Why the heck am I eating so much? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

kierr · 03-20-2006, 08:38 AM

The last few days I have had no willpower. the stuff that I have been eating I don't usually have in the house but I thought I had better control than that. I bought some Slim-A-Bear ice cream sandwiches and went through 6-7 of them this weekend. Good grief. I also bought fat free chocolate pudding and now i'm pigging out on those. I am eating snacks where I usually don't in the day and I am too tired to exercise. What in the world? I have been doing so good, been so structured, now the last few days I am eating about 2000-2200 calories a day as opposed to around 1600. Plus no exercise all weekend. I thought it might be PMS but no such luck there either.

Grar! Thanks for listening, I really need some motivation, because when I start to slip I usually slide a loooong way.

just_a_dreamy1 · 03-20-2006, 09:38 AM

Take a look at what's going on in your life right now. Is there stress/triggers that are leading you to the food? What better ways could you cope with them?

Take it one step at a time - instead of putting the food in your mouth, put it back in the box. Throw the box away. Keep track of your little triumphs. Write yourself notes and stick them to the fridge, reminding yourself of why you're doing this and how worth it you are.

Remember you are not alone! You're doing so well, you can beat this!

*Hugs*

futuresurferchick · 03-20-2006, 09:46 AM

Hi Kierr.

You have the power to end this right now. I've done the same thing many times, and what I've realized is, you might as well get back on the wagon because you're gonna have to do it eventually anyway if you want to lose the weight. Cut your losses and just try to stick to your plan again. After a few days you will feel like you are back on track, and it will be easier. You can do this! Put down the pudding!

healthy2b · 03-20-2006, 09:49 AM

kierr, I have had the same problem this weekend. I think it's the weather. It has been really dreary, rainy and dark since Friday. I craved chocolate all weekend and gave into it several times! Today is a new day, even though the weather is still horrible, I'm starting with a better attitude and I will make it to the gym today!

Glory87 · 03-20-2006, 10:11 AM

Sugar used to make me binge, even fake sugar stuff. If I ate 1 fake ice cream bar, I would want 10 ice cream bars. The trick (for me) is not to eat the first fake ice cream bar.

During my last successful weight loss, I switched to eating as many whole foods as possible, cutting out processed foods as much as I could. Not one binge! I think whole foods are just more satisfying and help my body feel satisfied.

I see you are following Dean Ornish - I think he is fabulous. Make sure you are eating enough HEALTHY fat every day - from olive oil, natural peanut butter, nuts, avocado. Healthy fats aid in the absorption of nutrients and are very satisfying. Protein is also very satisfying and helps me stay full. As a former vegetarian, it was sometimes not easy for me to eat enough protein.

Best of luck with your weight loss - get all the bing-y triggery foods out of the house, plan your meals for success and keep GOING!

la3y_un1c0rn_37 · 03-20-2006, 10:17 AM

You may want to try doing this one day at a time
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79375
Try this thread.....it may help.....stay with it you can do it!!!!!

Goodbye Chubby · 03-20-2006, 12:27 PM

I just went through a similar period that lasted for 9 days. I ate about 3 times as much as I had been and wasn't working out. I had been doing so well since January, the best I've ever done in my diet attempts. However, I have a personality that doesn't respond well to self-deprivation and discipline. I really just needed a mental health break. I did decide that I would get back on track today, and I'm fine. I'm right back into my workout/eating schedule and it doesn't feel too hard because I've had a sufficient (and much needed) break. It is a somewhat dangerous practice to deviate from a diet for longer than a day (there's always a chance of backsliding completely) but I could feel that my body wasn't just going through a typical craving, my body was seriously telling me to take a break. I won't weigh myself until next week because I'll just obsess about the number, but I know it will get lower.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that sometimes (after a very long stretch of good behavior) it's ok to compromise between your body and your mind if you can set an end date for the slide and stick to it. Right now, I feel refreshed and far less miserable than I was 2 weeks ago. Granted, this is the first time I've done this in 3 months, and I'm planning at least another 3 months of good behavior. I can't speak for everyone, since we're all different, but I just wanted to share what's working for me.

