Ladynredd, big congratulations to DS on a job well done! This is a great start to his life as an adult.

Also, you are doing well with your attitude toward food. The only way I can do a "one bite and stop" is if I buy a single serving of something, like a candy bar at the check-out instead of a bag of candy. Or a single serve bag of chips, and I only do that on rare occasions. I'm lucky that the treats DH keeps in the house are things I don't like and can easily resist. The best way to influence someone is to set a good example, and hopefully that will happen with your SIL.

Good job Candidcamster! Great before/after pics.

Tranquilize, I lived alone for a while and understand the difficulty in buying and preparing food for one. I had a problem preparing a big pot of something and spreading it out over a few days because if it was something I liked I had a tendancy to binge on it. Sometimes it works to make a shoppinglist and stick to it when you go to the store.

Melissa, after my kids moved out DH always wanted me to eat with him, and I gained 60 lbs in 3 months! The food tasted great, but it took me a while to learn to cook for 2 instead of 4. I was eating all the leftovers! I finally quit gaining, but unfortunately can't get it back off. Hope you have better success than I or your success will influence me.

Ashlirose, I LOVED your analogy comparing food addiction to an abusive relationship. I feel the same way. If I can't eat a small amount of a particular food without it causing a binge, I have to stay away from it completely, no matter what anyone else says or thinks. In time you will get over that guy that you "love" and in time you will lose the craving for that food that is bad for you.

I think if you're going to slip and eat chocolate, chocolate covered almonds are a great choice, especially if it's dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is good for you and so are almonds, but in small amounts. I agree that 1/2 bag is not good.

Mars, I don't have my glasses on and I thought your "B" was an "8". 8 eggs, a girl after my own heart. I LOVE eggs!

ladynredd Wow, I am truly inspired by reading how you handled a very challenging food situation. To me, that's the essence of managing this addiction in the long term--dealing with the unexpected & handling social situations. Congrats, too, on your DS's achievement---Wow! I agree w wannabehealthy about leading by example re weight loss. It's hard to see people we care about struggle with those issues.

wannabehealthy lol! I am a HUGE fan of eggs, and never bought the iea that they were bad for us. I probably COULD eat 8, esp if they were farm fresh!

Time to get all the paperwork chores done that I procrastinated all weekend. Hope everyone has a good start to your week!

Mars, I have loved eggs since I was a child. I switched to egg substitute for a while because I am a heart patient, but the more I read about them the more determined I was to go back to real eggs. DH used to get on my case about how many eggs I eat but my recent cholesterol blood work was very good, and I contribute that to low carb eating, in spite of all the eggs. My doctor was amazed and asked how I got my cholesterol down and I just said "changed my diet" without mentioning low carb or eggs. I didn't want to hear any lectures.

Kindred spirit, wannabehealthy! That's fantastic that your blood work is great! Hehheh, I can just imagine the look of amazement on your doc's face to learn your secret! I too do best with low carb. I'm not sure how much is right but I do know from the last month that laying off sweets is right for me--no cravings, no joint aches. On the other hand, there's a point where, if my carbs are too low, my overall mental functioning isn't optimal.

I love love love eggs. I think they are a perfect food--maybe not 100% of everything we need, but close! I still have a little trepidation about eating too many--just brainwashed, I guess. I usually have an omelette with 2 eggs & some egg white--based on your post, maybe I'll play around with 3 whole eggs. I love farm fresh eggs but usually buy the pasture-raised hens' eggs in the store. They are pasteurized but still really tasty. Worth the extra $, imo.

How do you like to prepare your eggs?

Mars, I love any type of egg. My favorite is over medium...cooked whites but runny yolks. It's hard to get them right. Too many times the yolks get too well done. And with them I have to have toast, so I use Sara Lee 45 cal bread..thin slices, multigrain. DH makes the best scrambled eggs. When I make them, I like to add sauteed mushrooms and some chopped veggies. Almost an omlette. I like hard cooked, but only if they are warm. Also, deviled eggs or egg salad. Pickled eggs with beets. And around Easter I make a Slovak Easter Cheese which is made with eggs and milk, cooked until it curdles and shaped into a ball.

I never told the doctor that I eat eggs, just that I made dietary changes.

