What causes you to relapse when you are dieting

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  • mspris2u
    mspris2u Posts: 161 Member
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    Laziness! I start out really well and then start to slide back into my bad habits like a comfy old pair of jeans. By the time I admit it I'm right back to overeating and gain all the weight back... This TIME I've slipped a bit here and there but I get right back to it within a few days and I've lost 30lbs since January, I feel confident this time around that I can maintain it. I've actually developed some healthier habits over the last 6 months that I think will stick this time.... fingers crossed!
  • 76Crane76
    76Crane76 Posts: 133 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Wow. What a jerk, the guy that laughs at "relapse." There is such a thing as food addiction, and many people on this app have it. Why do you think so many people fail with diets. They RELAPSE. Also, the man above with the diagram. Are you a psychiatrist or medical Doctor ? Because if you are not an expert on binge eating disorder, you need to not give your opinion. This thread is so negative and this is not what people get on this app for. A nutritionist told me to get on this app and yet I still find trolls on it.
  • laurabadams
    laurabadams Posts: 201 Member
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    cqbkaju wrote: »
    OK then what worse state is the OP "relapsing" to?
    Habit <> Illness

    We will have to agree to disagree.
    I have seen no peer-reviewed scientific publications that substantiates the claim of "food addictions."

    You'd have to ask the OP what his/her worse state is, but my assumption is that s/he deems binging as an undesirable behavior, a worse state than eating on plan.

    Not sure what we're agreeing to disagree on, unless it's the definition of relapse? I won't be offering any peer reviewed scientific research substantiating the claims of food addiction for two reasons: 1) I don't personally subscribe to the idea of food addiction; 2) the validity of food addiction wasn't the point in my previous comment.

    I've helped derail this thread enough, arguing over the definition of relapse. My apologies, OP. I hope you've otherwise gotten some helpful insight.

  • Wysewoman53
    Wysewoman53 Posts: 582 Member
    edited July 2017
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    First thing I did when I started MFP was to stop using the word 'diet' in the way that most of us use it...to lose weight. Diet is not a nasty word. It simply means what we eat every day...nothing more, nothing less. It's what we choose to eat that makes our diet either healthy or unhealthy. When I planted my garden this year, I knew it would take a while for it to produce. Even on those days when there is no see-able progress, it is still progressing every single day. That's kind of the way I saw my own personal life-style change. Weight loss is not linear. There is gratification and then there is instant gratification. If you are expecting instant gratification, then you may end up sorely disappointed. When I go over own personal calorie allotment, I don't just give up and continue to eat more and more throughout the day or the week. It was a choice I made for the moment but I keep trying no matter what. Every day is a new day, a new start and I don't make excuses for my unhealthy choices the day before. If anything, it makes me more determined than ever to get back on track. We all get to choose what we eat. There is nothing out there we 'can't' have. I just choose to eat things with less calories and healthier for me now than in the past. With this attitude, I have lost 80 pounds and keep the weight off now by making better choices. It is the first time in my life that I have taken control over my own food intake and not letting food control me.
  • MommaGem2017
    MommaGem2017 Posts: 405 Member
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    My downfall is by simply not planning. Whenever I don't plan ahead, prep, anticipate the dinners out and special events - then I'm doomed. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I know that if I don't track then I will underestimate the calories in a food.
  • work_on_it
    work_on_it Posts: 251 Member
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    Nachos make me relapse.

  • okohjacinda
    okohjacinda Posts: 329 Member
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    My number one is lack of exercise. As soon as I hit lethargic city the binges increase as does my weight. My number 2 is not seeing results as well. I am an impatient person so if I am putting my all into it and haven't seen it go down within a week or two...im like f it.

    Though I am getting better at handling both.
  • vmbourg
    vmbourg Posts: 125 Member
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    Stress and not planning. But I found the weeks I dont have time to meal prep, I just stop at the grocery store on the way to work and pick up fresh ingriedients for a salad or sandwhich and I just prep at my desk for lunch. Super fresh that way too!!!
  • Fat2Fab1988
    Fat2Fab1988 Posts: 14 Member
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    Restricting myself of the foods I love, the scale not moving, and stress..
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
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    Injuries throw me off course sometimes. Otherwise nothing. Really, I choose everything I do and don't do. Everything else is an excuse and I don't do excuses.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
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    76Crane76 wrote: »
    Wow. What a jerk, the guy that laughs at "relapse." There is such a thing as food addiction, and many people on this app have it. Why do you think so many people fail with diets. They RELAPSE. Also, the man above with the diagram. Are you a psychiatrist or medical Doctor ? Because if you are not an expert on binge eating disorder, you need to not give your opinion. This thread is so negative and this is not what people get on this app for. A nutritionist told me to get on this app and yet I still find trolls on it.

