Motivation

Hi everyone.

I'm a very healthy eater from day to day. VERY healthy. And I'm quite proud of my diet and my will power. I eat whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy products. I also eat portions of nuts and drink lots of water.

But I have a problem. I'm in university, and tend to go out to the bars on the weekends every now and then. Now, I can deal with a night of drinking, because I can control how much I drink and I dont drink really hefty sugary drinks. My problem is my loss of will power to junk food when I drink. I eat so much... SO MUCH chocolate when I'm drunk! So much that sometimes I feel ill the next day, but of course, I get back on track and dont drop my calories the next day because I know it's unhealthy recoil.

After this rant, I propose creating this group to support and track / log how many days myself and any others interested in joining can go binge free. I still dont mind having small portions of chocolate throughout the day because they might be just 5g portions. I just want to be able to motivate myself to stay on track and not destroy my healthy diet every weekend.

So, I'm going to start out. Since I went all out last night, today is...

Days without bingeing: 1 (I know the whole day hasnt gone by, but I know I'll control it today haha)

Thanks! 

hiya!

Liora congrats on throwing out that chocolate! That's a huge victory! I have the same chocolate issues and you are a stronger woman than I am to do that. and thanks Alex for all the sugar info.

Also just wanted you all to know how great this thread is. Today was one of those days when I constantly caught myself thinking and wanting my favourite binge foods and then fighting to convince myself that a whole cake is not a good idea for dinner. I just kept coming back to this thread and it helped me push through.

Welcome Faustic and Claudegee! I hope you find this thread as helpful and motivating as I do!

days without binging: 7 woo hoo! Hopefully I can make it as far as Sharonclaire and kae1106

Ugh, totally LOST it last night!  Was home alone, ate half a bag of my comfort chocolate, leftovers from this weekend, popcorn, gummy bears, you name it...I ate until I felt really sick.  Only good thing to come of it was, while I was virtually passed out on the couch worried I would throw up, I remembered everything y'all said and went into my drawers and took my 2 bags of peanut M&Ms (my comfort food, at least for the past 2 months or so, that I can't seem to NOT buy) out to the trash -- OUT, not the one in the kitchen! -- because I knew I wouldn't want to go out again in the rain to get them, plus, outside trash cans...yuck!

Although, now those peanut M&Ms are sounding pretty good...good thing I threw them away last night I guess?  This is my first week with NONE of my comfort food in my house, now, and I'm really nervous about it...that sounds silly, but I am! 

liora, none of this is silly! it just is. and it will change...you are proving that already. you are making the changes. give it the transition time it needs and then, prepare to be amazed!

kikbox, glad you nixed the whole cake for dinner idea! good idea to have something nourishing first at least! :  ) you are doing it! great job!

claudegee...that seems to be what the binge is...overeating followed by that terrible guilt that just sucks you in to more of the same. you have come to the right place...we all know what it's about here! and you already sound ready to overcome it!

Faustic, in a little while you won't even know it's you what with all the changes you are making! :  )

well, I am not really counting days anymore. I've been in this for over 30 days and out of those 30, 6 were binges. That's 20% of my time. But, the first 3 binge days were consecutive, the next 2 binge days were consecutive and 2 weeks later and then I had a single binge day that I recovered from almost immediately!

I had a guilt free binge! I think I'm beginning to see it dispassionately, like it just is what it is and some days will be that way and I am not going to beat myself up for that!

so, I am still very committed to this but I don't feel that I have to 'police' myself so closely anymore. It is all a process! I am going to keep logging my calendar to watch for patterns and track the overall direction and I will definitely stay posting here because you all are motivated and incredibly supportive group! And we all are having a LOT of success!!! so cool!!!

thank you alexw for getting this started! :  )

everyone have great day! and kae, we are thinking of you and look forward to hearing how the rest of your week is going!    

I'm doing great so far. I never imagined I would have this willpower. It helps that my grandmother isn't making sweet desserts. I'm pretty confident about today too, but tomorrow and the next day my best friend is coming over. I always eat like a cow when she's over. I guess we'll see. Today is day 14!

you go, girl! you are doing great! Plan on having a treat w/you friend and then indulge her if that's what she wants but make sure that you have plenty of healthy things available for you! and maybe you two can do something a little differently this time...get out for a walk or whatever! good luck!

damnit, im on day 2 of bingeing..

i think ive just cancelled out all the progress i made in 2 weeks, and i feel gross both in my stomach and in my mind- if you get what i mean, its like i feel sick and dont know if im hungry, plus im really dissapointed in myself. i think i need something more in my life if im truly going to kick this habit. i mean i binge on things i dont even like- crackers with whatever smears we have (butter, jam, pb, almond butter, honey and even sugar!), boring tea biscuits i dont even like that much with spreads/ tea, chickpeas, juice, lots of granola/ raisin bran with full fat yogurt and sugar which makes me feel queasy, but i just keep going. I DONT GET IT! its not even that yummy, just comforting- i need something to replace comfort food that makes my stomach uncomfortable

maybe volunteering would have a good effect. maybe a job? any ideas?

so starting tomorrow i am aiming again for 14 at least, its just hard to stop overeating once ive started. aaaaah!!! im so frustrated and kind of grossed out with myself. ive just been having serious mood swing/ boredom problems, like im just trudging through each day, not with any purpose or lasting satisfaction in anything. sorry, this is a bit off topic, but i really need to get it out and dont want to burden my family/ friends with annoying rants on my lack of self control. frickfrickfrick, what is wrong with my life thats making me do this?

