Binge Free Challenge ~ May 12 - May 18
 

Hi chickies!! Welcome to the binge free challenge!! You can come in here and post your weekly successes and struggles and keep track of your binge free days. You can also vent about anything and everything you feel like getting out. This is a positive thread, so I have to enforce the "be careful about being too negative" rule. We are here to share our feelings and to encourage and inspire each other. We are strong chicks and I KNOW we all can do this!! And we don't have to do it alone, we have each other to get us through the rough times. :grouphug:

ALL chicks are welcome -- no one is excluded! If you are trying to lose weight, not trying, maintaining, recovering from an eating disorder, in the midst of one, or have ANY kind of problem with food, we would love to have you join us!! :yay:

If anyone has any questions or concerns, or you just need to talk privately, don't hestitate to PM me.

:goodluck: Let's have an awesome week!! :D

Eight free days so far this month :carrot: Super stressed and busy, and craving off and on like a ***** (=cranky :dizzy:), but surviving!

I'm back with a plan like I haven't been in awhile. My long term goal is to be back down to 124 by the end of this month (my ticker isn't exactly accurate), and so on...

Short term...binge free until Wednesday means I'm going to treat myself to cherries. They just arrived at my work. So yummy!

Well done Penelope, good to hear you're surviving :D I bet those cherries will taste great too!

I'm back to day one, going strong, and actually feeling okay without having to stuff my face :D

Hey there all. I had a busy week last week. Wasn't around here much :) Last Sunday we went out to dinner to a fondue restaurant. VERY, VERY yummy!! But REALLY, REALLY, BAD!!! I gained 4lbs back from the 6 I lost. So last week I played catch up, today was my weigh-in and I'm back down to where I was!! I'm very happy that I got back to it. Now I can keep moving forward. I've been exercising almost everyday. I have a few different work out videos: Walk Away The Pounds, I have a variety of those, one Tae Bo workout video and Hip Hop Abs. I want a variety to be able to change up my routine.
so I'm back on track. I'm sure I'll be around later Chickies!!

Morning ladies, it sounds like everyone is getting on track to have a fabulous week! Yay!

Back to day 1 for me today. :(

:hug:

No frowney faces allowed for you! You've been doing great. Today is a new day, so you just look towards the future and have a healthy, on-plan day today!

I've been flip-floppin' around binge-free wise, but I can say that for today, I didn't binge and am "abstinent" (in the OA sense of the word...)

You all are an inspiration...

hi girlies, just to stay i'm still around, not much to report apart from the fact I'm having the TOM from **** - sickness, major pains, everything - up 2lb but that always happens at TOM, hopefully will all go once it's finished...not binging or anything tho had a little unplanned chocolate yesterday...ok i'm going back to curl up in my covers and grumble about being female :^:

Just wanted to sign on with 2 days being binge free. 2 may not sound like much, but it's kind of a big deal to me.

It's a HUGE deal! Never doubt that! Congrats on Day 2 binge-free, you are talking to a bunch of us who KNOW exactly how hard EVERY day (and sometimes every MINUTE) can be! Well done!

Day 62 and this afternoon was a bit of a struggle. I felt head-achey and kept thinking of food as if that would solve it. Arrrrgh. No matter how I tried to distract myself I kept thinking of food. Man, I seriously hate the hard days. I'll be glad to go to bed and put this one behind me and hope that tomorrow will be less of a struggle.

Hey guys. I always forget to check the new thread for the week!

just_a_dreamy1 - good job on having a reward for yourself.

tdiprincess - You got back on plan and that's whats important.

Wardhog and beginme - Hang in there, it'll get easier!

me23 - sorry I think we can all relate here. Good job on just giving yourself a small treat and not binging!

Josephine - You've come so far, you can do it!! It sucks that some days are so "food centric" but I tend to just go to bed a bit earlier on those days myself!

Sorry I haven't been in as much. It's not very good of me but I tend to not check in when I'm not having too much trouble keeping the binge monster at bay. I'm trying to figure out how many days it's been since my last binge, I think it's 44 today. Wow over a month, it's been a LONG time since I've gone that long without binging. There's been days where maybe I eat ONE serving of ice cream that I shouldn't but to me that's not a binge. In the past I wouldn've eaten the whole damn carton! I have a therapist appointment in the morning and I think I'm going to recommed just every six weeks after this one. I think I just needed to see someone to admit my problem out loud to work throught it.

