BINGE FREE WEEK, July 23rd Start
 

Hey everyone, just wanted to get this weeks Binge Free post going.

Today is my 25th day and I'm glad to be entering this week feeling positive.

I had a tough moment late last night, I seriously considered binging. I feel stronger today for making the sensible choice to abstain. I'm starting to see postive changes in how I feel. Just like sobriety suits me, abstaining from binging suits me too.

Hope everyone is doing well

Ready to face a new week - Saturday night caved to work related stress and last night caved to family life stress with some carb-loading BS. The difference? Didn't lead to hours/days/weeks/months long mindless eating - what I DO feel is ANGER. Anger that there IS NO connection to solving these problems by hurting myself with comfort eating!:mad: Yep, nipped in the bud and feeling nothing but RESOLVE this Monday morning.

Tx for starting the week odaat!:hug: I may be coming here a lot and appreciate everyone being here!:)

Well done on not letting a small lapse turn in to a collapse. Its very hard to get back on track, good on you.

Just wanted to say that I love your avatar - it looks so happy!

I think I need to be on this forum!
 

Hey all,

I am just beginning to come to terms with the fact that I am a binge eater. I've always had trouble with my weight - PCOS, hypothyroid - and I killed my metabolism from fasting to lose weight. Also had bulemia in college for a while. Now at 45, I am 17 days sober (after a whole year of not really committing to living an alcohol free life) and realizing that food is a huge issue for me too! Before, a binge a week was not so bad - but they are out of control and I want OFF!

So, I am going to continue on with my Alcohol Free days - for good this time - and not bingeing. So far today I have had cottage cheese and berries plus water. This is SO tough!

Best wishes to all on a binge free day!
Pan

Hi Pan and welcome!

Well done on 17 days sober and also on deciding to tackle your eating.

Are you following a plan for giving up alcohol? The reason I ask is that I've been sober for almost 8 months and have found the Twelve Steps and online AA meetings have helped me alot. I've started reading some Overeaters Anonymous material and working the twelve steps for my binging/overeating. It isn't for everyone, but thought I'd recommend it.

Looking forward to seeing you around in future.

Hi Odaat,

The plan I am following for my drinking is called My Way Out and it is more nutritionally based than AA. There is a recommended nutritional plan which is really helpful and also hypno CDs. Some members also use medications to bring their drinking under control. I started last year in June and all told have done 3 months AF (3 separate months not in a row). The rest of the time I moderated pretty well (25 AF days a month), but it is always seems to start sneaking up there. Anyway, I figure if I have weight issues why be drinking at all?

I found AA material helpful and went to some meetings too, but also realized that I needed to rebuild my body using supplements. Alcohol can really take it out of you in terms of nutrients. The support board there is helpful too, although I find not as structured as the AA programs. It is interesting that one of the medications that is used to curtail drinking, Topamax, is also used to bring binge eating under control. I have not asked my doc for any, but I might as I really need to get my progression back to health kickstarted!

Thanks for recommending the materials for Overeaters Anonymous - I actually went to a meeting a long time ago, but thought it wasn't for me. However, I realize now that it may well be what I need. Geez - I already had like 10 years of therapy - this isn't fair LOL Is there a book that can be purchased Odaat?

Thanks so much for the warm welcome - I hope you had a good day! I did so far YAY

Pan

Hi and Welcome Pan!:hug:

I'm psyched today because despite my slight cave - I still managed to lose 2 more lbs! *small w00t :carrot: *

I'm also channeling my feelings of failure into good ole healthy RAGE - :devil: -

Just an experiment - don't be alarmed!;)

Sick of feeling sick - sick of feeling sorry - gonna try some good ole Positively Pissy as a coping mechanism . . . along the lines of -

*Here you are at age 46 . . .

*Feeling Great from exercise . . .

*And hydration . . .

*And wholesome unprocessed food . . .

*NOT EVEN HUNGRY for Cripe's Sake . . .

choosing to mindlessly Stuff The Face?:mad:

I'm so over it.


There's always so many new, different Thread Topics going on in this section - and I can relate to most if not all of the Thread Titles that I see - just no time to read each one.:( Wishing that more would post their thoughts and experiences here in Chat or some Centralized Location for some give and take instead of Thread after Thread, ya know?:^:

Have a Terrific Tuesday All!:)

Hello. I'm new. Here, not to bingeing. haha.
I think this might just be the place I need to be.
I'm an addict (to food) and binge quite often. So I just went and had the lap band, thinking that I couldn't overeat physically. Nope, I can't. But I can still sabotage myself by over drinking high calorie stuff or eating ice cream. Go figure.
I'm feeling shaky, but very hopeful. I just walked away from some delicious soup that I made. And even though it doesn't really have that many calories, I am full and need to practice pushing it away. And so I did!
Well, greetings to you all! I hope everyone has a very good day!
Jax

I had a horrible binge yesterday, but today is a new day and a new start. My goal is not to binge for a week starting today.

