BINGEING support group

Hi everyone.

I'm a very healthy eater from day to day. VERY healthy. And I'm quite proud of my diet and my will power. I eat whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy products. I also eat portions of nuts and drink lots of water.

But I have a problem. I'm in university, and tend to go out to the bars on the weekends every now and then. Now, I can deal with a night of drinking, because I can control how much I drink and I dont drink really hefty sugary drinks. My problem is my loss of will power to junk food when I drink. I eat so much... SO MUCH chocolate when I'm drunk! So much that sometimes I feel ill the next day, but of course, I get back on track and dont drop my calories the next day because I know it's unhealthy recoil.

After this rant, I propose creating this group to support and track / log how many days myself and any others interested in joining can go binge free. I still dont mind having small portions of chocolate throughout the day because they might be just 5g portions. I just want to be able to motivate myself to stay on track and not destroy my healthy diet every weekend.

So, I'm going to start out. Since I went all out last night, today is...

Days without bingeing: 1 (I know the whole day hasnt gone by, but I know I'll control it today haha)

Thanks! 

I think I've turned a corner and I am sure that in large part it has to do w/all the folks on this site! I went out for running shoes. found a great pair. I seem to be fine in Day 9 because I'm able to eat some crap and then say to myself no more if I want to get control of this.

I am looking forward to being active this summer. I used to run @ 4 miles/day 5/day/wk. Want to get back to that.

Okay, all, keep checking in and doing the hard work!  

Yay, sharonclaire!  That's FABULOUS!

I overate last night -- chocolate, in bed.  GRR!  Want to kick that diet-killing habit, but have NO CLUE how to do it!  Only really took me a little above maintenance...but because of all the binges, this month averages out to 2000 cals/day...not really conducive to weight loss!  Frustrating!!! 

liora, you are not going to want to hear this. the ONLY way I got rid of my chocolate problem was to get it all out of the house...for a LONG time...months/years??? It is totally addictive stuff. And we are not the only ones with this problem. besides for me it was chocolate and cookies and well, anything that couldn't run fast enough. lol

what would it take to just get it out of the house? is this negotiable w/your significant other?

I have tonsillitis at the moment. They're swollen up so badly I can't even swallow my own saliva D:

This is so gross.

Hey Sharon, I love to run. Good luck! And great job on day 9!

Hey Liora, I've been guilty many of times with eating chocolate in bed. Just pick up where you left of yesterday. You'll be fine.

I hope you feel better Rampantbunnylove.

So today was pretty good. I did an ab workout and lifted weights, but I didn't do any cardio. I doubt I will get any done tomorrow either because we will be on a 8 hour car trip to my grandparents house. I could hop on the treadmill when we get there but I think that might be a little rude. Haha, so oh well. I'm really hoping I'll have enough willpower there.

Days with binging: 9

Hi Sharon and Kae - you two are such inspiriation - Day 9 already!  wow! 

Liora, I have the same type of problem, if it's in the house, I'll eat it.  This week I haven't brought anything that I binge on into the house so when i go looking for it, it just isn't there.  I think I overdosed on veggies though tonite.  I didn't think that could happen!  Oh well, at least it wasn't bingeing!

Feel better soon Rampantbunnylove! We're all here for you.

Days without bingeing: 3

Gonna have some tea and then off to bed!

rampantb: feel better and don't feel that you have to give us all the gory details. lol but DO let us know how you are doing/things are going!!!

kae: you seem like a really thoughtful person! if you can't jump on the treadmill whenever you need to, instead, when you have seconds alone, try light stretching w/deep breathing. it may help keep you focused and make you relax, too, so you can handle pressures.

kikbox: you are going to be one healthy woman eating all those veggies! great job on day 3!!!

kikbox/liora: eating veggies/fruit is what I had to learn to do, too. Now, daily, I eat 8-12 veggies/fruit daily...maybe more some days. Now I can have dark choco chips and chips in the house...wow, couldn't do that a year ago! learning new behaviors really takes time.

me: I lost a pound this week. this is day 10. I started running yesterday. I feel like I am finally understanding how to pull up and out of this behavior. finally, I am 'doing the yyonah!' (does anyone object to this phrase? yyonah? okay w/it? I think it has to mean...feeling of euphoria when one is meeting ones goals???)

