I've been having a really really hard time lately...I had lost about 29 pounds since the end of August (13 pounds in about a month, then I gained 6 back, then I lost 23 pounds from November to the end of January)...but since the beginning of February, I haven't been very accountable to myself...

I've tried to fight my binges because I was so focused for Nov-Jan (even through the holidays). I was exercising very consistently and felt very much in control.

But now i've gained back about 6 pounds (it could be more but I haven't weighed yet this week)...and while I am still very proud of my 20+lb weight loss I just can't keep a consistent diet...

Why is this? I am so unsure...I know my emotions have been a little crazy lately with some in-law stuff but why do I let it get to me?

I have bought a lot of new clothes and am in the midst of getting rid of most of my old clothes...so I cannot revert back to my old ways...

How do I get the control back?

Hi Emily, I wish I had your answer. I tried to recommit yesterday and I did better than the day before AND I held myself accountable for what i put in my mouth with Fit Day but I still took in WAY too much food (fitday says 2700 ) BUT it was a small victory because I still ate less than the day before.

Today started out bad again with my hubby forgetting to put up his peanut butter hersheys kisses. I ate 7 of those (the remaining ones in the bag, woulda eaten more prolly). I waited till 8am (got up at 6) to eat breakfast.. I had a cheese omelet (one yolk 2 whites) an orange and a bowl of Special K with red berries and 2% milk. so far so good no bing urges are hitting and normally they start right after a meal.

I think sometimes you have to find your trigger food. I was doing great till I started having Diet Root Beer with my lunch. then the binging started coming back so I started drinking Iced Tea (only 1 c sugar per gallon) but still the binging is coming SO i am thinking that if i drink ONLY water then that could help...I HOPE SO! I have battled binging for so long (since age 13)that I want it to STOP.

I went from 135 last sunday to 143 this sunday. that is NOT healthy and I know that but how can I stop it? I hope the drinks are the trigger to my binges. I read that anything but water for drinks (including flavored water) acts as a taste stimulator and can bring on cravings (aka binges). I am putting this to the test today and not having any drinks but water.

Its hard finding support both online and in Real life because people say "oh well you are already skinnier than me so why should i help you, you don't have a weight problem" what they dont know is that to keep myself looking 135 I will wear looser clothes when i bounce up to 145 in two days. also they don't know that after a dramatic weight gain I will normally either NOT eat or will work out intensly (5 hours on treadmill one day) Or I will just make myself throw up at the end of each day for about a week and the weight comes down. Its hard for people to understand that Yes I am thinner than the average woman BUT to do that I am doing extreme things and I want HELP.

I am jealous of your current measurements i have a 30 inch waist and am a size 11/12 you are alot smaller than me WAY TO GO on your losses already I think that we can all beat this thing, but it will be a battle that we will fight to the end of our lives. One wrong turn and we will turn to the great feeling binging gives us but with help we can realize we didn't lose the war only the battle Good luck and keep us posted

Sorry for long posts but I start typing and things start coming to my mind so I just type them as they come hoping they will help someone (maybe even myself)

Hi Emily, I completely understand where you are coming from. Sometimes it takes a day for me get back in control, and sometimes it takes more than a week. Lealee gave you some good advice about trying to figure out your trigger foods. I usually tell everyone to try to find their trigger emotions as well. So next time you binge, write down your feelings before and after the binge. I know for me, eating ONE single thing off of my diet plan will throw me into bingeing for the rest of the day (most of the time). Everyone always says "it's easier to say no to the first cookie than the 2 and 3 and 4 ones . . ." (this is so true).

You may want to try to "recommit" like we did (hey Lealee, I failed yesterday too!!) Try to remind yourself why you want to lose weight. I know you didn't have this problem, but when I was in the morbidly obese range, I decided to lose weight to regain my health. Now, I feel very healthy and really have no weight-related health issues and physical limitations (I can do advanced pilates now!), so I've found that I needed to find a new motivation. I hate to be a vain person, but my new motivation is to look better and have a cute wardrobe. I feel awful about that, but I can find no other motivation. Maybe you need to find a new motivation.

I also tell myself, like you are doing, "you don't want to undo ALL of your hard work by gaining weight back." But then I use the excuse, "there's no way you are going to wake up back at over 300 either." And that's bad. I probably would already be at my goal weight if I didn't have to RE-lose all the weight I gained back. It's probably over 50 pounds right now. I still can't believe I haven't learned my lesson, but it goes to show you how much of a disease this really is.