Stick with it ladies we deserve better then to be held captive by food!

I agree. I do the same with chocolate. Would probably do it with ice cream too except I don't have a freezer at college.

Morning chickies! I'm SO GLAD to put yesterday behind me and plan to have a struggle-free day today (I hope!)! Day 63 has started on really nicely with a run and a good breakfast and my headache is gone, gone, gone and I feel good!

Heather -- I haven't yet felt strong enough to have the soy ice cream in the house yet, I'm afraid I won't be able to do 1 serving, so congratulations, that is a real victory in my book!! The only formerly bingey food I have "mastered" so far is peanut butter (knock on wood!)!

I've been doing really bad lately! I was doing well for a couple of weeks and lately I've slipped up. It's hard not to when your boyfriend is always eating crap and keeping it in the house (I've told him not to do this, but he usually buys a pint of ice cream and eats it to himself and not gain any weight. Lately it's been ice cream sandwiches and that crap is hard to resist).
Honestly, I feel like a damn whale. I disgust myself right now and I can't believe how much weight I've gained from when I was thin! My old laptop broke and I just got my new one so I am going to try coming to this site every day for support. It's so hard to do it alone.

Hi Kashmira, I know, it is really hard to do it alone and unfortunately many of us live with significant others who don't have to be as restrictive as we are with food. It is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome! We're here for you, so you don't REALLY have to be alone, you can come vent to us!

Please don't think such harsh, negative things about yourself. Weight is transient, whatever you have put on you can TAKE OFF! But YOU are still YOU, you are not the extra weight. And there is nothing to be disgusted by! :hug:

Well said, Tyler. And good going yesterday.

Day 2 for me. :)

Thanks Tyler. I think coming here and writing what I've eaten and how I'm doing will keep me in check. You guys all know what I'm going through, unlike my friends and fam. I've had basically EVERY eating disorder at one point or another, so it's really hard for me to eat normally. It's like it's all or nothing for me, but I'm going to try really hard to not fall into anorexia/bulimia again OR stay in this endless binge cycle.

I'd positively die without ice (soy really) cream or fruit popsicles - this I'm sure can be scientifically proven to be true.

See above note about my body's total reliance on frozen treats ;) Peanut butter has been rougher for me. I've been buying the organic kind which isn't as sweet. I still enjoy it but I don't want spoonful after spoonful. I'm certain at this point you can have a small treat and not binge. I started by buying the sandwiches instead of a whole carton. Something about the individual wrapping indicated to me that I could have one. Not 6 but one. From there I've moved onto being able to deal with 1/2 cup servings out of the carton.

Again please see how ice(soy) cream is essential for my survival yet one of my biggest triggers. Can you maybe just buy individual servings? I've done that before? And tell the boyfriend to step it up and be supportive by keeping it to himself!! I can crack whips if need be.

Woo - Hoo!!!

So had my appt. with therapist and she thinks I've pretty much got a handle on things (little does she know of the dark corners of my mind brah ha ha). She's officially on retainer and I don't have to go back unless I really need to!!

Hey guys, I only joined last week and only posted a couple times and I know this week is almost over but I decided to go ahead and post so that maybe it can keep me on track. My husband and I just got back from vacation and before I went I was so determined to do well while we were gone...well that did not last past the first day. So here I am again a week later and a gain of about 4-5 lbs starting all over again. I swear the whole going up and down with weight loss can be so exhausting and devastating!!! Hope you guys have a great day!!

Morning gang!

Hang in there Worleygirl! It is VERY hard to make food changes while on vacation, so don't beat yourself up!

Quiet day here today, I hope everyone is doing ok!

New to the site, but wanted to chime in on the binge challenge since that is my number 1 problem. I'm in treatment for binge eating disorder & my most recent record is 4 days. After tonight, I will have 3 days. I am on a roll. The weekend is coming which is a dangerous time for me. But I have all of these "coping skills" that I can use. Anyway, I'll post again to let you know how I am doing. I appreciate this thread very much.

Caroline

Hi hi....tonight is a challenge for me cos I've just been food shopping, so will probably be tempted by all the food in my fridge, specially the cheese triangles which are a bit of a trigger for me. But feeling pretty confident about it (mind you, it's morning right now, LOL)

Fat_Chick_b_Gone: thanks for the sympathy! All i can say is, better this week than next, when I have exams.
Tyler: Awesome job resisting - you're into your second month!