    @cqbkaju is a martial arts trainer who consistently and generously offers patient, thoughtful, wise advice encouraging discipline, self-knowledge, and the development of strong habits to support ones goals. It is often packaged in a wrapper of cold, hard truth which makes it particularly useful. It is a refreshing counterpoint to the many people on the site who spout advice they gleaned from Cosmo or some such.

    Rather than immediately resorting to attacking people without knowing anything about them, it might be more helpful to listen to and learn from a variety of sources, even if they may initially hurt "muh feelz." This is how one learns to grow, gain strength (physically and mentally) and master challenges (physically and mentally). Your nutritionist has sent you to the right place. Hopefully you stick around for more than 15 posts so you can learn some discernment as to what is sound advice.
  • susanp57
    susanp57 Posts: 409 Member
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    76Crane76 wrote: »
    Wow. What a jerk, the guy that laughs at "relapse." There is such a thing as food addiction, and many people on this app have it. Why do you think so many people fail with diets. They RELAPSE. Also, the man above with the diagram. Are you a psychiatrist or medical Doctor ? Because if you are not an expert on binge eating disorder, you need to not give your opinion. This thread is so negative and this is not what people get on this app for. A nutritionist told me to get on this app and yet I still find trolls on it.

    @cqbkaju is a martial arts trainer who consistently and generously offers patient, thoughtful, wise advice encouraging discipline, self-knowledge, and the development of strong habits to support ones goals. It is often packaged in a wrapper of cold, hard truth which makes it particularly useful. It is a refreshing counterpoint to the many people on the site who spout advice they gleaned from Cosmo or some such.

    Rather than immediately resorting to attacking people without knowing anything about them, it might be more helpful to listen to and learn from a variety of sources, even if they may initially hurt "muh feelz." This is how one learns to grow, gain strength (physically and mentally) and master challenges (physically and mentally). Your nutritionist has sent you to the right place. Hopefully you stick around for more than 15 posts so you can learn some discernment as to what is sound advice.

    That may be true, but when I read his post I thought he was reading things into OP's post that were not there. Unsolicited advice is not useful or kind. And your comment about "muh feelz" is just damn snarky.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
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    Stress. I think many of us go to food as a "happy place" in which to escape stress. Binges can also result from letting that blood sugar get too low, low blood sugar can change the guy in the mirror from fat to thin and invulnerable to excess calories!
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
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    susanp57 wrote: »
    76Crane76 wrote: »
    Wow. What a jerk, the guy that laughs at "relapse." There is such a thing as food addiction, and many people on this app have it. Why do you think so many people fail with diets. They RELAPSE. Also, the man above with the diagram. Are you a psychiatrist or medical Doctor ? Because if you are not an expert on binge eating disorder, you need to not give your opinion. This thread is so negative and this is not what people get on this app for. A nutritionist told me to get on this app and yet I still find trolls on it.

    @cqbkaju is a martial arts trainer who consistently and generously offers patient, thoughtful, wise advice encouraging discipline, self-knowledge, and the development of strong habits to support ones goals. It is often packaged in a wrapper of cold, hard truth which makes it particularly useful. It is a refreshing counterpoint to the many people on the site who spout advice they gleaned from Cosmo or some such.

    Rather than immediately resorting to attacking people without knowing anything about them, it might be more helpful to listen to and learn from a variety of sources, even if they may initially hurt "muh feelz." This is how one learns to grow, gain strength (physically and mentally) and master challenges (physically and mentally). Your nutritionist has sent you to the right place. Hopefully you stick around for more than 15 posts so you can learn some discernment as to what is sound advice.

    That may be true, but when I read his post I thought he was reading things into OP's post that were not there. Unsolicited advice is not useful or kind. And your comment about "muh feelz" is just damn snarky.

    "Muh feelz" is shorthand for the unexamined, potentially pathological, and often carefully nurtured, coddled, and perversely cherished conceptions we hold about things ranging from our self-worth to whether we are even capable of weight loss. Unfortunately, feelz are one of the worst saboteurs of health out there, so I am always willing to expose them to the light of day and give them a good kick in their pants. In their DAMN pants, since we're now resorting to cussing. (!)

    Most people tend to find success once they have a light bulb moment and get beyond the feelz that are holding them back, rather than catering to them. Some people might need therapy and medication to do this (for example, people with actual diagnosed BED, not just people lamenting their binging and "addiction"), quite a few others have read advice on these forums, learned the facts, realized what their problem was, and did it for themselves.

