I can't do it

Hi - sounds like it's triggered by work anxiety - what do you think? you've done it once - of course you can do it again.

Sounds like anxiety eating, I do it too. I joke that I'm trying to stuff enough food into my tummy to squish the butterflies.

I've had to take steps to deal with the anxiety, and just keep reminding myself that eating isn't going to help the anxiety and in fact will make it worse. I have also come to realise that part of my anxiety is from not feeling in control, and that by controlling my eating, I gain a measure of that back and it is something I can feel good about in the bigger picture of stress.

For starters, try planning ahead. Set out exactly what you will eat each day. It helps you stay on track, and also gives you something to concentrate on (I find that having something to focus on lessens the stress). The anxiety eating is part of a spiral, and if you can get it under control, you'll be amazed how much of that control washes back into the rest of day to day life

Writing on this board is the first step. You have a wealth of support right here.
You know you can do it. There is part of your brain that is sabotaging you - fight.
If it knocks you down, you need to get back up and keep fighting - I promise you there is an end.

The most important thing you can do is not quit. Mess up today, try again tomorrow. Eventually, the good days begin to outnumber the bad, even if it doesn't feel like they ever will. Then you will get momentum going and you will succeed.

Read what all these lovely caring people told you not once but twice then try it all. Fake food like shakes will teach you zero about what to do for life. Many great ideas here.

Slim Fast will make you feel deprived....you need real food.

Take it slowly. Tomorrow, swap one unhealthy food item for something healthy; after a couple of days change 2 items; every couple of days just try and change one more until you eating healthily virtually all the time. Try not to have sweets and chocolates, etc in the house if you know you're going to be tempted. Go for a walk if tou can instead of succumbing to treats. If it is work related, see if there is somehow you can share the workload.

Don't give up!!!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

We've all been there. The hardest part is finding motivation... that's why most of us signed up for this site in the first place. Sometimes its not that easy to muster up the will power to move forward but if you really want to put things in perspective, watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448

I watch that video every time I need perspective... and not just with exercise.

Trust me. You can do it.

Well ... I've looked over your diary for about a week ... and if I had all the sweet stuff in my house that you have I wouldn't be able to lose either.

Initially, I had NO willpower. If it was in the house, it went down the hatch :-). I actually have "willpower" for most things now . I started logging in January.

Please don't diet ... you're going to have to start changing some habits. The level of sugar you are eating is putting you at risk for Type 2 diabetes ... and the more sugar you eat, the more you are going to want. It's the spikes and drops in your blood sugar that are causing you to want more, and more ... and those spikes and drops will contribute to eventual insulin resistance.

Edited to add: make sure your following your sugar, and make use of a new habit -- logging your day BEFORE you start eating. (Or at least each meal). When you follow your sugar on here, you will go over even eating fruit ... but make SURE you don't go over the recommended sugar from added sugars.

What I did when I started was get rid of junk in the house completely, and start reducing sugar where I added it to stuff. I bought coconut sugar (lower on the glycemic index) and used that for a while -- I'm back to using just honey in my main sweet treat :-). We stopped buying soda in November, and I find the stuff gross now :-P. Hard to imagine that statement coming from a cola addict. I do have treats occasionally, but I make sure I know what a serving size is BEFORE I indulge (who knew that a serving size of ice cream was only 0.5 cups -- not a heaping cereal bowl :-P). On days I exercise, that ice cream fits in just fine :-). I also reduced all simple carbs, and switched my macros to fairly low carb, eating more protein. Eating more protein will help keep you fuller and from wanting to constantly eat. The ratio I use, I found recommended here on MFP -- 40/30/30 (rather than the setting they use which is 55/?/?.

Edited to add: Just went back and realized you are on a 1200 calorie a day diet. That's low. You're going to end up hungry (and it's not nearly enough if you are exercising as well -- please eat those calories back). Your body is going to tell you to eat junk to catch up. If I were you I'd search for "In place of a road map" or "Why 1200 calories isn't enough" at the community. OR if you want, I have these linked in my blog and you can add me as a friend and just get the links there. You have to understand the concept of basal metabolic rate -- the amount of fuel that your body needs to exist in a coma -- mine is about 1499 calories. Eating less than that plus getting out of bed to do anything in the morning means you aren't fueling your body to do what you are expecting it to do.

Sorry. I've written a novel. Oops. Out for now.

