I never would have thought I would rely so much on those big glasses of water!!! I was at the mall with my daughter yesterday and she got a pretzel. She is 2 and NEVER finishes her pretzel but wants one every time. The smell was killing me, and I just kept chugging water!!!

Whatever it takes, right?!

Congrats Mamak!! I'm so happy for you! Guilt, for me, is the worst part about bingeing... but I've learned that tomorrow is a new day and not to get hung up on past failures when I've accomplished so much! Way to go

Hi Ladies, I'm on Day 4 and am having a rough day so far! In order to thwart binges I am eating three meals a day with nothing in between with the meals at least four hours apart. WELL...I woke up late, so had a quick breakfast at 9:30, so couldn't eat again til 1:30--well there was a mexican potluck at work. I had brought my lowcal mexican stuff, but couldn't eat it yet. Worst of all, since I was rushing I hadn't eaten enough for breakfast so was STARVING and faint feeling. So not only did I have to miss the potluck, but I almost passed out doing it. I wanted so badly to make an exception since I hadn't eaten enough fro breakfast, but it is SUCH a slippery slope for me when I feel like I've gone off plan. When I finally did eat my lunch it was too much, I was full immediately! This experience is definitely teaching me to plan my food better during the day.

Day 1 - Went good! I keep getting down on myself about how big I've gotten and those negative feelings REALLY make me want to eat everything in site. But I won't because that's what I did yesterday and did it make me feel better? NO :P

I bought yummy stuff (cottege cheese, apples, carrots...) today so the rest of the week should be good to! Wish me luck!

P.S. You gals truly push me to be the best that I can since I know how hard you all work. Thank you for the great encouragement and support!

Day #1 and it went great. I ate a big, yummy dinner, and finished a little under 1500 calories for today. I've noticed when I don't plan my meals in advance (even if it's just a day in advance) I tend to fall into ordering/going out to eat for lunch/dinner. And if I don't properly food shop, I tend to not eat OP either. So I'm not going to really focus on the scale. I want to overcome smaller, important things like keeping with my meal planning and logging my food, eating more fruits/vegs and less empty calories.

Ugh, so that thing about upping my calories? Totally driving me NUTS. I've been binge-free for 17 days now, right? (Side note: whoo, 17 days! ) Well, for the first week or so of this latest string of binge abstinence, I saw really awesome losses--but now my scale basically hasn't budged a bit for like ~1.5 weeks (save for a small gain today, grrr)!! It's SO frustrating, because of course the usual explanation might be that I'm eating too much, but I know it can't be that because I'm eating the exact same things that I ate while I was losing! So like I said earlier, I start thinking Hmm, okay, so maybe I'm not eating *enough*? but when I try upping my calories a bit to make up for the calories I'm NOT taking in from binging, all it seems to do is make me gain!

How can I help but wonder whether one itsy bitsy little binge would help to shake things up a bit, even though I *know* that is a bad idea?! I don't want to binge, and I am so proud that I've made it this long, but it WOULD be nice if I could keep losing, too, y'know? ...I just wish I could understand what the crap is going on! I feel like screaming at my body, "Whatever I have to do to lose, I'll do it - less food, more food, whatever - but you have to give me some kind of clue as to what that is!!" I hate feeling helpless.

fatmad - Wow--what you said about being able to make a binge out of anything? That really hit home. One of my last and most AWFUL binges before my current streak was when I went home for Easter weekend and I essentially inhaled everything in sight for those couple of days... I remember very clearly when I hit the point of having knocked out all of the truly junky stuff in the house, so I moved on to binging on things that I truly don't even like very much, just because it was the only food available!! That just made me feel so pathetic. I suppose you have to go through the low points in order to really appreciate the high ones...

Mama K - Heh, actually, the "guilt trip" really DOES help! I keep thinking of how embarrassed I'll feel if I have to come on here and report that I broke my streak and binged... I've built up such awesome momentum that I don't want to stop now! And wow, thank you so much for all the kind words! It was extremely uplifting to read your post. You rock. And OMG, on a completely separate but sooooo much more important note--CONGRATS ON ONEDERLAND!!! WOOHOO!!! Keep up the good work, girly!

kitkat1985 - Seriously chicky, try not to beat yourself up about it too much. 500 calories' worth of ice cream, hmm--depending on the brand, that's probably, what, like 3 servings? (That is, if you count it in the ridiculous 1/2 cup "serving" that the package says, even though we all know that's bullsh*t! ) So that means you managed to STOP after 3 servings--BRAVO to you!! Ice cream is a trigger food for sooo many people, and we all know how hard it is to make yourself stop once you get started, but you did exactly that! Sure, ~2300 calories might be a little high for your daily intake, but I know darn well that I've consumed way more than that during one of my own binges, and that's in addition to the rest of my daily calories! So all in all, it could be so much worse... Accentuate the positive, y'know? And of course I have to agree with Mama K... Today is a brand-new day, so just put it behind you and be proud of the good choices you made today and will continue to make tomorrow.

