feeling like giving up..help urgently needed =(

i feel so bad today. i dont know what happened. i met a friend (whom i havent seen in a very long time!!) this afternoon and she asked for my help in one school research she had, so i gladly did.. i guess she was being thankful for my time and efforts, she treated me with cheese popcorn and bought a slice of custard cake with me. i could do with that, i still had a few hundred cals for my daily allowance. it was fun talking wth me friend, we missed out on a lot of things so we chatted for a while. when she left, though, i realized that my fridge is broken (i havent been using it for some time, and i forgot about it because i live in a dorm, which wasnt a big deal coz i usually bought food enough for one day or food which didnt spoil easily) and that is a problem--the custard cake will get spoiled if i wont eat it.. so i did. i exchanged it for the tuna sandwich i was planning to have for dinner instead. then i went to do some homework, and i dont know why, i found myself munching on chocolate sandwich crackers. it was a binge, i guess, coz i ate SIX of them!!!!!!!! which is equal to 900 calories!! and then, i just felt sooo bad with myself. i have been faithful with my diet and exercise for almost a month now. and this night's experience is really putting me down. im really feeling like giving up.. but part of says "no, think of all the hard work you've already done..dont waste those efforts in a swish!!" but part of me says "you're 18, young, should enjoy life and stop bothering yourself with counting calories and exercising. have fun!!" im still feeling guilty because i ate a lot. i know this isnt a healthy thing. guys, im really really mixed up right now. i dont know what i should feel. worse, i dont know what i should do. ive recently achieved my goal weight and ive been maintaining it for more than one week now. so i dont know why i did what i did tonight. i know it's not the end of the world, but trust me, it feels like it is.

please help me.. i dont know what  to do now.. im really saddened by things.

=( 

Hey, you've reached your goal weight and you deserve to have a treat. I wouldn't let this get to you that much though. I wouldn't say to just quit your diet all together.

I totally know what you mean, I'm 18 just starting my gap year and cant help but think that I should just be able to relax.

A few set backs aren't going to harm you, you'll get back on track and as you said, you're young, you've got all the time in the world. Just keep repeating that to yourself. Good luck.

You have to just pick yourself up and start fresh today!  Walk an extra mile or two to work it off.  I know you are mad at yourself, we've all been there.  But that is NO reason to give up!!!  You JUST reached your goal... don't let that slip away!  You have so much to be proud of, don't let a few cookies spoil that!  SMILE... you are awesome and getting healthy YOUNG, which is something I wish I'd cared more about when I was 18!  KEEP GOING!! :)

yeah, im really tellin myself that i should just "make up" these coming days.. another worry i have is that as much as im psyched and excited about our coming semestral break at my college, which is next month, im also a bit anxious that id get lost with my diet. you know how vacations are. plus my family are like high-cal (for them more food=better health and nutrition) eaters. so when i come home, every meal is a struggle. struggling to keep portion control and on choosing only which foods to eat, which to avoid.. etc.. i have however convinced them that fruits and veggies are great, so that's one point for me, plus my grandpa has heart problems so most of the time fish is served (pork is seldom, beef is rare in our dinner table) which is good. what im troubled of is the SNACKS. people at my home--they just cant stop eating. and sometimes if i show more concern for my diet than for their feelings, i become rude to them.. and i dont like that to happen.. i dont like to hurt their feelings BUT i also dont want to gain all that ive lost..

arrgghh. all these thoughts and worries are filling my head up. im confused and puzzled and there are so many things i dont know what else to do. well, i know what to do, i am just not sure i could pull them off. im feeling hopeless. ='( 

Yeah, I think you are just stressed out. Everything seems worse when you're stressed. Make a little time to go out and do something fun, like go dancing. You'll feel better.

thanks kerir33.. thinking that im 'brave' enough to think about keeping healthy at 18 is one of the few things that makes me keep on my diet and working out. the past few days have just been tough for me. im starting to lose my before so enthusiastic approach to exercise. i hope it'll get better.

cupidsvictim.. i really wish i could do something about my stresses (yes, i think i agree that this is part stress) but im in nursing school. and i guess u have an idea of how things work at nursing schools. just struggling to keep at least an hour for my exercise daily, just trying to avoid all the fast food around me (im surrounded!!!!) are already big, hard steps. our schedule at school is like hell. now that's one more addition isnt it. phew.

don't give up. It was just one evening. You have done so well up to now. You can continue to do well. This one 'breakdown' is just that - just one. Use this as a lesson to learn from - get yourself prepared with healthier options and/or say outloud - No thanks, I really can't have this, it's not good for me. It will work and you will continue to succeed.

maybe you should mention to your family about this upsetting eating of cookies. Say you appreciate their offer of snacks but after that eposide you really need no temptations. You are stressed out enough without dwelling on silly upsets over food. They may still not be able to resist offering snacks but if it is half the number of offers you usually get you have made your point. it will take time for them to adjust. Maybe if you promise them you would check with the doctor/nurse/nutritionist about your weight if they think you are getting too thin they will be happier about toning down their offers of food. If your family does not have a strong medical/nutrition background it may be hard to figure out how to convince them you are OK.  Sometime grocery stores have community events- say a special diabetic or heart friendily meal plans event hosted with a nurse or dietitian present.  Maybe make going to one a present with some family members. Ask the dietition or nurse, in front of the family member if your proposed weight is ok - that should help calm your family if their cultural expations have them worried about you being too thin.

I have days (and sometimes weeks!) like this. The important thing is not to get so discouraged that you derail yourself. After a bad day I am always tempted to just not log, but I suck it up, log the calories in honestly, and know that the next day when I turn on the computer I have a completely blank food log waiting for me to fill it with healthy choices. I don't let the days carry over, although I know some people will cut calories later or save calories for a big day. I prefer to focus on one day at a time, and if I look at my averages, a couple of big days here and there really makes no difference. Just stick with it!

I'm new at this and not even sure I'm posting this right.  But, I've been there before -- where I've lost all my weight.  Now, I'm heavier than when I started.  So the best advice I can give is to remember how you felt before you lost your weight and how good you feel now that it's gone and your at your goal.  I think if I would have done that a bit more often maybe I wouldn't be back at this again.  You are only 18 and I'm assuming no husband or kids?  It is so much easier to do at your age than it is at mine (40) with a husband and kids.  I think you should also find a picture of yourself before you lost the weight and keep it with you at all times.  That way you can look at it whenever you are having those "giving up" feelings to remind yourself.  Hang in there!