Also, I am very glad to see you back, Mars -- I forgot to say that because I'm so easily distracta.... OH LOOK A SQUIRREL!!!!

Hi Mrs Snark, and thanks! It's really good to be back reading your posts and everyone else's too (in between distractions, lol)! Still have to watch my web time so my eyes don't get dry again. Wow that's SOME Squirrel! :mouse:

my entire holiday season has been one "I'm going to eat this meal plan today...(SQUIRREL!)" haha! seriously. I'm having a hard time reeling it in. I'm hoping to stick with my calorie range this week, made a meal plan I thought would work and I've reached my max cals by lunch. doh!

Ortega flats taco things with beans and tiny trimmings add up! Now I have to decide if I go ahead with my roasted veg planned for dinner or not.

It's nice to see people checking in. Good luck getting back on plan Davina. :hug:

lol cool mom

Ate chocolate today 2 pieces. Did not eat the box whoo hoo
Under cals and exercised like a fiend. First 5k without stopping since my injury. Plus a chest workout and walked to work. Looking at negative calories for the day at this point!

Hi Cool Mom, Sounds totally familiar! I think it will get easier soon. All in all I think I am happier with peaks and valleys of indulgence--keeps things interesting, lol.

AmethystJean, wow, that is some workout! Congrats on just 2 pieces of chocolate!

I'm pasting something from a website mentioned by a 3FCer, IsabelFoxenDuke.com. I bolded my favorite part.

"Most of my clients think that emotional eating is a curse. That it’s an unfortunate defect they’ve been blighted with, and they were dealt a bad hand in life when it comes to food and weight.
“Poor me! I’m sick of this! Will this food problem ever not torment me?!”
Or something along those lines.
But here’s my take on it…
I’m not sure emotional eating is a bad thing. In fact, I think it might be my guardian angel.
I know this is the part where you think I’m a crazy person, but hang on a sec.
Emotional eating is an attempt to deal with a tough problem, feeling, or situation we don’t otherwise know how to deal with, and often don’t even know that we have without some kind of symptom to remind us.
That twitchy feeling that makes us want to go shove brownies down our throats, is like a genius alarm bell, that if responded to appropriately, reminds us to clue into what’s bothering us, before it becomes a more serious problem.
When we strip away the judgement of our emotional eating, and stop calling it a disease, a defect, a problem in and of itself;
we can finally see it for what it is:
An alert that something in our life needs our attention. Something completely unrelated to food or our weight.
Some people never deal with their problems, because they’re never forced to.
They never leave the job they hate, because they’re not getting fat over it.
They don’t have the tough, but necessary conversations with their partners, because things aren’t “bad enough.”
But emotional eaters have a gift;
a unique opportunity torecognize when some aspect of their lives needs some T.L.C. A.S.A.P.
Emotional Eating is a reminder to love yourself harder, show up for yourself, and give yourself what you really need.
Be grateful for the reminder. It might be saving your ***."

Interesting mars. It is true, I just never would have called it a gift. Certainly a symptom or sign rather than the problem itself.

I broke into the 120s today yay! That gives me so much incentive to eat well!

I think that's the problem for many, Amethyst. We view emotional eating as something to be suppressed, when it just might be an irrepressible part of ourselves worth listening to, a 'friendly'. We're all so hellbent on getting to goal and that effectively blinds us to other things.

Hi, dropping in here as a quasi-newbie, I've had an account for ages but haven't visited this site in over three years!

Maybe being around kindred souls will help. I have such a problem with binge eating, and it seems like I've tried so many things: cutting out all sugar, then limiting it, talking to a food addiction therapist, trying pre-packaged meals, Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous, gah. And still it's a problem.

So, hopefully I'll peek in daily to see what's about. Right now I'm trying to 'detox' off sugar -- not even all sugar, just processed sugar in its most direct form -- and it's been awful. I really want to get less binge-y before I go back to work, where chocolate and cookies are constantly around (and I kid you not, unlimited chocolate and cookies, it's awful!).

That's all for now. Off to eat an orange to hope the natural sugar helps a bit!

Sugar detox is miserable, it really is. Hang in there, I never could see anything clearly until I gave up my candy habit, even though I wanted to put my eyes out while going through it.

Feel free to rant and rave, we get it.