I completely back on track today. Fully re-committed. I had a chocolate fest last night (a farewell one). I even went and put my last few dollars in my gas tank so I wouldn't be tempted to run to the dollar store to get my pecan delights. I've had salad for lunch and an hour of step circuit/boxing. But it's never days that are challenges; my binge cravings always kick in after the sun goes down . . .

TRIGGER FOODS...

So, THAT's what my problem is. I started on Sugar Busters in November 2004 and lost 25 lbs in about four months. And I haven't lost a single pound since. I just go back and forth with the same friggen 5 lbs from 160 - 155. And I know exactly why...I'm having a really hard time sticking to plan for some reason. I remember when I fell off the wagon...about a year ago, I was coming home from skating practice with my daughter (SHE's the skater...trust me) and didn't have the umph to cook dinner, so got got a pizza on the way home and had four slices. I haven't been able to stick to plan for more than a couple days since and know I know why because you guys...

TRIGGER FOODS...

I have had the hardest time getting to noon without thinking..."oh, just a little bit of my son's waffle won't hurt"...or, "Oh, this one tiny cookie at my son's preschool won't hurt" and that's all I need to trash the whole day of staying on plan. It's like in my mind, I've already blown it for the day, so I might as well finish the day off on a low note and start fresh in the morning...which gives me license to eat twinkies! Of course, then there's the left over PB&J on my son's lunch plate the next day. I guess I always knew it was that, but I just needed it spelled out for me the way you guys have spelled it out. It's all a trigger and then it's all over with. If I can label the bad foods and really focus on staying clear of the trigger, I can get through the day without cheating. Right?

My goal is a lot like Chico's. It's all fashion, I guess at this point. And my own identity. I was always a size six and now when I see myself in a reflection of a window or whatever, I don't even recognize myself. It's coming together, but I'm not quite there yet. Half way. My parent's 50th wedding anniversary is this summer and at their party, I don't want people to say, 'Wow...Kris has really put on some weight!" I just want them to say, "Wow...it's Kris...isn't it nice to see Kris after all these years?" Know what I mean?

So, anyhow...thanks for helping me to label what my problem is...sugar/carbs...the usual culprit for most of us, anyhow. I have to remember to stay away from them and a tiny bit is NOT okay. I have to jsut remember that a little will make me eat a lot and I'll never get to my goal.

Well it worked for me..my trigger is any drink except water. Yesterday I drank only water and NO BINGES!!! not to say i ate right But the things that I ate were bad I HAD CONTROL OF!!! I wanted Chocolate (TOM) so Hubby went and got me some Hostess Cupcakes.......I ate the package and was done......there were more there but I DIDNT eat them...normally I would have finished them all off so that "well if I eat them today they won't tempt me tomorrow" then of course hubby wanted me to have a honey bun with him last night so i had one of those too BUT was in control and stopped at one when i would normally have had a few. Todays goal is to stick to my Calorie plan and rev up my workouts a bit with some interval walk/jog treadmill time.

GOOD LUCK everyone....find those trigger foods AND emotions and throw them out the window!! We CAN do this

friggin toast with jam!!! why didnt i just go to bed?? who needs 6 pieces of toast anyway?? certainly not me!! i broke a darn good 25 day binge free streak last night!!! grrrrrr!! i was feeling it the night before but i resisted, last night i couldn't stand it anymore, couldn't make myself just go to bed!!

so today i didn't totally beat myself up all day. i tracked all the calories and it only put my 250 over my daily limit. not too bad, but i don;t want to get out of control again. at leat i didn't flip back and forth between foods it was just those 6 pieces of wonderfully fresh italian bread toast with jelly of course. i threw the loaf in the trash this morning. i made it to my evercise class. i ate good healthy stuff all day today. tonight i am just going to go to bed!!! moving forward AGAIN!!

Aw shucks, Jodi. But you should be proud. 25 days? I can barely get past a week. I'm at 2 days now, just as long as I don't muck up the rest of tonight. You've got the right idea, just move forward. And the important thing is that you kiboshed it today and didn't continue a binge.

