Facing my trigger. Need help.

molson55
molson55 Posts: 59 Member
in Motivation and Support
Didn't know where to post this, but I figured here was a good place to start. One of my biggest triggers for binging has always been going back home. At school I'm pretty good about keeping bad food out of the apartment, eating right and exercising. Going home though, where there are a ton of sugary, high cal snacks and homemade foods, I just lose it. How do I get through a weekend being home without binging but also without ruining my time with my family by obsessing?? Could really use some advice on staying on track

Replies

  • marie3221
    marie3221 Posts: 77 Member
    "Going home" it seems anyway by what you described, is a safe place for you. There is no judgment, concern or the like about food intake. Going home for most people anyway also means comfort, which can be attributed to poor food choices. Write what your goals are for the weekend down! If you really want to stay on track, tell you family ahead of time what you need. They will understand and if they don't, organize your food and activity before you get there. Buy the fruits, veggies, etc. before you arrive, and schedule exercise times and stick to them, no excuses. I am sure everything will workout your favor.
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 Member
    I just went home last week and had the same issue. so i purchased my food and ate my food and snacks (healthy) but then towards the end of the week I did cave and one day have a brownie and the next have ice cream. :( but it's ok to splurge a little. I did good most of the time i was there. my family knows i eat healthy and they didn't mind me making my food. I even made my mother my healthy breakfast even though she fought it at first but she ended up loving it! your family will understand, or at least they should. mine does.
  • molson55
    molson55 Posts: 59 Member
    Thanks guys! I plan on pre portioning things like snacks so I won't be tempted by food at home like oreos and cupcakes haha. Also let my family know my worries and they said they were gonna try and make happier meals, at least for the weekend!
  • molson55
    molson55 Posts: 59 Member
    So...weekend was already a bust. They thought they would be nice and take me to my fav restaurant (which I haven't eaten at since I started trying to lose weight cause they have basically nothing healthy) and after eating there I totally went home and binged!! That in addition to I haven't been able to workout because of medical issues. Not hopping on the scale for a while. I appreciate their gesture, but hate myself for my lack of control.
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
    molson55 wrote: »
    So...weekend was already a bust. They thought they would be nice and take me to my fav restaurant (which I haven't eaten at since I started trying to lose weight cause they have basically nothing healthy) and after eating there I totally went home and binged!! That in addition to I haven't been able to workout because of medical issues. Not hopping on the scale for a while. I appreciate their gesture, but hate myself for my lack of control.
    I feel you.
    Call this weekend x-mas, then start again Monday. I fail miserably in situations like this, so when faced with a similar situation, I either remove myself from the fray or just binge away and spend the next week recovering.


  • Laura732
    Laura732 Posts: 244 Member
    It took you longer than a weekend to learn how to walk. It'll take you longer than a weekend to learn how not to binge. You have a few ways to cope with an impending binge: allow yourself a reasonable portion (even if you have to order a child's or senior plate), don't have it at all and order something more compatible with your eating plan (my fallback is a grilled chicken salad - whether its on the menu or not every restaurant has been able to make one) or the "good w/ the bad approach". I describe t "good w/ the bad approach" as having the burger without the fries :) So if your trigger is pizza, order by the slice, not the whole pie. And have a salad with it.

    Your trigger foods will always be in your life. Its best to learn how to cope with them.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Ask yourself Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's question when confronted with comforting food: "How much of this do I need to eat to be satisfied?" Answer the question before you eat, and try to be mindful of eating only that much. A lot of things don't taste that good after a few bites, anyway; we just keep munching on them out of habit.

    Good luck!
  • molson55
    molson55 Posts: 59 Member
    Thank you all so much!!! What a wonderful support community!! You guys are right, it takes time to learn a habit and it takes time to break it. I think my biggest issue in this moment is forgiving myself and not allowing this binge to continue through the WHOLE weekend! I'm going to definitely be more conscious about if I NEED the food or not. You live and you learn
  • wmcmurray61
    wmcmurray61 Posts: 192 Member
    In those situations I cut myself some slack. It is ONE weekend. Even if you ate everything you could get your hands on, it's highly unlikely that you would gain more than 1/2 of weight and even then. Just plan on maintaining and start over when you get back to school.
  • ButterflyJourney
    ButterflyJourney Posts: 46 Member
    Take bites of Your favorites. That way you get a taste without blowing your diet.
  • VintageFit
    VintageFit Posts: 90 Member
    For me, it also largely depends on how often I visit home.

    I used to be able to get home twice a month, so I had to be extra careful and watch my calories since it would be a regular binge if I treated myself every time I went home. I also often encouraged my family to go out, do some walking, visiting fleamarkets, and other activities so I wouldn't just spend my visit at home eating. Just get active! You have a lot more fun with your family and you burn some calories maybe.

    Now that I only get to go home maybe... once every two or three months, I consider it a holiday/treat and am less lenient with my calories, mainly trying to stick to maintaining.

  • NetflixAndStuff
    NetflixAndStuff Posts: 16
    It's okay to have a 'splurge' day. If you never had one, your diet would fail because you would never stick to it. Don't punish yourself, just log the calories and move on. One weekend won't ruin everything for your weight loss. :)

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