Edited to add: I saw your other post about sugar, where you were talking about an addiction to alcohol versus an addiction to sugar, and why you can't feel the same way about the two things. It's because you're not addicted to alcohol, but every fiber of your being does NOT want to give up sugar. That's why it seems so clear to you when you think of alcoholics, but not so clear at ALL when you think of your sugar habit. Know what I mean?

I'm sure alcoholics feel the same horror, and internal struggle, and urge towards RATIONALIZATION and hair-pulling and screeching, when imagining a lifetime of no margaritas with nachos, no glass of wine with pizza, no beer with popcorn... as I feel when I contemplate completely giving up Swedish fish -- like for real, for real, for REAL giving them up.

It's why I've not been able to embrace the concept of NEVER. Because the horror. Because the entirety of life is just too huge to contemplate without the comfort of my Swedish Fish. However, on a one-day-at-a-time basis, I can't remember the last time I had those suckers. Because they make my life a living ****, and really, who needs that? I'm the same way with jelly (and jam and marmalade) of all things. I don't spend much time contemplating the big-picture concept of a Life Without Jelly, because that just sounds friggin' insanely TERRIBLE. But every day, I make a decision not to eat jelly (and fortunately, with every day that goes by that decision does get a bit easier).

Do you know what I'm saying? I'm kinda tired, I may not be communicating my thoughts well, so if none of this makes sense give me a pass, I didn't get much sleep the last few nights. :)

Mrs Snark, You are making a lot of sense & your post addresses some of my recent struggles. Last spring I gave OA a try. it was wonderful in many ways but the deal breaker for me was committing to abstinence, in other words a life without sugar. I'm still diving into it more than I would like, but each time I notice its effects with more awareness. Progress!

rabidstoat Welcome! I have the same problem at work, maybe not as often. If I'm not mentally prepared I can be blindsided by treats in the break room. I try to avoid the break room, and when I use it, I try--and the operative word is try--to remember to stay focused on eating the healthy, delicious food that I brought. And I breathe through my mouth so I can't smell anything tempting.

When I eat well, I sooner or later long for something sweet. What's working pretty well is to use artificially sweetened protein treats that I buy from Nashua Nutrition, or Quest bars, available singly in a lot of markets and vitamin/health food stores. The Hot Chocolate works best because it doesn't call out to me 24/7 like the Quest bars do.

Last but not least, is anyone following the gut bacteria saga? I'll try to link it, but in a nutshell, some microbes in our gut are sugar dependent, others aren't. There seems to be credible evidence that some sugar-dependent microbes can send chemical signals to our brains to make us crave sugar, thus ensuring their survival.

Well I didn't eat well but I ate low cals. Protein shake, grapes, chocolate bar, lentil salad, diet coke, gatorade G2. Hopefully the scale doesn't hate me tomorrow for eating chocolate and crap. I don't know what came over me when I saw the chocolate bars donated to my work I just grabbed one without thinking. And sugar free crap. I gave that up a long time ago. I decided I'd rather eat healthy...apparently I'd rather eat low cal crap right now. Not liking where that is heading.

Today's a bit better on sugar withdrawals, though I've been just so tired lately. Luckily I have this week off so I napped and read and watched TV all day. So far I've not been tempted into foraging outside the house for sugar (or resorted to eating sugar direct from the package, which I half-feared I would do!). I'm not really monitoring calories or even food groups much, but ate decently healthy today, aside from too few vegetables. Hrm. Maybe I should eat some veggies later tonight, I didn't actually have any today, yikes! Three pieces of fruit, though.

Hello all. I'm new to this thread but it sounds like the folks here struggle with many of the same things I do. My weight was down to 145 at one point and then I overate myself back over 165 (not the first time this has happened). I tend to be very dedicated to a lifestyle change for a period of time, up to 6 month, then I plummet off the wagon and it takes me too much time to reign it back in. I'm going for a moderate approach this time in the hope that I'll be better able to stick with it. I've been good over the past week plus and was determined to start this in December so it wasn't a doomed New Year's resolution thing.

Hi to the new folks!
Not my proudest moment today and of all things, potatoes...
I cooked a pot of potatoes because I knew they needed to be used up. Had a couple when they finished cooking, which was fine. Ran to the gym and did a half-hearted workout. My head was not on straight tonight and locked myself out of the house and I was feeling weak. So that sucked. Got home and cooked more potatoes for no reason. Since I don't have a microwave I had to reheat them on the stove, in oil, which I would prefer not. Then (here is the not proud part) first of all I was not hungry and second of all, I was standing over the stove eating out of the pan.
Ugh. It also put me over my cals for the day. I have no idea why I ate them except they were there. If I had put them away before I went to the gym this would have been avoided, but I had literally just finished cooking them.

