AAAAAAAAAAA - I can't stop eating!

OK, so here is a little history.  I started this site on July 25th this year, my SW was 165.5, CW is ~143 (it fluctuates) and my GW is 135.  I am 35 years old, female, my current burn meter says 1670 calories a day.  My goal calorie intake is 1400 - anything below that is too low!  I am 5'8".  I am married with one 8 year old boy.

My problem is this, I have done really well on loosing weight.  It was the easiest thing I have EVER done!  This site made it so easy to nkow what I have eaten and how much I should loose!  Now, I am about 8 pounds away from my goal.  I have not lost weight in about 6 weeks.  I know the reason is that I cn't keep my calories so low.  I crave the things I had given up - I thought for good - and I eat them.  Some of my favorite foods are snicker's candy bars, lemon filled donuts, anything sweet!  I was not depriving myself - I was just not eating them as regularly as I once did.  But now, I have found I am reverting back to my old habits.  I have started getting snicker's out of the candy machine again.  i bring fruits and things to snack on but I don't eat those - I HAVE to have the candy.  HOW DO I STOP THIS?  I want to loose the weight.  I had told myself that I would go on maintenance for 4-6 months - stay at this weight and then try agian.  But I really want to get below 140.  i have come close, just the other day I was at 140.5, but today I weighed myself in the morning and I was back to 143.  I know I should be proud of where I am but it's hard.  I have actaully met my original goal of 145 - so I shoudl be extactic!  But it seemed so easy I wanted more.  I think I just answered my own question.  And here I am eating more lunch - I had a chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-A for lunch and there was left over pizza set out in the break room and I am having a piece of that - it's like I can't stop myself.

I would love some suggestions.  I would like to at least be able to stay within my burn for the day.  What do you guys think?

Well there is no easy or nice way to say this so I am just going to put it out there for you and you can take it for what it's worth.

You stated that loosing weight was easy for you  and you are very lucky for that but now comes the hard part of the battle and that is keeping it off! You have to be able to learn how to eat, what you can eat, what you can't eat and when you should eat. This seems easy enough right?

Well if you are on a low cal diet like you are and you are restricting your diet to the point that it makes you crazy and crave bad food then you need to figure something else out.

Are you working out? If you are what is your fitness program?

I suggest you start a fitness program because this will actually allow you to eat more food throughout the day and still continue to loose weight. Just make sure that you are eating good clean food. Cravings are just a mind game, look at it this way, that one doughnut that you eat is hindering your 2 days of hard work! Is that doughnut worth it to you? Also distance yourself from those foods clear out your house, get rid of everything that will make you weak! Once you get into a good solid routine it will come as 2nd nature.

Also look into alternatives, go buy your self some protein bars that taste like a candy bar. There are plenty of options out there. It's a mind game and you have to get your head into the game.

Where the head goes the body will follow!

Chris R

Another solution is to give yourself one binge day a week and see if that helps you behave the other six days. 

I get where your coming from, I once had a goal and met my goal only to gain it all back.  Last summer I managed to get to 135 and by Christmas I was back up to 155.  Why?  Because I starved myself to get there and when I allowed myself to eat the things that I denied myself for so long, I went crazy and couldn't stop. I have been struggling for a long time now trying to figure out what to do.  I started working out in the gym about four months ago, and sadly enough that didn't even get me the results I wanted.  But I think I have finally figured out what I was doing wrong.  I needed to eat more.  Simple as that.  And the cravings and binges are slowly but surely going away.  I make sure that I eat enough good food, and I don't seem to want the bad, as much.  I'm going to allow myself a cheat day once every two weeks.  I'm new at this but if you need a friend to go along the journey I will be willing to help.  I know how frustrated you are.  I'm there also.  I try to eat 1500 calories a day and I break that into five, 300 calorie meals.  It really works because I feel like I'm eating all day.  I haven't lost anything yet, but I was told it might take awhile before my body realizes that I won't starve it anymore. Anyways, I hope that helped a little.

I love to work out.  However, being a mom - working 40 hours a week just doesn't give me time to do it everyday.  I try and do yoga two times a week but even that is hard.

