Hi everyone

Boston,

It sounds to me like you're doing really well and you should be proud of yourself!! You are certainly not a failure... you're no longer gaining weight, you are actually losing weight, you've reduced your binges and you're exercising six days a week. That is several huge triumphs by my count!

You are not giving yourself nearly enough credit for the hard work you're doing and the accomplishments you're making. Are you possibly getting criticism or negative feedback from other people in your life, or are you just really tough on yourself? Either way, I understand. Although my family loves me, they are very critical of me and that causes me to be extremely tough on myself... TOO tough.

Give yourself a pat on the back. If you don't, I will. You deserve it.

Bostoncreamprincess, I can relate to being an extreme binger. Last year at this time I was desperate, lonely, and binging constantly. I came here to the boards last March. As of today, I am 187.5 lbs. down from 280 lbs. I am a food addict. What helped me was Overeaters Anonymous. I am not binging today. I also work out at my local YMCA. My life is completely different from what it was. There are also online OA phone meetings you can attend. PM me for details if you'd like. You are not alone.

Robin

Bostoncreamprincess, if it's any consolation I'd love to weigh what you do, the last time I did was elementary school...that said you're not "fat", and just as it took time for you to reach your current weight it will take time to lose it, and that is ok. The journey/process is as important as the end result, and I have no doubt you're going to be successful reaching your goal! About binge eating, I'm still going through this issue, and sadly for me alone I believe and accept it will be a permanent fixture in my life. It's like saying "I'll never mess up again!" Speaking for me alone that isn't realistic, and falling from grace creates more anxiety etc. The trick is to minimize the damage and lessen the frequency, perhaps in doing that eventually I or we will overcome this, or at least not suffer as much. I wish I had more or better advice, as I'm actively dealing with this issue too I'll keep an eye on the thread for more advice.

CandidCamera You said something I'll remember. What a lot of good sense this makes. Harder to do than to say, but I can imagine walking and using that statement as a mantra as I walk, or in evening INSTEAD of binging. Thank you.

Candid, what wise words.
I'm an all-or-nothing kind of person and am prone to either be rigidly on-plan or fall off the track. When off-track , I give in to unhealthy habits and find it very hard to recover from them.
Your words literally create that grey area I've been struggling to find.

And I quote <<"I believe and accept it will be a permanent fixture in my life. It's like saying "I'll never mess up again"......"The trick is to minimize the damage and lessen the frequency".>>Yes, falling off is something I have to deal with forever due to my personality, and will try to remember this very time I do. Thanks.

Boston, I hope these words resonate with you too. Hang in there. You are doing well. Focus on gaining control of one little thing at a time.

I highly recommend Kathryn Hansen's Brain over Binge. Within weeks of reading Hansen's book, I was binge-free, and have been binge-free ever since. Her blog is also worth exploring.

Do it: read Hansen's book!

Bostoncreamprincess, I can relate. My depression triggers my binging and it can get pretty bad. My go-to is a pizza, fries, coke, and order of buffalo wings from my local pizzeria...I always get it delivered in some way because I feel like I want to punish myself seeing the man's face when he realizes all the stuff is just for one woman.

Have you looked into hypnosis or anything like that? I've done it before, and while it didn't make my binging stop completely it definitely "took the edge" off it in a big way.

Fiona, thanks for the book recommendation, I am going to check it out. I was just about to ask if anyone knew of a good book on the subject.