SIgh.

I totally binged today. 5 chocolate bars and a bag of chips. Who does that? :(

(Raising my hand) AmethystJean, you are in good company I'm afraid!

Not sure if this fits, but it's pretty common to experience an 'out of the blue' binge during and after a diet. My diet was 7 months of super low calorie, low carb. It felt fine most of the time, didn't feel terribly deprived at all. Yet one day, about 3 months after phasing off, I found myself in the junk food aisle robotically throwing things into my cart that I had never craved even at my high weight. Every time i reboot to knock off 10-12 lbs, this happens for a while and then stops as soon as I quit restricting calories and just eat whole food to the point of taking away hunger.

Wishing my fellow 3FC posters & lurkers on this thread the best in 2015!

I can really relate to the binging on random stuff lately. I've eaten about 5,maybe even 6 full tubs of ice cream in the last 6 or so days. Like i rarely ate sweets even at the height of my overeating, I've always been a savoury/salty/fats person.

Can u give me an idea of what eating whole,healthy foods until you are full looks like in a day? Maybe quantities and examples of meals? So i can try this out to see if this out of control period can be reigned in. Cause I am really slipping further, don't want to restrict but still have plenty of weight to lose.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE:newyear:

I can raise my hand for that question. I made cookies about a month ago for an event and kept a dozen of the cookies here for my family. I had the intention of eating a few here and there. Well I ate the whole dozen besides the two that my son ate and not over a period of time, but within the course of 2 days...ugh.

Same here--I bought a lot of holiday candy to give as gidts. It ended up "some for you, some for me" even with storing it all in the trunk of my car! In preparation, i bought protein cookies. But they were "too good" and I scarfed them as well.
Some of it is the temptation everywhere, and some is stress, and some of it is the short daylight--that always drives me towards sweets. Gah!

I never was tempted by ice cream. This summer, I went on a cruise with family. Of course I dieted to get in tip top shape. I did okay on the cruise but discovered I like ice cream after all. Fast forward to this fall, we have a store here that makes the best ice cream, should be sold by prescription only!

These challenges & pitfalls are out there but it's always possible to move on and use them as "data" going forward. Today is a fresh start, whew!

Hi Davina,
That's a good question about what & how much to eat. I should say that I am more in the compulsive over eater end of the continuum, and have gotten more bingey since the diet I mentioned. I wouldn't want to add info about my WOE as a recommendation because we are all unique. [Also, tmi but I am post-menopausal and so no longer experience the intense cravings of PMS! I never conquered those so have no info to offer about those times other than they will self-correct and probably aren't worth worrying about in the big picture!]

The amount will be highly individual, and probably fluctuates. On work days I need a lot more food than on days off, even though I don't consider my job super active. It's a little bit of a struggle here--there is that panicky feeling of wanting to "get back on track" and cut amounts, but has proved to be self-defeating, time and again. And yet I still long to be the ultra-disciplined eater, undereating to a tiny clothes size--you'd think a 61 yr old would be immune from this, but nope! Sometimes I wonder if I like to do this in order to binge without the worry. We're complicated, aren't we! :)

Cutting to the point, here's my food intake on a recovering day, and theoretically the same as I would eat every day:

B coffee, Designer Whey shake 10 oz (Target), 2 egg omelet with some canned tomato or salsa. (I don't like things fried in oil so use a non stick pan, no oil)

L Great big salad with shredded crunchy veggies. I'll use the salad bar at Whole Foods if necessary, even though it costs. I'm fanatic about organic, fresh produce--tastes yummy. On the salad will be things like shredded carrot,beets, scallions, cherry tomato, arugula, red leaf or romaine lettuce, radish, CHICKEN or EGG or TOFU, and good quality olive oil that tastes fantastic. Also either Balsamic vinegar or Walden Farms italian. I love my salad--that's the key. Getting over a binge, I'll add a small avocado, a big one is okay too. The point is to invite one's palate back to healthy food, not to "correct"! For me that avocado is key, and I probably would binge less If I ate one every day.

Dinner: Grilled chicken breast fillet, 8-16 oz measured cooked. Or a bone in breast is fine--as much as desired. I have been known to eat an entire ready-cooked roasted chicken. (I buy good quality, pasteure-raised chicken which I really can barely afford, but it's probably no more expensive than binge food). It's easy to just grill a breast in my counter-top oven. Unlimited veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, and something orange like delicata squash, butternut squash, dressed up if need be with things like coconut oil, pumpkin seeds, garlic powder, etc.

