[coffeeshopgirl]

So, I'm on week 2 of my eating goals, and it's been going well. I'm so proud of myself for a few things:

1. I stuck to my diet all weekend (except for a cran-vodka drink, 2 cheese sticks on Saturday, and a glass of wine on Sunday). Well, maybe it's more fair to say that I stuck to 90% of my diet, but this is the best I've done in as long as I can remember.

2. I came home Sunday night after a stressful day of Christmas shopping and wanted to just get Chinese food or pizza SO BAD. I considered Subway for lunch the next day, and I even thought of ice cream, lol. Instead, I came home and immediately (ok, after that glass of wine) portioned out my snacks for the week, breakfast, and quickly made a shrimp and veggie rice dish for lunches. I am so happy how fast and efficient I'm getting at making my meals for the whole week - it seriously took me 45 minutes!

3. I've been wanting chocolate or something sweet ALL DAY (Monday). A girl at work was offering snacks from her candy dish, but I stuck to my own snacks. I thought to myself "You already made your food, you'll just end up wasting this if you snack on chocolate." Somehow, it worked, lol.

I could use some advice though. We went shopping tonight for a few things and we ended up getting these awesome apple cookies. My husband is in study mode for law school, and while he's normally on a healthy eating regimen similar to my own, these past few weeks he's taking a break. I completely understand and support him, and it's been a positive experience seeing how strong I am to resist the stuff he's brought into the house: pizza, doughnuts, and more doughnuts, lol. But, I cheated and wanted one of those cookies, so I had one. I estimate it at 200 calories because it was THAT good, haha!

While I'm certainly proud of myself that I'm not bingeing - the weekend extras and tonight's cookie were all planned and checked for calories before deciding to eat them - I wonder if I'm cheating too much and on my way to a binge. I don't feel like I'm about to fall off the wagon or anything, but I'd like any opinions that you guys have on my "little extras."

Thanks!

[candytrees]

watch out...im doing the same thing and it ALWAYS leads to a binge..!!

[coffeeshopgirl]

I was afraid of that. But, you're right - no more little add-ins. Tomorrow, NOT deviating from the plan.

[EricAnn]

Hmm, see I think those "little extras" are necessary to prevent a binge. If I don't incorporate them and allow myself to have them I'll get to a point where I "need" them, and have all of them, at once. But I know for some people it triggers binges... So I guess you'll just have to find out how you react to those "little extras".

[coffeeshopgirl]

Hi EricAnn, and thanks for the feedback.

I've been thinking about my little extras too, and you're right - If I don't allow myself a controlled extra, then I'll lose control altogether.

It's definitely a delicate balance of allowance and adhering to the diet and being super aware of what's going into my body. For instance, I felt fine after having my glass of wine on Sunday, and I didn't really feel physically or emotionally bad from Saturday's 2 cheese sticks and cran-vodka drink. But Monday's awesome apple cookie just made me feel really heavy and left a very sugary taste in my mouth. I wonder if it was my body saying "Hey, you're done with those little extras and you're approaching your indulgence limit."

Today, I'm sticking to my normal eating plan and making sure I don't give myself any extras. I've been adding them in each day, and one day without an extra cannot hurt.

The good news is that I still feel in control, and I don't feel a binge coming on in the least. Being able to post about this is extremely helpful, and I thank you guys for your support and feedback.

[krampus]

Listen to your body! The best thing you can do is retrain your mind to respond to physical cues of satiety and satisfaction. If you're hungry for real food have real food. If you're bored/sugar crashing/tired/dehydrated, give yourself a few minutes and resist impulses that may or may not be rooted in logic :P

[foreverfaye]

Well, it looks like you figured it out. I'm glad posting this helped you and I'm glad you posted it because it made me go hmm and reexamine my own little extras. For me personally, it's definitely a slippery slope but I'm hoping that as I learn to have more control over why/when I eat, I'll be able to make accommodations and exceptions without feeling like its all or nothing.