Kelly

92 days binge free.

I can't wait for day 100 :carrot:

Hiya jax & kelly!:)

I know a guy at work that had the lap band - his transformation has been just awesome.

What kind of plan do you two have for surmounting the Binge Urge?

Rage got me past the convenience store @ 4am - but thinking I can't sustain it for any practical long term use . . . I also used laughing at the situation to great effect in the last week or so . . . I mean c'mon for Cripe's Sake how ridiculous is it for a 46 yr old woman to be enslaved by these self destructive urges that ALWAYS pass if I slow down and give them time to pass??

Color my coping mechanisms with these emoticons today:

:D

:dizzy:

:mad:

:D:D:D

Congrats R&R - will be joining you in 88 or so days!;)

hehe Aud!

I think I will stop counting when I get to 100... I don't know but that just seems like a mile stone that once I reach I will NEVER EVER want to go back!!

Here is my binge coping:

:( Why am I fat and always hungry?
:devil: Because you should EAT! THATS WHY!
:o But if I eat I become fatter!
:devil: EAT EAT EAT
:coffee: I'll have water instead
:frypan: Bye bye binge!

I love the emoticons!!

Hi.
Aud - Well, that's what I'm working on right now. Controlling the impulse to binge - or actually, I'm not sure it's the impulse to binge - I think it's the impulse to sabotage, and bingeing is just how I do it.
I just had the surgery. It hasn't been a month yet. (June 30th) I'm still basically on thick liquids - mushy foods - soups, watered down refried beans, etc.
Congratulations Rocknroll! I think I need to borrow your little emoticon rationale.
Kelly - good for you for getting right back on the wagon.

So far, I'm trying to not eat everything. For instance - trying to not consume more than 2 servings of the soup (meaning I'm placing what I believe a "normal" person would put on their plate and trying to only go back 1 time for that same amount). I can't eat (chew) but liquids are going down pretty easy. I'm looking forward to when I get to move on to food. Then I can switch back to only drinking water.
Anyway, thanks for the welcome - and good luck to everyone to have a binge free day.

Feeling a little down today, the depression is bad at the moment and I'm just so tired/weepy etc.

I'm started to panic a bit that I'm doing something wrong. I feel like I'm overeating even though I know I'm not. Usually when this happens I restrict what I eat even more, going under 1000 calories a day. I don't want to do this this time, I'm trying to eat a reasonable amount so I can loose weight long term.

Will have a challenge this weekend - going home to visit. Usually this would mean stopping off at the service station and spending £20 on snacks to eat on the 5 hour drive. Will plan something to take my mind of it. I'll be visiting family, but luckily my Mum is understanding and won't feed me anything I'm not allowed.

I'm very nervous as well - I've got my incapacity benefit medical tomorrow and I'm scared/anxious and worried. Fingers crossed for me.

Day 28 today, looking forward to hitting the month mark.

How is everyone doing today?

awwwwww. hate that you're weepy odaat.:hug:

Welcome to my world! LOL!:dizzy::D Menopause has me going from ZERO to STRATOSPHERE in nanometerseconds!

Freeze some bottles of water and let them thaw on the trip to drink. Get a cup of crushed ice at the service station and crunch away for 5 hours. I'll be thinking of you: :bike:

I'm so bad with the metric system . . . but can't figure out your ticker or your goal.:?: Finding it hard to believe you want to weigh 63 pounds OR kilogonometers(??):dizzy::D

We'll get thru this.:hug:

The "urge" to binge OR the urge to saboteur??? How VERY insightful, jax. I think you're onto something.

I'm joining R&R for some emoticon visualization coping mechanism - these emoticons are revolutionizing my life in a humorous way. I truly was standing yet again in front of the pantry and fridge at 4:17AM thinking "must have something now musthavesomethingNOW" . . . when the pounding frying pan appeared in front of my face and made me think of R&R and WATER!

The laugh gave me a chance to BREATHE . . . I ended up cooking something up that was OP aqfter confirming with my emoticons that I was TRULY hungry.

FEEL EMPOWERED today as a result. I kid you not.