As far as the cheat day - that's what got all this started.  I was totally doing great - THEN Halloween came.  Since then I have had a hard time getting back on track.  I have tried but it just seems like all the effort is for not.

I know this is the hard part.  I have always had an easy time getting to this point but I have ALWAYS fallen off the horse and gained the weight back.

I desperately want to work out every day but it's hard when my husband is home.  He is a musician and has a very irratic schedule.  I don't know if I feel weird or what but I just can't bring myself to work out when he's home - probably because we live in such a small place I feel like I am invading the space and he's like, well what am I going to do now.

I achieved this with little workout - i need to figure out how to maintain with little working out.  I would love to try the P90X workout - but I don't want ot shell out the money only to be sad when I can't do the workout.  I know he wants me to be healthy it just needs to fit into our lives schedules and recently it just hasn't.

I appreciate the advice - would love to hear more!

My typical day - before the relapse

breakfast - high fiber oatmeal (which I found was messing up my digestive system - can't eat this anymore!) and a coke zero

snack - fruit of some kind, banana or orange

lunch - PB&J on oatnut bread (this would squash my sweet tooth!) and a coke zero

dinner - something that would fit into my calories left over (typical dinner would be one of these: turkey spaghetti, steak stir fry, fried chicken (I know, I know but my husband love it!), chicken stir fry, pot roast)

Now, it's Thanksgiving and I know there will be lots of foods and stuff - I need to get control again.

Original Post by opusanna:

Another solution is to give yourself one binge day a week and see if that helps you behave the other six days. 

 I do not think this is a wise idea, binge is not a healthy work or idea. People who tend to do this never really succeed at weight loss because they go CRAZY on that one day and ruin the whole week of good eats.

Original Post by lmcclngh:

I love to work out.  However, being a mom - working 40 hours a week just doesn't give me time to do it everyday.  I try and do yoga two times a week but even that is hard.

As far as the cheat day - that's what got all this started.  I was totally doing great - THEN Halloween came.  Since then I have had a hard time getting back on track.  I have tried but it just seems like all the effort is for not.

I know this is the hard part.  I have always had an easy time getting to this point but I have ALWAYS fallen off the horse and gained the weight back.

I desperately want to work out every day but it's hard when my husband is home.  He is a musician and has a very irratic schedule.  I don't know if I feel weird or what but I just can't bring myself to work out when he's home - probably because we live in such a small place I feel like I am invading the space and he's like, well what am I going to do now.

I achieved this with little workout - i need to figure out how to maintain with little working out.  I would love to try the P90X workout - but I don't want ot shell out the money only to be sad when I can't do the workout.  I know he wants me to be healthy it just needs to fit into our lives schedules and recently it just hasn't.

I appreciate the advice - would love to hear more!

My typical day - before the relapse

breakfast - high fiber oatmeal (which I found was messing up my digestive system - can't eat this anymore!) and a coke zero

snack - fruit of some kind, banana or orange

lunch - PB&J on oatnut bread (this would squash my sweet tooth!) and a coke zero

dinner - something that would fit into my calories left over (typical dinner would be one of these: turkey spaghetti, steak stir fry, fried chicken (I know, I know but my husband love it!), chicken stir fry, pot roast)

Now, it's Thanksgiving and I know there will be lots of foods and stuff - I need to get control again.

 Your food intake looks very low and I would find it hard for anyone to stay sane on a diet like that. Give working out at home a try It couldnt hurt. You even said

 "I know he wants me to be healthy it just needs to fit into our lives schedules and recently it just hasn't."

