I've been plugging along nicely. Lost about 30lbs. (Though I imagine I am not 188lb any more. Probably like 190 at least. )
Then last week things got hariy. TOM came and for over a week, even though I stayed on plan, I gained. Even as TOM was coming to a close, I was gaining. I know logically, it was probably TOM, but logic doesn't prevail when it comes to my issues with weight, eating and all that crap.
So, I felt completely discouraged. Why am I bothering when I am not even seeing the tiniest of loss??? And its a slippery slope from there. I've been eating off plan since Friday and not exercising. And I've really, really eated a lot and very poor foods.
Now I'm back.
I know my weaknesses. I've done this enough to know what I need to fix.
1. I need to not weight everyday. This has been the biggest reason in all my years for "giving up" and binging. I have in the past had my husband hid the scale, but when I get desperate, I go looking, and I find it b/c we live in a very small place. What I decided to do was put the scale in my husband's trunk. Got the idea from someone on this board.
2. I need to stop super restricting. I want to count calories, but there's such a fine line for me between being careful to not over eat and to measure everything out to the last crumb. Once I cross over to obsessive, then certain things become off limits and I set myself up for a binge. From about Thanksgiving until right after Christmas I didnt count cals, I just did portion control. And I lost weight and didnt have the urge to binge. Nor did I get over restrictive. (I've dieted so many times that I am completely aware of what size prtions I should be eating. I simply choose to over eat most of the time.)
Hiya, i totally sympathise! ive been in your position sooo many times over the years! One of the nice things about returning to sensible eating after a binge, is that the scale drops quite quickly and suddenly. Its not sustainable, but it is a nice boost when your discouraged and trying to start again. Just take one day at a time, one hour at a time and youll soon start feeling better again.
ETA: oh and dont beat yourself up if you have a slip up. Weve all been there many times. Accept it, put it behind you and resume your plan the very next minute. (Easier said than done i know.)
If weight loss was easy there wouldn't be a 3fc or weight loss surgery, etc.
Don't be too hard on yourself. It's good you stopped before it got too much out of control, now pick yourself back up and move forward.
I may not be one of the members who plowed through their weight loss- but I know I'm lighter and healthier than I have been in years and that definitely counts for something!
Be proud of yourself for stopping before you had significant gain. I always tell myself that if I stick to this long term I will see change and the slips won't even matter. I do try to stay on plan because I'm miserable for a few days when I go back to plan. I recently had a bad week even though I followed my food plan the scale showed an up. I was disapointed. Hope this week will be better. I weigh on Fridays.
Thank you for the support everyone! I don't know what I'd do with 3FC. I've noticed to I get a little down when I first do back on plan. Kind of like " the party's over" kind of feeling. LOL, I can't believe I love eating that much. Why couldn't I have been a shop-a-holic? Of all the addictions...food is the one that everyone can see I have a problem with before they even know me.
GlamourGirl, I am the exact same way. I cannot weigh every day and I cannot count every single calorie (though I've been keeping a tentative rough estimate for the past three weeks). For me what has helped is viewing those obsessive behaviors to be on par with poor eating and exercise habits. If both behaviors lead me down the road to failure, why do I only try to control the one? In the past, it's always been about trying to stop eating crap, "improve" my lifestyle, etc. I haven't concerned myself with a balance.
So now I'm not only keeping my eye on my urge to binge out on gross foods, but I'm also keeping my eye on my obsessive side, the one that feels gross satisfaction when I "accidentally" eat below 1000 calories in a day. If I accept that binging is a temptation, I should be able to accept that starving is another, and that both will screw me over and lead to more weight gain in the long run. Finding the balance is tough, but it's been super worth it so far. I've never felt more in control of my urge to binge AND accepting of the fact that I will make mistakes and can get past them.
So now I'm not only keeping my eye on my urge to binge out on gross foods, but I'm also keeping my eye on my obsessive side, the one that feels gross satisfaction when I "accidentally" eat below 1000 calories in a day. If I accept that binging is a temptation, I should be able to accept that starving is another, and that both will screw me over and lead to more weight gain in the long run. Finding the balance is tough, but it's been super worth it so far. I've never felt more in control of my urge to binge AND accepting of the fact that I will make mistakes and can get past them.
that's exactly like me. I either overeat or go to the other extreme. When I'm on a plan, I have to FORCE myself to eat!
When I'm off plan, I have to force myself not to eat.
OP, I totally sympathize, but the best part is, you seem to know what works for you! That is a really big step, so way to go!
Finding the moderation balance is the hard part for me too! I start obsessing about weighing and calories vs. just trying to live life without food being so central to it!
BTW---you DON'T want to be a shopping addict---I happen to be lucky enough to be addicted to shopping and food--although food is much cheaper! I can't hide my weight or my CC bills from my husband!
I was wondering how you were doing GlamourGirl. Like you I'm trying to nip this small gain/period of lost control in the bud before I REALLY pack on the pounds. It's good that you've realized what needs to change. I hope you are successful and binge-free in the coming days, weeks, months etc.
I weighed myself today, and I was up two pounds. I felt like total crap. My husband has already banned me from weighing more than once am onth because he knows that it discurages me, and it made me stop working out last time. I cant let the scale control me. I am in charge. So I will ignore it, do what ive been doing, give myself positive reinforcement, and keep doing it until.
I am with you and krampus! I want to stop this self-destructive binge cycle before I find myself at 300 pounds and I need to do it after one week instead of several months, like I usually do.
This may seem like a no-brainer to everyone, but what has helped me to only weight once a week is to keep my scale out of sight and intentionally pull it out on weigh-in Fridays.