Good morning everyone....

Day two and just got back from a good workout :)

hi everyone! i am happy to report that i am almost through day 7. i made it further then last time! i am feeling really good today, even though i was struggling so badly yesterday afternoon and evening. i'm happy i didn't wake up with binge thoughts again this morning, as that would have been difficult and mentally draining. i've kept myself busy all day and barely thought of binging at all, which is a huge accomplishment for me in and of itself.

i hope everyone else is doing well. will hopefully write a more detailed post in response to some comments tomorrow. i still have a ton of things to get done and would like to try and get them done while i am still motivated and have energy!

Hey chicas! I am not feeling well at the moment...i will explain why later tomorrow...right now, i'm just using a steamer on my face and typing to kill time....but wanted to share a quick update on me...

**this whole post is more or less a rant...no need to reply...
more for me to just vent out frustration into the universe.....

i could have totally binged tonight but didn't. i have bought tons of granola bars (like 12 boxes of 6 count nature valley granola cause they were so cheap at the store) and have like 4 boxes of WhoNu cookies (again real cheap), and just w/ all these temptations could have gone over the rails with what i was dealing with today...the stresses etc...so i did overat on some of these things like the WhoNu and granola and chocolates...not sure if these are safe things to keep at home...a lot of it's locked away in my storage in the garage downstairs, so i think i'm okay if i just don't go bringing more than one box up at a time in my home....

Main stresses:
(seriously, i need to bullet list them, i've so many):

-my skin is looking terrible, acne and scarring, the worst in my whole life
-eczema is getting out of control and terribly itchy
-didn't make enough time to exercise due to working too much today
-didn't feel like exercising at the end of the day due to skin issues
-not where I want to be in my grad school applications, i'm a bit behind on this (procrastinating possibly?)
-not feeling financial secure right now.

hmmm...looking at this list, i can see that i don't have that much stress, and maybe just making a mountain out of a mole hill.....

i'm trying aveeno cream for eczema, and just taking less hot showers and using cetaphil....for my acne, i'm trying all sorts of things i shopped for at the drugstores and department store counters....

anyways, this whole post is more or less a rant...no need to reply...
more for me to just vent out frustration into the universe.....

will check back w/ you all tomorrow...goodnight :)

jendiet--can u explain what things you ate / drank on your liquid fast? i would like to try one for just 24 hours or so to cleanse my system sun-mon. i am starting right now w/ a smooth move lax tea...today's eating was sooooo off plan. i probably came in around 3000 cals....but didn't binge...my dinner was probably 1000 cals cause it was leftover italian pasta and bread knots.

at one point it did feel like a bit of a binge though...like the motions started to remind me of it.

still not going to count it cause this was more like overeating to me and i really know myself. i was eating a lot today but not in a fast frenzy sick way.

288

Day 6 coming to a close.

day 35, i haven't eaten that much today and i'm feeling a little constipated, i hate that feeling.
tomorrow is my weigh in day and i just feel so bloated. i think there will be no move on the scale.

Hi Everyone =D

I did great the first 2 days then the third and fourth were bad, I didn't binge to the point of being nauseated but I definately ate when I was NOT hungry. Yesterday I worked a 12 hour shift and was called in last minute so I didn't get to pack my lunch. I'm an EMT so my partner and I eat when we can; Between calls or when we're posted which isn't often. I barely ate yesterday then after working a 12 hour shift I headed to a BBQ I was invited to and ate without counting my points. I had more food as the night went on but I didn't stuff myself, I'm not sure if that counts as a binge or not but I felt guilty after I left.

It's that TOM and I'm not really hungry today which is a good thing in a way. I have no desire to eat right now but I did manage to make a pretty big grilled chicken salad earlier which filled me up. So I'm starting over, back to day 1.. Hope everyone is doing well =D

Day 27.....3 days away from 1 month!

Woke up feeling better today! It was just that heavy feeling in my body that was getting my down last night and my skin issues. My skin is looking better today, at least no new acne, just mostly scarring and redness. I don't know why I am now getting this acne, adult acne, I never had this as a young girl. They say that hormonal changes can cause it. And another reason to lose weight: they say that excess adipose tissue (fat) can hold onto extra estrogen levels and that is what increases the sebum production (oil glands).

Anyways, the other skin issue I'm having, eczema is probably due to stress. I just feel like I need to lose this weight before I can carry on with my life (grad school, work, roommate issues etc), but that is just illogical thinking...I would still try to be dealing with these issues (grad school, work, roommate issues etc) if I were skinny. So I know I need to just live my life and keep doing what I need to do regardless of my weight.

The triggers that I have around my house which I mentioned in my last post (cookies, granola bars, cereals, granola cereals, etc), were on sale and so i stocked up on a bunch and put them away in m storage unit in the parking garage, and hopefully I can control myself with these foods one box at a time. I'll just get one box at a time and make it last for a whole month. I think that's a good plan, right? Each box has about 6-9 servings, and I'll just freeze the WhoNu cookies. So far I haven't binged on any of them (except last night I could have gone over the edge and eaten everything, but instead, once I realized I was overeating, I stopped it, drank more water and felt full and almost sick, the feeling I would get from a binge).

My weight has been a steady 149.5-150.5 so that is a good indication that I have lost real weight. :) I'm always happy about that.

KimberlyP-- I also considered pursuing an EMT job (I'm certified) to enhance my grad school applications (for PA), and thought about it a lot, and the lifestyle just isn't for me. I really admire those that can do this job. It is tough, long hours, not enough pay, and they must sit in between calls and that is a bad opportunity for people to overeat due to not knowing when they will get to eat again. But as an EMT I know they also must stay fit for the job, due to the heavy lifting of the gurney, etc. Anyhow I just don't feel I could do this job, but I will still consider it since I am not sure what other jobs I can do in the medical field before I start grad school next fall (hopefully i get into a program!). I am also a certified phlebotomist but most places want people that have experience (makes no sense for people coming into this field).

heather29 --Congrats on 1 week! You're doing good!

vixsin--2 weeks to 300's! Bow down to the ruler of the binge free world! lol

fruitlady--Anything change lately that has been causing the sugar cravings? it seemed like before you were doing so well with sugar cravings. Maybe you were eating more fruits back then? Just watch the sugar cravings by having some fruit and protein to help slow the absorption of the sugar. Fruit alone will make you hungry again in an hour.

LAKERSKB24--The gum chewing works, so does brushing your teeth and going to bed at night (to prevent night eating), but at some point you will have to learn to cope with eating without the use of gum and tricks like brushing your teeth. Try some other techniques, even mind tricks, like drinking a glass of water (down it quickly if you have to in order to get a full feeling), and repeatedly asking yourself if you really are hungry or if you are not sure.

Sometimes it takes just "sucking it up" and denying yourself, but not in a painful way, just enough to let SENSE overide your inner whiny child.

jendiet--To answer your question, YES! Ending my binge habit and eating more normal and having a healthy relationship w/ food (not fearing ANY food), has helped me lose this 5 pounds that have been forever haunting me this whole year. I have really been on these threads since the begining of this year in the 150's range. I've finally reached 140's range and so happy, that no binge thought could ever make me want to go back to this unhappy weight range for me.

Could you please explain what you did for your cleanse? I'm currently trying different things to cleanse my system and digestive tract because of my skin problems. Every morning I take Macro Greens (1 tbs) with water (it has 9 billion probiotics and a bunch of healthy natural green powder from veggetables), and I will start to also try more fruits and veggies, but I'm curious if a 24-36 hour liquid cleanse will be more effective.

LAST DAY OF THIS CHALLENGE! Let's finish STRONG LADIES!!