This group is filled with such positive support. I'd really like to join you guys! I'm working on getting my binge eating back under control right now.

Welcome Gymrat, we'd love to have ya!

Mrs Snark, are you able to force yourself to eat a little bit at regular intervals so that you don't get over hungry? Anything we can help with on the stress front?

Welcome gymrat. I'm pretty new here too.

I had a bunch of treats today but I stayed with in my calories and didn't let it turn into a binge (it was chocolate around 4, hot chocolate when I came in from the -20c weather and banana muffins when I made them just now. Going to take some to kind soul tomorrow.)

AmethystJ: Yes, I'm basically making myself eat my normal stuff, but I might not always finish it and I am without enthusiasm, but at least I'm eating it. And I'm getting a reasonable amount of food in every day I think. Thanks for asking. :) I think I'm doing OK-ish with stress. My husband and I are both very sarcastic and silly, so that helps. We've been making each other laugh as much as possible every day -- we're in this together.

Good job handling your treats well, I looooove banana muffins (and banana bread) and how nice of you to make them for another person!

How is everyone else doing?

Luckymommy -- I feel like I missed your birthday! Happy belated birthday!!!! How has it been going, did your planning all work out?

How has it been going for everyone?

It's funny, I've never felt like I'm one of those people who stress triggers me to eat and I think I confirmed that today. My car got hit while it was parked about a week ago (I never saw anything, just the damage afterwards) and the rear bumper is totalled and It's going to cost me probably around $3000 to fix once they figure out the internal damage. And I won't have a car for five days. Ugh, right? But that was fine. I got a coffee and relaxed a bit and it wasn't an issue.

But boredom? Right now trying to do research for my project? All I want is chocolate.

Also, I'm really proud of myself. The jar of crunchy peanut butter I bought has lasted me twice as long as it had been.

It's hard to recognize disordered eating, isn't it? I didn't realize for the longest time what my issue was, especially since eating didn't seem to be related to any specific emotion. I finally figured out I eat as a way to relax after *any* stress. Anything at all, like work or taking the kids somewhere, having company, whatever. After the activity is over it was me and food calming down.

Just knowing this about myself has made all the difference in making real change.

Not happy with how much I ate. Lots of my banana muffins were had. Made minis thinking that would keep my portions in check but that just made them snackable. Plus banana "ice cream." Eating with a friend I ate a lot more treats than I would have. Still under my supposed BMR at around 1900 odd cals but high for wanting to lose.

Gymrat, I am with you on the schoolwork front. That is how I gained the 20 or so lbs that I want to lose. I need to take a break from school work, I eat. I'm stressed or tired or bored with it, yep I eat.

Ugh. Today was stressful when it shouldn't have been and I apparently do eat when I'm stressed out, because I went right for 100g chocolate bar I had hidden in the back of the cupboard and put away the whole thing. And then I ate a bowl of gluten free pasta for dinner because I was out of food and didn't end up having time to run to the store. I better reset the "Days since" counter on my phone. *sigh*.

Hello everyone,

gymrat05, it's so nice to have you join our little group! I hope you'll find it as supportive as I have. I noticed that you love chocolate. Do you think you might be addicted to it? I know for me, I can't have anything with sugar or flour in moderation, which is why I'm so much better off cutting those things out of my life. I didn't think I could ever not have those things but once I stopped, it was a lot easier. However, as soon as I just have one bite of something with sugar or flour, a monster seems to awaken within me and I lose all control. Everyone is different...even us addicts, so it might be totally manageable for you. Anyway, welcome! I look forward to hearing more from you and I hope the stress situation gets better asap!

I've been MIA, or should I say MIB (missing in binging)? I was so determined not to let myself repeat my own history of gaining weight around my bday (thanks for the bday wishes, Mrs Snark) and I failed miserably.

It started with my younger son having a 2 day migraine that I thought might be meningitis (our neighbor had it and he was having extreme pain in the back of his head). I was also very sleep deprived and the migraine situation was just terrible. I couldn't hold on any longer. I turned to my drug of choice: food. My friends rescheduled the bday lunch to the next day and surprisingly, everyone was able to show up (I guess I must be really awesome or something, hahaha). ;) I ate a normal meal there but I still couldn't shake the guilt from the day before, so I binged once I got home. :( I binged until I was incredibly full beyond capacity and the food feels like it's all the way up my throat. I had heartburn and cried myself to sleep. The next day, I couldn't stop. Rinse and repeat.

