Hello fellow Chicks,

I come to you so discouraged. For awhile now, I have known something must be done about the weight creeping on to my stomach, thighs, (and well, you know... a lot more).

I am only 25, and have spent most of my life as what I would consider thin. About 5 years ago I started slowly packing on the pounds. As of recently, the pounds have piled on quicker than ever.

2 years ago I lost 20 pounds on the South beach diet, I went from about 148 pounds to 128, which was close to what I feel is healthy for my body type. I made this weight loss quickly, in 2 months give or take (with very little exercise), but I did not maintain. I am now my heaviest at 152. I know that compared to many of the goals you have all achieved and been working toward mine seems like a small feat, but to me it is immense.

The truth is Chicks, I binge. Mainly on food but I also have a love (and problem as hard as it is to admit), with alcohol. When I have a glass of wine, or two, at work (I work as a waitress), it is very hard for me to decline fast food (or food in general) at the end of the night. When I fall off the wagon, I fall hard, eating and drinking whatever I want. I have experienced self control before, and I feel, hope, and pray that I can keep myself healthy, and be in control once again!

I am discouraged by the fact that for the past 4 days (like many other times this year), I have woke up with such optimism, eating and drinking healthily, until night falls and I give in to my temptations.

I know that my journey will include healthy eating, plenty of exercise, and slowing down or even stopping my drinking (a hardship on it's own).

I am excited by the amount of support I have witnessed thus far from this community, and have faith that my own strength, honesty, and support from my fellow Chicks will turn my weight loss goals into a success!

Thanks in advance for your support, and best of luck on your own journeys.

Hello chickontherocks, and welcome

I read your post with some sadness and not quite sure how to respond. Yes, your weight is not extreme at this point but you are very wise not to let it become that way and to tackle it now. There is a lot of support here in this forum.

However, it sounds as though you really need to get some personal help with your alcohol problem, and do it NOW. Thank you for being honest about it and admitting it; that is a great start. Do you have a doctor you can go to for advice about where to turn for help? I am concerned for you.

Hi Rocks,

I'm not a chick, but I feel for you. If drinking is a trigger to your eating, then maybe its best to tackle that first.

You know what the problem is and what you need to do. You just need to decide how bad you want it. The only one that can change you is you.

I new for years I was morbidly obese, but until I decided it was time to really tackle it, I failed time and time again. The feeling to have conquered this is so amazing. Not only for the compliments I get, but for my life. Life is good again!!! Its fun, I can do things again.

If you want it bad enough, you'll get it done. You may falter now and then, but when you do, don't get discouraged, just hop right back up and keep going.

Dave

Thank you both for your support.

Misti I appreciate your concern, fortunately I also have many quality friends and family who don't drink and encourage me to keep my alcohol use at a minimum. As of now I have 2 glasses of wine on nights I work (Thurs, Friday and Saturday), and I rarely drink any alcohol on other occasions. I feel that there lies a problem in the fact that it's hard for me to say no to wine on those nights, and also that it lowers my desire to stick to my diet program. Needless to say wine may have to exit my life for awhile!

When I lost the 20 pounds on South Beach I gave up alcohol for the 2 months, and I believe it had a lot to do with how quickly the pounds came off.

This time I just want to be focused less on weight loss and more on living a healthy life full of nutrition and exercise (of course reaping the benefit of weight loss).

Borgie, thank you for your encouragement, your story is inspiring!

Hey girl, I have so much I want to write to you that I don't know where to start! I'm on my cell though so it will have to wait till I sit down on my laptop tonight! Don't be discouraged!! I have been where you are! Now I've had a baby so I'm doing this over again... But I know you can do it!! We have similar stats and goals so I hope we can encourage one another along the way!!

I have the exact same issues.

I gave up alcohol for a couple months until I turned 21(yes I know, under age drinking=bad), and after I turned 21 I started drinking again on the weekends.

Alcohol does a lot of bad things. It's full of calories, it kills your self control and it's a depressant. It's just not good.

The best thing that's happened to me in a while is when I decided to quit drinking again. That was about a month ago I feel great. I have more energy, I'm eating good again, I started cooking and I have been giving my creativity the attention it needs. Overall, I am way better off never drinking.

I just don't do. It's hard to realize things you enjoyed can be the thing that's bringing you down in other areas of your life, but it's something I had to realize before I could even think about beginning my weight loss journey again. I've lost weight a lot of times, and each time I fail for the same reasons. Binge eating and alcohol.

