Hey y'all, my name is kelsey and I'm 23. I've recently lost 100 pounds over the past 2 years. I was doing really well working out and doing races (triathlons and half marathons), as well as staying on a good diet. I was doing all of this mainly all college, but I have no graduated from school and am living at home. I've also been having severe stomach issues which is making working out harder to do and it comes with a lot of cramping depending on the day. I also have started binge eating way more than I used to and I feel myself constantly wanting to eat icecream or granola bars. I didn't have all of hushes triggers at my house at school, but living with my family I have many of them. I also feel like I cannot get back on my diet and I have gained 20 pounds back. I'm always depressed and mad at myself for binge eating as well. I'm starting my new job Wednesday so hopefully that will give me more of a routine, but does anyone have any ideas on how to get out of my rut and how to lose the 20 pounds and stop binge eating? Thanks!

Hi Kelsey;

Im 23 and also binge every now and then although i also suffer from food guilt so i dnt do it often but the way i try to minimise the damage is by making a list of eveything i have been craving number them 1 to whoever many is on the list 1 being most wanted and eg: 5 being the least then i buy the first 3 items eat until i feel full/satisfied then disgard the rest then do a good hour worth of exercise. I have also found a website called #skinnyrecipes that have healthy alternatives to junkfood such as ice cream, cookies etc that way if u binge on these items instead its not as bad for u. Hope this helps somewhat .

Hi Kelsey,

Hope you're open to a bit of tough love. I'm trying to help you. If you don't take action now, you WILL gain all the weight back, like so many before you. There are no "ideas," just a decision. Decide to get back on the wagon, starting right now. The first few days will be tough and you'll have to white-knuckle it. Make sure you fill your days with activities to ward off boredom. Once you start seeing the scale move back down, motivation will kick in naturally.

Best of luck.

F]

Words of wisdom, freelance (as usual). She's right, Kelsey. If you can say "no" just a few times when you're next tempted rather than giving into the temptation, you will give yourself confidence that you can get back on track. I think this is so important: When we start making commitments (e.g., I will stay on plan tomorrow) and then continually break those commitments, even just a little, we start undermining our trust in ourselves that we can succeed, and it seems that it starts to spiral down from there. So, no matter how hard it is, how much that "inner voice" makes excuses for why "this one time" it won't hurt to eat [fill in the blank], you must power through it. You might end up in tears of frustration---be warned. But ultimately, if you say "no" enough times, you will have "passed" a major challenge of maintenance: staying on plan even when your routine changes (it's that challenge that is my greatest maintenance fear). Don't let 20 become 40 become 60 . . . you get it.

There can be quite an existencial gap when you graduate from college. Ok, you've graduated but then you go back to living with your parents, which can be weird after living alone/with friends/with other students for a while. You want to live in your own way, but you don't have the finantial security to do so. You want to have more control over the place you live and what surrounds you, but you can't. You are trying to start your own life and control your angst levels, but it's hard. That's what i felt after graduating.

Having a routine will help you a lot. Work has many functions and one of them is to organize our schedule and make us do certain things we might not do if we weren't working. Wake up everyday at the same time, eat your meals at the same time, get dressed to go, come home feeling a bit tired which makes you sleep better, etc. Your new job will help you with that. It's also harder to binge if you're doing something all day, then you just have to deal with evenings and nights.

Do you know why you're having such severe stomach issues? Is it possible that what you are eating is causing you to have acid reflux? If so, eating helthier may lower the pain. Exercise is great, but if you can't do it or can only do it from time to time, losing weight will come down to what you eat. Maybe you are being to tough when you set you eating goals thus leading to binge eating. I too strugle with binging and i find it gets worse when i'm out of my routine and being too restrictive in regards to what i eat.

In your shoes i might just aim to not gain weight for a while and eat healthy food until my life is more organized and its easier to lose weight. This may not take long. Maybe its just me, but i find the moment you're living quite confusing and stressful and it takes a lot of adjusting. Sounds like there's just too much to do and to figure out.

You'll be OK. Try to step back from the situation a bit. Be good to yourself...you need to keep your physical and emotional strength up. "Be good" means eat well, and eat enough (probably not a good time to diet until you settle in), but don't add to your stress by overeating.

Take the negative feelings you're having toward yourself and put them where they belong...at the garbage food that makes you feel like crap. Your body and your moods are telling you "feed me well and take me for a walk."

Try saying to yourself "I really don't like binging and I'm craving healthy food and a little exercise."

Hi I'm new here but wanted to put my 2 cents in. Start from now and set mini goals so you can get to them easier. Maybe when you feel like a binge is coming on go exercise until the feeling is gone or go for a walk. Ask your family to help you out by buying good foods that you like and/or maybe ask your family to join you on your walks? Ask a friends to the park and have them walk around with you instead of sitting at home and binge eating? Just suggestions hope this is alright?

I binged last weekend - chinese buffet followed by icecream But I am pregnant and this week has been my first weight gain (weighing more now than when I found out I was pregnant) and as long as the bingeing is in moderation then don't worry about it.

And please don't feel guilty as that is when the vicious circle starts!

If you are worried try something like hypnosis - My hubby follows paul mckennas gastric band and it stops him over eating and then if you do have family around you then you will end up eating less thus not gaining any weight.

I can't top what the others have just said. It's not about can and can't. It's about making a choice. I'm a lot like you. I binge, I crave. I eat to feel better when I'm down. The only person who suffers from those choices is yourself. You have the power to control that.

The stomach issues. First of all, I think it's probably that you can't tolerate the foods you've been eating. I'm a real wheat-free proponent. Cut out wheat first, and see how that makes you feel. I bet it helps you, and maybe the cravings will even go away. Read about it. If it doesn't help, then see your doctor.

So really, the next time you find yourself reaching for that granola bar, just think about this post and put it down. Choose something healthier or ask yourself why you reached for it in the first place. Are you really hungry or are you bored, sad, or just eating out of habit?

Keep a food journal and document everything. Myfitnesspal is free. That can be a real eye opener!

Good luck. You can do this!

Download a book by Josie Spinardi. It is about how to stop binge eating and it is really good. God bless you with success!

I love, love, love this response. I am restarting today, and needed to read this.