I'm choosing two emoticon to protect me from myself today and into the Wee Hours. On one shoulder I shall have:

:carrot:

(because I love him)

and on the other shoulder I shall have:

:rudolph:

(because I'm having a hot flash)

Emoticon-Therapy could be revolutionary for overeaters/binge eaters the more I think of it!:chin: R&R and I will write a book :write: and go on all the talk shows . . . ahhh . . . we'll be RICH . . . and FAMOUS . . . and FIT. OPRAH here we come!!!:dance:

I can't understand my stupid KG ticker either, I work in stones and lbs, but my doctor will only weigh me in KG! I tried converting it, but it just gets confusing with rounding up and stuff hehe.

My goal weight is around 10 stone ish, and I'm 18 stone 12lbs ish now.

Does sound like I have less to loose in KG.


The urge to sabotage sounds about right to me too - I think I'm scared of suceeding.

I'll be taking the laptop with me this weekend so I won't be far away!

good luck odaat
 

Hi Odaat,
Hope you’re feeling better. That’s not easy, to be feeling low and trying to stay on track. I had one of those days this week when I panicked and feared I was madly overeating. I felt I was growing fatter, and was miserable, but when I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I was amazed at how ‘normal’ my face looked, no water retention or anything.

That gave me the courage to keep going and showed me I can be very delusional in my ed mode.
I had posted my fears of weighing in on the OA site, and later when I got up on the scales, I had lost 3 lbs since I joined OA 30 days ago. Might not seem a lot, but I felt so so joyful. Like you, I’m in a process of trust and that’s difficult. It was great to get that little sign. Having said that, before the weigh-in, I kept the focus on the fact that I fitted into some really nice jeans I have not been able to wear for a long time, it’s like my shape is changing more than my weight.
I think there’s a good chance I would have stayed on the programme no matter what the scales said – but only because of the support I’ve gotten from the OA forum and from the f2f OA meetings I now attend.
Good luck with the family trip – I can relate to anxiety around that – my AA sponsor tells me to ‘wrap my programme tightly around me’ when visiting. Good luck with the medical.

Searsha xxx

binge free week - got through difficult day
 

Binge free week thread: 26th

Today was a day I would classically have broken out into food. So far I have not, and I am deeply grateful to OA and to my Higher Power. I’m 31 days abstinent today, and while I’ve gotten this far in terms of days of dieting before, something indefinable has changed in me, or that what it feels like.

It’s not all happy-clappy or anything, or a feeling that I’m free of wanting to binge. Not at all. But I just do not seem to be reaching for the food as a solution or as a comfort.

Just the usual rag-bag of stuff that can make a day difficult. Started out very tired – work was crazy last night, was taking calls on and off all through the night. One good thing I noticed, when this happens and I’m in bad food, then my sleep really gets messed up. Last night, I was able to actually get some sleep in between the ‘busy-ness’. Had lots of study plans for today, but my PC crashed and I felt like crashing out the door to the nearest convenience shop for some ‘immediate’ fix. I cannot believe how I didn’t.
I thought of the saying – tell God your plans for the day and give him a good laugh! That helped. I stopped trying to fix the machine, ate my porridge, took myself off back to bed and slept. Before, I would have been armed with ‘bed food’ and rubbishy magazines.
I still felt a bit weird later – because it still feels difficult not to eat over the slightest stress!!

The computer was still broken, but got sorted in the end. Food was never going to come and fix it. But by not eating, I had a clear head and took the action to get it sorted. I see big patterns too where I use food a LOT to stave off exhaustion. It’s like I refuse to be tired like other human beings. So I create false energy highs which really only hurt me.
Thanks everyone for the lovely uplifting posts here - I've only discovered this thread and it's great. I need all the help I can get not to disappear into a horrible bingeing world.

Went OFF Plan and managed not to lose my mind (Going Away Party for someone at work.) Ticked I went OffPlan - but glad it didn't turn into an OverEating Festival!

Hiya Searsha!:hug: I'm thinking the name "Binge Free Week" keeps folks from Posting in here?:?: Maybe it should be Titled "Weekly Support Chat" or something? I'd like to read and talk to folks about their journey - but no way can I keep up with all these individual Threads in this section, ya know?:(

Good point about that Aud - a change of name might be an idea. The opening post should mention something about people pledging if they want to, but everyone is welcome to post.

I'm off home tonight, I've got it all planned out so I don't veer off course. Almost a month now, feeling quite proud of myself.