Techwife, a belated welcome!! (Sorry about that). "It's like in my mind, I've already blown it for the day, so I might as well finish the day off on a low note and start fresh in the morning..." I can't tell you how many times I've said that. Isn't that the kiss of death? Why can't we just say, "I've blown it this TIME and the next thing I put in my mouth WILL be healthy." Why do we have to blow the whole day? Where does that mentality come from? It makes no sense . . .

Lealee, great job with the cupcakes and honey buns!! I've been maintaining portion control as well: ONE waffle last night and ONE sugar free chocolate covered marshmallow egg. YAY!!

I can't wait until the Easter candy season is over. Which crazy-candy holiday is next? Isn't is Halloween? But then it's Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and then Easter again. I need to find a cave to live in from October-April. Dieting would be so much easier . . .

I blew it today,I ate whatever was in the kitchen,in the fridge, in the cupboards,most of my sons little snacks,I just blew it.
Tomorrow is another day,I'll do better....I hope.
W.

Wtg Harpo on your 2 days
Jodi--Toast and Jam are also one of my weaknesses. I get the low sugar preserves made my Smuckers and they are great...I use strawberry and its like smearing pure strawberries on my toast in the mornings and i LOVE plain strawberries without sugar. I think it is like 25 Cals per TBS and that is ALOT on a piece of wheat toast

Wide In Winipeg-I have been there, 5 days ago to be exact I tried tossing around my eating plan and exercise and so far that is working for me. Its ok to fall off the wagon just jump on the horse and regain control of it.

I am still binge free day 4 for me (not eating like I want but no out of control binges either). I have changed up my food plan a bit and have decided to not limit myself on calories. Instead of giving myself a limit I am just going to eat like I would normally and just leave some on the plate. This includes snacks, even that last couple of bites has LOTS of calories. I think my biggest problem is the fear of failure so I am thinking not giving myself that limit of calories will help. Still going to pick low cal low fat foods and drinking water only but no more counting Cals.

My workouts I have shook up a bit as well. I discovered I LOVE jogging so I get the treadmill started slowly, put on my headphones and aim for 3.5 MPH by the end of first song, then second song I up it to 4mph, next song to 5mph. Then back at 4 and repeat (changing from 4-5 each song change) until 30 minutes or more if I feel like it, last song is cool down song so I pick a slow one and slow the treadmill slowly. I then do one set of the below exercises. Let me tell ya those pushups (I do them like stair pushups only on my treadmill) kick my butt!!! I do 3 different hand positions to change the area of my arms that it is working and I can feel the exertion all around my arm so I know I am doing it good Crunches are funny because my puppy sits on my tummy while I do them. I don't make her she just climbed up there that first day and sits there everytime now and when I come up she tries to kiss me as I exhale its really funny! I am on day 3 of this overall routine and so far I am feeling better.

I got on the scale this morning (2 days before my weigh in) and it said 133!! I was 143 last Sunday. Do you guys think this could be water retention from the days I had that virus and not able to drink? As in I stored lots of water over the days following the virus but my body was so used to NOT having water that it was storing it for a "rainy" day. I didn't update my weight thingy cuz Sunday is my weigh in day. But I did move the scale 3 times and reweigh to see if it was just wrong and each time it said 133.6 This is where I was Previrus and I think I have peed a gallon a day in the past 5 days So I am thinking that is it.

Sorry for the LOOOONG post again hope you all have a great weekend, I will be out for a while because my lil ones are out for spring break (10 DAYS I am gonna go nutso!!) and Hubby is home this weekend so we are gonna be gone alot Taking the 6 year old out to Chuck E Cheeses for his birthday Sat. so I will be doing an extra treadmill workout that day for sure!!

Stay on those wagons girls or better yet! Grab the horse and take the control yourself

I'm reading this as I eat sour patch kids! OH, that's sugarbusters legal fare huh? I am so with you all on the binge thing. I never realized what I was doing till I got really serious with my WOE after Christmas. I eat well all week, then the weekend gets here and I go nuts! I have finally figured out that I can't "try just a little piece". It is better just to not have anything that I shouldn't have because if I try some, that's it. I just blow it! I just need to figure out what my triggers are both foods and emotions. Maybe I can figure this out eventually!

W., keep your chin up and move on. You lost it one day. Just look at how close you are to your goal!! You'll be there in no time! Just keep away those binge monsters.

