helpppp!

Alright,so for almost two years now I have been struggling to lose weight. For a while I became extremely depressed about it, causing serious bulmia and a ten pound weight gain. Then college hit (of course), but honestly, it saved me. I'm so much happier, but still maintaining 165 (at 5'6.5). I'll take any and all advice. I work out four days a week, and live a pretty active lifestyle.

My bad eating habits:

-I'm a social eater- if others are eating it, it makes it "okay"

-It is hard to demonstrate portion control in the dining hall!

-I am so used to failing I give up easily

-I'm an all or nothing eater, if something doesnt go right, I'm done for the day.

If you can relate to any of these issue, please tell me your experiences and coping mechanisms! thank you!

Ugh, I can relate to three out of four of those (I'm still in HS, but I bet if I was in college I could relate to that one too xD).

- Yepyep, if I'm out with slimmer friends and they're eating more then me it must be okay right? xD I usually deal with this by allowing myself to have some - but account for it in my daily cals. Say they buy liquorice, I'll say "I can have four pieces", make a mental note to put it into my daily cals, and just stick to that four. Not eating around friends is hard, cause often they'll be like "Here, have more, have more", but if that happens I'll just be a bit more firm or say my stomach is kinda upset or something like that (I know, lying is bad, blahblah). 

- Ohmygosh, you've no idea. I lost all the weight unhealthily before, and then when I put it all back on I got so deflated. I would follow for like a week and then give up. When I feel down, it's kind of like 'What's the point? I'll always fail eventually.' When this happens now, I do my best to shrug it off. I look at the positives: I know I'm better equipped to deal with maintenance now. I'm more fit than I was last time. I now know that weight loss will not singlehandedly give me a happy life.

- And yep. One of the hardest lessons I've drilled into my skull is 'It's better to go a little over your cal limit than totally binge'... but SO much easier said than done right? This one is probably hardest for me to deal with. The only thing is, I know my maintenance is around 2400, which is high in my eyes. If I start by going a bit over I'll set a cap at 2000 or 2200. This is still somewhat below my maintenance, and provides a lot of breathing room. 

So yep, that's my experience on those issues. I'm still really dealing with all of these issues though, and I can't offer some perfect solution (no one can ). It's about finding what works for you. Best of luck!!

well it seems like you know your issues.. now all u have to do is change

we are very similar! i've struggled with bulimia in the past as well but have been doing much better.

Social Eating: this is OK. we are in college and are supposed to have fun. however, be careful. if everyone else eats two cookies, don't eat twelve. try to follow the cues of others who have more "normal" eating patterns.

Portion Control: this is tough for me as well sometimes. i try to follow the rule of filling my plate with 1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein, and 1/4 starch. opt for a piece of fruit instead of ice cream or cake for dessert, and NO SECONDS. it also helps to eat and then leave the dining hall, rather than hanging out and talking with friends for an hour.

All or Nothing Mindset: i have the same problem, but i have been trying hard to convince myself that there is a huge difference between going over 100 calories for the day and going over 1000 calories for the day. even if you eat too much at one meal, try your hardest to just get back to normal afterward. you've probably heard this before, but if you overcompensate by restricting too much it will just lead to more binging.

hope this helps! good luck with everything :)