitment for the next two weeks to log every bite, even if you go over. And, remember that one day isn't going to ruin your progress.

I know that if I can see the results of a binge in my journal/diary the next morning, I'm more likely to let it go and get back on track. However, if the binge is just hanging there in my mind and I haven't been accountable for it by logging it, I'm more likely to let it derail me.

I'm not sure I can help, since I'm experiencing the same problem. Do you know why you binge? I think I binge because I feel low-level, chronic stress all the time, and dieting makes me feel even more deprived and sorry for myself. All it takes is one bad or boring day and I fall off the wagon. So my current plan is to restructure my life so that I am having more fun on a regular basis. I'm hoping that filling my life with pleasurable activities, the eating will be easier to manage. In the past, the only times I have been able to successfully diet are when my life is going well and I feel full of optimism and happy anticipation. So those are the conditions that I am trying to recreate right now. (And even if I don't lose weight, at least I'll be happier!)

Another idea: Is there any way that you could restructure your calorie counting to take into account binge days? For example, eat 1600 calories a day for six days and give yourself a really yummy 600-calorie treat on day 7. Then get back on track. I don't think this would work for me, but maybe it would work for you.

I just started, mfp, but I am a serious binger. It seems it all goes with my period (yes I said it) and stress level. For me it's about working through my cravings and trying to figure out the trigger for them. Since psychologically (for me) it's my body having been trained to eat through the cravings, but this last week, I decided to substitute eating with walking to the craving. Meaning, since I work on an Air Force base, my office is about 1.5 miles from the little shoppette that houses my cravings; I decided if I wanted a chocolate cupcake, I would walk to buy it. HA! by the time i got halfway there, psychologically it was too much work for such a little cupcake, so I detoured and ended up walking around a park and back. Logged 3 miles in less than hour.

During my period, it's all about salty things....since I haven't gotten to that point this month, I am preparing myself to find my substitute. I am thinking pickles... they have the salt, but also the flavor and the vinegar seems to work as an appetite suppressor for me during these days.

I guess what I'm trying to say is try to realise the trigger and substitute the response. Replace the normal reaction to a healthy reaction and move forward.

Another thing I am doing this week, is now allowing for my "cheat" days. This does not mean I can eat anything, it just means I can eat anything within a 1500 calorie range. My caloric intake for weight loss is 1200, binge days I'm allowing it to 1500 and then back to the full restriction. I'm still tweaking.

Hope this helps.

I would say that habit and repetition is key. At the moment your 2 week cycle is to be on-wagon, off-wagon but I've found that replacing your binge cycle (definitely have experienced this myself) with a cycle of logging everything you eat this will eventually become your habit.

I start MFP in January but had lost a little weight prior, I'm now at 16lbs lost but am finding that lessons are coming with the weight loss - only having one bread roll knowing that two will send me over my calories, etc.

Don't give up, you will get there. Whenever you are feeling a binge coming on, come onto MFP and have a chat with people, look through the success stories. It works for me.

Are your "on the wagon" 2 weeks a dramatic departure from your normal routine? Does your meal schedule interrupt normal household routines? Does work out time interfere with other important daily routines? My theory is that we either completely overhaul everything at once (difficult) or we gradually make changes we can live with and sustain. If my running was a major inconvenience to my family....made getting dinner done on time difficult, took away from homework time, made me miss big events...I'd likely give it up as it was too costly. But, if I can figure out ways to incorporate what I want to do without killing everything. . then I'm more likely to stick to it and ride the ups an downs as life never quite goes according to plan.

Whether you keep on tracking calories, or this hunger directed approach, you have to be mindful of what you're putting in your body both nutritionally and calorically. You can only eat when hungry, but if you eat apple pie instead of something better. . .well, you know what happens.

I hope you find the balance you're looking for to take you beyond the 2 week slump!

I have a similar pattern. But with mfp, I have lost 15 lbs so far, just very slowly. I figure that's pretty good since I only gained steadily for the last 20 yrs.

I do track ALL of my eating, even though it's embarrassing to see it on my diary. Just make your diary private and continue to log it. For me, logging has helped change some binge choices so it isn't so disastrous to the big picture.

Good luck!