Lealee, I wish I could stop counting calories. But when I do that, the weight comes back on. I'm hoping when I get to maintenance, I'll be able to loosen the belt a little on the calorie counting. I'm going to start jogging too (as soon as the weather warms up). I have a treadmill, but it's inclined, and it's hard to jog on it and I have to MANUALLY adjust the incline (it's ancient), so I'm waiting the weather out so I can start running outside. I'm jealous, I still can't do a pushup!! A normal one, that is. I can do them on my knees, but I'm still not strong enough on my toes. Crunches, yes I do. Double crunches in fact. Yes, Lealee, the weight was more than likely water retention, because to really have lost 10 lbs of fat in 5 days, you'd have to burn 35,000 calories, or run over 50 hours on the treamill, which would be 10 hours a day. I hope I'm not bursting your bubble, but I lost 14 pounds during my last TOM week. And I know I didn't exercise that much. That's why I can GAIN 5 pounds overnight after a binge, when I know I didn't eat 17,500 calories, and that extra weight just falls off once I start watching it again.

ThinWithin, I love that kind of sour candy! I usually buy mine in worm form though. It's very important to find your trigger foods/emotions so I suggest before you begin to binge, write down what you are feeling and then again after you finish the binge. For your trigger foods, write down your top ten most common/favorite binge foods. I have that list somewhere, but I've misplaced it. But I know my biggie: CHOCOLATE!!!

Let's stay binge-free ladies!!! Keep it up!!

between binges and stuff, i have gained back 20 lbs from my lowest weight in june of last year. i'm really ashamed of that. Last night was bad. I had a brownie, a slice of cheesecake, 2 cookies and i would have eaten more if i thought i could get away with it... I'm trying really hard but i am under so much stress and anxiety and it gives me this excuse to overeat.

thank you harpo and leelea- i am feeling better now, i did great last night so thats 1 day binge free for me! congrats on your 2 days harpo keep looking forward. i'm with ya on the candy thing!! leelea sometimes mixing it up is what we need! good luck with the new routines and way to go with the jogging!! i am going to do that someday i am slowly working my way there, i still have too much jiggly stuff to comfortably jog (self conscious) but i will get there one of these days. that was a lot of water you were holding!!! glad you are back to where you started.

eadavenp- keep trying you'll get there. just stopping to think that you couldn't get away with anymore is a positive thing. be proud of yourself for that!!

thinwithin- the weekends used to be a really tough time for me too...i work all week and have an easier time staying in control, i used to think well i was good all week i deserve a little treat which would in turn become this big food feat!! to try and combat this time i am planning out my weekend meals just like every other day and it seems to be helping. good luck finding what works best for you!

widew- good attitude!! hang in there!!!

Must... resist... urge... to order... Chinese takeout! Eeep! Think of the sodium! Think of the sodium!!

-La

Ok here is my story...
I am a highschool student who has been struggling with my weight my entire life. I have been told by doctors since I was little that I was fat and needed to lose weight I have been classifiably obese sicne about 3rd grade. I was constantly picked on because of my weight when I was little and my mom couldn't figure out why I was so heavy. I went to get my thyroid checked out but it's normal. Because of the bullying I began to use food as a mechanism to erase the stress into my life, it was my way of "self-mutalation" because in a way I feel like eating way to much when you really know its wrong is self-mutalation.
In the 6th grade my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and I began to flip out. I have had anxiety and panic attacks ever since although Im getting them under control now. I was never really the same afterwards and now I suffer from depression although I am on medication for it.

Binging is something I do when Im bored or stressed out. I tell my self how delicious the food is and I can taste it in my mouth. I want it so bad and I say one won't hurt but one turns into aout 50 and then I feel awful. My trigger foods are mostly sweets- cookies, chocolate, brownies, ice cream, chocolate/ rice pudding, and also salty foods such as crackers, cheese nips, french fries, pizza and potato chips.
Even when I don't have those things In my hous, I find a way to binge. for example, those 100 calorie packs- I could eat a 6 pack box in one day, everyday.
I usually eat after school when I haven't eaten in a while. I can't eat 6 meals a day because I have school all day 5 days a week from 7 to 3.
I take a spinning class 3 days a week and exercise for 1 day on my own.
I try hard to do well with exercising but when it comes down to food I feel like I have no control and I am stubborn- I want to eat what I want when I want and how much I want. Thats really hard for me.

Thanks for listening to my long post