I feel like an addict.

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deebee227
deebee227 Posts: 14
in Getting Started
But I can't stop bingeing! Every time I begin a diet I fail on the first day! I get so scared of living without all of the foods I eat to cope when I'm upset that I can't get started. I can do well half the day and by dinner time I will be pigging out. On junk or I will ask hubby to go to the store and buy it for me. I'm so big (240) I feel like im too far gone at this point which is depressing because I'm only 27.


Anyone have suggestions to stop myself dead in my tracks before I ruin this attempt?
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Replies

  • foxruddellc1
    foxruddellc1 Posts: 65 Member
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    When you go to eat for comfort, remember how crappy you feel after you break promises that you have made to yourself.

    Find other ways to cope with stress, such as exercise, good books, ect.
  • sassyjae21
    sassyjae21 Posts: 1,217 Member
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    Instead of thinking of it as "living without the foods" try thinking of it as living without AS MUCH of those foods. I think where a lot of people go wrong is in their thinking they have to completely stop eating foods they love, when that's not true. Relax, cut your calories a bit, move around some more, and you'll find that this doesn't have to be a painful experience! Baby steps. Don't just cut off foods you love cold turkey. That's a recipe for disaster. Just try not to eat as much of them :) You can do it!!
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
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    Don't worry about what you're eating right now and just start running, run/walk, or C25K. Get moving first.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    First of all, you're going to get a lot of different opinions so bear in mind that that will happen.

    I can only tell you my experience as someone who binged almost daily for years.

    What helped me:

    I eat every 3 to 4 hours, and I eat protein at every one of my three main meals. I don't skip meals or snacks. When I first started doing this I set a timer to that I would eat every 3 to 4 hours, now my tummy is my timer!

    I can't eat even a little sugar or white flour. For me, those just send me into a binge spiral. I can go from one Snackwell cookie to a gallon of ice cream in warp speed.

    I eat at the dining room table. Not in front of the TV, not while reading the paper, not while talking to the family. It might look strange that I sit down with an apple at the dining room table, but that means that I have formed the habit of sitting at a table and it just feels weird to me to eat in the car or in front of the TV.

    I plan one "treat" meal a week, Saturday night, at a restaurant. I can spend the whole week fantasizing about that meal, (which sounds kind of sick..but hey, what the heck..) Sometimes we just go to a pancake house an I have 2 Belgian waffles, but the rule is once a week only at a restaurant.

    Now, it took me a while to get to this point, and there were lots of setbacks. But, this would be my advice.
  • mhiggi02
    mhiggi02 Posts: 5,988 Member
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    Instead of thinking of it as "living without the foods" try thinking of it as living without AS MUCH of those foods. I think where a lot of people go wrong is in their thinking they have to completely stop eating foods they love, when that's not true. Relax, cut your calories a bit, move around some more, and you'll find that this doesn't have to be a painful experience! Baby steps. Don't just cut off foods you love cold turkey. That's a recipe for disaster. Just try not to eat as much of them :) You can do it!!

    ^^^this is good advice. I have changed my diet in terms of volume and quality of food. There are only a few things I have completely eliminated (soft drinks, alcohol). Others I limit and keep in check. You will do this when YOU WANT TO, and not a moment before. Feel fortunate you are tackling this at your age. I kick myself for waiting until I was 43. Here are some links to my story and recent successes. You can do this if you want to, you really can.

    http://goo.gl/LAaF6b
    http://goo.gl/yhZvck
    http://goo.gl/mdK4zq

    Michael
  • beaches61
    beaches61 Posts: 154 Member
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    What if you try to make changes gradually? It sounds like you're afraid this is it and you're never going to be able to eat the foods you want again so you get anxious. Try cutting back on calories gradually, and making gradual changes in your diet, subbing in some veggies and lean proteins, but still allowing yourself some of your favorite foods.

    What if you start by logging what you are eating now without even trying to cut back. It can be a reality check to see what you are eating, and then you can see where you need changes.

    Look at your intake for a week and cut back 100 or 200 calories. Then the next week, adjust again.

