Well that didn't last long

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I stuck with the calorie counting and watching what i eat for a whole week. One week and i already messed up. I haven't been paying attention to what i eat the past few days. I have been sort of binging when i get home from work. I just eat for about a solid hour. After i am done eating i feel like my stomach is being stretched out because i ate way too much. I don't smoke and i don't drink that often so i think in a way food is something i use for comfort.

I weighed myself today and i gained back the four pounds i lost plus one more. I don't want to binge. I want to be healthy but it seems like i am never going to get the motivation to do that.

Replies

  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    You can't really gain 4lbs in 1 day. Give it a few days and get back on track. Nothing wrong with a cheat day but one should try not to eat for 1 hour straight. Try eating some high protein things before. Then treat yourself.
  • JOANIE69
    JOANIE69 Posts: 132 Member
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    add me as a friend we have a lot in common you sound just like me lol,my name is joanie:flowerforyou:
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    I encourage you to read my blog below and do the activity in there. If you dig deep enough to find powerful enough things to write on your list, you will have the motivation to stay focused most days.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/H_Factor/view/recipe-for-a-will-power-pill-for-help-with-the-mental-part-of-the-journey-155978
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
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    Some of that weight gain could be water if you ate too much sodium.

    You can't undo the past, so you basically have two options: give up or jump back in and start again. I'd encourage you to do the second. If you give up, you'll get nowhere. If you jump back in and start again, you'll make progress. Even if it's a two steps forward-one step back cycle, it's still progress.

    What you have to ask yourself is this: How much do you want it?
  • trlyblssd79
    trlyblssd79 Posts: 101 Member
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    Drink water! I make myself drink at least 2 cups of water before I eat ( I am not a big fan of water but have been forcing myself too). That seems to help with the eating too much. Also keep yourself busy. I try not to sit in front of the TV too long and am always trying to keep myself busy around the house. You should definitely have a cheat day though so you won't feel like your depriving yourself.
  • ammbbbeeeerrrrr
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    You have to give yourself a break now and then. & most importantly you have to treat yourself to some of the things that you like that aren't so good for you. I really like Ghiradelli peppermint chocolate, so I buy a bar of it, and I eat one little square everyday. Doing something small like that really helps you stay on track.
    Good luck!
  • brigitte101
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    I know how you feel, I feel like Im on a roller coaster. I do great for a few weeks and then Im back to my old ways and I gain back what I lose. A few years ago I lost 20 pounds by eatting small meals every 3 hours. I remember It got to the pont I had to tell myself to go eat something because I wasnt really hungry (it worked because I didnt get any of those binge moments). It also some how helped with keeping cravings away. Of course, long story short, I stopped doing that and the weight is back on. I am going to try that again and see if it works again for me. Just dont be so hard on yourself.
  • lysser
    lysser Posts: 15 Member
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    Try not to let a couple days of distraction affect your motivation. It is unrealistic to think that you will bring your A-game every single day for the rest of your life. The more you feel guilty about straying, the more likely you are to lose motivation and give up.

    I chose Thursday nights to eat whatever I want. For the first few weeks, I went a little crazy. But, now I find myself compromising with the foods I love but much smaller portions. It is starting to come naturally!

    Don't give up. :)
  • BenderFitness
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    Does your phone have a camera? I read an article that said people were significantly more successful at losing weight when they kept a photo diary of everything they ate. It would also help you log your calories on here. When you have to photograph every meal (plus any second helpings or extra bites) it makes people conscious of what, and how much they are eating.
  • kantone999
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    Ok, you had a bad week. We all do from time to time. Shake it off. It takes 28 days to establish a new habit in the brain's circuitry and 90 days to make it permanent. Hang in there--don't give up. Give your brain a chance to help and work for you instead of cruise on autopilot. Drinking water before a meal does help you eat less. So does eating slowly. It takes about 15-20 minutes for your appestat to kick off, more if your satiety hormones are out of whack. Don't let yourself get too hungry--eat healthy snacks to prevent it. If my stomach starts growling, not only am I going to eat the whole horse, I'll eat the dang hay too. You can do this!!
  • traylork
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    I am ready to lose 20 lbs!!!! I am going through the same thing, up and down! Do great during the day; get home and eat everything. OR the weekend is a eat all day!!!!