PeatrixPotter - Did you say... "MEXICAN POTLUCK"?! Oh jeez, you deserve a gold medal just for being able to be around all that stuff without binging--Mexican food is a huuuge trigger for me, to the point where I basically just have to avoid eating it at ALL. But it sounds like you did a great job planning for the day and sticking to it--even if it didn't seem to work out in the most ideal way, you should be very proud of yourself! I guess it's a learning process, heh, but you have plenty of time to figure everything out. You're doing great!

EsperanzaBella82 - Happy Cinco de Mayo to you, too! And congrats on the 6 binge-free days!! Especially since it sounds like last night, you faced your first biiiig challenge to your willpower since starting this streak--and wouldn't ya know it, you emerged victoriously! WTG! Just keep telling yourself what you've already been saying--if hunger isn't the problem, food is not the solution. That's definitely one of my favorite little sayings that keeps me from binging... When you feel like giving in to emotional eating, it really does help to give yourself that reality check of NO, food is NOT going to solve this!! And I can so relate to your determination, too--that's exactly how I feel right now; my desire to meet goal is SO strong that I actually want it more badly than I want to binge!

Patchmaxnala - Hello! Nice to see a new face around these parts--well, not that it's "nice" that someone else is having problems with binging, heh, but you know what I mean!! You have definitely come to the right place to get support, too, so make yourself at home, chicky! And congrats on day one! Don't listen to those negative feelings--we all have them (or at least I KNOW I do!), but you are absolutely right in reminding yourself that binging is not going to make any of those feelings better, and in fact will probably only make them worse. It's always better to learn from your mistakes than to keep repeating them, so you've already taken a huge step just by realizing that!

My my, I am *awfully* chatty today! I don't know what's gotten into me, heh. At first I really just needed to vent about having gained today, but after writing personals to all of you ladies, I actually feel a bit better now... Funny how I can never seem to have the same positive attitude about myself that I always have about you ladies! But as long as this is distracting me from binging, it must be a good thing, eh?

Day 8 for me today.Big accomplishment.I cant remember the last time I have went 8 days.I started SBD and it has totally controlled my cravings.No sugar or bread for 8 days and counting..........

Hi everyone: its great to see people doing so well.
MamaK: welcome to onederland. Good on you.

Peatrix: when you don't get your calories at one meal, (in this case because of a rush) don't kill yourself trying to get to the 4 hours, if it means you can't hold out for the good meal you planned. This might be a case of eating a little early, to stick with the overall plan. I don't want to undermine your intention, which is really good, to stop the snacking etc.
Good luck with it.

have a good day everyone

Day 9. my daughter woke me up way too early and now I can't get back to sleep. Oh well.

Meredith. You were almost 250 last august? Maybe your body is trying to catch it's breath? Like "whoa, lady gimme a break!" Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for you to just maintain for a bit. No binge, do what you are doing, but don't be disappointed if you don't lose every week. You have lost soooo much. You look great. I feel like people become addicted to losing weight. Like that replaces the food compulsion. I have known people who reach goal and then don't know what to do with themselves so they gain some back so they can continue to experience the thrill of losing.

It seems like you beat yourself a little bit when your accomplishments are already so mindblowing.

So this is my 9th day with no sugar, flour, or snack. Doing the 3 meal a day thing BUT Wednesday I leave to travel Europe for a month and it is sooooo hard there. We will see what happens. No sweets in France? The ultimate test. Even just being in a different town everyday and not being able to cook for myself is hard enough.

I guess I can order burgers and fries and toss the bread when I can't find a good salad or protein, veggie plate.

Anyway. I have gotten ahead of myself.

Today is Day 9 and I am going to stay on point today.

Have a good one all of you.

Hey girls!

Working on Day 7(!) today. After I get through today that will make a whole week binge-free! I just have to keep focused and keep my goals in the forefront of my mind. That sort of mindfulness will get me to goal (and keep me there).

MamaK, I am so jealous of your Europe trip! I went to London for a month when I was 17 to study theatre and it was so much fun! If you can resist sweets in the US, you can resist them in France. Sugar is not an option for you, right? Sometimes what works for me is telling myself I'm allergic to a certain food/ingredient, like sugar, which is actually true in a way. It makes me fat!

Speaking of vacations, I want to go to the Bahamas this Christmas after I reach goal but we'll see. Depends on how I look in a bikini by then. Congrats on reaching one-derland! Great job averting the pretzel! It's those little victories every day that add up and create huge losses.

