Looking at all the answers, some people still struggle, other people don't after a while and a lot of in between answers. So OP, you might struggle for years, you might not- but you have to decide if its worth it to take on that "risk."
I tell myself that I might be miserable either way, but I would rather be miserable and happier about my body than miserable and feeling guilty after a binge.
I tell myself that I might be miserable either way, but I would rather be miserable and happier about my body than miserable and feeling guilty after a binge.
I simply cannot eat candy in a reasonable amount and in April 2005 went cold turkey. I see people that claim when they stop eating a trigger food, the urge passes after a few weeks. Not for me. I'd been eating up to a pound of candy daily for 20+ years and it took 4 years before I felt in control of the candy urge to attempt to lose weight.
So the primary binge pattern is gone. However, once I lost 100 lbs and felt I had to cut my calories further to get 20 more lbs off, I found myself falling into a diet-binge type cycle where every 3rd day I'd overeat enough to negate the calories I'd cut. I haven't gained or lost but the behaviour bothers me enough that I've moved my calories back up even if it means I'll remain 20 lbs heavier than I'd really like to be.
In the past I would diet and deny myself of everything I liked. After a couple weeks I would literally eat every single one of those things in huge amounts to account for it-then I'd develop the "oh well-I already messed it up, might as well keep eating" attitude. I've learned that for me, and most others I'd guess, diets do not work. This time around I've decided to alter my whole eating lifestyle. I can eat a piece of cake, I can eat a cheeseburger, however, I can't eat a whole cake, or 3 McDoubles from McDonalds. This time around it's been so much easier for me, and I don't feel at all deprived.
I have not lost my urges to binge. I have maintained a 100 lb. weight loss for over a year and I still have an internal dialogue going on in my head, with regard to food, almost constantly.
I have to keep all trigger food out of my house. This is admittedly much easier now that my children are all adults and have moved out. My hubby likes me to cook for him and will eat anything I make, so he's not an issue for me.
I closely watch what I eat during the week and allow myself more freedom on the weekends. I do always feel as though a binge could be right around the corner if I didn't reign myself in. In the past, I would read posts like this, and it would upset me greatly. I didn't want to think that maintenance was going to be this type of work for the rest of my life. Now I look at it as empowerment. I know what I'm up against, and I've managed to keep this weight off with smart choices and positive self-talk.
In the past I would diet and deny myself of everything I liked. After a couple weeks I would literally eat every single one of those things in huge amounts to account for it-then I'd develop the "oh well-I already messed it up, might as well keep eating" attitude. I've learned that for me, and most others I'd guess, diets do not work. This time around I've decided to alter my whole eating lifestyle. I can eat a piece of cake, I can eat a cheeseburger, however, I can't eat a whole cake, or 3 McDoubles from McDonalds. This time around it's been so much easier for me, and I don't feel at all deprived.
Same here. It has definitely gotten easier for me once I took the guilt out of food. My binging primarily resulted from overly restricting my diet. Now I can occasionally indulge and eat "normally" and know that it won't impact my weight as long as I get right back on track with healthier eating.
Any binges that I may do now (they are very sparse) are usually the result of an emotional trigger that thankfully I can get over quickly.
Thanks for all the thoughtful replies, I appreciate it.
I am of the same opinion as many here, that binging is not a "disease" but rather a habit (I think the same thing about all addictions) and I do not consider myself a victim in any way. I've never had, at any point of my "overweightness," continued success as I've had for the past year, so giving up is not an option, no worries there! I won't give up, I won't go back and I know it's all worth it; just wanted other peoples' perspectives on whether the addiction will ever be truly "defeated" and it sounds like it varies.
There are certain trigger foods that I haven't touched since I started this process in January 2011; however, I still crave them. So it's really not about the food, for me, it's about the behavior. I've worked to "restructure" the behavior into other habits, and I've been somewhat successful, but some days the urge is so overpowering! I hate fighting with myself!
Thanks for all the thoughtful replies, I appreciate it.
I am of the same opinion as many here, that binging is not a "disease" but rather a habit (I think the same thing about all addictions) and I do not consider myself a victim in any way. I've never had, at any point of my "overweightness," continued success as I've had for the past year, so giving up is not an option, no worries there! I won't give up, I won't go back and I know it's all worth it; just wanted other peoples' perspectives on whether the addiction will ever be truly "defeated" and it sounds like it varies.
There are certain trigger foods that I haven't touched since I started this process in January 2011; however, I still crave them. So it's really not about the food, for me, it's about the behavior. I've worked to "restructure" the behavior into other habits, and I've been somewhat successful, but some days the urge is so overpowering! I hate fighting with myself!
Hey, I too am dealing with withdrawl from my trigger food - bread at this moment. Its crazy the emotions I feel, like you are taking away something reallyyyy important, but then I remembered that I felt the same about Nutella. When I think about how my cravings don't necessarily correlate with what my body needs-its just that I am so used to constantly eating refined carbs, to the point of crashing from the sugar high throughout the day-that now my body is probably wonder "WTF Is going on? Where is that bread?" So you are def def 100% not alone.
Happy to report that my eating has become a lot better since I cut out trigger foods.
