So I've been doing WW at home for abou 2.5 weeks. I have lost 6lbs so far and am feeling good about it. But, the last few days I can feel the desire to binge. I haven't done anything too terrible but am just craving a bunch of things I shouldn't have.
I have a bad relationship with food. It makes me feel guilty. If I buy a bag of chips or something I will try to be good and just have a few...and calculate them in to my daily points allowance. I can be good with that, but then the thought of these chips in my cupboard gives me the creeps or something and before you know it I've scrunched all the chips up in the bag and then emptied them into the garbage. Sometimes I will even throw the whole garbage bag out so I won't think about them being there and feel guilty. So then I feel guilty that I've eaten some and guilty that I've thrown them out and wasted food and money.
This happens to me a lot. Does anyone else struggle with this kind of guilt or have any suggestions on how to handle this? I don't want to sabotage my good work so far and I can feel the desire for something "bad" starting to consume my thoughts. It's really terrible but the guilt is worse...
I have this issue with sweets. They TALK to me - no matter how I drown them out. I eat them to shut them up and then I feel guilty.
How to handle this? *I DON"T KEEP THEM IN THE HOUSE* This just happened to me this week. I mentioned that I would love to sink my teeth into a big piece of chocolate cake - DH (God bless him) got in the car and went to the grocery store, came back with some cake and some brownies. I know those things are NOT as good as they look and NOT as good as I can make. But I ate them anyway. With Ice Cream. Three days in a row till they were GONE.
I have 4 children and a home daycare. Kids love treats. I am a mean Mommy and only allow treats on Fridays. I require all of it be consumed and nothing left over for the weekend OR the leftovers be thrown out.
My husband is like this with cheese and chips and salty things (he's lost 80lbs so far). We don't buy those things. We buy cheese - but 2% varieties and only enough for a recipe.
Stop keeping that stuff in the house - that will help.
I struggle with this, too. I don't have enough self control to portion and leave the junk food in the cupboard. If something is lying around, I'm likely to eat it all instead of enjoy it a bit at a time. My solution? NEVER KEEP THESE THINGS IN THE HOUSE! I never buy junk food at the grocery store, EVER. I sit down and make a list of healthy food and snacks that I want and stick to the list. Grocery shopping after a healthy meal works well, too. I'm sure we've all tried to go to the store on an empty stomach and walked out with more than we expected!
And when I get cravings for junk but don't have it around, I have a cup of tea instead of getting in the car and heading for the corner store.
not keeping it in the house is what I do too...and I'll be really good for a certain amount of time until that craving hits and then it gets worse and worse until I just finally go out and get it and then throw the rest out. It really makes me feel out of control (which I am in that moment) and crazy. I can't stand it!!!
I just have to echo, Don't keep it in the house. At all. If it's there, I'll eat it, so I don't allow it to be here! I have found some good substitutes that aren't horrible, and also don't trigger a binge for me. I'm also a sweet treat gal, and one thing I always have in the house is Nutella and graham crackers. One graham cracker and 1TB Nutella usually kills my sweet craving.
If I am going to indulge in something (planned), I tend to seek out the single serving packages - if we are having chips with lunch or something like that, I'll buy the little packages. Having to open another package after my planned one really helps me stop.
I agree with everyone else. I KNOW I can't limit myself to one portion of salt & vinegar ships or french onion dip (LOVE salty foods!) so I can't have them in my house. I had to go through my cupboards, freezer and fridge this week when I started and purge my house of all the stuff that triggers me. Granted, there wasn't much because I've been living on fast food, but I got rid of it- put it right out on my curb before I went to bed.
It's not easy. I hate that food makes me feel guilty. One of the days, maybe I will be able to have control over it but right now, I have to avoid.
I haven't read through all the other advice you got (sorry), but why not make yourself substitutes? You can make baked potato "chips" at home. Just slice a potato very thin and spray a cookie sheet. Place them on top and spray the top as well and you can put salt on top along with any other seasoning that you might like (I like garlic salt). Just bake until golden and enjoy guilt free! It's a lot cheaper and healthier than the packaged stuff too. How about pop corn? I like air popped popcorn. That way, it's not so good that I want to keep eating it. I don't shove hand fulls in my mouth. I force myself to eat it one by one so that it last longer. HTH.
I try to disarm this idea that some foods are "bad". I refuse to feel guilty for having a treat. Feeling like I "can't" have it makes me mental. I'm not good with deprivation.
If I want to eat I try to do something else and distract myself for a while just to see if the craving goes away. I'm calorie counting, so if I have room in my "budget" for a treat then (like quilter) i buy a single serving.
Generally, if I eat balanced, healthy meals, buy myself time before giving in, and limit the serving size, I'm ok with a treat. No internal struggle necessary. I like the theory that there are no bad foods.
I have kids, as a previous poster mentioned. They like treats. I buy them stuff I don't like (oreos, and Breyer's ice cream) but not much, because they really don't need it either.
I found myself putting handfuls of white chocolate chips into my mouth last week that I didn't even want, but they wouldn't shut up! Fortunately, it had been a pretty low calorie day so I hadn't gone over, but I did ask my husband to throw them away so I couldn't eat anymore.
I try not to have the most tempting things in the house. We call flavored potato chips "crack chips". They are *so* addictive! I do not believe in "bad" foods or "good" foods or chastise myself for the occasional indulgence. I know that some foods are healthier choices than others, and some foods are best in small amounts.
OK - but *knowing* doesn't always stop the voices. I have a friend I call that keeps me company until the cravings pass, or I can go for a walk, or tickle the kids, or have a cup of tea (plain) or coffee (black), or sing along with a CD I love, or journal, or meditate. I do all this stuff when I find myself emotionally eating. Let me be clear - I consider an occasional (once a week or less) small (portion size or smaller) indulgence of less healthy food okay. If I find myself wanting to eat a lot or eat many small indulgences, something is wrong.
I have not used this tool, but I've heard of people calling a good friend on the cell phone while shopping so that friend can talk them through the process to curb impulse buys.
Everybody knows this is a difficult process. Give yourself a break. You're worth it!
Binge Cravings and Guilt
I know those things are NOT as good as they look and NOT as good as I can make. But I ate them anyway. With Ice Cream. Three days in a row till they were GONE.
One graham cracker and 1TB Nutella usually kills my sweet craving. 
