I've been on the SBD, phase 1 since Monday, December 5th. I had been doing so well, & I was so optimistic and enthusiastic about it! I stuck to it 100%... Until last night... I drank 2 shots of Captain Morgan rum and chased it with water, which is way less than I would normally drink, but it's still not part of my diet. Then, when I got home I ate 3 hush puppies, because I was super hunger and they were just readily available. Now, today I feel lower than low. I got up feeling just so sad, and like a failure, but I still ate a 50 cal fiber choice yogurt and a string cheese to start my morning on a good note, but now this afternoon I'm feeling even worse about myself. I feel disgusted at myself. I feel hopeless. I feel down to the point of emotional eating & I already ate some broccoli and ranch, which broccoli is okay but but ranch is not good at all and then some cheetos, but by some I mean probably like 4 servings easily, already. I hate that I messed up. I hate feeling this way. I just want to move on and forget this weekend... well not forget but just learn and move on, but it's so hard when feeling the way I am now... I just needed to vent. Any feedback would be appreciated, I am emotionally hurting badly right now

I don't do SBD, but it seems to me like you've done very well. One bad day out of 12 is a pretty good track record. I think the Captain Morgan's was your red button. I know when I have a glass of wine, my defenses get down and it opens the floodgates.

So what do you do from here? Keep going with what has been a very successful almost 2 weeks. What would you tell a friend? You'd tell them not to beat themselves up. Be your own friend.

If we had to be perfect to reach our goals, we'd never make one.

Don't wait until tomorrow to get back on track. Take a walk, take a shower, take some type of physical break from yourself and start again within the hour. You can do it, because you've done it in the past.

Maybe SBD is too restrictive for you? Maybe you should look to alternatives?

Other than the above, I can offer you a hug, remind you that none of us are perfect dieters, and that you can and should move on from what is in the past and look to the future with good intentions and planning to eat healthier.

I agree that your plan sounds like its too restrictive...or just doesn't work for you...On a less restrictive plan the choices you made wouldn't really have been too bad. I think what led to your binge. Maybe you should switch to something else that doesn't make you feel so guilty when you have a couple hush puppies or ranch dressing on your broccoli?

A good plan isn't one that just makes you lose weight. Any plan will most likely make you lose weight...you need one that you can stick to for the rest of your life, more or less.

Today is a new day, don't be so hard on yourself.

Agreed. The choices you made with the rum and hush puppies do not sound bad at all. Matter of fact, i normally drink a couple times a month and it works right into my eating plan.

Don't be so hard on yourself. I frequently make bad choices too, the goal is to accept and move forward. We can't change what we did last night but we can control what happens today and learn from our mistakes.

Hi Mission829 - I totally understand where you are coming from. I have found that alcohol does lower my defenses and more importantly my want to achieve my goals. It does make me suddenly hungry and (in my case) pizza delivery becomes an idea.. that quickly turns into me getting out my credit card and making it happen. I would wake up in the morning feeling bloated but also I felt incredibly disappointed in myself. So I can see how you're feeling. But I do recall that you are doing good with your program as well, and if you focus on your strengths/good things you got going on, I am confident you will challenge yourself to continue on that good path. Everyone messes up at some point or another, but it's strong support communities like this one that recognize that, and provide encouragement to keep going and let it be a simple bump in the road.

Thank you for sharing that with us.

I think asking yourself to perfect a complete change to your way of eating in 12 days is a rather tall order. Beating up on yourself because you made a mistake or two after being on plan for a couple of weeks is pretty harsh. What would you say to a friend who came to you saying the things you are saying to us?

Get back on plan with your very next bite. Just try again. That's all you can do - but it's also all you need to do. Almost no one here who has lost a significant amount of weight has done so without ever veering off plan. Goodness knows I have, plenty of times. The key is not to be absolutely 100% perfect all the time - it's just to be consistent, to get right back on the horse after you make a mistake and never give up.

Is there a reason you need to have things like cheetos and ranch - things that are off plan - in your house and available to you? If you can't get them out of the house, then perhaps you can segregate them from your on-plan foods, or label them "so-and-so's food" to remind you that they are not there for you.

I can completely relate and I'd like repeat what someone above wrote...be your own friend and don't be too hard on yourself! I'm on the candida diet which is the SBD but far more restrictive so I understand the constant temptation and even when you think you've mastered it...you're always at the risk of slipping. From what you've told us...it doesn't sound so bad...a bad weekend is a bad weekend...and there's no reason to dwell on it, just move on and (try) to do it guilt-free. I started by diet from dec.1 and have been great up until....1hr ago which is why i felt the need to come and post. Like you, I've been super motivated but i just had a minor binge..the only thing i'm comforting myself with is that it was on rice cakes and nuts rather than the bad stuff but STILL I feel like a failure and consumer at least 1000 extra calories today and KNOW I'll gain at least 1 pound back..which took so much effort to get rid of But reading you post just reminds me that we're all human...we have good days and bad...so don't worry...you'll do great...just stay on track because this was just a slip not a fall