After a couple of weeks of eating right and exercising about 5 times a week...I was feeling pretty good. I was down a few pounds and I could start to see a slight difference in the mirror.
Then, last night, I sit down after manically cleaning my house all day and eat an entire frozen pizza. I felt terrible and just went to bed. I woke up this morning at 5am with that familiar aching stomach. I was so mad. I got up about three hours later to head to the gym, like every other day - and that difference in the mirror was seemingly gone. I feel like my face has "gained weight" and that the stomach that was getting smaller over the past few days was bigger than ever. I put on my workout gear and felt like I was about the bust the seams. I just turned around and crawled back in bed.
If I had the time to be away from work, I would have stayed in bed all day - or gone to the gym and worked out for a few hours (which is what I would really love to do). I'm miserable. I'm furious that I even have to deal with this. I'm angry that I continue to sabotage myself.
I want to give up - I want to just forget about it all and eat everything in sight; or eat nothing ever again.
I'm slipping back into unhealthy habits and regaining my obsession with my weight. Spinning out of control in many ways - my weight just being one of them. [I realize this may be a little dramatic over a $2.00 frozen Tony pizza...but as I'm sure you all know, it's never JUST about the pizza.]
I know exactly how you feel. It's like you slip and you just keep slipping...it makes you feel like crap. I was on a slippery slope from Christmas...and kept slipping for about two months. I'm back at it now but it was definitely a struggle. I know that you already know this, but I'll say it anyways, one frozen pizza does not ruin your efforts!! Maybe you're retaining water because of the sodium in the pizza, that's what always happens to me...I feel better after I drink a ton of water and the puffiness and gross feeling goes away. Just remember, you are worth it!!! Take it one day at a time...or one hour...or whatever works for you. You can do this!!
This is what you've got to do. Suck it up, write it off as a day from "down below" and start fresh NOW! Don't wait until tomorrow, tomorrow never gets here. Walk the long way to your next destination at work. If you have an elevator, take the stairs. Walk around your car a couple times before getting in. Do anything you can to get back on track.
Trust me, I know exactly what you're going through. About a month ago I had some problems at work and instead of eatting the wonderful stirfry I brought for lunch I went to McDonalds and binged on 2 bigmac meals. And boy did I feel like crap the rest of the day...
I know it is never about "just" what we do to sabotage ourselves. I hate to sound old fashioned, but we have to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and get on with what we know is best for us in the long run.
Hang in there! I know exactly how you feel. We've all been there and we all have those days. So you ate some extra food. So what! You have to allow for times when you don't stick completely to plan. It is going to happen and you can't beat yourself up over this.
You have two choices: You can either give up now and just keep gaining weight or realize the extra calories you had and just work harder on your next workout. If you keep going this direction the only thing you get is to make it harder on yourself later to get back on track. A week from now, which path would you rather have taken.
I know it is hard and soo frustrating. The only way I have been able to change my behaviour is to change my mindset. I kept sabotaging myself because I wasn't happy with myself and really I was assuming that getting back on track was not possible for me. I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to be able to keep it up. Each diet was just short term until I went on a binge. The difference for me now is that I believe that I can be a healthy person and can look and feel great. Believe in yourself. Picture yourself at a happy weight and know in your heart that you can get there. You are strong and you deserve to treat yourself well.
Don't give up on yourself now. You have come so far.
I know that it feels like giving up is the only option when you think you have just wrecked everything you have been working on, but really, what does that mean and where does it take you..will you just gain everything back and then some? Realistically, its not a good option, is it?
Here's what I do: I say to myself, "its only one setback'...today is another day....I am a worthwhile and special person and I can keep on trying to be good to myself"
Whatever you do...don't dip into self-hatred and self abuse (by eating even more because you feel miserable). You would not do this to any other person, so don't do it to yourself...try to coach yourself through this as if you were helping someone else.....try it, it works!
Also remember this: Every time we try to change behaviour (even if we feel we fail), its a good thing because we learn from every attempt and we reinforce our learning for the next time....today is the next time!
I will echo what everyone else already has said- we've all been there. We will all be there again. It is so easy to get down on yourself and count your defeats- tighter pants, a lazy day, a frozen pizza. But you HAVE to count your victories first and foremost- a more active lifestyle, a new love of exercise, coming here and finding a whole pantload of support, and it goes on and on!
Don't let short term defeats knowck you off the track- you are in it for the long haul, and part of that is accepting defeats along with victories. Hang in there!
one pizza isn't going to hurt you, but feeling bad about it and giving up will only send you into a downward spiral and will hurt you in the long run.
get up, go for a long walk, take the stairs, make a really healthy yummy dinner - do anything but give up. Remember your motivation, what got you started on your weight loss journey in the first place and make that a priority again.
I agree with the rest of the ladies. Sometimes it just happens. You can't always be 100% in control of everything. I tend to lose it the week before TOM and I for example ate 1080 cals of cookies just three or four days ago. I know this b/c it was the whole package
Anyway, what did I do? well, I felt like total crap that day but I have been exercising and being much more careful since. It's one day. It doesn't derail your entire journey, it's just a bump. There will be more. It's like slipping and falling. You could lie down in front of everyone in total humiliation or you could get up, dust yourself and move on. Pretend like it never happened. Calories don't reset in 24 hr periods. So you ate too much one day. If you keep in under control for the next week, maybe up the cardio you'll be fine. The one thing that is definite is that if you quit, you won't ever see a change for the better. So don't quit! look at it as a long process and in any long journey there will be some bumps and some detours but you just need to keep your eyes on the prize.
I'm kind of having the same issue, I just want to crawl in a hole and die at this point. but what would it accomplish? nothing, I'd be dead in a hole without ever having realized my goal. then I'd be mad at myself for being dead in a hole rather than being mad at myself for eating a handful of Chex mix. one day at a time/baby steps/etc.
Don't give up! You can do it. No one is perfect every minute of every day. You need not to beat yourself up over it and just brush yourself off and say that today is a new day and you can do it. *hugs* Good luck!
Don't give up, because a year from now you'll wish you would have kept at it. We all have days, weeks, even months like that. The best thing to do is forget about...there's nothing you can do about it now. You may think that you looked puffier in the mirror....trust me, it's just bloat. We tend to do that after we binge. Just drink plenty of water, and you'll be back to how you were before you ate the pizza. Think about why you're doing this...and just keep going!!
I want to give up.