Peatrix, great job on your 4 days without bingeing. You did awesome with avoiding the Mexican potluck yesterday. I know that you are trying the 3-meals a day plan, but when you are about to pass out you really should eat something small, like an apple. The whole point of losing weight and getting in shape is to be good to our bodies and to become healthier, which it seems as if you have done a great job of as you are so close to goal.

Patch, congrats on getting through the first day, which is always hard. Your groceries sound so yummy! I love cottage cheese, although I hardly ever eat it.

Wormwood, congrats on getting through your first day as well. It sounds like it went fabulously. You have the right mindset about focusing on meal planning and eating more fruits and veggies. Taking care of those things will take care of the scale.

Star2be, you are doing sooo well. As for your calorie situation, though, have you ever tried calorie cycling? Disregard if you already do this, but it is a great way to keep your body guessing. If you want to aim for an average of 1500 cals a day then you could have a week of 1300, 1400, 1300, 2000, 1500, 1400, 1600. Or something similar. That way you can have a day where you can eat 2000 calories and not feel guilty about it like you would after a binge, it's so much healthier than a binge and it will keep you on the losing path. It's a technique I use because my body doesn't have the same exact calorie needs every day. Also, you say you have been eating the same things you were eating while losing. However, your body is a lot smaller now and needs less calories for energy, so maybe you need to cut calories a bit more. Or, like MamaK suggests, you could maintain your weight for a month or two so you can focus on stopping the binges. Your body might want a break. In any event, I know you will get to goal and stay there. You are just that determined. Let us know what you decide to do.

Harris, 8 days is fabulous. I bet you feel sooo good cutting out the sugar and bread. I've cut out sugar and as usual I feel soo much better. Cutting out bread entirely is for another day. I don't eat white bread and never really have because even as a kid I never liked it, but I don't really like wheat either.

Fatmad, hope you are doing well!

Whew! I think that's everybody! Puppy Zach turns 1 tomorrow so I am researching cakes to make for him. Luckily they are all totally sugar-free! Anyone ever make a dog cake before? I want to make his birthday special. It's going to be 103 tomorrow so I'm thinking we'll spend some time in the pool in the evening once it cools down a bit.

A puppy birthday!Cool.If you find a good recipe, pass it on.I have 3 doggies but have never tried to make treats for them.(And I have a boy named Zach,lol)Have a fun party!
Day 9 -no bingeing.I feel really good.No stomach problems.Sleeping better.I hope it lasts.Have a great week all!

Today was day 22. Calorie cycling is working for me!

Stay strong, everyone. We can do this.

WTG on everyone being OP for so long!!

Day #2 and I'm going strong.

WormwoodDoll - Sounds like you are off to a great start with days 1 & 2... I am so proud of you for getting right back on track and throwing yourself into planning everything and just generally being aware of how GOOD it is to keep up the healthy habits like planning, less empty calories/more fruits and veggies, etc. I always forget that those things are SO much more important than the stupid number on the scale! Thanks for the reminder; I needed it.

harrismm - WOW, 9 whole days of no sugar or bread?! Fantastic! I may have given up binging (well, at least I certainly hope so), but I don't know if I could handle giving up my cherished carbs ON TOP of that! I am very impressed with your dedication, girly! And how awesome is it that you're starting to feel the benefits of sticking to your plan, like sleeping better and having less stomach problems? Awesome! Keep up the good work.

Mama K - Yet another lady giving me a few reminders that I really need to listen to! Of course you are completely right; losing weight HAS become somewhat of an "obsession" for me... I dunno, I've just always been one of those people who, once I set my mind to something, I just want to do and be DONE with it--I guess you could say I'm a bit of a perfectionist? I just like being able to finish things, you know? So it's frustrating not to know when I'll meet goal (or IF I'll ever meet goal!), cuz I feel like I want to get there as quickly as possible, but my body doesn't seem to want to operate on my "schedule," hehe. But I am beginning to get more and more comfortable with the idea of maintaining for a bit... Maybe I do just need a rest! Thank you so much for the kind words and the reality check. And WOW, congrats to you on staying away from the junk AND being binge-free for 9 whole days! You are simply fab... And I am not at all worried about your trip to France; I know you will stay strong and get through it just fine!

EsperanzaBella87 - Congrats on your binge-free week!! WTG! And good luck with the puppy's birthday--I just loooove cute animals. Never made a dog cake before, LOL, but I'm sure you'll do a great job. How lucky your puppy is to have an owner like you to celebrate his special day, hehe! And OMG, 103?! I am SOOO jealous of you lounging by the pool... You have no idea! It's not super-cold here or anything, but still not quite as warm as I'd like for it to be. I'm a summer baby (August 5th) and I simply thrive upon warm weather and sunshine.