    5' 2"
    CW: 164
    GW: 145
    Starting today! Goal is count calories, log on here everyday, and do some sort of excercise each day!

    R U IN??
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    After awhile, you're find yourself not really wanting SOME of the cheat foods you coveted so much before. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
  • traylork
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    Awesome Idea!!!!!!!! Never thought of taking a picture of the food i ate!!!
  • htmeadows
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    One other idea that has worked for my wife (and occasionally for me) is to tell yourself you CAN have what you're craving, but have it later. For instance, you can have it, but AFTER you do a certain activity, or after 30 minutes, or something else that you like to do that delays the act. Often what happens is you become so busy with whatever you started doing that the desire passes and you forget about it.
  • re08scue
    re08scue Posts: 71 Member
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    Ok, you had a bad week. We all do from time to time. Shake it off. It takes 28 days to establish a new habit in the brain's circuitry and 90 days to make it permanent. Hang in there--don't give up. Give your brain a chance to help and work for you instead of cruise on autopilot. Drinking water before a meal does help you eat less. So does eating slowly. It takes about 15-20 minutes for your appestat to kick off, more if your satiety hormones are out of whack. Don't let yourself get too hungry--eat healthy snacks to prevent it. If my stomach starts growling, not only am I going to eat the whole horse, I'll eat the dang hay too. You can do this!!

    Great advice! I'm the same way if I let myself get too hungry - I eat every unhealthy choice in sight!

    Try having some healthy choices available to you when you get home from work. I chop up an apple into wedges, or spread a little unsweetened peanut butter on a Wasa cracker, or have a few almonds. And I nibble on this WHILE I'm preparing dinner. If I'm ravenous I'll down a couple large glasses of water too, which really helps. It takes the edge off and I can concentrate on making an awesome healthy meal instead of just throwing something together to shut my stomach up.

    Knowing your 'danger areas' and planning ahead for them will really help. You can do it!
  • rochey1098
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    I feel your pain but as people have said, the 4lbs probably isn't fat. Aside from that, don't give up. Everyone gets knocked down in their life, winners get back up ;)
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
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    We've all had those days. I gained back four pounds the past couple weeks because I wasn't eating right, and I'm finally back on track. It happens. Don't let it get you down.
    On this week's Biggest Loser, someone came to talk to the contestants about how our brains are wired in terms of food. Lean people craved bad foods less, and got more pleasure from eating them. Not lean people craved bad foods more but got less pleasure from eating them. It was an interesting way to look at it.
    Pick yourself up and get back on the wagon. I'm glad you reached out for help - that means you at least want to do this more than someone who says "screw it" and just quits entirely.
    Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.
  • rochey1098
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    Just as a side note, people have mentioned water retention but the other big card is how much waste your guts can hold. People think of them as smaller than they really are, in fact your guts can hold over 10lbs of waste. Was just thinking about you saying that you ate for an hour, perhaps leave it a few days and check again.

    Sorry if that's a bit graphic
  • loisann221
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    Lots of great ideas above, especially the ones about drinking water. Here are a few things I do to control binging-
    -Never eat out of the container or bag! It's way too easy to tell yourself you didn't eat that much or that you eat "just one more". You can quickly eat 2-3 portions that way.
    -Chew gum: If I'm just wanting the flavor of something or feel like snacking when I'm not really hungry, popping a piece of gum can do the trick. If you really are hungry and need a little snack, portion out the proper amount on a plate, eat it and then switch to gum. When it comes to salty or spicy food, I'm a tend to keep eating because I want more of that flavor, switching to something sweet or minty acts as an off switch.
    -Look for healthy foods that you can keep munching on if your eating more for something to do instead of true hunger. Celery sticks, pretzels & small amounts of low fat dips are good for this if you can spare the calories. One super low cal snack I've been loving is baked Kale chips. I know it sounds disgustingly healthy, but sprinkle on some italian or southwest seasonings and satisfies the craving for a savory, chip-like snack. Here's a link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/baked-kale-chips/detail.aspx Change the flavors as you like and a whole bowl will cost you less than 100 cals.
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
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    You should also read "Mindless Eating"...great book.