A Binger's Rehab

I’m Back!

mellyann — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:31:03 +0000

I’m back. While away from this blog for a few weeks I let myself eat whatever I wanted, then I decided to follow the Southbeach Diet. I have been on SBD for the last two weeks, lost about 9 lbs, but slipped up during July 4th weekend. Therefore, I am restarting phase 1. I still have a 5 lb loss from the last two weeks, though!

Phase 1 allowed me to get through the day with little or no cravings. This allowed me to keep within my target calorie intake to lose weight.

For exercise I am doing the Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred 3x a week, and I think I’ll add 2 days of the Jillian Michael’s kickboxing dvd.

Thank you for reading, and especially for those who commented. I appreciate your support and suggestions!

I’m back on track to losing 45 more pounds! Yay!

I know what my problem is!

mellyann — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:13:10 +0000

Okay, now I can summarize the problem of my overeating in a nutshell. I cannot do anything that makes me feel good (except eat), because I spend morning and night taking care of other people: my two children and husband. At 10 pm or so I then get to go to sleep for a couple of hours until my 9 month old starts crying, then get her back to sleep then I can go to sleep for another two hours and so on through the night. Then get up at 6am and start my day again.

I eat because that is my only release.

The baby is crying and I want to eat

mellyann — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:19:58 +0000

Baby should be asleep but is resisting. It’s 7:20 pm and she is crying and I want to eat to soothe my stress. But I know that won’t make things better. Only much much worse.

Have a glass of water and calm down.

1600 vs 1400 Calories Per Day?

mellyann — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:09:58 +0000

Well, I really think that 1400 calories is too little for me, so I am going to try 1600 a day and see how much weight I lose each week. I seriously have eaten so much daily that I am starving with 1400 calories.

Well, anything will be an improvement over what I am eating now - probably about 3000 calories per day. No kidding!

So far I’m on track for today: 1495 calories.

New Approach

mellyann — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:51:30 +0000

I’m going to try a new approach. It’s very much like the Weight Watchers points system, but a little different.

I’m allowing myself 1400 calories per day. The breakdown is:

B: 400

L: 400

D: 400

S: 200

If I don’t eat all of the 400 calories for breakfast, I can carry the remaining over to lunch, and so forth. The 200 snack calories can be SAVED and carried over through the week. So conceivably, I can save 1400 snack calories if I only consume 1200 calories per day that week. I can use those 1400 calories for a splurge meal, ice cream, whatever. That’s an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s, if I want! BUT I cannot eat them until I”ve saved them. Unlike Weight Watchers, where you can spend your flex points at the beginning of the week.

I’ll let you know how this approach works. It seems like it could be a life long way of eating, no?

Done Starting Over

mellyann — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:56:37 +0000

I vow I will no longer use the words, “I’ll start tomorrow.” There is no tomorrow anymore. Only today and what I do with it. This in itself will be a huge accomplishment, since I’ve always used “tomorrow” as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted that day.

Today’s goal:

Eating: 1400 calories

Exercise: 30 minutes cardio, 3 sets 10 pushups (the lady kind)

B: 1 egg, 3/4 cup egg whites, feta cheese, spinach (275)

L: Vegetable soup, chicken with skin, 1/2 pear (350)

S: Turkey , swiss cheese (190)

Salad w/tomatoes, turkey, dressing (180) 3 g cracker w/choc cookies (195) 4 marshmallows (100)

=1290

Day 3: Diet and Exercise Journal

mellyann — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:49:54 +0000

Bouncing back after a binge night last night. I’m ready to stay on track with my eating and exercise. One approach that works well is to save most of my calories for the evening meal. That way I have wiggle room if I begin to lose control. I still have a lot of calories left so I can stop myself before I’ve gone over.

Today’s Plan:

Eating: 1400 calories, 3 meals, no snacks

Exercise: 30 mins cardio

Today’s Action:

Exercise: 20 mins (rowing/stair climber)

Eating:

Breakfast:

1 cup grapes (80)

Egg whites (120)

Swiss cheese (140)

Tomato (20)

= 360

Lunch:

Salad with tomatoes and Goddess Dressing (180)

Turkey (50)

= 230

Snack:

Choc covered banana (130)

Raspberries (40)

Dinner:

Grilled Chicken Salad (400)

Pizza crusts (from my daughter’s pizza) (200)

Total calories: 1360

Remaining: 40

I’m totally stuffed!

Day 3: Yesterday I blew it - today is a new day

mellyann — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:08:08 +0000

Okay, I did great on day 1, but on day 2 I let the stress get the better of me and went off plan. I can’t really tell you what I ate since it was so many different things, but it included:

- Ben and Jerry’s ice cream

- Raisin Bran

- Pirate Booty

- Cheese and crackers

- Bananas with nuts and maple syrup (weird, but tasty)

I probably ate around 3000 calories. I weighed myself this morning and was the same weight 218.4 so I guess my one day of on track offset one day of overeating.

I’ll stay on track today. Watch me.

Day 2: Binge trigger - baby resisting nap and baby boredom

mellyann — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:22:14 +0000

Here is where I would binge. Right now. Baby crying loudly and resisting nap. I make a bee line into the kitchen, grab something and hunker down in the computer, standing up in the kitchen, and eat eat eat.

Or if she wasn’t resisting the nap and was asleep, I would walk past the laundry and hunker down in my computer and eat eat eat.

She’s throwing a fit now. I will not binge. Instead I’ll go in and rock her. See if she really is up for a nap. If not, take her out and fold clothes while she plays.

Okay, minor binge here. It HAD to happen eventually but I didn’t plan so soon into my new blog. So, I rocked the baby to sleep, put her down and decided what I really need instead of food is a quick nap. But I looked at the clock and I knew I wouldn’t have time for any sort of nap and what’s more I am disturbed that I have to wake the baby up to pick up my daughter from camp at 1:30. Anyway, I told myself I’ll just have a salad, which I did have, then I proceeded to have the rest of the bag of Pirate Booty, in all the total is about 420 calories. Great. So now I have only 180 calories left for the day. This will be difficult to stay on track, but not impossible!

This binge is an example of me eating because I did not get what I wanted: a nap.

Later: A minor binge turned into a major one. I went way over my calories. I couldn’t take a nap — no time even though I hired a sitter for a couple of hours. I had to go out and buy diapers, then by the time I could settle down I only had 30 mins on the clock left. I realize these are only excuses for allowing myself to lose control and indulge my habit!

Tomorrow will be much better.

Day 2: Thoughts Journal

mellyann — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:30:30 +0000

Since I did so well yesterday (I give myself an A for eating and exercise), I feel like that is going to help get me through a successful day today.

Challenges:

1. Get through the day staying on plan even though I am going on very little sleep, thanks to my 9 month old daughter. I love her to death but she really needs to learn how to sleep through the night!

2. Still grappling with whether or not I can tolerate exercise today. I am so darn tired it makes me sick to think about getting on a stair climber or treadmill today.