The last 5 days or so have been super difficult. I got down to 261.4 at the middle of last week. And then every day since then I have been eating **** and drinking alcohol. Some of my coworkers had been wanting to go out the last few days, and I can be rather antisocial sometimes (not to mention I'm dirt poor currently as well) so I decided to go out and just let loose. So every day since last Wednesday I have been either going out to eat or drinking, sometimes both. Currently I'm back up to 265.4, but I know a lot of that is just bloating from the extra salt intake and all the alcohol. Going to spend this week being pretty strict and drinking a ton of water to get that extra weight off and still make my end of the month goal!

How To Deal With A Binge In A Positive Way

If you've been on a journey with emotional eating, you know how painful a binge can be. Tell yourself that this is a lapse, it's not a failure. This lapse is a learning experience, we can learn a lot if we allow ourselves to curiously examine what happened with absolute compassion, not with self hatred or harshness. What happened prior to the binge, what was the trigger? Be gentle with yourself as you look at what might have triggered you. Know that this is not failure, it is not like going back to square one. Next pick yourself up, brush yourself off and get back on track. The next time you feel like binging, ask yourself if it will be worth the set back on your weight loss journey. Then do something positive like taking a walk or drinking more water. Try different things to get your mind off food. (MBG/BCL)

Great post, BCL!

I have been bad and been getting on the scale when I'm not supposed to. I think it's just that I am so happy to be in the 150s that I am enjoying seeing it everyday. I will stop eventually!
Weighed in today at 158.4. I am now almost 21 pounds down from where I was in November. If I would've said in the beginning that I was aiming for a pound a week, I would've thought I was being super lazy. But it seems to have happened naturally with weeks of lots of commitment followed by less committed weeks, etc. I should be happy that I haven't been 100% perfect but I am still making progress. It makes it seem different this time. It's not a race - I am really just trying to find my way with making this a real lifestyle change.

brd88
Good job, you are doing awesome. Its sometimes hard to stay the course, but when you do. The rewards are well worth it.

Week 1-4/12
SW: 255.8
GW: 253.8
WI: 259.4
GAIN: 4.4 I went to a Viking festival and ate and drank like a Viking, thank god its only once a year!!!!

Week 2-4/19
SW: 259.4
GW: 254.8
WI: 257.3
LOSS:2.1

Week 3-4/26
SW: 257.3
GW: 252.3
WI:
LOSS:
_______

Congrats on your 2.1 pound loss, keep up the good work. I am proud of you for getting back on track.

Izzy

Exercise: Just 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, leisure time exercise was associated with roughly 3.4 years added to a person's life, no matter how much they weigh, a study published last year found. Regular resistance training could be particularly important, as it not only helps you maintain muscle mass and bone density, but also it decreases your chance of dangerous falls as you age. (EDH)

Good luck with your weigh in tomorrow Britt!! Congrats on your -21 lb. loss, that is a huge achievement!!! I think that they key to successfully losing and maintaining is shifting into the mindset that you described. This is a lifestyle change and weight loss is icing on the cake, in the past I had put way too much emphasis on losing a lot of weight in a certain timeframe and it has never worked. This time I am okay with it taking longer and I do not feel the burn out that I normally feel. This is the most amount of weight I have ever lost and I am almost at 5 months and it is also the longest that I have ever stuck to a plan. You are doing wonderfully and should feel so proud

JK I am sorry that you were having a difficult time, and there will always be social commitments that come up, no harm in indulging once in a while! I hope that you were able to get back on track this week and get rid of the water weight! I did horrible on Easter, my plan was shot to ****! You are doing and amazing job, you can still make it to goal!!!

BCL I liked what you posted about binges. For me, my trigger is alcohol. I just can not drink in moderation so for me that means I limit the times I drink to special occasions. I was impressed with myself that on Monday I was able to get back on plan, Monday was difficult because I was hung over and craved unhealthy food, but I was able to fight the urge and on Tuesday I was back to normal. The part that I struggle the most with is fitness. I know I need to get going, but always find excuses not to. This will be my goal to improve as I feel like the food portion is pretty good.

Jessie way to go this week!!!

SW: 216.2
GW: 190
CW: 216.2

4/1: 215.4 (-.8)
4/8: 215 (-.4)
4/15: 211.8 (-3.2)
4/22: 209 (-2.8)

Got down to 261.1 this month and have a feeling that is as low as I will go. Too many things crept up this month that broke my concentration and made it hard to consistently lose. I'm taking til the end of the month to get back on track, and hit May with a vengeance.

Also, the roommates brought donuts home Saturday morning. And I've had 3 since then. Plus working 12 hours yesterday and 45 hours this past week. Not making excuses. Just mentally and visually seeing where the things are that I can alter and fix moving forward.

Forgot to come in yesterday!

SW: 161
CW: 159
GW: 125

4/2: 166
4/9: 160
4/16: 159
4/23: 157.8

I was doing well until Sunday night, when my fiance's dad came over and made his famous spaghetti sauce. I didn't work out yesterday, so I wasn't supposed to eat cooked food, but I went for it. I don't know how, but that ended up triggering a binge for me after almost 3 weeks without one. I didn't actually eat that many calories, but the binging behavior of wanting to shovel it all in and hiding to take more bites definitely was there. I don't know why, but as soon as I start exercising, it becomes SO hard for me to regulate my calories. I am just SO hungry all the time, and it was like my body was saying this one bowl isn't enough. EAT EVERYTHING! I get that increasing activity means I need to eat more, but I have spent months working out vigorously and eating according to hunger only to lose 1-1.5 pounds per month. That's just really disheartening for me, and I know it's not because I am trying to be smaller than I need to be. My goal weight range is at the top of normal for my height and large frame and I am 30 pounds away from it, so there's no way I am trying to lose too much. It's just very frustrating.

Ok, It sounds like you need to add more water, you should drink half your body weight in water every day. The weight will start to come off. The binge habit is an under lying problem that you have not yet figured out and until you figure out what is really at the bottom of it, You will keep repeating the binge.

There is no habit you can't over come if you set your mind and heart to over come it. Sometimes it a simple what you want most, the food? or the weight loss? You deserve to be healthy and happy so do what makes you truly happy.

Izzy

Hi, BCL:
Thanks for your input, but I already drink 1-2 gallons of water everyday.
I am 100% sure the binging is an emotional problem like you said, which is also what I was told when I was diagnosed with BED. I need to get back into going to therapy, though. Eating disorders are unfortunately not as cut and dry as wanting one thing more than the other. It's largely a mental issue, and I know I need to stop putting off getting help.

Week 1-4/12
SW: 255.8
GAIN: +4.4 I went to a Viking festival and ate and drank like a Viking, thank god its only once a year!!!!
Week 2-4/19
LOSS: -2.1
Week 3-4/26
SW: 257.3
GW: 252.3
WI: 253.0
LOSS: -4.3

Week 4-5/3
SW: 253.0
GW: 248.8
CW:
LOSS:

Nice progress, Jessie!
I am recovering from my personal 3-day "Viking festival" (read: binge), so you are definitely inspiring me to get back on it. I have dropped 3 of the 5 pounds I gained after the binge, so I am seriously hoping to be back to where I was on Sunday by my next WI!