Bad news: I binged Sunday. I ask myself why when I am doing it but I dont know. I can't figure out why I do it. I try to see what I am feeling while eating everything in sight to the point that my stomache is hurting, and continue to eat & eat. I am back on track today......
You might want to journal. I think for a lot of emotional eaters, at the very least myself, I eat to suppress my bigger emotions. For the mean time I have not started delving into those emotions. I am working on eating healthier, watching my calories, and starting to incorporate more movement into my daily life. I know that emotions and my past are why I have gained the weight I have. Maybe journaling will help you find out why you are trying to hide behind your fat? It's helping me.
Girl, you are singing my song! So many times I have asked myself WHY I do what I do.....the only answer I can think of is I hadn't made THE decision to do it.
Oprah Winfrey once said: "We are each responsible for our own life - no other person is or even can be." I am taking this to heart and making decisions for ME--for my body, soul and spirit.
Once you do that--the WHY's won't matter anymore.
BTW, regarding the line in your signature: You CAN be happy again....just don't wait for the numbers on the scale to tell you if you're happy or not. DECIDE to be happy!
Huh ... I puzzled over this this weekend, too. Sunday night is the worst for me. I think part of it is it's the end of the weekend, "the last hurrah" or something. I used to think it was a loneliness thing, but this Sunday proved otherwise. I had an early dinner with my mom, went to Cold Stone because it was hot out and I knew that when I went over to a friend's house later, that she'd offer food (which I didn't refuse, of course).
I know how you feel. When I'm in the middle of a binge, I can't figure out what's going on. I think it's because by the time I get to the binge, whatever emotion causing it is overshadowed by the relief that's ahead. Does that make sense? It's like asking an alcoholic why they drink when they're already drunk.
I am coming closer to understanding my need to binge by setting up ways to avoid the binge and then walking through the emotions as they occur.
In the 40-something thread, we set up a 5-Day Challende that runs Thurs-Tuesday. Weekends are the hardest for many of us! Somehow, knowing that Shycammie or Slahs are somewhere on this planet working through it has helped me tremendously. My goals are not lofty for Sat-Sun. Just to eat healthy, avoid the binge, get some exercise in and try to feel my emotions. Actually that IS a little lofty! What I normally succeed in doing is avoiding the big binge, even if I do have an icecream cone. And I always try to eat when I have someone around. No way ANYONE is going to see me eating a bag of Doritos, a pint of icecream and then pass out on the couch!
I always like to read your post, Sad and hope you are a little less sad each day!
I binged Saturday, I went shopping Friday night, and bought Skinny cow Ice cream sandwiches, I ate one , two , three on Saturday and a bar of dark chocolate. This was my worst day since starting this, but I knew it was coming, I have been feeling the blues, and stressdful. I shouldn't have bought the ice cream, but I did. Won't buy any more ice cream for a while. Also I didn't go anywhere this weekend, so I was just around the house. I won't let this get me down. I know I can do this, You can too. We can all do it.
cheryl
My key to weekends is to realize that perfection ain't gonna happen. I try to look at my weekends "the way they were" (non-diet coke for breakfast - usually with a hangover! waffles after that, etc) and improve on it. For instance, I always try to make sure that two of my meals each day are OP, I try to get some exercise in, and if I'm planning on drinking - I limit it to one or two.
I have found that once I removed the "perfection" criteria - the binging stopped. I no longer have the "well, I'm in pretty deep now - might as well chuck the diet out the window" mentality. I do much less damage nowadays.
Weekends are pretty tough. I would try the journaling idea and I think I'm going to start one as well. Hang in there and dont beat yourself up about it. Just try to make better choices next weekend.
I've been reading a lot articles lately or diet advertisements where they actually give you one 'free meal' or a 'free day' a week. When you think of all of the calories you restrict yourself during the week, one day of old eating habits isn't so horrible. Maybe you can incorporate one 'free meal' or 'free day' a week, so it won't feel like an emotional binge. It will feel like a reward. (and you'll probably still eat better than you ever did in the past.) But- I completely understand...... Emotional eating might as well be my middle name.
I've only lived through 2 weekends, and did plan them out.
This is unlikely for me, not to be around friends at least once during the weekend, but I was, so Friday I went to a workout, and after it I am never hungry. Saturday, I had breakfast, worked out, fixed my car, stopped at Wal-mart to do returns and only then came home and ate. Not grabbing anyhting in Walmart, was a bit challenging, but I made sure I spent very little time there. Sunday again I planned a trip to the grocery store and look for furniture. I was in and out of the mall, and then good at the grocery. I might have exercised less if not the challenge made by a friend for 2.5 hours of exercise, which I did accomplish, and came home at 10:45 totally wiped out. No desire to eat afterwords...But somewhere I remember thinking if I could just have something. I really don't have anything, but if not for the plan of 'busyiness' I might not have survied. I have a bunch more visits to various stores, which I could have done all at the same time, but I saved them for future weeks of planning.
I have decided that, for the time being anyway, I will let myself be at least a little more relaxed on the weekends. My husband works nights, so weekends are pretty much our only time together. I eat OP for breakfast and lunch, and dinners let myself go off a bit. Not to the point of eating everything in sight, mind you. But off enough to not count as strictly as I do during the week. That way, if hubby says let's go eat at ___ I can go and not feel guilty. I do make better choices when eating out, rather than just getting stuff like I used to. I also use the weekend mornings to use my 4 mile WATP video, since hubby's still asleep when I get up. I've decided that if Monday morning shows a stall instead of a loss, I'm fine with that. I may tweak my weekend plan after a while, but for now it's working. If I dont let myself have a little bit of time off, I know I'll end up binging, so this is a good deal for me. Maybe you can adapt something similar? Good luck!
I also give myself a little slack on the weekends. I try to have an op breakfast and lunch and then splurge a little in the evening because we usually go out. I just don't make it all or nothing like I used to do.
Well, bless all of you who are able to loosen up on weekends. If I try that, I just flat flip out. There don't seem to be any stopping points between the first leniency and a full-on return to old habits. Once I start, I don't seem to have any control over how much I eat or when I'll stop. That's waaaay too scary. OTOH, I've only been doing this for a couple days short of ten weeks, so maybe I'll get better with time. For now, though, I seem to need the exernally determined structure of Atkins. I need to not have to rely on my own judgment in any way, I need it all spelled out for me so the only decisions I have to make are which on-plan foods I want today. That seems to be safe.
I need the structure too Shellie. I keep the flexibility in my plan by choosing in the moment what I'm going to eat, but that's only from a list of good for me things. It just shows again that it's so important to find what works for you, which is likely not what works exactly for someone else.
Weekends are so Tough
Well the good news: We joined a gym this weekend. 
Hope
