So this is my biggest problem. I can get into a groove of not bingeing and feel great, but then I binge once and I can't stop. I'll keep eating for days. I didn't binge all week, since, Monday, and was feeling cocky and like I had gotten over it (hah that's hilarious). Then last night I just went crazy, eating as much as I could. I woke up today and haven't stopped eating. I just can't seem to break it. How do you guys get back on track after a binge?
I had a short run of that recently. You're right once you start, the cravings continue to keep going. I posted here and made a promise to other forum members that I was going to stop the overeating in it's tracks. It wasn't enough to make a promise to just myself -- those are easier to break. I did this once before, and it worked then, too. It's working this time again.
The first day without the binge is the hardest...it's all about breaking a cycle! Maybe make a pledge to 3FC like I did, if you think it will work for you!
I just promised on 3FC a couple hours ago that I would stop my binge! We can do it together. I've had a rough couple days as well and I completely understand.
Once you make that decision to stop, you just have to follow through on your promise to yourself. I also put up pictures of myself at a lighter weight to remind myself of my plan.
This is a hard time of the year, just before beautiful Spring. I am told people tend to have the binges now. As soon as it is nice enough outside to get out there and walk, people do better. I am in my third year of dieting, and each year, March and April are so hard for me. But, in May and through the summer, I do really very well. So, if it helps to know this, you are not alone. Many of us are struggling with binging. I am having an awful time right now and managed to gain a bit of weight. NO, I fear that, I have come to far to put it back on! And, I thought if I chewed a lot of sugarless gum, it would help. Then I found out that it makes more saliva and somehow makes you crave the sweets more, so I am trying to do without it. The sugar free jello really helps me on the days when I cannot get enough sweets to satisfy me. LIke today. I know that the afternoons between 3 and 5 pm are my worst, so try to keep myself the busiest then. Good luck. I wonder if we will ever not have to struggle so much. tina
Been there, done that. I'm still a work in progress, but doing rather well lately, if I do say so myself. I think the key for me is simply to forgive myself for eating whatever treat I had. In fact, I tell myself that I can have another of the same tomorrow, if I want it, but that I've already had what a "normal" person would eat for today, so I don't want any more right now. (This is called fake it till you make it. Really, I DO want more, but I tell myself that I've had enough for a "normal" person, and that a "normal" person would not have more than what I just had.)
Oh, and I don't try to "make up for" the transgression. If I have a treat, it doesn't affect my next meal - I just go forward according to plan, avoiding falling into the quicksand (because it really does suck you down) of diet mentality.
What turns a snack into a binge for me is often (I now know - wish I'd figured it out years ago) a need to punish myself for eating something "bad" that I was not "allowed" to have. So, if I can make it "not bad", I don't need to punish myself.
Thanks guys, you were all sooo helpful. I mean I've been bingeing since Friday night, but tomorrow when I wake up I'm going to have a normal breakfast (I'm not going to skip breakfast!) and move on. I agree that this is a hard time of year, especially since I'm in Vermont and it's been snowing for the past week (yeah I thought it was Spring too!!) But tomorrow is a new day and I'm not going to look back only forward!
This has been my thing as of late - "I don't weigh in until Tuesday, I can afford a little bit of room now" - usually said on Thursday night, innocently, so my husband and I can enjoy a meal out. It never is just Thursday night. It usually carries on until Saturday and often Sunday. Granted I'm better than I used to be with what my food choices and portion sizes are, but it's only been enough so that I'm not losing or gaining.
How to keep a binge from turning into days