Also, thank you for the suggestion about calorie cycling! You make a really good point... That is something that I've heard a little bit about, and I would really like to try it, but I'm not really sure where to begin--I'm a student, so I eat off of a meal plan in a dining hall, which makes it *really* hard to know how many calories I'm consuming. I always make very good choices, and of course I have managed to lose weight so far this year despite eating in the dining hall, but it does bug me that I can never be 100% sure what's in the stuff I'm eating--it makes me less likely to want to try things for fear that they'll be packed with "hidden" sodium, fat, etc... Which leads me to be really restrictive (when I'm not binging, heh), which is very bad, too!

But I've really been trying not to have so many obsessive "rules" about what I'll allow myself to eat/eat a wider variety of (healthy) things this week, so maybe that will result in some form of calorie cycling, even if I can't pinpoint exactly what the cycle is, heh. So far it doesn't seem to be working, but I want to stick with it a little bit longer just to see what happens! I have to remember that I have plenty of time to figure this out... Even though I have this feeling like I have to hit goal now now now, there really IS no rush, especially since my weight is no longer a health threat or anything--I'm basically just doing this for vanity reasons now, heh. An it's a learning process!! Thanks again for the advice!

Btw, today was DAY 18 for me--wow, I can't believe it's been so long! I'm proud. In other news, I was on the phone with my mom today and she mentioned that she had sent me a care package (YAY!), in which she had kindly included a half-dozen vegan "everything" cookies from a local bakery she loves (...ummm... *gulp*!!!). My initial reaction was a bit panicky, because I thought, I am going to eat 6 cookies. I am going to end my binge-free streak. Not that I WANTED to, mind you--but it just seemed like I might as well resign myself to it, since there's no way I'd be able to avoid it! But I'm slowly adjusting to the idea and thinking that I really WILL be able to resist the urge to binge on these cookies. It'll be a big test, heh, but I just keep thinking of how proud I'll be if I DON'T binge on them--it's like, this is the final exam for my lesson in learning not to binge, and I want to get an A, dammit!! Hehe.

Jeez, I am still sooooo chatty... Something about these threads really just gets to me! Hehe.

Good morning all!

Working on Day 8 today. I am in awe of Wardhog and her 22 days. I've heard that it takes 3 weeks to make a habit...hopefully that is true!

I have narrowed down the cakes to two different choices: a meat dog cake with veggies and brown rice OR dog cupcakes w/ carrots and oats that I would add mashed ripe banana and possibly blueberries to. LF Cream cheese and unsweetened applesauce frosting on the cupcakes w/ pieces of shredded carrots spelling out the letter Z on top of each one. I'll probably find a recipe I like even BETTER in a few minutes and make that instead. LOL. Zach's presents (stuffed animal chew toys and a zany ball) are wrapped up and ready for his party.

Harris, I'll let you know how the cake/cupcakes turns out. This is the site that I got the recipes from:http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/puppy-dog-cake.html Tell your Zach my Zach says hello. Great job on your 9 days.

Star2be, good luck with the cookies. I remember a person on here had a signature that went something like "I didn't come this far to take orders from a cookie!". I think that is both hilarious and apropos to your situation. I've even used it myself when I found myself mindlessly about to eat sweets.

My advice is to either share with your friends or eat one and throw the rest away. Or if you eat dessert then you can fit one into your meal plan per day possibly. My parents used to send me homemade whole wheat chocolate chip cookies when I was in college and I would always share w/ my roommate.

I am happy to see that none of us are bingeing. I really think this is a behavior that can be changed and eliminated, and is a part of that "lifestyle change" we're making to lose weight and become healthy and fit. As I cope with my binge triggers (stress and depression) in positive ways (drinking water, reading a book, jogging w/ Zach, taking a walk, going to the gym) I find myself more likely to turn to those things when I have a trigger because they are working for me, whereas eating copious amounts of food...well, that is just not an option for me anymore. I deserve better.

The sunshine in AZ is great, but after going to Miami on a business trip for a few months back in the summer/fall of 2006 I want to move to Sth Florida. I am only 26 and have no permanent connections to AZ, so why not? I fell in love w/ the ocean, the people, the lifestyle, the sky, just everything. I am a water person and I need to live by the water to feel whole. Sure there are lakes out here and I have a beautiful pool in my backyard but it is not the same. I am planning on moving to FL within a year. Even more incentive to shed this extra weight.

OK, that's enough jabber from me. Keep up the good work girls. I read every single post and smile when I see how each day all of you celebrate another binge-free day.