The alcohol was a huge factor in my binge eating and so I'm going at this without the alcohol. It's much easier this way. Easier than it's every been for me and I'm hoping it's what I needed to give myself the push forward.

Alcohol does nothing good. It's a treat, like a cupcake or a cookie, that has empty calories and even worse, it causes you to make bad decisions. It should be treated like junk food, to be had rarely as a treat.

That's my opinion, but I was in deep with alcohol.

I wake up every morning with the best intentions. I do great 99% of the day, but like you, as soon as it becomes night, its pretty much down hill from there. I am always hungry and night for some reason and can easily triple my calorie intake some days.

To try and combat this, I leave as many calories possible for the evening as well as setting out "approved" snacks. It seems to work most of the time and has definently helped

Hey There!

I saw your post and wanted to be very frank with you.

Your weight is NOT your problem.

Your weight is a RESULT of another root problem.

Example: when we see a tree, we see it from the trunk up. We never see the massive root system beneath.

When you remove weeds, you just dont cut off the top, you remove the source.

Take a couple of minutes to write down what has been causing you to medicate yourself with food, and to "distract yourself" from your feelings and problems.

Some people distract themselves with hobbies or substance abuse and others turn to food. It is only when our "troubles" start showing around our waist lines that it becomes an issue.




Summary: One possible reason why you may have gained it back is because you looked at the fruit of the problem, the weight. But you did not fix the root of the problem (whats causing you to stuff your feelings: boredom, pain, loneliness, tired of putting on a show, wanting people to accept you, or not feeling in control)

If you take the time now to work this part out, your weight loss will not only soar, but your new life will stay that way as you learn to love yourself more

You can see how your story is so familiar to many of us.

I know this may sound silly, but if you must be at the place where you tend lose your ability to say no, then how about simply switching things up? Can you drink a club soda with lime and still feel like you're enjoying an adult beverage? Can you put Diet Coke or lemonade or apple juice into a wine glass and enjoy it at the end of your work shift?

Try to determine if it's the alcohol you're into, or the social buzz you get from winding down with a glass or two after work. If it's the social buzz, then put something else in that glass and sip away! If there's some sort of peer pressure going on (or internal pressure), no one has to know. Just try it once, and you might just realize that you get the same satisfaction as you find in a Chardonnay.

Best to you...

well, everyone's already said tons of good stuff

I would suggest giving up alcohol for 30 days and just kind of seeing how it goes. Maybe it could help you get back on track! Good luck to you! Hope to see you around! We have a similar height and weight, hopefully we can encourage one another!!

I agree with the great advice from Blarney. I don't drink alcohol at all and when I go out I will order seltzer with fresh lime or lemon... it's great. I don't even drink Diet Coke (don't eat fake sugar and try to avoid chemicals). Have also ordered 7-Up and orange juice; another good one, although I limit that because of the sugar. But you can still enjoy the socializing without the alcohol.

You are on the right track. The mare fact that you recognize your problem and are trying to do something about it is the first step to success. You have come to the right place. I agree with all the advice above. Keep digging till you get to the root of the problem and you will watch your weight melt down. Don’t be discouraged and don’t beat yourself up just love yourself for caring about yourself.
Lucy

I’m new here as well, and I can totally relate!

Night can be the diet killer, it seems— my friends and I go to the pub regularly (2-3 times a week) and I find it hard to say no to beer and food when it seems like everyone else is enjoying it. Sigh.

I disagree with the first poster- while it isn’t ideal, I don’t see 1-2 glasses of wine a few times a week as a major “alcohol problem” (it’s not like you’re sitting around your apartment drinking a 12 bottles of beer and a bottle of whiskey every day)...

I didn’t drink at all for the month of July, and it was a doable challenge- but not one I am committed to upholding at this point.

While I probably shouldn’t be the one offering advice, my personal plan for now is to work a few alcoholic treats into my schedule—in moderation.
People are always talking about the benefits of red wine— so I don’t see much harm in one glass (savoured slowly), about twice a week. Gin and soda water and a lime wedge is also a low calorie option (though without any benefits).

I know that everyone is different, and some people need to go “all or nothing”—but cold turkey seems too extreme for me.

Best of luck!

Thank you all for your ideas and encouragement. I'm on my second day of clean eating and exercise! It's amazing, even after only 2 days I feel a lot better (physically and emotionally). I'm going to try the soda water and lime when the weekend comes, somebody in this thread made me realize it could just be the social interaction more than the wine that I enjoy.

I'm open to making any buddies on the site, good luck all!