It's a Psychology class. How to get more joy in your life. Funny how some people really don't want joy at all. They just want to complain and be noticed. When people are difficult with people they don't know, they are really difficult with their families. I feel sorry for them.

My class is for people in transition or just need more information on how to cope. I try to be as positive as I can be, in spite of many adversities in my life. I think that helps me relate to some students.

Many of my students have real hardships in their lives, and still they try to be joyful. I pray God blesses these poor souls.

Thanks Mrs. Snark, Tyla and 7lbs for the encouragement and motivation you guys have been providing... Helps me a ton!

Here is something I would like to ask though not related to binging and get your opionions as well (posted in a different thread also)

I am not sure where I should be asking this but I thought it would be gud to put this here.... Below is the change in my scales from Oct 3rd:

3. -1.6
4. no change
5. -1.5
6. -0.7
7. +1
8. +0.8

I have stayed on plan all the days.. I am not sure of the fluctuation.. I felt so bad that despite trying so much I have moved in the wrong direction.. Also my TOM is not until around the 18th..

Can someone please help me understand this... I havent updated my tracker because I am not sure if it is temporary or permanent..... (On second thought I did change it though )

I feel so demotivated when this happens.. that too 2 days in a row Also I am finding it difficult to move to the lower 180s I have been hovering around the higher 180s for a while now

Am I missing something??? I am confused

Don't let that scale demotivate you. There is so much fluctuation in our bodies for all kinds of reasons. You stated TOM. That's one. Then if you go out to eat at a restaurant, that's two. There's so much salt added in, you just naturally go up. Your weight will go up if you eat any kind of salty food. I had Chinese food on Friday, and my weight went up 3 lbs., and I was perfect all week. Diet sodas contain a lot of sodium. Medication can make you gain weight. Getting angry can do it, because of the cortisol. Not sleeping well can make you gain. This list goes on and on. This morning I dropped 1 1/2 lbs. from Friday night's food. Hang in there! If you've been good, eventually it will come off.

nlauah, personally, I have found that weighting myself everyday would drive me insane. What I do instead is weight myself once a week in the morning (empty stomach!!!) and always weight on the same day (so every Saturday or every Monday. Whatever works best for you). Because there are up and downs day after day and weighting yourself once a week will even out those numbers. Otherwise you will drive yourself insane.

mainecyn, I know how you feel. My sister tells me I am pretty but I just can't believe her. I wished I could see myself like that too and I know I won't unless I start accepting myself or lose the weight and reach a number that I feel comfortable in (basically a number where I can wear fabulous pants and not have too much of a muffin top ). I don't think binge eating is a disease. It's a bad eating habit and usually hides a bigger problem. I know mine is loneliness. I just moved and instead of dealing with the stress of getting used to a new city and rebuilding a network, I turned to food. I am not proud of this and I am dealing with this but it started this way and now it became a really bad eating habit such that I am so addicted to sugar, I have issues giving it up. I am working on it though. Take it one day at the time and forgive yourself for every binge eating episodes in the past. Your binge eating is not shameful. We are only human.

I don't have much to report except that I'm half way thru my day and doing well. I remind myself I made it thru the night last night. While I ate, I didn't binge, so that's an accomplishment. I have thought of nothing else all day, making it one day and praying I make it thru the next. I have thought of this thread all day as well.

We all focus on the negative, feel the worst about ourselves. There have been positive changes in my life, the addition of my husband and the constant reminder from him that I am more than I think I am, helps at times to argue with that voice in my head that says you are ugly, worthless, etc..that every time I am in a store that people are staring at me, looking at me, judging me.

My goal is to be able to eat normally, no more binge episodes, to feel strong and healthy mentally and physically as my binging has effected my health, stomach and digestion aren't the greatest. I also have the added stress daily.

Physically, I would love to get to where I don't have a muffin top either, thats been my goal for years.

Thanks Tyla and Luzitania for your replies... Yeah I did eat outside over the weekend though I made healthy choices (stayed within my calorie budget) it may have had quite some sodium... Also Last 2-3 days my sleep has been less and very disturbed which well could be a reason....

I will try and have a official weigh in day (may be Friday) so that I will compare over to the same day of the previous week and see how I do

Posting here has always helped me

mainecyn and nlauah,, I'm so happy you guys are sticking to your plan! You guys rock!!

thank you tyla

Just to make sure I'm understanding, picking a hypothetical starting number of 190 on October 2, you went 188.4, no change, 186.9, 186.2, 187.2, 188? So over the course of those 5 days, down a net of 2 lbs?

Those are totally normal fluctuations. If you think about it, it's pretty impossible to lose 1.6 lbs of fat in a day, and 1.5 lbs of fat a couple days later. Some is that is fat, some is fluid. Some days you retain less fluid, some days more. Regarding TOM, while we normally associate bloating with the few days right before our periods start, I've noticed that my weight goes up right around ovulation as well.

One thing I've never understood about weighing once a week -- if your weight is up, how do you know it's not one of those random high days? Then you have to wait a whole week to find out! That would drive me crazier than daily fluctuations! I think.

Everything to do with the scale will make us crazy -- pick your crazy.

Also, glad to hear you didn't cripple yourself on the first try with the strength routine -- well done you! I did habituate to the routine pretty quickly. What did you think of it? I was thinking it needs some crunches (even though I know planks are ab/core as well).

7lbs - Yes your understanding is right... And I understand what you are trying to suggest.. I have to put more thought to that...

And thanks tyla

When I was losing weight several years ago i know I stepped on that scale everyday, several times a day. The scale dictated everything I did and how I felt about myself. I learned to put the scale away when I had a lot of weight to drop and used my clothes etc as a guide. Eventually, I began weighing myself each week. Scales are all different, I know I use the ones at home and it says something, the ones at the dr's office the same day said something else, and the scales at work also read differently. It drives you insane. I try to only stick to what one scale says, one time a week, at a certain time, and use that as a guide.

They have a scale at work? lol Stick with it, Mainecyn, I'm rooting for you!!

Well, I just got back from Zumba class, the class I wait for all week. And I worked out so hard, that I started to see white. I had 15 minutes to go, and I couldn't see the instructor anymore. I was still dancing like a nut, however. I told myself to leave or I would faint. (I'm stubborn with myself sometimes.) So thank God I left, and was able to drive home. I did make my mini goal of not overeating until my Zumba class! And even though I don't show a tremendous weight loss, I look so much better in the mirror than last week. My minigoal today is to not overeat to Tuesday, my next Zumba class.

We do have a scale, a very high end scale. A couple years ago our department started a fitness challenge, we signed up to exercise, eat better, lose weight...so each week we weighed in and we would run each challenge for three months or so. We each paid a fee in the beginning to join, the winners at the end would win cash prizes and the rest of the money was donated to charity.

The winners were number of pounds lost and percentage lost as well, I won losing 16 pounds that was when I was exercising regularly, walking the walking trail behind work every day etc. That was when I was in the zone, eating clean etc. I didn't sign up for the challenge this time, but I still use the scale at work.

Today was Day 2. I ate maybe a little too much chocolate, but not binge level. I'm kind of hungry, but I already brushed my teeth and am ready for bed. These past couple of days have gone well, and tomorrow will be another busy day. I hope I can keep this up.