Hi ladies,

Just a quick check-in. It has been 4 days since my last over eating episode. One day at a time, right?

I even managed to go out and stay within my calories. I went to an Italian restaurant, I ordered shrimp scampi over rice, had no wine etc. I did have half a glass of Spanish coffee, but that as well fell way into my calorie range.

So things are looking up over here

Today is my 12th day without having a binge! I have not stayed on plan perfectly ,but I have not went to far over my calories or had any out of control food moments! It's a fantastic feeling to have made it this long. I was tempted to stop counting my days since I did eat off plan over the weekend, and then I decided against that because it felt like I would not have been honoring my efforts which would have made me feel like I failed and sabatoged my progress. I so want to be honest with myself and have some accountability. I think I am staying true to those values because I don't feel guilty about looking at my progress that way, so I hope I am doing the right thing. It feels like I am and today went really well. I stayed on plan and with only a little mental struggle about food choices as I was planning meals this morning.

I'm continuing to try not to focus on the future and just keep taking things one day at a time because there really is something so powerful about that. It's keeping me sane and every day it gives me hope because I just have make it through this one day. I hope everyone has a great week! Big Hugs to anyone that has been struggling. And kudos to everyone that has been going strong one day at a time! :-)

Hello, everyone! Sorry I went MIA. I was in New Orleans for the long weekend. Talk about a city that celebrates overindulgence (or at least a tourism industry that promotes it). My plan for the weekend was to share desserts and stop eating when full. I did well on both accounts and came home weighing the same as when I left! Which is strange, because just the richness and sodium of restaurant food, plus alcohol, should have showed up as a few days worth of bloat. But I won't look that gift horse in the mouth!

Mak, it sounds like you are learning a lot and gaining so much strength from it! Congratulations -- it is wonderful to read about how great you feel!

Ilovevegetables, much better to overeat seafood than cheesecake. Like you said, back on the wagon. You can do it!

Tyla, the boots are a perfect reward for a job well done! Wear them with pride!

Sum38, it sounds like you are back in a good place. I truly believe that getting back on the wagon quickly and cleanly is the best skill we can learn!

Mainecyn, I can't remember if you've said that you've tried one-on-one therapy. We are here to support you 100%, but it sounds like you might benefit from guidance from a professional experienced in eating disorders. (I don't mean to single you out -- I'm sure we could all benefit from that, but it sounds like you're in a low place and I am sad for you!)

Good Morning, Everyone!

It's another great day and another fresh start. Let's take advantage of every opportunity to do the best we can. I'm so happy to see so many people on the board today!

Sum, so glad that you're back here with us. And taking it one day at a time is right on point. Congrats on going to an Italian restaurant and staying within your calorie range. That's not always easy to do. Kudos to you!

Mak, that is so fantastic that you're on day 12 now!! I agree with you, that it is best not to analyze too much. That's when we sabotage. Just focus on every day's new journey of eating within your range and exercising. Make that a habit. And just keep going. One day at a time.

7lbs.! It 's so good to see you here!! Wow, you went to New Orleans?!! So glad you had a great time, shared desserts and came back weighing the same. Wow, that's amazing!!

I'm trying my best to do the right thing, but that darn scale won't budge. Gotta move more, I guess. And also have to have patience. I just have to focus on taking it one day at a time and doing the best I can. I went to the library and got the Zumba DVD's and started working out to them yesterday, but they aren't as fun as my class. Tonight is my class, and I'm so looking forward to that. Have a great day, everyone!

Day 13! I made it through another day staying on my food plan. And I started exercising today! I feel like posting everyday has really helped me with the accountability aspect that I need to keep myself honest. Also the support I have received has become such an important part of my journey.

tyla, thanks for all the encouragemt it has really made a difference in my recovery experience! I am sure your patience will pay off and the scale will start moving in the right direction. :-)

Mak, wow, another day on the food plan is so great to hear! What exercise did you do? I agree with you, that posting everyday does help us to be more accountable. I'm so glad this thread is helping you achieve your goals. It's certainly helping me. Keep up the great work! I really want you to succeed! (And you will!)

As for me, I really pushed myself with Zumba last night, and I had a great time! Plus I walked briskly for 30 minutes at lunchtime. I really want to get this weight off. It's all about being consistent, and taking it one day at a time.

Is it too late for me to join?! Can I finish off the month with everyone? I already kind of binged for breakfast, but I'm stopping right now. My biggest issues are dealing with stress and night eating, but food isn't the answer to those problems!

I've done it before and I will do it again! You guys are the best!! I will check in tomorrow to tell everyone how I've fared through the night!

-Hasta luego!

Welcome, Chaselove! I'm so glad you're joining us. All of us here know all about stress, overeating and bingeing. So you're in the right place. We've decided we're going to stop this habit (because that's what it is), taking it one day at a time. We're not striving for perfection, but we do want to change these habits. You've got to replace overeating for some other activity that you like. You'll learn what we mean as you keep posting.