I've put on one and a half stone through binge eating majorly through the 6 weeks, i use to not be bothered by chocolate/sweets etc, now i have huge cravings all the time. I am now at the stage where i cant sleep at night because i am worried i am not able to lose it (i have been trying for the last 6 weeks, i seem to be ok for a couple of days then go back to my old ways, for example, this weekend i was good and eat sensibly then this morning, i have eaten over 1000 cals just on breakfast eating junk, i am not sure whether it is connected to going to work). Non of my clothes fit anymore, most embarrassingly my work clothes don't fit, i can't even get my trousers up never mind do the button up!

I worked so so hard for it to come off in the first place, it took me months of hard work and willpower.

I don't believe I can do it again :-(

You sound just like me on a 'hard' day. I'd binge, feel sad, sleep, and do it all over again. Now I aim to sleep when I feel like overeating. I don't always overeat but when I do I know how to manage it and what i really need.

Also, what did you wear yesterday/last week - the weight couldn't have come on overnight! If you need new clothes and can afford to binge eat then perhaps see each binge as a missed opportunity to put the money towards new clothes instead. Harsh, but true.

I found success from initially planning to eat exactly what I wanted in portion sizes that would enable me to reach my MFP caloric intake goals. That way I still had a bit of exactly what I wanted in every bite. Today is my 105th day of logging. It hasn't got any easier, but I have got better at balancing my craving/binges and developing strategies to cope - one day isn't going to undo 105 days of effort, but 50 would... you get the picture. Keep logging accurately and precisely.

Break down your goals, have what you want, teach yourself about nutrition, realize what junk food is really doing to your body and what is actually in it that makes you crave it more - get reading, labels too! If you don't understand what the label says, google the word to understand it. You will soon click on to what you want v's what you need (nutritionally) which will then eventually become what you want.

This principle is based on clean eating: meat and veg, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Expect results from patience and persistence - and expect to feel like rubbish from eating rubbish.

Yes you can do it! I can relate with you. I joined WW a few years ago and lost almost 40 pounds. My mother was diagnosed with cancer in July 2011 and she died three weeks later. We had no time to process her illness or what was happening because it was happening at such a fast pace.

After she died I simply gave up and grief was killing me. Well long story short, I gained at least 30 pounds back. After realizing that I was heading for a sure crash and burn I sought help. I joined a gym. Let me tell you, the THRILL I get from seeing myself lifting weights!!! OMG!! No I'm not power lifting or anything like that, it's the simple fact that I decided to stop the runaway train and my course of life has changed FOR THE BETTER! I've been at this for 4 weeks now, can i see great physical results? No, not quite yet but do I feel better mentally? LORD GOD IN HEAVEN YES!!! YEEEEEEESSSS!!!

I'm looking down the road, I see myself looking better, I see myself smiling and laughing. This is NOT the end for me. As much as I felt it was I had to ask, Is this all I get? I wanted better. Now I LOOK FORWARD to packing my gym bag because I know I'm getting ready to do something good for ME! Ok I'm starting to work myself up into some tears (of JOY) so I'm going to stop and say, I hope you are encouraged. As long as you wake up to another day, you have ANOTHER CHANCE! Take it! Take it and RUN!

After looking at your food diary I will say two things-- I notice that some days you do really well, and they tend to be followed by a day with a binge. I'd suggest that you aren't eating enough to begin with, and that is why you end up binging-- you're hungry!

Also, I realize that it may not be in the budget (although you'll find you save a LOT more money than you thought not buying all that junk food!), but you should really try to get together with a nutritionist. I think learning about your body, the foods you are eating, and what your body needs from the foods you give it may help you to make better decisions on not only how much you eat, but WHAT you eat. Perhaps if the nutritionist can make you an eating plan, it will be easier to stick to than to try to create your own.

We're all here to help-- and just because we may have knowledge of diet and fitness now, doesn't mean we always did! We are all still learning through this process. As my mom likes to tell me: "Just because I know what I'm talking about doesn't mean I'm smarter than you...it means I've screwed up more times already!"

Rule #1: do not give up.

Success is falling on your face 1000 times, getting up 1001 times.

I'm struggling too. Results have been slow: 18-22 pounds lost in 4 years of trying/failing/trying again. 8-12 of those pounds have been lost since last September, so the process going a little better.

We CAN do this but it will take as long as it takes. Do your best to change those bad habits.

Hi - sounds like it's triggered by work anxiety - what do you think? you've done it once - of course you can do it again.

AGREED !!!

If you believe it, you can achieve it!

I agree, we've all been there!! I lost 40lbs last year, hurt my knee and just reverted to old ways...I gained almost of it back and am now fighting again. I understand the sugar thing to. I crave sugar like an addiction. I used to smoke years ago and compair it to that type of craving. You came back and that was the most important step! MFP has the most awesome people! :happy: