Okay, Friday day was fine. I ate a little more than I was supposed too, but it was cottage cheese, so I wasn't too worried. But Friday night I went out, and had about 6 beers, an alabama slammer, and a jager bomb. Oh alcohol, it is definitely my enemy. I had a bite of my friend's sandwich later that night.

So, on to Saturday. I go to the UT-Vandy game, and immediately eat a Polish Sausage on a bun thingy. It was really good, but it was like 500 calories, and not that much food. Then I had a REAL coke with jim beam at the game. Then I bought a bag of beef jerky while we walked back from the game. I ate almost the whole bag except for a few pieces which I gave to my friend's dog. Then I go over to another friend's house where we order a cheese pizza with extra cheese and cheese stuffed crust. We named it. It's called the Fatty McFat with Extra Fat, in case you want to order it. Then I go out and proceed to have like ten beers. Awful.

So then yesterday, I wasn't even hungry by lunch, but my friend was, so we head to Jimmy John's. I get a Giant turkey sub. (The word giant should not be used to describe food.) I eat that, a bag of potato chips, and a REAL Sprite. After driving home, I got hungry and ate 3 fried eggs, two packets of oatmeal, and cottage cheese.

I woke up today, not wanting to cook anything, so I drove to Krystal, and ate 2 sunrisers, hash browns, and coffee. And for lunch a few minutes ago, I planned on getting a salad from a deli nearby. Well I got the salad, the cranberry vinaigrette (which I'm sure has sugar), and broccoli cheese soup. I thought I would save the soup for dinner, but it's gone.

I want this binge to end, and maybe tomorrow I can wipe the slate clean. But I have a feeling that I'm going to just give in to the food since Thanksgiving is Thursday, and I was planning on cheating then anyway. I don't know what to do. I'm fed up with myself, and feel like I can't control myself. I'm already contemplating a hamburger (with bun), fries, and a regular coke for dinner. I just can't help myself.

"I woke up today, not wanting to cook anything"

Mary, I think that might be the key. This diet means constant planning and lots of food preparation. I make sure that my fridge and freezer are always full of really good LC food, veges, meats, LC dairy, nuts. That way I have every chance to eat good food, and have also spent a lot of money on good food that I don't want to waste.

It sounds, also, like your social life is very much centred around eating out. I don't really know how you can deal with that, but I'm sure other people have ideas. I do let my friends know exactly what I can't eat before I go there for dinner, but we don't go out to junk-food joints. Once I've told them, it is a matter of pride to not eat 'forbidden' foods in front of them, LOL!

How about seeing whether they'd like to go to a real restaurant, where you can get meat and veges?

Finally, as part of overcoming bulimia, I'm thinking of eating well as loving myself, looking after myself. Think what a wonderful person you are, how you love living and having a body that you want to maintain as well as possible and fuel with the best foods possible. Go to the supermarket with a list of all the LC whole foods you'll stock your fridge and freezer with, and enjoy the process of buying and then feeding yourself that good food.

Sometimes it helps me if I almost think of my body as that of another person, whom I really love and really want to look after as well as possible. Would you feed a child you love junk food? Think of your 'naughty' self as the inner child and let your inner adult look after it properly.

The booze will send you totally off track, it does it to me all the time.

Vikki

I am trying to overcome binge-eating. I guess I should have said something about that, Lilith. I am well aware of the need for planning in my WOL. It is a mental and emotional problem for me, and planning out what I'm going to eat doesn't necessarily mean that's what I'm going to do. Sometimes I have a breakdown, and go directly off plan, and I'm working on healing my mind to keep this from happening.

I know that my social life is a problem, but if I were to blame my friends, that would be totally ignoring the real issue here. I should be able to have self-control, and I don't. I have told my friends that I can't eat out, and that I have to drink less. However, I make a choice to do these things, and even though I'm not proud of it, it's no one's fault but my own.

I always have a list at the grocery store, and (usually) stick to it. For me it is about binging, and even if they are what you would consider "legal" foods, they are not legal for me, because I have to count my calories.

I will try to think of this as taking care of myself better, I think that's a good way to look at it. I posted this here, kind of just to write everything down, and own what I did. As for the emotional side of things, I am working on that, and have posted on other threads about it.

You should be so proud of overcoming bulimia. I am sure that has been very difficult for you. We have shared some of the same feelings, since I am a compulsive overeater. Thanks for the advice.

Mary

I can so relate to the drinking setting off binges. I use to do this all the time till I found that I needed to lose my weight more than I needed to drink. It was a very hard place to come to, but think of it this way, if you drink and then binge every time, it's not worth it, you have like 15lbs to go before hitting goal, try to get those off and then if you put on one or two lbs from binging, you can soon get those back off again...

WoW... When I blow a diet, I usually think "Well that's that... I might as well enjoy this day" But as it goes into another day, and another day... well then it just becomes punishing myself with food for blowing it in the FIRST place!!! Beating myself up with hamburgers until the scale tries to roll under the counter to avoid me!!!
Then the dust starts to build on the scale and eventually it is so much more convinient to just put it in the linen closet!!!
I get completely out of control.
But obviously you want to stop it!!! So if you are off until after the holiday, so be it. But keep popping on here and get your plan and support all lined out to get back on ASAP!!!
You have lost 20 pounds and that's no small deal!!!
Hang in there!!!

Okay, I'm back on as of about 30 minutes ago. I'm not turning today into another awful day.

BTW, 160 isn't my final goal, I just have found it's easier to give myself little goals instead of looking at my actual goal of 140.

Thanks for the help, and I am going to drink 2 drinks maximum if I go out over the Thanksgiving holiday. Drinking definitely makes everything worse. But the binging is SO important for me to overcome.

Oh, and I've only lost five pounds. Thanks for the wishful thinking, though! Weigh in day is Wednesday!