Yesterday was the first day I stayed in control all day. Then, at night, I ate way more than I should. I didn't binge, but I know I must have had 2,000 calories that day. Clearly, I need to do better today. I got a decent night of sleep so that excuse is gone.

I'm pretty sure my weight is up a good 5 or 6 lbs. It may not sound like all that much but this was what happened last year and then I gained most of my weight back by April.

I'm just going to focus on today. Not tomorrow, not next week, just today. My plan is to stay on track and do what I did to get to where I wanted to be and at night, which is my danger zone time, I'm going to go to another room, away from the family room / kitchen area. I hope that will do it for me.

I'm going to post here tonight. I commit to doing so. Perhaps that will give me some accountability. I haven't been working my OA program, which is probably not helping me, but I just can't get myself to do it right now.

Sending everyone group hugs and serenity.

Hugs luckymommy, I know you can right your own ship, you are so powerful!

My advice based on my own experiences (as always, ignore it if you don't think it will be useful, I just want to offer something helpful): Make sure to eat enough during your daytime hours today so you don't go into the evening feeling hungry. Today is NOT the day to try and "make up" for having a higher-than-normal calorie day yesterday. Eat a nice generous potions of all healthy, non-triggery stuff.

I will be here tonight to read what you have to say and give you support no matter how your day goes! Hang in there, I know if you can have a nice, smooth day you will feel so much better. You are not on the road to repeating your past, this is just a small bump that is easy to weather, and soon it will be so far in the past it won't even signify. Really!

Lucinda -- I'm sorry the muffins were just too delicious! Maybe pass on making them for a little while. Or lose some cooking skills!

Gymrat -- while a chocolate bar and a bowl of pasta may not be your optimum meal choices, it sounds like you didn't spin too far out of control. Plus you were out of food when you had the pasta, really all you did was have dinner. Don't be too hard on yourself, you sound pretty normal right there!

Mrs. Snark - Thanks for that. It definitely could've been worse, but it was more the manner in which it was eaten, you know? Where it's totally mindlessly and you just keep shoving it in... (the pasta not so much, the chocolate bar yes).

Is anyone familiar with the Whole30? It's a very restrictive 30 day elimination diet, but they have an interesting concept within it called "Foods with no breaks", as in, foods that you can't stop eating once you start. Every so often I add something new to the list, especially in the last year or so. Does anyone else keep track of these kinds of foods? Mine seem to change all the time. Last year it was almond butter, right now it's peanut butter with honey (yes I put them both on a spoon together, peanut butter alone is not the same), sometimes it's chocolate or popcorn. I kind of go through phases.

Gymrat - yes, that pretty much describes my trigger food lists. Over time I've learned which ones are the most powerful, and which ones I can control with effort (but are generally still not great choices for me).

Some foods that were triggers are no longer problems for me right now, and I'd like to hope they'll stay that way. But I stay aware of their naughty, naughty past lives.

Gym rat, I had pasta and chocolate for dinner today. Does that help any? ;)

Hi Lucky, welcome back. Nice to meet you, probably, as I'm new here! Don't worry about the 2000 calories, as you said, you didn't binge (did you know that's the recommended intake for most women?) It may not be what you want to consume during weight loss, but it is definitely not going to be the end of the world. It is you getting back on track step by step.

Good day for me I guess. Out shopping I passed on the chocolate bars at the dollar store and all of the candy at the bulk store. I did have a piece of my friend's chocolate bar and some more dark chocolate of my own. I really need to remind myself when I've already had my treat! I also had pasta for dinner because I had a can of diced tomatoes in the fridge to use up. Pasta is usually not on my dinner menu any more but I had a friend over and this is what I made. I'll be having more for lunch but I don't feel as bad because that is when I'm supposed to have my carbs. Still happy to come in on track with my cals for the most part. I am reaching for fruit or veggies for my snacks most of the time so I'm happy about that.
Ame