Almost went way off track last night, but didn't.

  • I was definitely at a fork in the road last night.
    I have been counting calories, 1390, which I find keeps me full, and I still see a weight loss. I am trying to learn how to eat, know when I'm hungry, and allow myself to have treats / live life, with out over eating, binging.

    We went out to diiner last night and I had a glass on wine, garden salad with light dressing, skipped the appetizer, two pieces of table bread (darn that bread! lol but it wasn't like I ate half the loaf like I wanted to) and a relatively healthy seafood dinner....I then shared dessert with my husband. But I still didn't feel super guilty. I exercised some restraint (no appetizer, and salad intead of soup, one glass wine), but still had some treats during the meal. I saved 760 calories for dinner last night, which I'm sure I went over. But I could feel I wasn't over eating, if that makes sense, even though that list sounds like a lot, it was a normal sized dinner that someone would eat if they went out. And I knew I wasn't binging. I can just feel the difference, the feelings behind the eating....

    Here's where it got hairy. We went and walked around a book store (we love to read!) and then went home and on the way home I thought about going home and having more wine and all that ice cream my husband had bought (I posted a few days ago that he bought tons of ice cream)...but the feeling was that prebinge excitment...And I had a decision to make. The dinner was ok, a treat. We haven't been out to eat in about 6 months, but going home and eating and drinking was a binge.
    I literally picture myself at a fork (no pun) in the road.

    I went home, watched some TV and went to bed.

    And I feel great today. Guilt free.
  • Yeahhh you!!! that's awesome!!! It's funny we have to know when to stop right? You totally stopped and made such a great choice! Guilt free is what you want
  • Good for you!! I like the term "prebinge excitement." I've never thought of it that way, but I think I enjoy the anticipation of my binges more than the food itself.

    Again....good job out of you!!
  • Yeah! Good job! Great decisions!
  • Wow, I am really impressed!!!!! You did such a good job taking control and making the right decisions!!!!
  • Great job exercising your control.

    I think it's so common to hear people say "... and after a few months of eating healthy I don't even want those bad foods anymore!" that it's easy to fall into a pattern of thinking that just experiencing a temptation is a sign of weakness and failure.

    The truth is that most of us feel temptations and face them down all the time. The best you can do - the only thing you can do - is be stronger than those temptations, and keep your longer-term goals in mind when faced with the short-term pleasure of an eating opportunity.

    This may seem like a small victory - after all, "all" you did was not eat something on one occasion. But it is a huge victory, because in some ways it's the most difficult part of the process - exercising your will. Congratulations! And good strength to keep making choices like this one.