[ItaliaNa]

Hello everyone!

Kind of new to the site but unfortunately not to weight loss struggles

Just wanted to know if anyone else feels like/does this....

Lets say Im exercising and eating a healthy balanced diet for a few days....then around after 4 days, or if I go out to dinner or for a drink, I will start off with the best intentions and then just go rapidly downhill?!

For example, last night I went out for a drink with colleagues where there was also a buffet. I wanted to get just a red wine, but everyone was getting mojitos, sooo ended up getting one too.

Then go up to the buffet and I got some couscous and veggies but then look around at what all my friends had got (pizza slices, fried things!) and i took one piece. We then return to the buffet and it just got worse and worse.

Then upon leaving and when I'm finally alone (worst time) I ended up driving to an all night bakery, buying a tray of cakes (pretending they are for other people) going home and eating them all, then looking in the cupboards for whatever I can find with sugar/cheese/chips.

Its like I am ravinous and need to keep putting food in my body, like my stomach is bottomless. Even if I am full, i just keep going. Then for the next few days i cant get out of this crazy binge habits.

And then I start again from square 1. I was doing so well (had got down to 127 pounds and near my goal) and in the past month I have just ruined it.

I really see it in my body and clothes too.

Help?!

[Psyence]

I am EXACTLY the same. It's like I'm expecting peer pressure and even though no one is saying a thing about grabbing a slice of pizza or having something 'bad' I'm like oh, I have to because they are.

For me, just one slip off the wagon gives me a 'well I may as well' feeling. Like I've already had X so I might as well have Y and Z and the whole rest of the alphabet while I'm at it! On Sunday I was on my last day of a 2 week one of them, and I've now realised that it's because I'm acting like I have to cram as much food in before I go back on the diet, and my brain knows that it doesn't want to diet.

So, I'd say that when you get that urge to snaffle something, give into it. Don't kick yourself because you're indulging yourself and although it probably will slow down your weight loss you at least won't have this massive craving hanging over your head. Doing that is like putting a big red button in front of someone and telling them not to press it. The more you tell yourself that you can't have foods, the more you'll want them.

This week I've been giving into my food urges, like I had a cheese scone tonight and I bought a whole pack of biscuits because I wanted them earlier in the week. The only difference was that, when I was buying them, I wasn't thinking 'you're such a failure, look at yourself, you're ruining everything, etc, etc' but I thought 'I would like to have some biscuits. I will buy a pack and enjoy them'. And you know what? I still have half the pack of biscuits left sitting in my cupboard! Allow yourself to indulge every now and then and you might find that, like me (this week at least), there isn't the massive urge to continue the binge.

I don't know if that will help you, but I know that this week not beating myself up and just going with the flow instead of restricting has been a massive help!

[coffeeshopgirl]

It is tough when you go out with friends to eat healthy, especially if they're eating from the buffet and ordering higher calorie drinks. You want to have fun with your friends, so you indulge yourself.

My advice is to eat before you go out. Eat a good, filling meal so when you go out, you're not as tempted to eat - you're too full! I've eaten a snack before going out, so that I'm not as hungry and just order a salad or a sandwich without fries. Maybe that will help you?

I know what you mean about going a few days and then wanting to eat like crazy. I'm experiencing the same thing - I was doing great for 4 days, but today was tough for me. I ended up adding in another meal (approx 300-400 cals) because I was feeling like I needed more food.

I would suggest small additions to your meals if you feel like you're not getting enough food. If you're going out with friends, eat before, or look up the calories in the food you will have at the restaurant (if possible).

Hope that helps!

[Palestrina]

I know that when I'm in a situation like that and I see my skinny friends eat fried foods I automatically think it's ok to do it too. Partly because I want to be like them but mostly because I don't want to call attention to myself as a "dieter," you know like when you see a fat girl eating a salad you think to yourself oh, she's on a diet rightly so!

The problem is, my skinny friends aren't going home and raiding the fridge. Instead they go home and say "oh right, one too many cheese puffs" and the next day they hit the gym and make it a point not to eat anything fried. That's just how normal people are I guess.

It's important to know that food has a physiological effect on you. The more sugar you give it the more it craves. When you combine sugar with fat and salt (like the dreaded donut) it sends your chemicals on a tailspin of desire and lust for more. It's like putting acid in your car, it goes berserk lol. So try to stay away from foods that make you crave. I know it's hard, we've all been there.

[BrittanyRinkin]

the same way I hate trying to eat around other people I feel like it makes it so much harder to keep on my diet. but I feel like when I do eat around other people and I'm successful in staying on my diet it gives me a confidence boost I don't know if this will work for you but for me it's really helped. and sometimes it even nice to be the 1 eating healthy because then people see that you are in control of your life

[Andrea85]

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny

I know that when I'm in a situation like that and I see my skinny friends eat fried foods I automatically think it's ok to do it too. Partly because I want to be like them but mostly because I don't want to call attention to myself as a "dieter," you know like when you see a fat girl eating a salad you think to yourself oh, she's on a diet rightly so!

This is exactly how I used to feel! I didn't want to order something without cheese, mayo, the bun, etc etc, because I didn't want to call attention to the fact that I knew I needed to lose weight!

But then...I got over it I realized either 1) this person probably hears so many orders it is nothing, or 2) if they do think I need to lose weight...who really cares? I do!

I find that I need to really, REALLY listen to my body to avoid binges. Most of the time I need to stay on the healthy eating plan with no deviations. I'm too much of the "well I've had this, let's have the whole box" person to be able to have a treat just everyone know and then!

Don't beat yourself up. Next time you have these cravings, write down how you feel beforehand. See if you can find a pattern with how you are feeling. That way, you can plan for how to divert yourself from binging when a certain feeling or routine makes you want to binge.