Oh, Hello Wagon - a cautionary tale
 

I'm at the very beginning of my weight loss journey. Last week, I started weight watchers and did very well... for five days. Then I fell off the wagon. Hard. Basically, I embarked on a 6-day binge and now I find myself at the highest weight of my life.

awesome. :dizzy:
Today is my day - woke up early to go to the gym and am currently enjoying a delicious salad of greens and tomatoes with vinegar. I'm back on the wagon! However, it's SO MUCH HARDER to eat reasonable portions when my stomach has been expanded from all the binging. Day 5 of being on-plan was so much easier because my stomach was smaller and I got fuller from less food. Today feels impossible (but I know it's not!)

I just want to remind everyone that they should stay on the wagon, because staying on is easier than getting back on!!!! But even if you fall off, try to get to that wonderful day 5 (or day 20 or day 1000) again, because it's the best.

You can do it!!! :carrot:

I try to fill my stomach up with a lot of tea and apples snacks! Hard to binge when you're already full of good stuff!

I totally understand the whole falling off the wagon and getting back on but feeling hungry because of the stretching of the stomach or the expectations of the mouth. I fell off the wagon then spent the next four months vowing to climb back on only to misunderstand the feelings in my gut. I thought I was hungry but I was only wanting food because I was used to it being there. It takes a lot of understanding of your own body to overcome the falling off the wagon. You go girl.

congrats for getting back on the wagon... i find myself dropping all the time hope to stick on this time strictly. :)

that is the pattern I always fall into too. Stay on just long enough to slow down my metabolism a bit then fall off and hand my newly slowed metabolism a bunch of chocolate.

All we can do though is climb back on.

I had a bit of a relapse today(after only 5 days as well), but I keep trying to remind myself that tommorow is another day. If I start thinking negatively I wont "get back on the wagon" as you said.

Falling off the wagon is tricky! For me when I mess up I have to never think of it as falling off the wagon or else my one day screw up turns into a week, then perhaps two etc. Whenever I slip up I think about how good its going to feel to not slip up later or the next day.

and i try to fill my stomach with lots of water and tea. im trying to stay away from coffee because i like caffeine a little too much but drinking coffee helps a lot with hunger for me! I think its because its a strong flavor, and of course the caffeine (stimulants usually decrease hunger).

Agreed! I'm glad you're back on the wagon! :) Stay strong!

I know different meal plans/diet work different for different individuals and not trying to hawk any particular plan.... but here's what worked and continues to work for me....and I'm still below goal weight at 128 lbs. and maintaining. Oh...and quit smoking 2 months ago.

I used to get the worst compulsions for something sweet in the evening..and I could NOT fall asleep until I gave into it. And not only gave into it but gorged on lots more than one serving....just shoveled in half of a package of cookies, etc. The craving just screamed louder and louder in my head...and could not fight it.


The 2 things that helped immensely were:

1. A very low-carb diet. And
2. Never stuffed myself with really large portions (even of allowed foods).

And I swear, I had no cravings. In fact, I never cheated. And I learned many really great info during that time...that I continue to use, especially the info from the book Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.

And I know that all of us think..."if we could just lose the weight, we know we could keep it off" but believe me, maintaining is no walk in the park, either.
This is why I decided that this time, it was going to be a permanent way-of-eating....and I truly learned the logic of it...and why I had to maintain a version of it even after I lost the weight.

deena :)