first binge
 

So I have had my first binge since losing weight tonight. I thought I wouldn't stumble but here I am 2.5 months into my journey and food feels like the only way to not feel sad right now. Yes, I am an emotional overeater. So now I feel guilty and fat and don't know how to recover.

It happens... don't beat yourself up over it! You had a bad day... tomorrow doesn't have to be the same... pick yourself up... dust yourself off... and get back on that horse! You can do this ;)

:hug:

You are not alone! I think it's safe to say that most of us out there who are trying to lose weight find themselves eating for emotional reasons now and again.

For me, when it happens, I sit with the guilt for a bit. I let my mind wander, and try to clarify what I was feeling before the over-eating--- was I anxious? Bored? Feeling sad and yucky?

The challenge is to acknowledge that tomorrow is a fresh start to handle these emotions in a new way... you can't undo your actions, but you can promise yourself to make every effort to change your behavior next time.

When the time comes, and you feel the urge to distract yourself from whatever is happening with mindless eating, take a minute and think-- what do I feel? What do I really need?


Sometimes, I have to leave the house... I literally have to go outside and shut the door. If that's what it takes to break the cycle, I'm willing to take a brisk walk in the cold every now and then. Then I come home, have hot tea, and hope that I can hold out on eating until I am truly hungry for fuel, not comfort.

MUCH easier said than done.... but, that's the real work we're doing here. Calories are one thing, but the mind is another.

Treat yourself like you would your best friend-- would you ever tell her to feel guilty for a bad day?

:hug:

Get back into your groove and carry on. Sh!t happens. There are no "perfect" dieters - everyone experiences guilt and stress and those moments where we stand in the candy aisle for 15 minutes freaking out because DAMMIT I NEED CHOCOLATE RIGHT NOW.

It can only be said so many times but tomorrow is a new day!

It happened to me yesterday night too and continued this morning cos i felt i had already failed but i signed on to 3FC, read about people celebrating the achievement of their goals and that made me fall back in line, i can't do anything about the past but i can definately watch myself from this moment and in future.
I think i fell off the wagon cos i was bored, the binge started at the time i would usually exercise but i was too lazy to get up and exercise so i turned to the TV and ended up binging, i sure will watch my actions the next time.

Agreeing with the others!

Feelings of guilt do not help us, and in fact, hurt our efforts to be healthy. It was 1 day, not 1 year. None of us gained our weight from 1 day, and your progress will not be permanently derailed because of 1 day either unless you make that choice.

Be kind to yourself. Think about your feelings right before the binge & other actions that would have addressed them better (e.g. if you were tired, go to bed early; stressed? how about a hot bath or a great workout?, etc.).

:hug:

It ain't over...just hop back on your regular eating plan and let the past be in the past.

thanks everyone for the support and I am back on track today

Yeah, I have to second everyone here. There's nothing you can do once the food is in your stomache, short of throwing up and that is a HORRIBLE thing to do! All you can do is move on. Maybe, if there is time left in the day, get out and exercise a bit more! Don't let it get you down, and don't feel guilty! Even though I still need to lose more, I stopped attaching guilt and emotional feelings to food. It does you no good to feel guilty, the only thing you can do is move on. Move forward, not back, learn from your mistakes and use them to avoid them in the future. Get back on it! You can do it!