People, everyone have a great day. there IS a light at the end of the tunnel!  

I have conqured day four and am working on day five!!!!  This weekend will be a test!  I can make it through!  NO BINGEDING EVEN IF I DRINK!!!

Have a lovely weekend everybody!

You're right, sharonclaire, I DON'T want to hear that!  Lol.  But really, the idea of not having chocolate around literally makes me anxious.  Is it possible to have a legitimate addiction? 

Congrats to all of you!  It sounds like everyone's doing great!  Me, I'm going to TRY really really hard to put into effect some of the awesome relaxation tips y'all had for me this weekend!  I'll allow myself up to maintenance tomorrow and Sunday, I think.  I'm afraid otherwise it'll be another two 4000 calorie days... 

liora, just remember that there is not just one way to overcome all of this. what worked for me may not be the right thing for you! sounds like you have a really good plan, tho, to eat up to maintenance for the weekend! keep us posted! and don't think @ your job!

what do you mean by a legitimate addiction? lol

tlstot, you are really doing it! good luck on your test! :  )

well, okay, I have a family get-together this weekend. it will be brief and I think that I'll get through w/o all the emotional upheavel I usually have, too! we'll see how it ends up...will I still be in the double digits by Monday??? lol

Hey all. I don't post much here but I figured I'd check in. I had one binge-free day this week so far, which may seem like not so good, but one day without a binge is better than no days without a binge, right? We'll see how today goes...

Also, my therapist quit, so I had to find another one. I have an appointment set up with someone new on Monday. I hope I like her and that she can help me. I'm just about dying from all the binging and the depression and weight gain that comes with it, never mind the food bills!

ainedb, welcome! one binge-free day means you know how to be binge-free! you just need to find the confidence to live that! we all speak the same language here...we've all had similar experiences AND w/one another's support, we are all finding our way out of the bum behavior and replacing it w/really positive stuff.

sorry to hear about your therapist but the new one may be better.

we all would suggest to you that you try to get control of just one things at a time, don't get frustrated by the pace...eventually everything will fall into place. AND eat healthy and balanced (when not bingeing) and get some exercise...do you?

post whenever you need to ainedb!

* sneaks in *

Just popping in to say hello and keep up the good work. Feel free to contact me (or any moderator) if there's anything we can do to help!

=^..^= MOLLY

Hi Molly!

Things are going well! We are a great, supportive group! Thanks for stopping! :  )

Ugggh... couldn't get it together this week, but I know the more I think about it and the weight I've gained  the more depressed I get and therefore the more I eat and it's a vicious cycle so I am just going to STOP! Put it all behind me, pick up and begin tomorrow. I've learned from the past that dwelling and beating myself up makes it worse and just fuels the cycle. It's very hard not to do that though.. Sooo tomorrow I will get up in the morning, eat a a healthy breakfast, and go running to start off the day. Weekend mornings are nice to relax and have coffee, read paper, lounge in bed, etc. and its nice but kind of boring! So i think I may use this time for my runs because if I don't fit it in early I end up making excuses and then i don't do it at all.

Just curious, do you guys find that artificial sweetners (i.e. splenda, aspartame, sweet and low) make you crave? I've heard that this is so for alot of people and i was wondering whether there could be a connection to my artificial sweetner intake and my cravings/overeating/binging. Thoughts? Maybe if I cut out these types of foods (yikes! scary!) it may be a bit easier?

Thanks girlies (and guys?!?)!

littlefish, re: the cravings, I have been reading that eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is the right way to stop cravings. I'm sure that artificial sweeteners in larger quantity would have the same effect as white flour/sugar/bad fats. foods made from those things do make you crave more...partly because you end up hungry almost as soon they're gone because there's no fiber to them but also because the sugar and the fat affect us chemically. this does lead to a vicious cycle.

personally, I cut out the store bought pastries from my diet. those three ingredients (bad fats/sugar/white flour) are like poison to the body. not only do the contribute to the big illnesses (high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease but I was just reading that scientists suspect they are responsible for macular degeneration (central vision loss). I don't use artificial sweeteners. They don't appeal to me. So, I use very little sugar daily. It took a lot of work to change my diet...there are so many influences out there to maintain an unhealthy one.

