I completely undid everything I've done the last week. I found out some sad news that made me search for comfort food like there was no tomorrow. I completely binged on carbs (ice cream, popcorn, etc) I figured I messed up with the popcorn that I mine as well enjoy more before I start back on Day 1...yey...not!

Since stress is part of life, what do you guys do when you are sad/stressed besides turning to food? I know exercise is always a way to destress but there is no way at this moment that I could exercise when I felt crippled when I heard this news. So what other ways? How do I prevent myself from turning to carbs next time I'm sad?

I still run to food for comfort sometimes....I just changed the foods I run to.
Now big bowl of veggies does the trick. If you need "carbs" for comfort, maybe a little bowl of quinoa or cracked wheat salad would work for you? At least they would be good for you.

Right now, when I really feel like eating stuff, I come to 3FC and read and post to newcomers. I won't do that while I'm eating. So far, I have found that doing that changes my direction and I haven't had to eat things that don't keep me in the headed towards of my goal.
When I really HAVE to eat, I just have to use willpower right now and put stuff in my mouth that don't derail my plan. Hard when I super crave junky carbs, but I am finding it does pass.
The other night when I was watching TV with DH and he started into his nightly junkfest and I got to craving, I went to bed and read a book and fell asleep. The next morning the first thing I thought was, "I didn't eat that stuff last night!"
The best thing is that you are here and posting. Just get back on track and move forward.
Most of my weight was lost over 5 years-slowly and painfully. I am a newbie, too, just 6 weeks working towards my goal of healthy eating on SB. I, too, have times I feel it very hard to keep going.

For some time I have turned to food for comfort. Food was always a dependable friend. As I maxed out at 304#s I guess I have some issues. Still working on finding out what they are but what I do know is that I cannot go out to eat & have some super rich dinner when I have these feelings.

What has helped me is to prepare some of the more fancy SB recipes or even ones that I wouldn't normally have. The cooking/prep seems to fill the void and in the end I still have a tasty meal to comfort me but this time it is on plan & healthy.

Probably not the best advice but it's better than chowing down on fattening food.

It cannot be black and white. This is a process. Be kind to youself and get right back on plan.

Remember this is a learning experience, and none of us can expect to be perfect. We all have bad habits, which is why we ended up here. You will have to learn new ways to deal with your stress, and it's trial and error for a while. But you did not "undo" anything. You had six good days, one bad day, and if you don't let it derail you, and get back on the beach immediately, you'll be fine. Some things that have helped me:
Don't keep the bad stuff in your house. If you do binge, at least it will be on the right foods. If it's in front of me, I will eat it. I will NOT get in the car and drive to get it.
Find some South Beach recipes for "comfort" foods. Whenever I do Phase I, I plan to make Taco Bake. It always seems decadent. The South Beach peanut butter cup or warm brownie or NSA hot cocoa usually do the trick if I'm craving a sweet.

I eat some peanut butter on WW bread or the Mocha Ricotta Creme and I'm satisfied. Just pick yourself up and get back on track. We all have days like this. The important thing is to get back on plan.

Great topic, jlh! First, a hug: I'm so sorry you got bad news. But I agree with the others--you didn't undo all your hard work. You just had one bad day. Don't let it turn into more bad days by beating yourself up, okay?

One of the things you can do is post here! Even if you don't feel like sharing the details, you can be sure we will commiserate.

Some other things that can help:

• Connecting with others (3FC, phone, text, e-mail, Facebook, etc.).
• Taking a walk somewhere that makes you feel good.
• Journaling
• Petting your dog/cat/bunny/etc.
• Singing and/or dancing to a song that expresses how you feel
• Taking a bath, maybe with candles
• Drinking a cup of tea, chai, hot chocolate, or something else you find comforting
• Crying, screaming, throwing pillows, or having a tantrum
• Gardening
• Going for a drive
• Chewing some gum
• Reading a book or watching TV to help you escape
• Helping someone else who is less fortunate (sometimes this helps me refocus on all I have in my life to be happy about)
• Working on a craft project
• Doing some activism around the issue that's bothering you (if that's possible...like when I get really sad about animal abuse/neglect, I do some work for the shelter or write letters to my senators, etc.)

Two mantras that help me when I want to eat away my feelings or problems:

"Lack of food didn't cause this, and eating isn't going to fix it." (from our wonderful SBD maintainer, Cyndi)

"Right now, I'm sad. If I eat that jar of peanut butter, I'll just be pudgy and sad." (from a very wise maintainer who was going through a hard time)

Here's to finding positive ways around the hard times!

Thank you all for your tremendous support. I can't believe how great all of you are. I was still only on Phase 1 and I know I needed to keep it as clean as possible. I restarted today. Oh boy..I'm paying for my binge today though. My stomach is all upset. It's amazing how quickly your body adjusts to healthy food and healthy carbs. I feel sick today from all the sugar and bad carbs..yeck! I guess that is a lesson to me.

One thing that I laughed about was when I grabbed a brand new pint of Ben and Jerry's. I ate about a half a cup of it and then immediately spooned the rest of the carton in the sink so I didn't eat anymore. Even in my sad state of mind, I still knew some boundaries. I still ate a bag of popcorn though =\

Lexxiss--I think it's a great idea to jump on here when I'm having "issues". I actually thought about doing it before crashing and burning, but I was too caught up in my emotions.

Mizski--I do love to cook!

Schmoodle--I really want to trythe taco bake. Unfortunately, I cannot keep bad food out of my house since I share it with parents and sister. =\

beachgal--thanks for the hug I definitely threw a tantrum. It did help. I ended up falling asleep from exhaustion. It was probably the best thing since I didn't end up binging more heh. Thanks for all the great ideas. I've never been much of an emotional eater until a few months ago when the bf broke up with me. I usually do the opposite and DON'T eat. I LOVE those mantras. It's so true. After I ate all those bad foods, I felt disgusting. It helped for a minute but then I just felt icky and felt that I just wasted my entire week for a moment of happiness which wasn't real happiness. So then I felt sad about that! hehe never ending battle.

Thank you everybody for your support. I haven't felt this touched in a long time! I feel like an emotional wreck! I almost cried from these posts lol. *HUGS to all*