For the past week I have not been eating eggs. I have psoriasis and I read somewhere that eggs can cause it to flare, so I am sworn off eggs for 2 weeks to see if there is any improvement. So far there's not much improvement and I don't want there to be because I don't want to give up my eggs.

I don't think low carb causes me an mental deficiencies that I don't already have. LOL I do feel so much better when I can stick to it but I am so weak it's pitiful. Put a roll in front of me and I slather it with butter and eat it before I even realize it.

You are doing very well, I'd like to add. I would love to weight what you weight! Need to be more diligent.

Nope. Not for me. I do most cooking by scratch. I gained all the weight from my first major weight loss on homemade foods - apple crisp is coming to mind as something I made a LOT during that time.

For me it's simple carbs. Of course, processed foods are carb heavy and caloric heavy.

I just got Quest bars at Wegmans last week. I find them edible and definite filling, but not something that would be calling my name and I love that! My plan is to eat one instead of lunch. I then can eat a huge dinner. I love the intermittent fasting that allows me to have a big meal once a day versus a bunch of small things all day that never fill me up. With eating high protein and low carb, I can manage that.

This is the one thing I don't get. Like really don't get. I know I am really off the deep end when I can eat two sleeves of ritz crackers with an entire can of sleezy cheese and eat a pint of ice cream in the course of the afternoon and still want to eat more and still eat a full dinner.

I'll eat a giant size box of Mike and Ike's in one go. It's crazy. Next day it's back at it.

But when I get it under control with going low carb, I can have half in half in my coffee, a quest bar for lunch, and then a big dinner and feel completely satisfied. But if I added a slice of cake to the day? I would then not be satisfied and want an entire additional mean or several slices of cake.

I simply don't get that!!!

I don't do low carb. Fruits and veggies see to that! But I stay away from white breads and pastas, for sure.

I can eat a normal bowl of whole wheat pasta and be satisfied. If I eat a bowl of white pasta, I get this WANT. MORE. NOW. feeling very soon. White bread, crackers, etc. Same deal.

I make my own bread, so it isn't mysterious Big Food additives that are the problem for me. White breads are a downfall. I do MUCH better with breads that have more whole wheat than all purpose or bread flour. I like the taste of breads with wheat more than white, but I can handle smaller amounts much easier. I don't even make Italian, ciabatta or focaccia very often because I know I'll just eat it all.

There's something there.

Oh, my low card is low carb for me. I eat fruit and all veggies. I just stay away from grains. And yes... White bread - huge trigger for me, HUGE!

Well I fell off the wagon this week. The good news is there were no sweets involved. But the last couple of days I lost my focus and felt out of sorts. At first I decided to just up my calories for a bit, but yesterday and today I just plain overate. So now I feel out of sorts from too much food as opposed to the crankiness I often get from too little cals & carbs. I love being in ketosis because of the freedom from hunger, but it's so hard to stick to at social things. I'll step on the scale tomorrow--the reality check helps me to refocus. Plus I'm always optimistic..'it won't be THAT bad'

Ooooh I'm envious! If I et one Quest bar, I need another one or 2 to feel satisfied, except the double choc chunk is almost enough. What flavors do you like? I'm intrigued by your IF/low carb blend. I'd lost weight with low carb/low cal. Ever since then, I eat small meals and am continuously hungry.
Btw, CONGRATS on your great progress that I read on the Daily Check In

Bingo! I don't get it either--must have something to do with those hormones like leptin? THIS is what I think of as my addiction around certain foods.

The Slovak Easter Cheese sounds really good!

Yes, good idea to avoid the lecture! I went to a new internist while I was on my super restricted diet. She ran 12 different blood tests thinking she would find all sorts of vitamin deficiencies. They all came back normal. I stuck with my old MD, who was glad that I was losing weight.

Well, I don't know what to wish for you....Would be nice to find a way to improve it, but that would be a tough one for an egg lover such as yourself. I one had a BF who had psoriasis and he had a lot of improvement in his joints from eliminating red meat. I hope you'll let us know how it goes.

Thank-you so much for those kind words of encouragement wannabehealthy! I would feel okay at my current weight except that my clothes don't fit so great now. If I lost 10 lbs I would be happy with my weight and wardrobe. And I could totally eat that butter-slathered roll, and a few more without even blinking. I have it easy because I am single. I can keep anything tempting out of the house.

