My last binge... Goodbye

The only advice I can really give from someone who can eat like there's no tomorrow, is don't over think the situation, just get on with it. For me, the more I thought about 'not eating' it just led me back to thinking of food. I no longer think about the food I can't have, I look forward to the day that I have planned for myself. I hope this helps. Lots of luck, and take it one day at a time. X

I suppose if depends on your definition of binge. Some people refer to just having a naughty meal as a binge. You cannot be 'good' all the time. Allow yourself some naughty every now and then, otherwise you'll fall off the wagon and feel bad all over again.

Sheseeksstrength wrote: »

Hi! Just had my last binge, I refuse to do it anymore and tomorrow I'm starting fresh! Any support and encouragement would be nice, I haven't been binging for many months but was triggered due to stress. I have gained five pounds this week and feel really discouraged. Any support would be great!

This probably isn't going to be a welcome reply, but let's be honest - you're not going to go from binging to suddenly not binging in one go. Putting that much expectation on yourself will probably more likely cause another episode than prevent it. It's more realistic to take small steps towards reducing the frequency of binges (you seem to be managing this), the size of those binges (don't have 'junk' food lying around in large quantities for example), schedule a cheat meal (once a week perhaps, no more than that though) so you can indulge in something but still within moderation to satisfy cravings and work on the mental side of things too such as having something to keep you busy to take your mind off food. You can totally do this, but be a bit kinder to yourself and plan for things to go wrong sometimes. That you went so long without a binge means you've made a lot of progress and are actually getting better. And it means you eat better than most people still.

I went through the same thing for the past week or so and regained four pounds. I am thinking about coming up with a different name and restarting here, so that I don't have to think about that setback (failure, to me) anymore. And hey, I'd be starting from a much better place than I did 6 months ago!

I do agree with Zombie Lauren above that you have to allow yourself some slack. If I crave an apple slathered with peanut butter for breakfast (500-600 calories), I figure out leaner meals for the rest of the day. If I have a day where I go over my calorie account by 200-300, I just forgive myself and forget about it, figuring that all the other days I come in under my limit will balance it out. And I have two-three days a month where I simply can't keep track of my calories because I'm eating at a local restaurant, not a chain where they have the nutrition information online, or because I'm eating at a friend's house who isn't dieting and so even when we're just having baked chicken and vegetables I would have to bring my scale to calculate the calories,which would just be rude. And 3-4 times a year I go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and have everything I want, but pay attention and stop before I get overfull and uncomfortable, and that, too, I feel is a necessary part of MY life, to be happy and not feel like I'm a slave to my weight-loss plan (because nothing makes me WANT to do something more than to be telling myself I can't or I shouldn't).

I know I've been talking about myself here but I'm trying to show you one example of how to do this weight-loss thing without driving yourself crazy. Now I have a sort of "advantage" in that I'm extremely obese, 334# this morning, so I can eat a lot and get away with it. If you're only 10-20 pounds off your goal you wouldn't be able to do this as I do. If you're only 10-20 pounds off your goal weight, I say move your goal and be happy with yourself as you are. Nobody's perfect, and if it's this hard to lose that last 10-20, it's going to be just as hard to KEEP it off. So then keep counting calories and exercising however you can (I have to do it seated), but aim for maintenance, not loss.

I hope some of this has been helpful for you, and good luck - I used to be a regular binge eater, and that's how I ended up weighing 440# at one point - and I was always miserable, no matter what I was doing at the moment. It's a hard habit to break, but you CAN -- even if it happens again. I'm living proof.