Snacks vary a lot: navel orange in season, and I always have on hand some protein stuff like HB eggs, Protein-based Hot Chocolate or shakes. Cauliflower made as 'mashed potatoes' -tastes better than the real deal, imo; Cauliflower Foo Yong; it's fine to eat an entire head of cauliflower or more. Any of these things can be in unlimited quantities and dressed up with onions, good olive oil, etc. More chicken is ok too.

I'm not a creative cook as you can see, yet feel really great on these foods. It's low on carbs as that has worked well for me; you may do better with more carbs--suggest starchy veggies, fruit, possibly nuts or grains that you like if you LOVE them! (sticking to plain roasted, salted, or raw nuts, no fancy flavors, lol).

I steer clear of processed food except the protein treats. Read labels and be especially careful of foods that sound wholesome but make you crave more--virtually anything at Trader Joes that's already prepared will contain too much sugar and salt and will make you want ever more, imo.

It's okay to stuff yourself on these foods if that gets you away from feeling hungry. There's no magic amount, and the particular foods are what I like and return to. I'm picky about each item, lol. I would watch how your foods make you feel over time--satisfied, unsatisfied, craving more, foggy-brained, happy, etc. It takes some trial and error.

Finally, I never fail to drink 2 liters of water a day. I even get up early to get the first liter in, (and out) before work. I don't understand why, but everything seems to follow from this--when I skip it, my appetite can get out of control, and I just don't feel right. To accomplish this, I use Mio flavoring--"better living through chemicals" lol. I also drink as much coffee as I like through the day. I happen to like it black, but sometimes enjoy instant Tasters Choice with whey shake as lightener.

If you find this works for you, I'd suggest writing down what and how much does the trick, so that you don't have to re-invent each time. You can try to use a tracker like myfitnesspal.com to learn what you calorie range might be, but in reality, we binge eaters tend to use it to over-restrict, so it might be best to avoid, or approach with caution.

Are you still awake davina? ;) I hope this helps & feel free to PM me, too.

I can eat a whole bag of chips! And not a little bag, one of those big 9 ounce bags, in a single evening.

Things are still going okay, I suppose. Still not tracking but trying to eat 'reasonable'. Actually I'm just trying not to binge, which is going to be a lot harder when I head back to work next week.

It's weird, because sometimes I am super-hungry, and sometimes I'm not necessarily hungry but super-craving, and sometimes I have a normal appetite. And I can't seem to link what causes one mood as compared to another. I was journaling for a while, food intake and drinks (water, caffeine, whatever) and emotions and such, and working with a therapist, but I never could figure it out. Very frustrating. I mean, sometimes a tub of ice cream will sit in the freezer so long I have to throw it out because it's gone bad, I just haven't been interested in it. And sometimes I want to scarf it all down over the course of two days. But WHY?

Hi rabidstoat, I can eat a whole bag of ANYTHING that tastes good, even frozen corn. Those chips are DESIGNED to make people eat the whole bag. Millions of research dollars have gone into the science of what keeps us coming back for more. Personally I think heredity determines how susceptible an individual is. To make it even dicier to solve, I'd guess bingeing is often a response to more than one stimulus. Sometimes physiologic hunger, other times emotions, sometimes entrenched habit & cues, etc.

I wonder if it would be helpful to break it into parts rather than trying to do the whole thing at once. For example, you could start out by JUST putting your focus on solving the workplace snacks. All the feelings and thoughts about it what it means to eat and NOT eat those things at work, and also some alternatives to make it easier for you to handle. And not worry about the rest of the day's eating, but just to be observant of how the workplace foods affect your appetites and other aspects of your life.

For so many of us there is no 'aha' moment to figuring out why we do things; if lucky, we may get some dawning awareness. There is SO much labeling of behavior that can force us to frame things a certain way that isn't a good fit & doesn't work. I've experienced this with all of my eating issues but nowhere more than with binge eating. It's important to discard what isn't working or fitting, and trust our intuition as we try out different ideas.