Alright, I had somewhat of a binge today... Actually, I'm not sure if it's a binge or not, usually it's much more clear.  Anyway, I'll count it as a binge, but I'm pretty satisfied: I didn't feel guilty for hours afterwards, I went for both a jog and a walk, and I avoided eating out of boredom/whatever reason other than hunger tonight. Yes!

I think my attitude is becoming much more positive, kind of like yours, sharon. I figure if you stress yourself too much and let yourself feel like crap for days, you're bound to fail. I don't necessarily laugh my binges off, but I just tell myself that it's bound to happen sometimes and to limit them as much as possible. Anyway, maybe it's premature and only temporary, but whatever, I feel pretty good right now.

whoooooo bingeing support group, so glad I found this thread!

I actually just posted a new topic of my horrible binge in the Foods forum, but reading some of your posts has really lifted my spirits!

Ohhh man... I just binged and even thought it sucks that I blew my diet, I feel kind of satisfied. I was feeling a bit sickly full for a few minutes but I'm okay now. The worst part is that this happened late at night, so I had already had a great day with all of my 1600 - 1700 calories spent on healthy foods. Then I had over 1000 calories, maybe close to 2000 calories on CRAP!

I don't know why, but it's always my day off from exercise where I fall off the wagon. It's so weird.

Anyway, I hadn't binged in 9 days until today, not since Easter weekend, where I had three days straight of non-stop junk food, alcohol and ham... TERRIBLE!

Anyway, my new goal is to go until April 22nd without binging (21 days! AHH!) because this is the day I have my last exam for university and spring/summer vacation starts! YAY!

Days without bingeing: 3 (the 3 days prior don't count because I was on a drip)

Got let out of the hospital yesterday. Turns out I had a pretty bad peritonsillar abscess. I'm all good now though :) Just got a ridiculous amount of meds to take for another week.

Sooo. I weighed myself for first time properly this morning since I arrived back at my Uni house. Two mere weeks of bingeing at home have cause me to gain over half a stone apparently. Granted I'm on the blob, that's still extreme. I'm positive though because generally I eat really well here. Anyway, well done to everyone who's managed to stay binge free, and to those who've had a slip-up, stay strong! xxx

jolie! read back through what you wrote about WHY you behave this way and think about it and breathe deep while you do it! the answers are right there...maybe it's time to act on it. boredom...

while you read, ignore all your comments @ what you ate and how you feel. This SHOULD NOT be about guilt or seeing yourself as a failure in some way. If you choose to continue to see it that way, you are feeding the cycle. This is one sure way to start breaking the patterns.

I do some volunteer work...always have. It IS a wonderful way to learn new skills/meet new friends and help in the community! I absolutely love it. It makes me feel so worthwhile.

keep posting! you will get on top of this! remember: you had a whole chain of really great days!!! don't focus on the few that went belly up! :  ) if you do, you are feeding the monster!

faustic! that's the attitude! when the binges are not so big and not such a big deal and the guilt is non-existent! that's when you stop focusing on the negative/stop focusing on the self-defeating behavior. you stop feeding the behavior (emotionally/literally!). and if it's not being fed, well, it's not going to hang around anymore!

elise: welcome! read back and then keep posting! just stay with it and you'll eventually overcome it...just like the rest of us are doing!

rampant: glad you figured out what was up re: your health! But, re: your comment: I don't think this behavior is about staying strong at all. I think its just about learning new behaviors and I think its wrapped up w/self-esteem. somehow, when someone engages in this behavior, it becomes the focus of all their bad feelings @ themselves. it just helps that they can do this in private/it helps that food is so readily available and an acceptable option. the problem is that originally, when it starts, it makes the individual feel full...satiated and that brings the person back to it. that and the fact that it comes hand in hand with the guilt that is so familiar in our other primary relationships. I think that these other relationships are so loaded (in a negative way!) that we all try to escape them. the problem is that they are all we know and so, initially, when we try to find our way out, we end up just replacing the bad relationship w/people w/a surrogate (the overeating!) We do this because the feelings it leaves us with are so familiar that we feel the guilt and actually feel comforted.

man, this stuff is way complex! I think it's not about strength but just about thinking it through which can be a very passive exercise! it just takes time and committment! stay with it, rampant!  

okay, this is where I am. I just had 6 out of 30 days go bust w/this behavior! that is enough to nuetralize my weight loss! so, I have to do better than that. I am going to attempt the improbable! I am going to try to go the whole month of April w/o going over my max of yikes!!! 1900!

ugh. I may not be ready. but, it's a process. so if at first I don't succeed, I will try, try again.

