quick check in. had a great dance cardio session tonight. Tired now, which hopefully means I can wind down for bed with my book, and drift off before 11pm, which is always the goal, but rarely met.

@ashleycarole86 I am in the exact same boat. I saw a behavioral therapist for 2.5 years, who was great and helped me work through a lot of stuff, but I stopped seeing her in May, because the big thing left to work through is my binge eating, which she had no expertise in. I'm planning to try a nutritionist/RD with eating disorder specialty next, it should be partially covered by my insurance if I can find one local. Just feels so exhausting sometimes to ask, can I actually do this? Or does my BRAIN need fixing? and if so, HOW.

My first client of the day wanted to have a walking therapy session so I got to start the day with some outdoor exercise. That really helps set a good tone for the day. I stuck to my planned meals and snacks for the day and stayed within my calorie limit, overall feeling accomplished. My only complaint is I've been having knee pain the more active I am. It's an old injury that flares up, so I ordered a support brace that should be here in a couple days. Hoping it helps.

@ashleycarole86 finding the right therapist can be tricky. For binge eating you'll want to find someone experienced in eating disorders, it's even better if they're also trained in addictions work. Binge eating triggers the same neuro pathways as drugs and alcohol, so a lot of the treatment is similar. In fact, one medication that's used for weight loss (naltrexone, a component of Contrave) was initially designed to treat alcohol and opioid use disorders. They discovered that it helps decrease food cravings the same way as drug or alcohol cravings. (Addictions is one of my specialties).

There's nothing wrong with asking before scheduling what kind of modalities the therapist provides. CBT is pretty standard, and while it's helpful, it is limited in its effectiveness. Someone with experience with mindfulness based stress reduction, body awareness/somatic therapy, and/or motivational interviewing would be a good start. EMDR, Narrative exposure therapy, parts work and Family systems theory are all great for trauma recovery if that's a contributor to the binge eating (not saying it is in your case but it is a common co-occurring disorder).

I hope you find a good fit. Therapy can be an effective tool when you find the right provider.

@lauren_989 I follow Syattfitness on FB, I really enjoy his posts and find them so motivational. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks all for so many thoughtful comments and food issues and therapy. Lots for me to chew on and I do think it's an avenue to pursue. It's nice to hear so many of you have felt similar things.

@jguldi11 I have looked into eating disorder therapy before but I always talk myself out of it because I question whether "it counts". I know it does logically but that's just the way my mind works.

I've done general CBT therapy and while I have some aha moments here and there, it hasn't seemed to have a big effect.

@Gidgitgoescrzy glad to hear your son found a place!

I had a chuckle today because MFP awarded me a streak for logging three days in a row… that's definitely a new to me feature since I was last tracking. But that's right, I completed two full days of complete end to end tracking and I'm on track for a day three. It feels really good and I feel like it gives me a sense of being in the driver's seat.

Step report coming tonight! @MaddawgMadsen hoping to get yours before I do it

PW: 81.5

CW: 80.7

I've been hovering for quite a while, but honestly, given everything, maintaining is just as much a victory as losing. I also think that mentally, this was actually my goal weight for so long (40+kg ago I couldn't imagine being smaller than this) and so there's some mental revising going on too.

25km trail run on Saturday, woo!

Thursday weigh-in

Username @ashleycarole86

PW 297.8

CW 295.1

Vacation weight is gone! 🥳

@ashleycarole86 - I know I am a day late with this, but here are my steps:

Wednesday, July 16 - 3,934 steps

Thursday, July 17 - 14,201 steps

Friday, July 18 - 8,015 steps, 3 games of bowling

Saturday, July 19 - 3,294 steps

Sunday, July 20 - 9,602 steps

Monday, July 21 - 7,214 steps

Tuesday, July 22 - 7,218 steps

Wednesday, July 23 - 5,784 steps

@Kali225 enjoy.. I saw Coldplay about 20 years ago (wtf... how is that even possible) and they were great then and now they have so many hits

Just a quick stop in to say I tracked another day and am really feeling good and in control. My knee has been bothering me so not moving a ton and trying to let it heal from whatever has it bothered.

How is it already almost friday?? I concur @lauren_989 that it was such a fast week

Happy Friday! We made it haha

Way to go @Pearl4686 staying focused on yourself even while you prep for this major life change

Didn't sleep well because of my knee pain

Wow lots of great weigh-ins the last few days!

@ashleycarole86 I can relate to the knee pain, it's so frustrating! I recently got a new support brace and it's somewhat helpful, though it's not the most comfortable thing. I hope we both have relief soon.

@Kali225 enjoy the concert! That sounds like a lot of fun. BTW I also have 4 siblings 😊

@Pearl4686 wow great job staying on track even with big changes coming! Hopefully after the move things will be less hectic.

@MaddawgMadsen oh no an ulcer is no good! I like how you reframed it to be motivating to take care of yourself though. Our bodies have a way of letting us know what we need.

@micki48 have a nice visit with your friend!

I've had a good week so far, staying on track, being more active. Today I took the kids for a walk at a local park, I was surprised how much more effort it takes to walk while pulling the wagon with them in it. After the park we were very hot so when we got home we played in the little kiddy pool in our backyard.

I had to have a physical for my life insurance application, not sure what the results are yet but I'm hoping my weight doesn't get in the way of being approved. If it does then I can always use that as more motivation to stay on track and reapply.

We are celebrating my son's birthday with family on Sunday, having a BBQ which I'm not too concerned about, but I am a bit worried about having leftover cake or ice cream. Sugary stuff is one of my binge triggers.

Steps so far this week:

7/20- 5728

7/21 - 7242

7/22 - 7416

7/23 - 4493

7/24 - 6840

7/25 - 8118

Proud I got out for over 8K yesterday despite my lower body not feeling so great!