    Regrettably, it is difficult to have that light bulb flash on, and take control over your life (through discipline, routine, habit, etc.) when you are wrapped up in nurturing these pathological feelings or blaming outside forces.

    To give a personal example, two years ago I would have self-flagellated mercilessly if I enjoyed myself over a holiday, and then probably would have quit what would likely have been an overly rigid, feelz-based diet.Thanks to the "mean people" on these forums who so generously (and meanly!) give their time and advice, day after day, calling BS on all the BS out there, I have an understanding of the FACTS behind weight loss and have been able to achieve and maintain a desirable weight and physique. As have many, many others.

    I am so very grateful to go from self-flagellating over feelz, to just rationally saying, "well that was a stupid decision--oh well, just 500 calories over maintenance, back on track now!"
  • laurabadams
    laurabadams Posts: 201 Member
    edited July 2017
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    "Muh feelz" is shorthand for the unexamined, potentially pathological, and often carefully nurtured, coddled, and perversely cherished conceptions we hold about things ranging from our self-worth to whether we are even capable of weight loss. Unfortunately, feelz are one of the worst saboteurs of health out there, so I am always willing to expose them to the light of day and give them a good kick in their pants. In their DAMN pants, since we're now resorting to cussing. (!)

    Most people tend to find success once they have a light bulb moment and get beyond the feelz that are holding them back, rather than catering to them. Some people might need therapy and medication to do this (for example, people with actual diagnosed BED, not just people lamenting their binging and "addiction"), quite a few others have read advice on these forums, learned the facts, realized what their problem was, and did it for themselves.

    Regrettably, it is difficult to have that light bulb flash on, and take control over your life (through discipline, routine, habit, etc.) when you are wrapped up in nurturing these pathological feelings or blaming outside forces.

    To give a personal example, two years ago I would have self-flagellated mercilessly if I enjoyed myself over a holiday, and then probably would have quit what would likely have been an overly rigid, feelz-based diet.Thanks to the "mean people" on these forums who so generously (and meanly!) give their time and advice, day after day, calling BS on all the BS out there, I have an understanding of the FACTS behind weight loss and have been able to achieve and maintain a desirable weight and physique. As have many, many others.

    I am so very grateful to go from self-flagellating over feelz, to just rationally saying, "well that was a stupid decision--oh well, just 500 calories over maintenance, back on track now!"

    Perhaps some posters here felt @cqbkaju's advice was misplaced & came across as harshly-given unsolicited advice, seeing how the OP never requested advice. The post was seeking examples of relatable, common weight loss struggles. Replies criticizing the use of the word "relapse" & telling the OP "if you give up completely just because you don't see the results you want right away, then no one here can help you," seem needlessly critical & misplaced when OP didn't ask for help. And comments like, "You choose to binge eat. No one makes you do it," are assuming the OP is making excuses for his/her binge eating or blaming others for it, when s/he never suggested such.

    Lots of assumptions running rampant through this thread (admittedly, from myself as well). Maybe we'd all do better offering the benefit of the doubt first, before assuming the OP isn't taking responsibility for his/her weight loss struggles.

    Edited for spelling
  • MsMaeFlowers
    MsMaeFlowers Posts: 261 Member
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    Anger. When I get angry, I want to eat all the foods. I generally manage to funnel my anger into a work out, or cleaning my house, or pretty much anything active, but every so often I give in and eat my rage away. Lol.

    I just get back on track the next day. No big deal.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    cqbkaju wrote: »
    jospen83 wrote: »
    The word relapse is not exclusive to disease or illness. It can mean a return to a worse state. Relapse, revert, regress...they're synonyms. Perhaps some are choosing to apply more (subjective) meaning than the OP intended.

    I recognize that some people who do not subscribe to the idea of food addictions may also take issue with the choice of the word, but it really is just semantics.
    OK then what worse state is the OP "relapsing" to?
    Habit <> Illness

    We will have to agree to disagree.
    I have seen no peer-reviewed scientific publications that substantiates the claim of "food addictions."

    How about we confine the debate about food addiction to the Debate forum, where it belongs?
  • BarneyRubbleMD
    BarneyRubbleMD Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Not sleeping well or not getting enough sleep.
    Also, if my blood sugar gets too high (I'm a type2 diabetic).
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Drinking. I still do it once in a while, but just one or two and just a few times a month. Alcohol itself (like a bottle of wine) has lots of empty calories, and once I start, I make bad food choices too. Plus, I'm wrecked the next day and don't want to exercise. Triple whammy.