Had my medical today which went better than I was expecting which is nice. Hopefully won't be too long before they let me know if I've been sucessful in my claim.

Well done on not letting things spiral today, thats great!

Well it was a challenge but I managed it!

My mum is a star - I asked her where I could get some OA literature from, as she is in AA she knows the best book shops and things. Half an hour later she comes downstairs and has 4 books and lots of leaflets for me! She spent a bit of time with OA in 2000 and has lent me her material. Looking forward to reading it tomorrow.

There were a few moments were I was tempted, but I managed to remind myself that I won't find happiness in binging. Day 31 today!

Went for a walk too, I've not done any exercise for a very long time and its nice to get back to it, starting slowly so I don't over do it.

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable and relaxing Sunday.

Hi,

Okay, I'm just trying to get a feel for where the best place to post is right now, so I hope I don't make any boobies :stars:

I'm discovering a really good strategy to "cope" with bingeing is to actually eliminate the urge to binge by eating more regularly. I must have read it a thousand times, that I should eat breakfast, balance my calorie intake throughout the day and eat more (smaller) meals, but my reaction was always "I don't want to eat too much during the day cause I know I'm going to stuff myself tonight and I need to "save" calories up to cover my binges". Can you say "duh!"?
I had to discover for myself that far from making me eat more, building in an extra "meal" at 4pm has really allowed me to feel more serene in the evening and not be obsessed by food from the moment I walk in the door to the moment I go to bed.

I got that urge to binge last night (despite the snack trick) and usually sucking on a ginger sweet calms me down. I also drink about 4 or 5 cups of chicory or herbal tea every evening instead of putting food into my mouth. I'm always making trips to the kitchen and coming back with cups of tea when before I would come back empty-handed after raiding the cupboards in secret. I still don't understand how my boyfriend can sit still all night and never feel like munching on anything after dinner :?: I wish I was one of those people who never even *think* about food until their body tells them they're hungry.

Anyway, kind of a question I've been asking myself after my first few days here: I noticed a lot of people break down their goal into much smaller goals of about 5 or 10 lb, and that makes sense. But how do you decide what date to put on it? I'd like to say I'm going to aim at losing 5 lb by August 15th, but I have no idea what to expect to lose (okay, I'm eating around 1000 cal a day less than I supposedly need, so I'm guessing 2lb a week). So do I use 2lb as a guideline? Is the mini-goal there to make sure you stick to your plan, or do you actually diet harder when you see you're slacking behind, despite being "on plan".
I like the "Intuitive Eating" train of thought here and also the idea of acquiring new eating habits for life, so I don't want to starve my body just for the sake of reaching a target weight loss by a certain date. On the other hand I can see how it can be encouraging to have short term goals...
What do you all do? Do you give yourself short-term goals with a fixed date?

Wow... this was long :D I guess I had a lot to get out :blah: I hope you're not all :faint: by now :lol:

The weekly thread tends to be the busiest place - I think a lot of people only have enough time to pop in here, so it sort of serves as a general area to post in. Don't worry about making boobies, I think I've probably made many.

(For anyone lurking, feel free to post away in here - everyone is welcome!)

Talking about goals, when I am focusing on weightloss, I always set goals based on 1lb a week. I think this is a safe and sensible option - sometimes it isn't possible to loose 2lb in a week if it is time of the month or you are retaining water. It'd be a shame to loose out on a goal just because of something out of control like period bloating. As long as it wouldn't dishearten you to narrowly miss a goal for the above reason, 2lb a week should be fine at the beginning of your journey.

I no longer set weight goals as I'm not scale orientated. I was badly let down by a set of dodgy scales last year. They were expensive and supposedly reliable Weight Watchers ones, but turns out they were wrong all along. I was devestated when I found out, and thats taught me that personally, it is wrong for me to focus on scales. I do have a few goals in my head though - clothes sizes, being able to do certain things such as fit in the bath without touching both the sides. I haven't put a timescale on these things, I just think about them often and see how close I'm getting!

Ooh, I dream of the day I can fit in the bath without touching both sides too :lol:

Thanks for clarifying the goals for me. I saw some people had lost huge amounts of weight in 6 months or so and wondered what I should realistically expect.

Right now I'm just happy to see a downward trend on the scale, but I've psyched myself up so much I almost expect to see my reflection in the mirror already look thin, so it's discouraging to still see fat ole me looking back at me :dizzy:

On a positive note, I dragged bf out for an hour and a half walk tonight instead of vegging in front of the tv, so haven't snacked since dinner and now I'm off to bed :D

Take care everyone :)