Good morning! :yawn: :coffee:

Thanks for the congratulations! :D :hug: :D

And I really bought a :gift:- because I suddenly had a second thing to celebrate yesterday.
I was at University yesterday and after thinking back and forth and being nearly scared to death I decided to go to my Prof´s bureau and pick an essay up I wrote in March. :fr: I wrote that essay in order to get a certificate (I need one essay + one passed exam to get it) nearly 4 times in the last years. And I failed, and failed...So I was scared that I would fail again this time, BUT I PASSED IT!!:dance: I GOT THE POINTS I NEEDED!! I am so glad!!:dance: :dance: Now I *just* need a tiny little four point written exam...:o and then I would be done with most of my studies.

Unfortunately I had an unpleasant experience as well. Or it wasn´t unpleasant and I just see it the wrong way. I´ll write more this evening because I have to go now.

Ok, my eating schedule was totally messed up yesterday, I made it binge free. :carrot: But I really have to work on "Sitting in the University and eat and drink something without getting paranoid"- problem.

I hope we all have a good day today! And this is for you:
:dust:

Kate

Congratulations, Kate!

When you're ready to talk about your sad experience, we'll be right here. :hug:

hi everyone
still bingeing but i plan to go to bed early and get some sleep. talk to you tmrw

Sweet Pea, hang in there. You are going to get back on track. It is going to get better, I promise.

Hi Everybody! :wave:

I had a really good day yesterday! :dance: After eating a BIG breakfast with lots of protein, my urge to constantly graze :moo: was GONE! :carrot:
The power of protein is amazing!

Sweetpea~I've done the same thing before---gone to bed early when my eating was out of control. Sometimes, just brushing my teeth and curling up with a good book will put the binge monster to sleep.
Good luck for today!

Kate~WOOHOO! Congrats on passing the essay! :carrot: You mentioned that you're almost finished with your studies? What is your ultimate goal/degree/job? Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll do GREAT! :)

My3tots~You asked a really good question about what defines a binge and Ellis gave you a really good answer! Personally, I've redefined what I consider a "binge" several times. Initially, my definition was really tough---ANY refined sugar, ANY eating outside of planned, scheduled meals, etc.... It made it too hard for me to consider myself binge-free. Each time I strayed I would feel bad and that would make me "binge" more. So, now my definition is a bit more relaxed. It is far more achievable for me. My new definition is to eat less than 1600 calories per day. According to that definition, I've been binge-free for over a month! As I become more successful, I become stronger and may eventually add more criteria to my definition of "binge".

Ellis~I'm glad my post helped you! :hug:
Hey, if you need me to :nono: :tape: :drill: :rollpin: :kickbutt: :frypan: to help you stay on track, I'll do it! You're WORTH it! And I do know that you CAN do this! Plus, we love :love: you here on the binge-free thread and wanna keep you around!

:dust: & :grouphug: to everyone!

HI
I binged today but it was still an improvement on other days so i guess that's good lol. i haven't got my eating under control but i did get some other things done today from my to do list so i feel a bit better emotionally and that will definitely help

elizabeth i swear you must have used every emoticon on the books lol. it's funny but if i have a big breakfast it's like it opens my tummy up and it just wants more more more. i have to focus on having moderate meals as i eat even when i feel full and once i get to a certain point of bloatedness my control switches off and i eat mindlessly

my3tots - thanks for your support and encouragement ;)

Hi!

Ok, I can report a binge free Tuesday. I overeat a bit at lunch (in the evening), but it wasn´t like a binge so I think that´s ok.

I had a bad day yesterday and still feeling not so great today. I learned that I have to pass an exam in 5 weeks- otherwise I won´t get the certificate. So, can you say "HUGE PRESSURE"?
So unfortunately I have to face a "7-days-3-exams-each-3-hour-all-important-week" in 5 weeks.
I missed a lot of classes because of my illness (ok, detox, rehab- you know) and I quit law school and came back a few months ago. So I have to hurry now to finish in a reasonable amount of time. That means that I have to work 3x more than the others. Not to mention that I missed a terrible amount of stuff...
So I started with cleaning my desk and organizing my learning schedule today.

telemetrynurse: When I am very lucky and work very hard and don´t listen to the people who are telling me that I am insane, I will have my first big final exam next year in Summer. Then I have to go on a 18 months PAID (hallelujah) internship, then next big exam and then I am a lawyer.
To be honest: I just do that to earn money during the internship. I hate law, I am not good at it. But as I finally was ready to be honest about that fact, I was one certificate and a few exams away from the end....I felt awful as I quit. Like the dumbest and least intelligent person on earth. Nothing to do. Worthless. So I started again....But I choosed the wrong path five years ago, and that is one of the big mistakes in my life.

ellis: Where are you??

sweat_pea: Stay strong! I hope you are feeling better today!

kate good luck with the exam. you can achieve a lot in 5 weeks!!!

how is your health now? are you on top of things?
for me health is a vicious cycle. i know i should eat better to feel better but i feel so lousy a lot of the time i can't get motivated LOL

I'm here, Kate, you sweet thing, you. :lol:
I'm sorry you feel you chose the wrong path. :( I hope that thing will turn around for you, and you'll find some niche that you'll feel comfortable working in. Good luck with the studying, hon... you can do this. :hug:

Sweet_Pea, any improvement is a good one. Hang in there, girl... it'll get better, and you're doing great! :hug:

Elizabeth, congratulations on the good day! :hat: I hear ya re: protein and a good breakfast. :yes: That's what works for me, too.