Yes yes yes! I think we are at the dawn of time in understanding what that 'something' is. But I find it helpful to read others have it. For years, I ignored it, felt it was just weakness. I even remember my dad lamenting that when he ate those triggery foods he loved, it was as if a light switch was turned on instead of off. More more more--the mantra of food addiction!

I find this discussion of what are the triggering foods to be fascinating. I don't find grains or bread triggering. Or nuts or cheese though I could overeat them in a flash. But I wouldn't keep wanting more as it i with sweets, especially cakes or cookies. I guess I like my grains with a lot of sugar and butter, lol.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

As expected, weight is up. 3lbs. Strange as it may sound, I always feel relieved to weigh in.
Related to overeating, I slept really well last night, until almost 6 as opposed to the usual 4a wake up. My mood is lighter than it's been lately. I wonder if it's the extra carbs or simply the extra calories. I am going to try out more carbs, not the triggering, crazy-making kind! Somehow I need to find the level of carbs that keeps my appetite suppressed but still allows for good sleep, good mood, good cognition, good ebnergy....Fastening my seat belt for the next experiment!

Hello everyone,

I've been MIA but I'm doing ok. I had been on track and then my weight just wouldn't budge, so wouldn't you know it...I started to binge again. Then something clicked and I stopped binging, which is a huge relief since it could last for months and cause a lot of damage.

Lately, though, I've been restricting a lot. I eat under 1,000 calories a day. I know that's not great, but for now, I'm not gonna stop. I think it's ok to do it short term, but I know some of you might tell me otherwise. I'm just so tired of being at this weight. Even on very low calorie, the weight isn't coming off that fast. It makes me realize that if I were having 1500 calories a day (my usual amount for weight loss), nothing would be happening at all.

I'm walking more than 10,000 steps a day...sometimes more. I think the biggest issue is my sleep deprivation.

Anyway, I'm glad to be here. Too tired to catch up on everything I missed.

Wishing you all a great weekend that is binge-free.

Hi luckymommy Way to go re not bingeing. I would love to hear more about what clicked. I hear ya re wanting to shed some lbs. the common wisdom is don't restrict, but the common wisdom so often reverses itself, that I ignore it. We are each so different. If it works for you, great and if not, tweak it until you find just what works. I've found that what works will change over time I sure wish you didn't have to deal with sleep deprivation. Have you ever had one of the overnight sleep studies done?

Fwiw.....the weight will come off at your low cals even without the steps. It might take a while to get going, but it will come off. I consulted a nutritionist a few months ago to get an idea of how many calories I needed. When I told her I had done a less-than-1000-cal diet for 7 months, she immediately lectured me about not going under 1000. She cited the studies about how restricting causes our brains to go on autopilot to prevent us from starvation, like send strong urges to gorge on quick energy-dense foods.

The thing is, there was and is no famine & I'm far from starving. Realizing that fact took away the power of my binge urges during and after restricting. My limiting factor with restriction is poor sleep & concentration. Wondering if you notice any difference in your sleep pattern when you cut cals? I bought some L-tryptophan to try for better sleep next time I do a super low carb, low cal plan.

Wishing you SLEEP... Keep up your great work!

My news is that Thai food has sugar! I ordered carefully but even the soy sauce on the steamed veggies had sugar. I'm pleased at my ability to detect it, but it was after the fact and I really didn't intend to miss a fabulous meal. Maybe I need to rethink things....somehow 'in the moment' I tasted my friend's special dessert and then had more sweets later in the day. So far today I am craving-free....hopefully I didn't awaken the beast!

I think they are totally at the beginning of understanding what has an effect on eating and what doesn't. I'm sure some is mental, but some is physical, too. There's a lot left to learn.

It's hard for me to say whether I want cake because of the WANT. CAKE. NOW. thing or because it tastes so good. I like it so much that I can't say, really. But white breads are a done deal. I prefer wheat, but will crave white more.

I firmly believe that sleep plays a big part. When I'm sleeping enough (on a regular basis), I lose more than when I don't. I work hard on getting enough sleep.

I wanted lemon cake with tart lemon curd between the layers and thick, delightfully popping lemon buttercreamy frosting. I've been thinking and talking about it all day. But I didn't cave. Yet. Day's not over, lol.

If I make it, I will eat the heck out of it, so I'm resisting.