What's funny is that I've really noticed that I gained weight the past week, but in spite of that I still got compliments from people about my weight loss. Setbacks like this can seem devasting for us, but the weight will always come back off again, so please don't beat yourself up about it. A self-loving attitude will do more for motivation than an angry frustrated one. I wish you the best of luck!

veggielover · 03-20-2006, 03:22 PM

kierr, are you sure you can live on 1200-1700 lbs a day?? that just seems awfully little... I know it'll make me starve!

stacylambert · 03-20-2006, 04:01 PM

I am the same way with snack foods. I can't have just one serving and leave it at that, I just eat and eat until they are gone. It was like everytime I'd walk into the kitchen they'd be there and I'd debate and debate and finally rationalize having "just one more scoop," "just one more handful.." I've learned the only way I can do it is not to keep them in the house. If I really want something I'll go get a single serving. Like a snack back of cheetos, an ice cream cone, etc. Also with the pudding, I was buying the little cups but was going through them way to fast. Now I get the boxes and because I'd have to actually make it, I don't have it nearly as often. Maybe a couple times a week.

Also Like Glory said, once you have sugar (or pretty much anything unhealthy) you start to crave it more and more. If you cut these things out for awhile (ie not have them around), the cravings will probably go away, or at least not be as stong and ever-present.

Good luck

Jman1 · 03-20-2006, 04:06 PM

kierr, I also have no willpower over things like lowfat ice-cream and fat-free yogurt. The only thing that works for me is to not have them in the house! Every now and then I'll have some real ice cream (outside the house) and be better off than if I ate the "healthy" version all the time. Plus it tastes better. :-)

maegdaeien · 03-20-2006, 08:51 PM

It makes sense. If you have been really sticking to your diet and being as healthy as possible, you get bored. You feel deprived. You rebel, and head straight for the chocolate. Everyone has a different way of coping (or not) to this, and you have to find what works best for you: eating a few more calories a day, having a meal a week in which you "can" have whatever you want, or making sure to give in to temptations very moderately. I hope you can find your strength soon and hop back on the wagon!

CheeseBurger&Thighs · 03-20-2006, 09:00 PM

Don't buy the "bad" snack foods! Not even "one cup" of pudding or "one small" ice cream.

I had to learn the hard way that if I bought it, I would eat it- all of it.

So now I don't buy snack foods that would cause me to go crazy.

morrigan · 03-20-2006, 09:08 PM

here here

I ate 5 south beach diet bars the 4th week on WW - don't buy them anymore.

On Saturday I ate an entire row of saltine crackers (over the course of the day).

I keep sensible binges like graham crackers, marshmallows, ice cream, chocolate, cookies out of my house...

but then I have a wheat thins attack (cookies in disguise if you look at the sugar content).

It helps me to line up healthy snacks on the counter in the morning. Salad, apples, fresh berries, water, etc... I have to eat all of them before I can even consider something involving lots of carbs/sugar.

I

kierr · 03-20-2006, 10:30 PM

So many great ideas and so much support! Thanks all for your words! I went to the gym today and did tons of cardio, I'm back on the wagon. I will not buy those trigger foods again, it doesn't help to have them near me. I'm so glad that other people have this problem but I wish none of us did!

Thanks so much!

Glory87 · 03-20-2006, 11:53 PM

I would say this is the reason you get bingy:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...8&postcount=24

You don't eat very much!! Whenever I severely restricted calories/food I nearly always had fits of nearly uncontrollable eating. It used to make me feel so bad - why could I have perfect "will power" for weeks and then have none?

When I started thinking of my body as an efficient calorie storing device with one imperative - keep me from starving to death, my body's actions started to make more sense. If I were a prehistoric hunter/gatherer living off a couple of lousy roots and the tribe bagged a mammoth - what would I do? I'd eat every bit of it and suck the marrow because a hungry body doesn't know when it will get food again.

When I stopped fighting my body and started working with my body, I lost weight without one binge incident. I started feeding my body whole foods, 6 meals a day, lots of fruits, vegetables, protein, healthy fat, nuts, low fat dairy, at least 1600 calories a day and I lost 50 lbs.

When my weight stabalized at 140 for weeks and I thought I was through losing weight, I carefully increased calories to maintain. I lost 13 more lbs!

Everyone's experiences are different, I only know what worked for me. No starving, no restricting. My body had the mammoth every day, no need to eat it all in one sitting at the first chance.