Day 4 for me.

I will have another challenge this week-end. I just need to shut myself in the house and not go anywhere. OK, not really - but why does every social occasion have to revolve around food?

Welcome Caroline! If you don't mind sharing, what are some of the "coping skills" you've learned, or are they too personal or specific to just you? Today will be Day 4 for you, yay! Congrats!

Me23 -- You can resist the magic cheese triangles, I know you can!

Wardhog -- Congrats on Day 4 (Day 5 today!)! I wish so many social occasions didn't revolve around food, and people resist changing that, too. That's always been part of the problem for me: I eat when I'm happy, or sad, or depressed, or celebrating, or in pain, or... you name it. Disconnecting food from celebrations is really tough!

I'm also new to the site (this is my first post :D) , and I also consider binge eating my main problem. And yes Caroline if you can share any of your 'coping skills' with us that would be wonderful, because I feel at a real loss about this part of it.

I returned home from the 'healthy food' store last night and was really proud of myself, until I sat down with the jar of peanut butter and a spoon and my gourmet wheat-free cookies and proceeded to ruin all my hard work for the day. It seems like I get tired and lose my 'umph' in the evening. It's like the being tired almost makes me forget about dieting for a couple of hours and then the damage is done-- almost like I'm in a twilight zone or something. The next morning I am determined to do better, and I do fine until the evening when it's very likely I will repeat my mistakes.

The only thing I've found that even remotely helps is to brush my teeth and put my 'night guard' in. However, even if I set it out on top of the counter, it always seems like too much work-- although it's not too much work to make repeated trips from the couch to the fridge. It seems really strange that I repeatedly sabotage myself in this way. If anybody has any thoughts about this, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!
Wistfulgirl

Welcome Wistfulgirl (I love your screen name)! Most of us struggle at night. Whether it is because we're tired, or worn down from a whole day of already fighting our urges, or a little bored now that we have some free time, we all seem to really struggle in the evenings and on the weekends!

I do the teeth brushing trick sometimes, sometimes I go to bed early, sometimes I drink tons of hot tea (or even plain hot water_. I try to get my last meal of the day in as early as possible and then make a NO FOOD after that point rule to keep myself out of the kitchen completely. But it is STILL hard.

i'll second the teeth-brushing and tea-drinking. Also chewing sugar-free gum is good. Make sure your last meal of the day includes protein, whether it be meat or a vegetable protein like lentils, beans, cheese or egg. When you have finished eating, close the kitchen door if possible (I live in a college dorm room so I can't...) and go away from the food area. Do things that keep your hands busy like sewing, knitting, drawing, typing, anything. That's all I can think of at the moment. Good luck x

Hi ladies, i hope its ok for me to jump on in here! I know its the end of the week, but I was hoping I could introduce myself, lurk and then jump on the bandwagon with you all Monday...
Im just feeling very out of control again at the moment, Im binging for no apparent reason, and I feel bloated and uncomfortable. I am a classic comfort eater, unforunately Im a happy eater, sad eater and a plain old bored eater too. I have some pretty screwed up issues with food in general, have been trying to gain control for my whole life. Sigh. I just need to get back to controlling food rather than it controlling me. Looking forward to getting to know you all better!!

No reason to wait until Monday, PP, jump in TODAY! Not binging is an ongoing daily challenge for us all!

Hello again Tyler, I think your my 3FC stalker, or am I stalking you?! Who knows!!! LOL!! Yes your right im jumping in and becoming aco****able for my actions as of now. Im off to the gym tonight, we are having steak and tomato and mozarella salad for dinner tonight, and then thats it. NO snacks for me. Hot bath, movie and low cal hot chocolate! hope everyone has a good Friday night.

Okay, so it's evening here now, and I'm chewing gum and drinking water. I had a FEW sun chips, but then I managed to put them away. Thanks to you Jude and Josephine! It's my 10th wedding anniversary, so I think I might have a little celebratory libation :). Thanks for the help, and I'll keep you posted. BTW, Josephine I checked your blog entries and really enjoyed them!