Mary

I don't know the mechanism, but alcohol seems to trigger carbohydrate cravings. It's odd, as alcohol can only be metabolized via ketosis, but alcohol isn't a normal food for most of our ancestors. On top of the increased cravings, alcohol also lowers inhibition. I think "willpower" is highly overrated, and any diet that demands large amounts of it is likely a flawed plan. Still, there's no sense in lowering willpower by chemical means.

This is your life, your body, and your diet, but perhaps you might want to consider giving up alcohol for lent. Most people find that if they can go forty days without doing something, the desire passes.

In the mean time, try eating a two ounce bag of pork rinds before you take your first sip. The fat content usually stops cravings for both alcohol and carbohydrates. Since they're salty, drink water with them. The water will take care of any real thirst, and will also help fill your stomach temporarily. I know it's easier said then done, but most of on these boards have found the only way to permanent weight loss is through a complete cessation of alcohol.

I am actually TRYING to quit drinking completely. I think I have a very addictive personality. Food, cigarettes, alcohol, partying. I don't eat pork rinds, but maybe something else fatty would help. I'm not as worried about the weight loss as I am about the emotions tied up with bingeing. But obviously that's important too.

I think the mechanism is that fat causes the intestines to realise ckk to the brain, which then binds into dopamine receptors. Anything with good, healthy fats like pork or beef should help to control cravings. Good luck.

Okay, so could I just eat a hamburger patty?
I Fat
I just can't have a ton every day. But I don't drink every day either.

Eating ANY food beforeheand will slow down the absorption of the alcohol into your blood stream. Alcohol, besides triggering that " Give me all the carby junk food I can shovel in with both hands " syndrome also dehydrates you, which rudely enough.. MAKES YOU RETAIN FLUIDS to counteract it.

I dont know the answer for you. Mine is to take the wussy way out and just absolutely avoid the foods that I cant handle. Weak ? Oh hell yeah. But do I care ? oh hell no !

Tough decision to make. I wish you the best of luck with it.

Hey it's me again. I know we've gone back and forth with similar feelings\experiences when it comes to overeating. I know you and I both agree that you need to work from the inside out and not doing that just will keep us in this viscous cycle.

I recently stopped my 2-3 glass a day vino habit. I think for me it has helped a bit. I at least am thinking more clearly now when I go to binge. I did a couple times over the holiday, but not nearly as much as I have in the past. For example after 2 cookies and a couple smaller pieces of cake(this is already after dinner and dessert) I stopped. Usually I would proceed to eat ALL the cookies and if I could get away with it (meaning no one would find out) I would eat the whole cake too. I didn't so it kept the damage minimal. I think if I would've had the alcohol in me I would've been like 'screw it' and eaten whatever and whomever I could've gotten my hands on!!!

Now I don't know what your lifestyle is like. I bartend part-time (friday night sometimes sat.), but I choose to not cut out alcohol completely. Where I live it is sadly enough the center of everything. I wont deprive myself of what I call one of life's simple pleasures (nice crisp chilled white wine in summer and a nice med. bodied red on those cold nights). I simply enjoy my vino. I can cut it out during the week and save it for weekends or special occasions like holidays. I just don't need the extra calories and right now I need the clear mind to get the overeating under control since mine seems to occur more at night when I have the alcohol in my system.

I too seem to have an addictive personality. I quit smoking about 8 months ago and that's when my weight seemed to start to climb. I appear to replace the cig.s with alcohol and food. My binging really went into full force, it was always there, but it didn't usually occur a couple times a week!!! Although I know it would be totally assinine but almost makes me want to start smoking. See? It's like one or the other...I just want to be at a point where I don't need any of it. Obviously I will always need food, but in moderation (I know you know what I am saying)

Just a few thoughts I thought I'd bounce off ya. Hope it helps.

I have considered taking up smoking again too. I'm not going to, everytime I have a cig, I feel so sick now. But it's so tempting, when I'm out, just to keep me from drinking. And when I'm eating, it curbs my appetite.
I went out Saturday, and only had 3 drinks. That's pretty good for me. I'm usually the girl buying shots for everybody. I want to stop because they're totally empty calories. And now I'm trying to keep my calories really low, like 1000. Anyway, I had diet soda with whiskey, which is better than beer, I suppose. I love wine, but I don't think they even serve wine at the bars I go to.

Wow, so you are a former smoker too. I slip occasionally, but yea overall they make me sick. I am fortunate in the fact that where I live there is no smoking allowed in public places (as of a couple years ago) although, strangely enough my hardest time is my downtime...driving, at home (although i always smoked on my deck), etc. When I am out socializing I don't think about it. I have gained at least 10 pounds since I quit, but as I said that's because I always substitute alcohol, food, etc for the cigs.

Being a bartender I am always getting shots bought for me, or buying them for cusstomers, or with friends (most of them bartend part-tiime as well) and for some reason it just seems to be part of the whole life-style. I have been good. Ever since my Birthday (August) I haven't done a shot, or had a martini (another one of my vices), but have stuck to my wine. Most of the places we go to don't have the best wine selection (just not those kind of places) but I usually can find something I like, even if it's just the house. As long as it's dry, I can drink it. Within 2 blocks of my place I have about 12 bars\restaurants and I know most people that work there, so they will place a special order for me or I can bring something for them to keep on ice. I always tip them well, so it balances out and we are both happy.

Only 3 drinks on Saturday, wow that is good. If I have that on my weekend nights out, then I am happy with myself. Lately, that's what I have been trying to keep it to when I go out. Of course 3 drinks doing low-carb kicks me in the booty, but not so much my wallet

Do you drink often during the week or are you pretty good about sticking to the weekends? I really think that staying away from my vino is helping my binges be less frequent and less severe.