Hi am new and I need help!

  • Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. Everyone here seems to be so helpful. I am 21 years old and I started this program in the summer and have lost 50 pounds on average, 165pounds to 120. My first question that I have is are there any suggestions that can keep me from binging (hope I spell that right) out, because it has become a continuous cycle and has cause me to gain weight. I just get so hugry or start to crave sweet things. I also suppose to be on maintainence, but I am still using my old green plan due to my mishap with the weight gain. My last question is are there any people who are on maintainence and what type of weight gain do you get in this phase. Thanks for all your help
  • Im confused...are you at goal? Did you go through the center thru maintennance?
  • Hi Snoody, and welcome. Way to go on the 50 lbs and getting goal, that is great. I am not in maintenence yet, so I don't know very much about all of that, but I do know about binging! First of all, take a good look on when you binge, where, and what. Is it stress? Could you find something else to do, read, talk on the phone, take a walk, play a computer game, etc? Is it boredom, and if so, what are some alternatives that you enjoy? Is it an overwheming urge for sweet things, because this could be a low blood sugar episode. If so, try eating a little starch, like a piece of toast, or even some fruit. Don't get in a panick to get your blood sugar back up and guzzle a Coke or something, because this gets a vicious circle started. It goes like this: You eat a meal or snack that is fairly high in carbs, your blood sugar comes up. You body produces insulin to process the sugar, your blood drops down. If your body gives you too much insulin, your sugar drops a little low, then your brain starts screaming for sugar to bring it back up, you eat sugar, feel better for a while, then up and down, and up and down we go. If you suspect it could be blood sugar, you should see your Dr about it for sure. Otherwise, avoid trigger foods (for example, I am the poster child for Lays, I cannot eat just one!) and rely on hot drinks like tea and coffee with splenda in it to help stave off hunger in between meals. Good luck!!!
  • Yes I am at my goal and I am on maintainence. I went back to my original green plan when I had a binge and gain a lot of water weight.
  • Im a week away from maintennance and find it very tricky. During stabilization, my weight has gone up but I did a naughty thing and went back to WL phase to get rid of it. I refuse to eat TONS more food if I am not hungry, as they are telling me I have to in order to maintain. To me, in order to maintain, I need to listen to my body and eat when I am hungry, from the choices I have learned to make On Plan. RIght or wrong, this is what works for me and I need to sat 133-34 to be comfortable in my clothes, any further up and I am not..so I will walk the balance line and add in what I am allowed if I am hungry. Like Katie said, binges are responses to emotional issues and you need to figure out the trigger and avoid the response or substitute it with an activity or other reward. Anyway, I think they say a 5lb fluctuation is "normal" for the maintennance phase....blech.
  • Thanks everyone for the responses. I think I start to cheat on my diet when I get bored or when I become extremley hungry since I stay in my dorm room a lot. Thanks again
  • I am trying to get in more activities here at school and I also try to occupy my time with school work (Anything to keep me from staying in the room). Losing the weight in college is very hard because everyone else around me are not on diet plans and just eat junk food. The LA weekly vists at the center has help and having my mother as a diet buddy has help too!