I'm on day 5 and if I'm successful that would be a record in recent memory. I have no idea what is working to help me. I have made a lot of changes in my life to battle BED including quitting my job, entering treatment, starting medication, adding new psychotherapy regimens, having a nutritionist, trying to follow a food plan, exercising every day, blah blah blah.

The biggest change is I'm motivated to stop and I am doing things that keep me from bingeing like keeping trigger foods out of the house, keeping busy, exercising, not thinking I can "taste" something, etc. Also, I am trying to keep stressors out of my life temporarily like certain family members.

Anyway, my plan for today is to hang with friends most of the day and to do no food shopping. My cupboards are pretty bare, but I do have just enough food for a healthy meal & even a light dessert (jello). I'll have lunch with some friends & they know I'm in treatment so they are supportive. I get in trouble when I'm alone.

I'll keep you posted over the weekend. Today is a real milestone for me. Thanks for being there.

-Caroline

Wistfulgirl -- I hope you had a lovely wedding anniversary! Great job pulling away from the sunchips (anything munchy like that is a huge trigger for me, so I couldn't have done it!)! Thanks for the nice comment on my blog. :)

Caroline -- CONGRATS on DAY 5! Whoo hoo! I hope you have a great day today, it sounds like you are on a roll and have an excellent plan for continuing your success!

PP -- How did your night go? What movie did you watch?


Today is amazingly Day 66 for me. Last night was a little rough as DH decided to eat buttered popcorn, tons of pizza, and beer while we watched a couple of shows we had been saving (The Office finale, last week's Saturday Night Live). None of the foods were vegan so I couldn't have eaten them anyway, but just the act of smelling them and sitting with him while he ate and ate and ate was really hard. :( Made me wanna run to the kitchen and fix myself a bunch of snack food. I didn't do it, but I wonder if those moment will ALWAYS be that difficult.

Happy Saturday everyone! Let's have a strong, healthy, binge-free day!

Day 66! :dizzy: That is so awesome. I am really inspired. It is 3:30 and the day is half way over and I haven't binge. I'll let y'all know tomorrow if I broke my binge free record. ;)

Tyler: day 66! OMG u r amazing. Is your DH one of those guys who can eat anything? My brother used to be like that, it was so annoying, but now he's got an office job where he sits down all the time and is actually starting to get podgy :o
Motivated, you're doing awesome too. Keep it up!
Hi to wistful and pigginpodgy, I LOVE your icon, if only I was that cute when I was fat :dizzy:
I'm doing good, I did go back to normal weight after TOM (phew) and am not gonna weigh till next w/end now because I'm sitting my final exams this week (gulp). One Thursday, one Friday, one next Tuesday. I won't get less than a 2:1 unless something goes disastrously wrong. If I get amazing questions and perform at the top of my game, there's a small possibility I'll get a first, but I'm not counting on it. I go to Cambridge (UK) and it's really competetive, the people who get firsts are usually like super-geniuses. I'm smart but not that smart. So...wish me lucks! xxx

Me23 -- No, unfortunately DH would like to lose 60 or more pounds, but it just isn't as important to him as my weight loss is to me. It seems different for guys. He actually looks fine with extra weight on while I look horrible. Drives me crazy. Anyway, he has not been able to get into the weight loss groove and on weekends he tends to really eat and drink ALOT. I feel like a bit of a wet blanket these days because I used to be his "partner in crime" and binge and drink with him and weekend nights used to be one huge party and now I won't. So it is an uncomfortable dynamic, you know?

GOOD LUCK on your finals! Cambridge, yow, very impressive! Don't sell yourself short, aim for those firsts Miss Smartypants!

Good luck, me23!

Caroline, you are doing great. Keep it up!

Great job, Tyler and congratulations on day 66. That is amazing. My husband is a junk food junkie and he always wants me to eat with him. Makes me crazy (and him, too because he has no weight issues and just.doesn't.get.it.)

Anyway, we went to the luau last night. I am proud to say that I stayed on plan. I had a plate and 1/2 of two different spinach salads, some chicken bbq with no sauce, and some raw veggies and watermelon. No dessert, which is HUGE for me. There was a big table full of dessert and I didn't have any. I even made brownies and cut them up onto a plate. Didn't have a crumb. The best part is that I was rewarded this morning with the lowest weight I have seen in a while, 137.2. Oh, and today is day 6 for me. :)