You never know he might be happy with you working out and taking charge to make the change. If he dosent then go from there, or just ask him :)

When I started working out at home it did feel weird and I thought I looked like a fool, but now that I have got used to it and my girlfiend has got used to it also it's no big deal at all. It's just 1 hr a day or a little more and she will find something to do for that 1 hour while I take over the TV and the living room. I then let her watch all her shows that she wants because my show is p90x :)

Allow some calories for the "junk" (though not every day!) ...i actually had enough calories left over last night for a cup of ice cream.  And yes, exercise!!!  when i can't get outside or to the gym, I just walk in front of the t.v. watching whatever i want to watch.  I walk for about ten minutes then alternate different leg exercises with walking for one minute each.  get some 3 to 5 pound weights and do some arm exercises...do some jumping jacks...run up and down the stairs...i usually end up with 40 to 60 minutes of a full body workout by the end.  All this with two kids wanting my attention and yes, with my husband in the house.  I started out the first of September at 168, i am now 147.  I am 5'7"...i have been eating around 1400-1700 calories a day, with the maybe a handfull of days over that.  I am not going back!!  But EXERCISE is the key...you have to do it and you have to do it regularly!

Original Post by mdmcb:

Allow some calories for the "junk" (though not every day!) ...i actually had enough calories left over last night for a cup of ice cream.  And yes, exercise!!!  when i can't get outside or to the gym, I just walk in front of the t.v. watching whatever i want to watch.  I walk for about ten minutes then alternate different leg exercises with walking for one minute each.  get some 3 to 5 pound weights and do some arm exercises...do some jumping jacks...run up and down the stairs...i usually end up with 40 to 60 minutes of a full body workout by the end.  All this with two kids wanting my attention and yes, with my husband in the house.  I started out the first of September at 168, i am now 147.  I am 5'7"...i have been eating around 1400-1700 calories a day, with the maybe a handfull of days over that.  I am not going back!!  But EXERCISE is the key...you have to do it and you have to do it regularly!

Totally agree with this post.  When I started my weight loss journey, I made sure to cut down on my snacks and sweets, but not totally cut out.  If you get rid of things you like completely you will start wanting them more and more until you binge on them.  If you don't, and just eat little bits in moderation, you will keep your cravings down and still have enough of a deficit to lose the weight.

Exercise also helps.  If you really want to have something but don't have enough calories left, do enough exercise to burn off that amount of calories for whatever you want and then you'll have your cake and eat it too! (so to speak)

By following this, I started at 266 lbs and am now down below 235, and still going.  It really works, just make sure you don't restrict yourself too much and you should be fine.

Original Post by liftercatcher:

Original Post by opusanna:

Another solution is to give yourself one binge day a week and see if that helps you behave the other six days. 

 I do not think this is a wise idea, binge is not a healthy work or idea. People who tend to do this never really succeed at weight loss because they go CRAZY on that one day and ruin the whole week of good eats.

 It depends on how you do it.  For me, binging means having a dessert with one meal, eating something fried, or eating a larger portion of something.  Even though it results in an extra 1000 calories that day, I'm physically active enough that it gets burned off and I can hold off on the cheating for the rest of the week. 

Just a question.  What is your average precentage at the end of each day?

I find that when my carbs are over 60% for any day, that I crave more junk foods. 
When my proteins are over 25%, I am more able to control my cravings.

I have noticed with myself that when i drink coke zero I tend to crave sweet things more, and it also makes me more hungy.  I thought OOO get rid of my sweet tooth by having a zero but it worked the opposite for me..  So my advice is to cut back on the Coke Zero and try to just have more water and tea.  *shrug* 

WHEN I HAVE DAYS I JUST CAN'T STOP EATTING EVEN WHEN IM NOT HUNGRY -- JUST CAN'T FEEL SATISFIED I EAT THINGS THAT TAKE TIME TO EAT LIKE SHELLED NUTS, SO I HAVE CRACK THEM. I LOVE ALL THE DIFFRESNT FLAVORED SUNFLOWER SEEDS IN THE SHELLS. YOU SUCK ON IT TO GET THE FLAVOR THEN YOU HAVE TO GET THE SHELL OFF AND YOU END UP ONLY EATING THE SMALL SEED. SUGAR FREE GUMS HAVE SOME NEW FLAVORS TOO AND A TICK TAC LEAVES THE SWEET OR MINTING TASTE THAT LINGERS. EVEN BRUSHING MY TEETH HELPS.

coke zero is made with fake sugar, which has been proven to cause urges to binge. so if i were you i'd switch to water with lemon, tea, or something with less of the fake stuff.