So, I am working on day 3 here. But it's my birthday and my (food pusher) Mom just brought over cupcakes. I can't trash them because the kids already saw them. :sigh:

Mouse -- oh man, this is not going to sound heartening, but I'll be honest. The time it takes for cravings to go away can vary. I read once in a dieting book that most food cravings disappear within about 5 minutes. (Of course, I read that and thought, "WHAT?! That's not true at all!" But maybe that IS true for most people? I'm not sure.) Sometimes my cravings ARE only temporary, so as much as I can I try to chew gum and do something else in the hopes it'll go away quickly. But then there was one day where my roommate made a cake and I craved that cake for 7 straight hours. Sometimes all you can do is go to bed and try again the next day -- I find that whenever I wake up my cravings have stopped. I feel sick if I eat anything unhealthy in the morning so starting with a healthy breakfast can help get me back in the right mindset.

I'm sorry you caved in, but I understand. I've done the same thing. All you can do now is try again. And you're right, consistency IS the key. You CAN lose the weight this time! We're here to support you!

Haha, WardHog - ironically they were giving out free cupcakes on campus yesterday, but I resisted ... (haha, but of course I screwed it up later - but still, I was proud about that, because usually they get me every time - so it can be done!).

Skyra - seven hours? Yuck. I think I've had the same experience more than once (and I have a hard time going to bed hungry, I just can't sleep -- so lately I've been eating a banana every night before I go to bed to help me sleep. It has actually worked well so far.)

I'm a little surprised that I binged like that today -- I slept really well last night, and have been eating well except really for the pizza last night. I think maybe the stress of school has been doing me in. However, I'm not going to do a cheat day, for the reasons you mentioned before, I will just continue to stick with my plan (which is healthy and working for me so far).

Consistency is key -- but I've been struggling with this (how do you keep going when the motivation's not there? I guess you just do). I'm young (21), and even at my high weight I am 160, so I'm hoping I can "retrain" my body and this won't be as hard to keep up in the future.

Thank you for the support! It is much needed + appreciated!

Isn't that the truth...I don't think I ever thought of it that way... when I cave into a temptation... what does it really do... do I actually feel better?

H. E. double hockey sticks NO! Thanks Skyra for the light bulb moment!

Cathy

You're welcome Cathy! I do what I can.

Mouse -- bananas are great snacks. I eat them at night when I'm hungry too. And as for getting motivation ... you're right, the motivation isn't always there. I think everybody has their non-motivated days. A couple things that help me are a) posting something on the forums (reading success stories, or checking in with other people who struggle with binging, are particularly motivating for me) or b) looking at myself in the mirror (naked!) and saying to myself, "Do you want this to be the best you ever look? Do you want this to be the healthiest you ever are?" (A resounding no, of course.)

(PS. I'm young too, 22, and I've never been fit or particularly healthy, so I'm hoping I can retrain my body too and that maintaining will be easier than losing. We'll have to see how it works out.)

Hey all, new to this place. Been doing good for two weeks on my own, had an overwhelming urge to binge today. Not a huge one, but one nevertheless. Now i know about this thread, I will check in here before i hit the fridge. Thanks.

Kiwi2cute

I really wanna binge right now. I know that if I do, I'll feel horrible in the morning. A combo of PMS, severe migraine head ache pain and having the kids here on Thanksgiving vacation is making me weak. I feel like eating so many things. I wanna go to the fridge and go crazy, but I"m trying really hard not to. I'm watching The Biggest Loser so that's helping too. I'm really hoping that typing this here will help me stay focused on my goal. Thanks for listening. By the way, this is a step up for me because normally, I don't even think straight to come and post.

I didn't binge last night! I realized that I still had some calories left, so I ate half of a Pomello (it's like a grapefruit) and that helped me with that terrible urge to binge. I got on the scale this morning and I was down another pound! Yippeeee!!!!

luckymommy, how did last night work out for you?

I know that when I'm feeling sick/weak/worn out I tend to get that urge to binge. It makes sense in a way, biologically - my body feels weak, it thinks I might be hungry, and I start thinking about food because that will "fix it." But if the weakness is from other things, food WON'T fix it... maybe I'll get an hour or so of a sugar rush, but the next day I'll feel even worse. What you did yesterday, identifying the reasons you want to binge, is usually helpful - thoughts are more reliable than feelings, and knowing logically that I don't NEED more food can help me deal with FEELING like I do.

LuckyMommy, You made a wise decision and it paid off didn't it? You lost a pound. Now next time you want to binge, do the same thing. Great job!

Thanks Mayness and fruitlady! I'm here again because I want to binge yet again. It sucks to be back in the struggle so soon. Just a few short minutes ago, I was fine! I was proud! But now, my husband has put together some left overs from Thanksgiving and I want to make myself a huge plate of food too. I didn't even eat the best parts (which I won't mention, since it might make readers want those things). Now, I'm feeling like I want it, I want it, I WANT IT!!!! Ahhhh!!!! Ok, hopefully, typing this will give me some accountability. Just when I think I have things more or less under control, I'm finding myself back at square one: the struggle square. The turmoil square. The longing square. Ok, enough whining! Sorry!

Don't apologize...Support is what the forum is for. I'm also here tonight because I wanted another plate. Holidays are emotional times for good reasons as well as less pleasant ones, and it's hard to watch others indulging when it almost feels Scrooge-like to try to maintain control. Even if you slipped after you posted, that doesn't mean you have to slip again. Look how far you have already come! You are an inspiration to me. I know you can make it to your goal!

Luckymommy, Fight it with all your might! Remember, nothing tastes as good as thin feels!

Thanks K8t and fruitlady! I have found this board to be a life line. There is nobody I can call or that understands how this feels. Luckily, I went to sleep after that post and I didn't give in. It's the first thing that popped into my brain this morning when I woke up: I didn't binge! Yes, it could have easily gone the other way, but it didn't. I'm not sure that would have been the case had I not come on this board. Thank you so much!!!

YEAH!!!!!

Good for you, luckymom!!!!