!

sharonclaire thats a magnificent mindset. And 6/30.... thats not bad at all. every improvement is a step, and even if you cant do a month, even down to 3/2 per month would be increadible!

unfortunately, last night the stress of staying up late and doing school work / working on a presentation got to me and I had a huge bulk bag of peanut m&ms and reese pieces. It was slow, kindof controlled eating, just continuous. I didnt feel too bad afterward though. Im sure it was around 600 cals worth. Oh well. I got up this morning and ran an hour, it was great and Ive been eating well all day. im only at 1370 right now, so I have lots of space for healthy snacks tonight!

Today will be day 1 without bingeing again. Sharonclaire, lets try for the month of april!!!! I'll just call yesterdays episode an "april fools" day HAHA.

 

Ugh, just binged. It was not pretty, massive amounts of peanut butter were involved... Not feeling too good right now, but I wonder if I should stay up and do something since the food "energized" me or just go to bed. Anyway, tomorrow's a new day, though it is frustrating to not really be making any progress.

Oh, and alex, though that "munching" episode sucks, I think being honest with yourself and considering a 600-cal indulgence as binge is a step in the right direction. With so many delicious candies, it could have been a lot worse.

If we keep supporting each other, eventually we'll get over it. April is still young!

Hi everyone...I haven't been on for a while, but I just quickly read through the last few pages of postings & thought I'd share. First of all, congrats to the "no bingeing" victories! Second of all, thank you to everyone who posts on here - your words keep me from feeling so alone in this (by nature) isolating disorder.

It seems that my urges to binge revolve around fluctuating hormones. (Anyone else notice that? Need I even ask?) Like many others, my TOTM is horrendous. I had it last week, and it was probably the worst one on record. Brought on two days of tremendous cramps, mood swings, and bingeing. Then I was back to "normal" again (5 days w/o bingeing), until yesterday, when I had a really stressful day at work. (Side note - I have a job that I don't really like, but a) I'm moving out of state in about 6 months so I might as well keep it, and b) there are signs that it could get better. Maybe).

Anyway, when I got home I stuffed my face and later on fell into a really bad mood. Then before I went to bed, I felt almost ok again, only to go through another few mood swings today. including MAJOR binge cravings. BUT - today I resisted the binge, thanks to the fact that I have a very understanding husband who I can talk to about this. (Almost full disclosure, but I'm so ashamed of the purging that I don't really fess up to that part. He knows I binge, though).

I'm so blessed to have my husband, my family, even my job, and yet I still binge. It makes no sense...and yet it's still uncontrollable at times. But that having been said (written), the binges are becoming less frequent.

Thanks for letting me purge (in a different and actually healthy way ) on this post. Good luck and God bless to everyone!

Hey Everyone!

Very good insights by everyone figuring out what triggers their binging behavior. 

I have been a bit crabby lately.  I just moved to a differnent apartment and the stress of moving all of my crap was totally getting to me!  I have pretty much everything settled now.  I haven't binged but I totally wanted too!  Well hopefully things settle down for me soon.  I want to have a night were I go to bed at like 8:30 and then just wake up a new refreshed woman! LOL!  Not tonight though damnit, it's my birthday and my BF wants to take me out to eat.  But friday is my night alone!  The BF is going to a two day pool torney in another city and will be GONE!!!! Thank god I can be alone for a night!!!!!! 

So anyway days without binging 9!!!!!!-with some super close calls!

Hi Everyone, been a few days since I could check in but it sounds like everyone is working really hard at this!  Congrats to everyone!

I did really well for Day 8 and I was having a great day 9 yesterday until about 10pm.  then Whammo - mega binge - about 3300 cals ABOVE my regular intake - ouch.  I didn't feel too too bad althought it might hurt me today (a good chunk of the binge was on super high fibre muffins - uggh).  Anyway, trying not to focus on it too much.  Today is a new day.

Ok, I'm setting myself a goal. It's the first time, so it's not huge, but it's a start.

1 week without binging. It'll be hard, especially since I'm going to a party tomorrow (don't know if I'll drink or not) and we might eat out before, but I'm determined. I might cut myself some slack for drinking calories, since I don't attend parties that often, but I'm aiming for 1 binge-free week. Maybe having a goal will help me control myself. Help me keep it, guys, I need to make myself accountable!

cool, alexw! let's do April! if we give you April Fool's day, then am I entitled to one free? if I am, then we'd better make it April 30, just to be safe. lol

everyone else...hope things are going well! it sounds like they are!

i just found this thread. perfect! i have a hard time late at night. i blame my boyfriend - he never eats breakfast and chows down around 9 pm, so often i feel left out or something weird if i don't eat as well. however, i think this thread will help since i'll have to post how many days i go without binging on cookies, muffins, wine, CEREAL, and refined flour products. all day i eat healthy (every day) until nighttime! so it's time to stop. thanks to whoever started this post.

day 2

 

Sharon and Alex  - you two are doing so well!  keep up the good work.  I'm going to follow your example and try for the month of April also!  As extra motivation, i just found out that for my fight on the 26 I'll have to lose about 5 lbs to make weight.  I've been waiting FOREVER for another fight and I don't want to screw this up! so:

day 1 no binging!