    Better to take your time in making changes than try to make a fast change that you can't stick with.

    Start with small goals, including small exercise goals. Slow and steady. You can do it!
  • uncharted01
    uncharted01 Posts: 105 Member
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    you don't have to stop eating all of the food you love - you just have to eat it in moderation! :smile:

    read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    you can do this! you just have to believe in yourself! good luck!
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
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    Change is sometimes scary, because it's the unknown and different. Try a little at a time. If you get anxious and want to keep eating , try something new, like a walk around the block, or pop in an exercise video, try yoga. Re-arrange the closet. Call a friend or relative you've lost touch with, write a letter. Think of all the things you can accomplish or do besides bingeing. Also try and make them things you enjoy.
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
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    Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. And, it sounds backward, but it might help to not make any specific goals. Just try to be healthier every single day. If you find yourself binging, focus on stopping where you are. Don't ever say "I've failed; screw it". NEVER GIVE UP. But, start making smaller goals. About 20 years ago, I found myself in a horrible place physically and mentally. I started out just trying to eat ONE fruit or vegetable a day or going for a tiny little walk around the block. It took a long time to lose the weight, but I've been a healthy size for a long time (about a dress size 7). And, now I'm involved in all sorts of activities and sports I never could have imagined then. But, even now - even today, I make really small, manageable commitments. Like today, I'll go for a 30 minute walk during my kid's guitar lesson. And, just love yourself and be kind. Your own voice is the one you hear the most. Make sure it says nice things. :)
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
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    Do it gradually. Just eat like you normally would, BUT add some movement. Walk outside for an hour, bike, do a fitnessblender YouTube video. Once you get the exercise down, cut down your calories 100 every week 'til you reach a point where you can do it naturally. I am eating maintenance calories, BUT I am exercising an average of 800 calories a day.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    I can understand your position. I was there, from the sense that I could eat sensibly for breakfast, sort of ok for lunch, but from around 5 PM I became ravenous, and would tear open a bag of cookies, eat half before dinner, have a big plate of dinner, with seconds and sometimes thirds, and then go finish the open bag of cookies.

    After Christmas, I was up to 279, and accepted that I had an unhealthy relationship with food. I looked in the mirror, saw my sad state, and said to myself, "Hello, my name is < ... >, and I'm a food addict."

    I decided at that point that I needed to stop binge eating, stop comfort eating, and start eating healthy foods, rather than pre-packed foods. Your diary isn't visible, so I can't see what you are eating for breakfast and lunch, but it's possible you are making poor food choices, leading you to overeat in the evening.

    You can do it. You need to tidy up your intake, get some exercise (I started off by walking just 10-15 mins per day ... now I'm up to almost 2 hours a day), and if you are staying up late at night, turn off the TV/computer/tablet/smartphone, and get some good sleep.

    It can be done. I'm 44 lbs down, versus my target of 104 lbs. You can do it too.
  • TAsunder
    TAsunder Posts: 423 Member
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    Don't worry about what you're eating right now and just start running, run/walk, or C25K. Get moving first.

    That is how I did it at first. I was ~235 lbs. I focused almost exclusively on exercise. To a very very limited degree, I cut back on the amount of food I ate... mostly because it would interfere with exercise. After I lost a substantial amount of weight (25 lbs?) I found it harder to maintain my momentum. I started paying attention to what I ate. I don't think I started logging until well after that - maybe 35 lbs.

    Your mileage may vary. I am guessing this wouldn't work for everyone.
  • SpamLamb
    SpamLamb Posts: 36 Member
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    I understand completely. Food can impact our brain very much like a drug. I get a little panicked when I think about staying on a healthy eating plan for the rest of my life. It's scary.

    Personally, I've tried to remember a few things I've learned from interacting with family who are in AA. First of all, taking it one day at a time. Sometimes even one second at a time. I can make it for the next five minutes so I don't have to worry about the next hour. Or the next day. Or the next week. Just right now because there's no way I can see the future so worrying about it is pointless and counterproductive.