You are absolutely right that guilt feeds the cycle of behavior. If you can get to the heart of the guilt then changing the behavior is simply that...changing behavior. What I found was that I had to really immerse myself in all of this in order to see real changes. I overhauled my diet, began hiking 4-5 miles/day, now I'm back to running (one mile slooowly a few times/week) and I am outdoors whenever I can. Also, I read whatever I find about depression and anxiety (both illnesses are influenced by what we eat!), diet and nutrition, exercise and binge eating. I check in to this site a few times each day because it helps support my goals. I know that as my behavioral changes become second nature, I will rely less on others and yet, people thrive in a supportive environment.

so, really engage yourself in overcoming this, littlefish. I am on day 11 today and know that I will get through it w/flying colors. maybe take your boredom and turn it into immersion in meeting your goals...its worked for me. Take care and hope to see you around here more often! lol  

Liora - I completely understand the chocolate thing! two nights ago when I came home, I munched on a little chocolate, the chocolate I have for my oatmeal, just cause it was there. Proudly ( :D ) I didnt binge or overeat with it at all, but yesterday morning I looked at the bag, and turned it upside down into the garbage can. Mission accomplished!

 

Rampantbunnylove - I really hope youre feeling better. If theres anything we can do, any system we can find of helping you at least decrease or even stop the purging.... let us know. ANYTHING. The purging is not only affecting your spirit and quality of life but lowering your immune system and making things insanely unconfortable and painful for you :(

 

tlstot - how has the beginning of the weekend gone so far? I completely understand you on the drinking part... so difficult to deal with control in those situations. Let me know how it goes, and one thing ive found is just drink lots and lots of water when youre hungry because one of the main reasons you feel so hungry is because youre likely to be quite dehydrated! give it a try :)

ainedb - im sorry to hear your therapist has gone. Hopefully this new one will be just as good or better! And hey, one day is better than none! You can definetly work up from there, its all one step at a time, theres never a quick fix!

Molly thanks for your support :D

littlefish I love your resolve. In the end it is about just picking yourself up and going about a brand new day. About the sweetners.... I honestly think that sweetners may have the same craving effects as sugar. However, I have heard that sugar is experimentally proven to be more addictive than crack cocaine HAHA which doesnt surprise me at all, but I dont personally have as much of a criving issue with sweetened foods compared to sugary foods. Just me though. However, if you do cut them out, I think you may definetly see a reduction in your cravings, as long as you replace them with something else filling and healthy like vegetables (for munching :D)

Sharon - congrats on day 11! I really hope your weekend goes well. Family functions can be tough in terms of food and stressful just in general, but I think you can definetly pull through it!

As for me, I think I overate last night at our formal but only by a bit. I had about 900 calories up to 7pm last night (was running around all day) then for dinner had a bread roll, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, some veggies, probably 6 oz of chicken, and a small piece of cake. Came back at 130, and had two cookies. They were a little higher in the cal count, but it was controlled and just nice to have a treat.

So days without bingeing: 11

Days without candy/chocolate: 0 (its ok:) )

Have a fantastic weekend!

Hey guys! I'm over at my grandparents, and so far so good. We did have lasagna last night, but I just had a small peice and about a cup of sugar free french vanilla ice cream. yummy (: So it's day 11 today? wow! Today we went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch, and I piled my plate with salad w/ fat free ranch. I had a cup of vegetable medly soup. I also had some grapes, a little bit of melon, and a cranberry orange bran muffin. So I did pretty good. Oh and I also stepped on the scale this morning and I was 117! That's lower then I thought I was. I'm feelin pretty good about myself. Well good luck everyone!

kae! sounds like you are doing great! I am doing fine, too. Probably eating more than I want but not overeating. We were out w/family and it was a blast. My niece is a musician and performed her first professional solo and got a standing ovation. She's really talented so we are all kind of blown away. It turned out to be a really great time. I am also working out so much that I guess increasing my calories is fine until I figure out how much is too much!

enjoy the rest of your weekend. It's time for us early birds to get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzs. :  )