food addiction
 

I'm having a lot off food issues lately. I'm having more bad food days than good. I have gained 5 lbs in 3 weeks and I feel like I will never get to goal.

I am addicted to food. Can anyone give me advice on how to deal with this? I tell myself that I'm just not going to buy unhealthy foods. It doesn't matter. I will binge on my kids' cheerios and cereal bars. I've even binge on saltine crackers. I'm not even buying candy or chips and I am still having a problem with eating too much. I will stuff food in without even tasting it.

Merem - Since you are so close to your goal, maybe you need to do a TO to detox and then start stabilization. Maybe you won't feel so deprived and then feel the need to binge. You have done SO GREAT with your losses. Hang in there!

First, let me say that I know how you feel. I've been there, and have done some of the same things. It feels like to me that you are sabatoging yourself. You are almost to goal! And that for some reason emotionally you are not ready to be at goal and be successful. So subconsciously you are avoiding allowing yourself victory by binging. This may or may not sound crazy, but i would suggest some sort of "mental exercise." Maybe journaling about why you are afraid, etc. Because, I know myself personally, the first time I did this plan, I got to about where you were, before I just "waged all out war on myself" and gained all the weight back. Or even meditation-seeing the goal, and making peace with the goal and yourself. Or even physical activity- seeing your body as more than just what you eat or don't eat, but an actual physical thing, capable of rocking a hard workout:) You can do it!

Merem,

Your post could be me. I have LIVED this, and still do too often. In fact, I posted on Monday with the same situation. Here is a link to the post and the fantastic replies I received: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96091

Some of the things that have been helping me have been:

1) STOP trying to lose weight, just for a little while, and just try to maintain. This takes the pressure off. I just keep telling myself what a great size I am NOW (especially compared to where I was!). You have lost so much weight, but if you keep binge-eating you will undo that. If you can maintain where you are at for a month or two (maybe through the holidays?) then you can be in a lower-stress situation to begin trying to lose again.

2) Eat a little more. (But not a LOT more!) I was too hungry and starving myself and then my body was crying out for food and I would eat, eat, eat. Then I would feel ashamed and hopeless and keep eating because my emotions were crying out for food. The binge-restrict cycle is very self-perpetuating!

3) Focus on how great a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE feels. This helps me a lot. Because the shame/despair I feel when binging sucks. And the joy I feel when eating well and feeding my family well is huge.

Try reading the incredibly inspiring stories of the maintainers in the maintainers forum on 3FC, and begin to think of yourself as MAINTAINING!

4) Remember though, there IS a physical and emotional addiction at work. Even though you feel disgusting when you are full and bloated, as soon as you are at even a normal level of hunger again the urge to binge may be a siren song for you (it often is for me). You'll have to face this like any addiction and CHOOSE healthy choices for yourself even in the face of the allure to binge. Most of the battle to be healthy and lose weight is fought in our minds.

So keep fighting! One day, one moment at a time. Keep fighting! That is the difference this time... WE WILL NOT GIVE UP!

God bless,
Lindy

Lindy - Thank you for a wonderful response! I read your thread, and this was a much better and more detailed way of saying what I was thinking. I just didn't have the right words. But it makes sense... and I know this will be VERY helpful to a number of girls on the site.

Thank you again.

Lindy, bizlaswlchik, and buffy:
Thank you all so much for your responses. I guess I am sabatoging myself when I am so close to my goal.
Lindy--I am going to take your advice and maintain my weight through the holidays and focus on losing weight in January. Usually I gain 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's so maintaining my 60 lb weight loss (I lost 30 lb doing WW but gained 10 back during the holidays last year and then I lost 40 doing LAWL) will be a challenge. I will also commit on being "selfish" and taking "me" time at the gym to exercise to take care of my body and prevent any more weight gain.

I have 3 kids so I am going to focus on feeding them and DH along with myself healthfully.

Thank you so much for your responses.