That said, when I read your post about the apparent randomness of 'wanting to scarf' it made me wonder if those urges might be coming from letting yourself get too hungry. I became aware of this annoying phenomenon ONLY after a successful diet. Now it dogs me each and every time I restrict to "quickly knock off a few lbs". I don't think it's impossible to get off unwanted weight, but for us food addicts and/or binge eaters, it's something to navigate with the utmost care.

mars735, thank you for the detailed reply. looking at your meals for a day there doesn't seem to be any grains, do you intentionally avoid things like rice and whole grain breads, pasta, anything wheat based,etc? also do you use sugar at all or abstain completely? sugar has never been a problem for me until now with the 5 tubs of ice cream in a week.
Im thinking maybe i should cut diet pepsi and even sweeteners in general. although there was a point just a month ago where I was perfectly fine eating a wendys combo and that did not provoke a binge so I still don't have an answer as to whether foods/ingredients or state of mind are the triggers. maybe it's a mixture of both with the large amounts of sugar I have been consuming.
ive been meaning to try mashed cauliflower but havent gotten around to it yet, i think i will look into making a big batch to have on hand for side dish. I don't have a food processor but I believe you can use a grater for the cauliflower.
Anyways today was another terrrible day, as I finish this box of cookies, I plan to go shopping tomorrow for healthy food. this is really scary and reminds me of past attempts at starting a new diet every day.

Hi davina, :hug: I'd encourage you to savor the cookies and ice cream as much as you can and when you decide you are ready, move gently toward healthy food rather than marching like a POW---it should be appealing to you. Usually I do something like buy a hot roasted chicken at Whole Foods, and maybe some already prepared side dishes from the hot table to get past a binge episode. I don't worry about the ingredients except avoid the overtly sugary entrees like BBQ. The healthy food you shop for should be inviting to your palate. So, if you like grains, etc, go for it. I can take them or leave them. I think from my ultra low carb diet, I got used to not having them and maybe have a little fear, even. I'd suggest the least processed form; rice or potatoes rather than bread or pasta. You could try this for a couple of weeks and see how it feels, then add in bread and pasta and compare, or vice versa. I forgot to mention legume like beans, if you like them. Nuts are fine, too, just not the sugared ones. There should be plenty food, this is not about limiting quantity. If you need to feel stuffed, that's fine. The goal is simply to have an appealing stepping stone away from a binge, not to solve your entire eating style or even provide a weight loss plan, though it might be a side effect.

I'm ambivalent about sugar. Generally I like to have days without it, but know that there will be 'tub of ice cream' days here and there. I do notice how lousy I feel if I do that more than a random day here and there--mentally foggy, moody, and joint pains. But abstinence isn't realistic for me. On the regular days, I'm pretty much sugar free--more because I'm fanatic about non-processed foods than trying to restrict sugar (except for the majorly processed protein sweets).

Re eliminating diet soda & sweeteners...you probably have read all the strong opinions out there on both sides. I'd like to do that but there's only so much I'll do before I feel deprived. I guess I'd be careful about cutting out too much all at once. There are some down sides to carbonated beverages in large volume, though. I never liked the carbonation of diet soda so it's not been an issue. For me, the Mio water flavoring ensures that I get my water in, so even though I'd rather avoid the chemicals, I use it. I used to think it triggered binges, but turned out it didn't--it was restricting calories too much that triggered me.

For mashed cauliflower, you can drop the whole thing into a pot with a lid, put an inch or two of water or chicken broth, and steam it. About 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the head. Just stick a fork into it now & then to see if it's tender. No need for a grater or food processor unless you want to make things like cauli 'rice' or pancake. Maybe consider investing in a good processor--it will open up wonderful options.

It sounds like you are distressed right now. Know that many of us on this thread and others have walked a similar walk, and still struggle with the same things. You are really courageous to share your experience. You are persistent as well. Those things will stand you in good stead. Meanwhile, I hope that the idea of using unlimited 'whole food' can provide you with a tool for dealing with binges. It's helped me to not feel so distressed when I binge because I know there is an escape door whenever I'm ready.

Well, still going okay, but work and the never-ending and visible supply of candy and cookies start tomorrow. I should probably have a plan but I don't. Experience has taught me that 'just having one' is NOT an option in that environment. I'll stock up on some sweet fruit in the morning and hope for the best, I guess. Sort of dreading work anyway since I enjoyed my two weeks off.

In better news, I've gone about 10 days without a binge, and about 8 without any of what I consider sugary treats. I've decided a pint of chocolate milk a week is fine, since I am bad at dairy. But that's been it, and I'm pleased with that progress. But, I've always been okay the first week or two of eating healthy and not binging. It's weeks 3, 4, 5, and 6 where it all goes downhill, so I'll try to keep checking in here.

