THis morning I realized I was trying to lose my weight with someone else's "formula". Clearly, it's not been working. So, I decided to play to my strengths, starting today. I am one of those people who like to have not only a Plan B, but a backup plan for when (not if) things go wrong. Since I am so OCD about that and it works in the rest of my life, why not do it on my weight loss journey? So, I looked up SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (Rewards)) and drew up a "action plan" for the next several weeks. I'm giving it a try, starting tomorrow.

Today I have done well considering I have been in "homemade" therapy. My brother and I have been working together to deal with several childhood issues, including abuse and neglect. It has been rough road, but since neither of us can afford therapy, we are working our way through our issues. He has helped me on some and I have helped him on some and together we are slowly conquering our compulsive and destructive eating habits.

Today, I managed to clean, not eat my way though my issues and today's challenge was a tough one. I believe I am starting my way out of the fog and I have finally realized the abuse and neglect was not because of anything I or my brother did. Rather, it ws the continuation of another generation of abuse. For the first time ever, I have hope that this issue will reslove itself. It is especailly difficult, because both my parents are dead and most of our family knew nothing about our childhood.

In any event, I truly believe I am coming out of this and moving forward.
Tomorrow will be a new beginning and I am looking forward to it!

I'm sorry you and your brother had to go through so much. It's great though that you are trying to find other ways to cope with your issues other than food.

Learning some new coping skills really helped me lose my weight. By the time I got to maintenance they had become habits.

Would you be willing to share some of your coping skills and methods? I would apprecaite it. Thanks for the encouraging words!

One thing I learned to do to help me cope with stress and anxiety was to learn to knit. The repetitive motion is really soothing. Also, since both hands are busy with yarn and needles I can't use them to eat! I knit these squares and give them to a lady who makes them into blankets for vets returning from Iraq.

When I feel upset or angry I put on my sneakers and either go for a walk or do a Leslie Sansone dvd. The treadmill also works great for this too.

My favorite coping mechanism is drinking tea. I drink Diet Snapple like crazy during the day and decaf hot tea in the evening. This coping mechanism requires a bathroom.

Love your user name btw! Congrats on five years and I wish you many more.

Hi, 5years. My brother and I were both abused and neglected by my dad and we are dealing with similar issues. We work on them together and try not to continue the cycle of abuse. My brother needs to lose 200 pounds and I need to lose 100 pounds. It has been a long road to realizing what I needed to change in my thought process to stop feeling pan (and there are still some issues) but you can do it. I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone. Feel free to message me anytime if you want to talk. I wish you well.