I had a reasonably good day yesterday. Here's to another one for all of us today!! :cheer: :cheer:

Hi girls!

Sweet Pea, ANY stoppage during/after a binge is an improvement. That's what I've found. Just the act of being able to stop at any given point (rather than eating until you throw up or feel like you're going to!) is a huge milestone. At least in my experience. So that's awesome news.

Kate, I'm sorry things are so stressful. Isn't it funny (or scary!) how we reach for food when we're stressed? Food is such an emotional thing. It sounds like you have things really in control, though. Hang in there--the week has to end some time.

Elilzabeth, I have often found the same thing about protein. Somehow, protein seems to help bring hunger under control. The body just responds to it by saying it's full. Not always, but a lot of the time.

Ellis, congrats on a good day.

I had a good day too, because I ate a trigger food or two but didn't go overboard and definitely didn't binge. And woke up not having gained anything. Right now, being pregnant, my goal is to stabilize my weight, not lose, so I count it as a good thing. The real work will begin after the baby comes...(gulp) next Friday.

I would like to join too....I have had a few bad meals with my crazy life the last few weeks...now it's time to stay on track and kick the craving...I've made it the last 3 days so lets see if I can make it a habit

Hi Ellis...nice to run into you somewhere else..lol

i have a bad cold so of course i want to FEED it lol. but i'm ok. didn't get much sleep last night, however i did wake to find the editor had sent me the latest chapter in a book i am contributing to so that was kind of exciting.

my3tots you did extremely well to eat a trigger food and not let it take you over. i'm impressed

kate honestly i wouldn't feel like those 5 yrs are wasted or the wrong path. an understanding of legal framework will be useful no matter what direction you choose to take. i had a similar situation. when i was at school i wanted to be a psychologist but i got bad advice. they told me i had to go to med school BUT that was for a psychiatrist not a psychologist. also they told me i had to do another year of school before applying for med school. that was wrong i had very high grades and could have got acceptance without the extra year of school

soooooooo part way thru that year i discovered all this and chucked school in. i went to work for a bank because they offered the most money. there was another job as a computer programmer and support person but it involved shift work and i didn't want to work nights. so of course i got there and was bored. i studied bankers exams to keep me busy and got the highest score in the country in accounting. sooooo from there i went to uni and studied and got a commerce degree.

BUT i always wanted to be doing psychology. i practised as an accountant for 15 yrs and did other things as well. i consulted and branched into marketing and other areas. from time to time i toyed with psychology and would start papers but never finish them. finally i decided to do it and completed my psychology degree and i'm happy i've done it. i write books on self improvement and was doing that before i finished my degree. i also run seminars and workshops and do public speaking. it's totally different to what i did as an accountant

the thing is i don't consider the time doing accounting wasted. i learned good skills that make it easier for me to run my own business. and i learned how to present proposals in a business like fashion that made it easier for me to sell my books to publishers and get myself on tv shows and that sort of thing. i do wish i had given myself a kick in the butt and finished the psych papers when i first started them instead of dragging it out over more than 10 yrs but that's all history. i'm where i am now and it's a good place for me

i doubt you'll ever regret having that qualification even tho it is hard slog now. it will eventually be useful even if you don't end up becoming a lawyer. or maybe you will specialise in an area of law that excites you.

so my advice to you is
1. nothing is ever wasted
2. if there is something else you want to do start doing it. even if it is only as a hobby

Hey Everybody! :wave:

I've been keeping the binge beast caged but its trying to get out! :yikes: I could easily slip right now :devil: but decided to come and post instead! :angel:

Sweetpea~Wow, you're a writer! That's very cool! It must feel really great to write a self-help type book and know that your words can help so many! That's definitely a gift! Congrats on your chapter! Oh, I agree....I did binge a bit on the emoticons! It beats bingeing on food!

dgpebbles~:welcome: WTG on staying on track for 3 days!

My3tots~:preg: I'm SO happy for you :preg: Next Friday?!?!?! What an incredible blessing! You're amazing to not binge! When I was preg all I wanted to do was EAT EAT EAT....... Then, when I had a miscarriage (actually 3 times) all I wanted to do was EAT EAT EAT.......
Please let us know how you and new baby are doing!

Ellis~WTG :bravo: on your good day! Heres to many, many more :cheers:

Kate~Sorry to hear about your many stresses in school! You're doing amazingly well to fight binges and stay on track! I know you're a strong person!

:dust: to everyone!

Good morning!

Even if yesterday was binge free, I am not doing as good as I did in the first week of being binge free. I am still binge free, but I feel as if I would silently and slowly slipping back. Everything is becoming so messy at the moment!
Fortunately I have a food journal (:carrot: ) so that I can have a look what went wrong. As far as I can tell now it´s mainly a lack of exercise, quite time and bad food choices....
So I have to rearrange it...:o

telemetrynurse: I hope your binge beast is still in the cage- where it belongs. (Binge beast, please don´t feed)!!

sweatpea: Thank you so much for your encouragement! Your story really helped me!
And I am at the moment at that point in the vicious circle, where I get tired and not motivated, what leads to bad food choices and no exercises, no day schedule, what leads to...ok, you know it, I think.

ellis: Hey, there´s ellis!! HI ELLIS :wave: ! Look, I unpacked the additional smileys for you- just to get that waving guy. Girl. Whatever.

My three Tots: I think it´s really great that you didn´t binged! And, wow, your baby is coming next Friday....Wow.

hey all :wave:

will catch up later. binged again today. i need to get to bed. i've been staying up too late not sleeping and then draggin my tail around during the day
nite all

kate i'm glad the story helped you