I'm so happy that you stopped overeating after breakfast. Good luck for the rest of the day, and keep us posted on how you did. Like Mak said, it really helps to post daily to keep you accountable. Best of luck to you!! We're waiting for good news.

Good morning!
Tyla, I actually did a walking DVD at home and some exercises with my kettle bell. I have a history of over doing it when I am in one of my phases of punishing myself. I think I finally learned my lesson with that after dealing with a pretty bad case of tendinitis in my right shoulder and elbow joints for the past couple months. It's better now thank God!
So this time around I am breaking another part of my cycle by starting out slowly and only doing things that I can do at this point. I have also decided to chose things I enjoy rather forcing myself to do exercises I hate. It seems to be helping me feel better about moving more and less like I am torturing myself. :-)

Mak, Are you doing Walking Off the Pounds? I do that one, too. It's easy and Leslie Sansone is great! Congrats on doing the kettle balls, too. Sorry about your tendinitis. I agree with you about having more fun with exercise. When I do hard ones, I tend to lose interest fast. Right now Zumba, walking and some Pilates are good enough for me. Keep up the great work!

Here I am finishing Day#14! That means I have made it two weeks without having a binge and for the most part following a very strict meal plan and staying with in a 1300-1600 calorie range. I also have excercised 2 days in a row! I feel like I am actually making some real progress with managing my food issues and feel so grateful for everyday that goes by that I go to bed knowing I didn't use food to comfort myself. I have hurt myself a lot with my binging and punishment cycles over the years, so it feels like such a relief to not be trapped in that cycle anymore. With every day that goes by I feel a little bit lighter literally and figuratively! Sort of like this weight is being lifted just a little at a time everyday,but enough so I can get through each day. And that's all I need is to just get through each day one day at a time. I know that I am never going to magically wake up one morning and not food issues anymore, but what I do know is that I have gotten a lot stronger and smarter about the way I manage them!

tyla, I do use the Walk Away the Pounds DVDs! I love Leslie Sansone. :-)

Mak, I'm so happy that you have now made it to day 15!!!! That's over 2 weeks! That's so amazing! I like your calorie range. Mine is very similar. I think that's very doable, especially being able to go to the higher end of the range on weekends. Good going on the exercise, too. This morning, so far, I did 35 minutes of my Zumba DVD, and later today I'll walk. Did some weights, too.

Thank you for keeping this up. It also encourages me to keep going. I've learned a lot about myself also. Overeating or bingeing to me is always about some negative emotion, so I try to hang around more positive people. (Although it's not always easy to do.)

Here's to a great day!

I'm a long time lurker and very new poster. Do you have room for another? I'm a closet binger and it has become worse now than ever before. I have been binging daily for some time now....I honestly don't remember my last day without a binge. And unfortunately they start in the morning and last all day. I'm in a very dark place and really need your help. I would like to start counting days without a binge. I look forward to getting to know each of you on this journey.

I weighed myself today ,and I only lost 1/2 a pound over the past seven days. I was a little disappointed , but I am trying to still see it as a success because at least it's a lost even though it's just a tiny one. I am not sure what led to such a small loss except that I may not have estimated my weekend calorie intake correctly or I was not careful enough with measuring my portion sizes during the week. I try to measure everything because in the past I would not be honest with myself about how much food I was actually putting on my plate and measuring it helps me to actually be conscious of everything I am putting in my mouth.

In the past having such a tiny loss would have crushed me. I would have wanted to go home and eat everything in sight. Today has been different so far. I have stayed on my food plan and used some different coping skills to deal with the feelings of disappointment. This has helped me to avoid having lowered feelings about myself which always leads to binging. I really want to make it through the whole day without overeating because it will be a big win for me to handle this situation without sabotaging my progress by having a binge! Hopefully I come back later to post that I made it through!

Liveagain, I'm new here to ,and I have been in a really dark place with my food issues at several points in my life, so just know that you are not alone. Reaching out for support was really difficult for me to do, but I am so glad that I finally did. One of the things that really helped me to begin with was reading the post and blog from Mrs.Snark. I believe some of her post are referenced in this thread during the earlier part of the month. Reading her words describing how she has come to a greater understanding of what it means to manage her eating and live a binge free normal life was so inspiring. They gave me hope that I could find a way out of the darkness. And slowly every day I have.

I made it! It's the end of my 15th day ,and I am on my way to bed without overeating! Despite finding out that I only lost 1/2 a pound over the last week, I stayed on plan today! I'm really proud of myself because in the past the disappointment from not having a big loss would have gotten the best of me ,and I would have started to feel bad about myself. So today I am for the first time able to truly appreciate a non-scale victory! I didn't turn to food to deal with a difficult emotion and that's a major accomplishment for me!