Five hours into work and so far so good. Man, talk about battles one hour at a time.

Our boss went out to buy 'office snacks' for January. This time he got things like apples, oranges, and those Sabra hummus cups with pretzels. That's what I'm having now, the hummus cups and pretzels, yum!

One-hour-to-go update: So far I've had oatmeal and watermelon for breakfast, a turkey and cheese wrap with mustard and veggies for lunch, some hummus and pita chips as snacks, and an orange as second snack. Not so bad. Oh, and I found a (king size) chocolate bar in my office, that I stuck out in the kitchen for someone else to eat. Probably have enchiladas for dinner tonight, later. Man, I should eat more veggies....

good job Rabidstoat (Rabid Stoat? which is what exactly lol?)

I am on a detox. I am craving everything because it is off limits (and because it is-20C and I want a hot chocolate when I come in from the cold like that).

My detox is not calorie counting but it is vegan, gluten-free, sugar free and coffee free (I'll miss that even though I don't even have it every day). I've been trying to eat anything and everything I want actually, so that I don't feel deprived.

First,hot water with lemon and ginger
B - green smoothie
L - big salad with sunflower seeds and a cashew "ranch" or dill dressing (I never eat ranch dressing but this is good whatever you want to call it).
S - coconut meat, nuts
D - chili and raw zucchini noodles with raw marinara. This was not supposed to be my dinner but I had it yesterday and it was really good so I had more today with my chili.

Now I am cooking meatless loaf for my boss for dinner tomorrow. Going to try not to eat it just for the sake of eating. I really am not hungry.

I think I am doing zucchini noodles tonight, too, Ame, love those.

Great job Rabidstoat, I hope you are getting some relief from cravings!

Thank you so much this post is very comforting right now. Thanks also for the tip on the cauliflower, I didn't even realize it will soften up pretty good on its own. this is the recipe i had wanted to try (in case anyone interested.http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012...uliflower.html)
i weighed myself the other day to see and my weight has jumped 6 ish pounds in like 2 weeks. probably more now but I won't look again. ive been eating 2 fast food combo meals(full burger,fries & gravy and coke twice) in a row binge for the last 3 days. It's like my stomach is a bottomless pit again.

Day three back at work. I had a doctor's appointment today because I need to get my birth control refilled, and they want to see me again since it's been a year. Turns out, my doctor moved to an office 20+ miles away without me noticing, so I showed up for my appointment at the old office. Now I have a new appointment with a new doctor, but it's not until mid-February. My prescription ran out in mid-December. Thankfully (or not, ha ha!) I don't have an active sex life now, so there's not that consideration, but I take it for PCOS and irregular cycles and it's really annoying to have to go without for months, grrrrrr.

Other than that things are okay. Avoiding the sweets in the office. I've been eating a hummus&pretzel cup a day, and lots of fruits and veggies that the boss brought in along with the candy this time, yay! Munching on organic apple slices now for a mid-morning snack.

I think I've been 13 binge-free days.

It's going okay, except the scale is going up, not down. I think it's just water weight as I approach TOM, but still a bit demoralizing. I'm trying to remind myself that even if it is a weight gain, it wouldn't be fixed by eating lots of sugary, fatty foods.

Hi rabidstoat, 13 binge-free days is a huge success, more than any number the scale can reflect.

That scale can sure be a cruel mistress! No matter what I tell myself, nothing prevents me from feeling disappointed when it doesn't show the results I expect. It all evens out over time, though. I've found my monthly average weight has reflected things more realistically. As long I kept to my plan, the scale went down every single month, even while fluctuating week-to-week.

As a back up, I tracked measurements, because we sure can use all the validation we can find, lol! Tape measuring a single area (it has to be the exact same spot) shows a more realistic picture than the scale, eg waist using navel as a landmark, or even a single thigh because it's easier. Trying on clothes, too, but it might take a few weeks to be evident. The times the scale didn't drop, my size did, as if my body was taking a time out to re-shape.

Hi Davina, :wave:
And a snarky wave to Mrs. Snark!

Today, I was watching a movie and a character ate a candy bar... now I'm craving one soooo badly. But I know if I go to the gas station across the street for a candy bar, I'll come back with a bag of chips and a tub of ice cream, too!