    Even the idea of getting a sponsor can help. Sure it probably won't be as formal as all that but it really helps to have someone in your life who can hold you accountable and who will support you every step of the way. It can be someone who is on the journey with you or someone who has been successful. Either way, find that support! It can be a lifesaver. Even sticking around these message boards can help when you see that you are't alone in your struggles.

    Whatever you do, don't let anyone dismiss the way you feel about this. It's hard. Very, very hard. Maybe one of the hardest things you'll ever do. But you CAN do it. Remember that you only really fail when you refuse to try again.
  • JoanneC1216
    JoanneC1216 Posts: 166
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    You got some really great answers here. Is it a specific food?

    You're way too young to give up. I agree with exercise first. Are you doing any exercise?
  • george7527
    george7527 Posts: 267 Member
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    Hi you are not alone as you have seen from the replys and advice you have received i had a very bad afternoon did some exersice and being careful what i eat later so i dont feel to bad
    feel free to add me
  • lbsNirvana
    lbsNirvana Posts: 18 Member
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    Don't stop eating, instead eat in a hybrid fashion - healthier food mixed with junk initially...and track everything you eat...The tracking concept alone helps build consciousness and better habits...and you ll feel guilty about the calories in all the junk you eat...and will start eating more and more of the healthier stuff..and once you build such habits, slowly wean yourself away from the junk food altogether....well at least for the most part...its a process and the mental part is the hardest no doubt..
  • didislim
    didislim Posts: 30
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    Hi There,
    I am going through the exact same thing. Hang in there. You can do this. I agree with the poster who said take it slowly sometimes even hour by hour, it can be daunting if you look to the end result instead of just starting slow. Sometimes when I do I almost feel defeated. Everyone is different. There are some people that lose weight very easily,, some just have to make minor adjustments to their life and diet and the weight falls off. And then there are some, like me, who have lost and gained the same weight over and over. Most people may not understand expecially those who just lose the weight easily. Sometimes I feel like my own body fights against me to lose the weight but yet its super easy to gain huge amount of weight in a short time. And then I get so discouraged that I go back to eating. But I just keep trying, no matter how much I want to quit, I just keep going. I just started working out again, I was depressed and inactive due to the gain, but I am beginning to feel better about myself. So I am focusing on the workout. And I track all I eat, I am not as anal as some folk but I try my best. Make small changes instead of drastic ones. I wouldn't worry so much on weighing food and tracking every single morsel of food, But I would make a change like, stopping fast food, trying to exercise 3-5 times a week, drinking water instead of soda. things like that. YOU CAN DO IT dear!! Hugs!
  • ibjent
    ibjent Posts: 23 Member
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    For me, I can't 'diet'. In my mind that's a dirty four letter word that is a recipe for disaster . Changing my eating habits to include more of the good stuff and less of the stuff that I love but KNOW is not the best things to eat. I love one dish meals, spaghetti, casseroles, etc.. but instead of the large bowl of spaghetti, just a small portion and then some veggies that I need. The advice to not go cold turkey on the things you love, that's good. For me portion control is key. If I buy a bag of chips, I portion them out into zippy bags. Then the temptation to eat out of the bag, isn't there. To eat two bag is a conscience decision to over eat, verses the 'did I just eat the whole bag?!?!' Also, don't beat yourself up for past mistakes, today is the day YOU can change.

    Also, keeping a written journal of EVERYTHING I ate was very helpful to keep me accountable to myself. :) You can do it!
  • SephiraRose
    SephiraRose Posts: 775 Member
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    Take one day at a time, work in one healthy habit to start and build from there. No foods are off limits just eat in moderation. Good Luck.
  • latinawilson67
    latinawilson67 Posts: 4
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    Instead of thinking of it as "living without the foods" try thinking of it as living without AS MUCH of those foods. I think where a lot of people go wrong is in their thinking they have to completely stop eating foods they love, when that's not true. Relax, cut your calories a bit, move around some more, and you'll find that this doesn't have to be a painful experience! Baby steps. Don't just cut off foods you love cold turkey. That's a recipe for disaster. Just try not to eat as much of them :) You can do it!!

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