I don't know why that movie set off my cravings--some days I can ignore a whole cake in my fridge without a problem, and other days the mere concept of chocolate makes me want to quit altogether :( I had a late dinner, too. Boo, I guess some days are just destined to be bad days...

Hi superherothin, Those unexpected cues can sure turn things upside down. Aromas are even worse, for me. I wonder why some days are easier than others. Posting and lurking on 3FC can provide some great distraction and motivation to get through those tough times. Good for you for visiting the website instead of the gas station! I hope you have an easier time tomorrow. :)

mars735 I know exactly what you mean, smells ARE way worse. My apartment is above three restaurants, so I can either enter through the south doors and face Chinese and Thai food, or I can go through the east door and face delicious, delicious Mexican food. It's certainly been an exercise in restraint, haha.

OMG superherothin! Those are all my favorite foods, too. You must have built up quite a restraint muscle. Seriously. I would have to breathe through my mouth 24/7.

A long time ago, I followed the Jenny Craig diet, back when they offered classes with their program. I remember hearing that people without weight issues enjoy the aroma while walking past a donut shop, while those with weight issues get a whiff and in they go to buy the donut. That's me; come to think of it, I can't tolerate the smell of my chicken breast filet cooking without wanting to scarf it, no matter what time of day or whether I've just eaten, even if I don't season it.

Once in a while seeing something on TV can do that to me, but it's more often getting the aroma. Maybe you are more immune to smell due to having built up restraint, while you might be more vulnerable to visual cues. That means watching a movie with your eyes closed I guess, lol.

One of my fave books, The End of Overeating, has some enlightening discussion on how cues in the environment stimulate us.

Hope your day goes/has gone well!

I am affected by smells, even when I'm not hungry. Sometimes it isn't a problem and is a pleasant thing to smell nice foods (I'm living with someone who is now baking alot, and when it is cold out the baking gives the house a cozy feel), but sometimes a smell makes me want to randomly eat and that is certainly much less pleasant.

Rabidstoat: 13 days binge-free is so major, congratulations! That is hard work right there, give yourself lots and lots and lots of credit!

This is so much me. I don't understand what sets off cravings. Right now, I'm not having any cravings for sweets. Other days, I could practically kill for them! I wish I understood why.

That's million dollar question rabidstoat!

From what I've read in books and here on 3FC, it seems that restricting things sets up cravings. Mine fall into 2 broad types:1) the ones that begin ONLY if I eat trigger foods. 2) the ones that intrude into my mind after I have been dieting for a while.

Either way, it's frustrating because I feel better when avoiding those foods that I crave. But for the cravings, I don't miss them. I'm working to find a way that's not too restrictive and that allows treats that I enjoy, just not the ones I enjoy too much.

I heard part of a radio interview today, with an evolutionary biologist, talking about 'flavor' and how it's related to sensing the environment to hunt for food, even among worms. He said the sense of sweetness is very old, evolutionarily speaking, and very hard wired into our behavior, some people more than others.

Whenever the hardwiring-to-crave-sweets discussion pops up, it reminds me to tread carefully...not expect myself to erase my sweets cravings or fight them head on every time. I'm fortunate not to have them too often, so my strategy is to ride the wave and fix the damage afterwards, with no regret or self-recrimination. As long as my clothes fit, lol.

Then there's the theory that there are bacteria in our guts that need sugar to survive. Somehow they send chemical messengers to our brains that cause cravings & get us to eat the sugar that they need to survive. This idea is gaining traction in mainstream science. I haven't read much but basically it says that there are two broad types of gut bacteria. Obese folks have predominantly one while non-obese predominate with the other. That means taking probiotics might be helpful in weight loss if they change the balance of bacteria to the "thin" type.

I'm hedging my bets and eating Bubbie's pickles and sauerkraut, which are pro-biotic (not steeped in vinegar and not high-heat pasteurized like most products). Will report back on whether I notice any change with cravings---probably takes a few months.

The problem with not restricting things because it sets up cravings, is that sometimes indulging just a little can lead to eating everything in the house (and then hitting up the grocery store for more!).

I did have some sweets this weekend. I had a dessert item, the only one in two weeks. It was just yesterday but so far as I can tell hasn't set off massive cravings, but we'll see. I even had a relatively easy time passing on some shared desserts at a dinner out with friends over the weekend. They didn't interest enough to really want them -- though that was this past weekend. We go every weekend, and often get a few desserts for the table, so who knows what next weekend will bring.