hello all. i used to be a regular lurker here, posting once in a while but not that often. i also went through bouts of posting in my journal here and there but i suck at that. i haven't been around lately but i'm back.
well, i need your help. i got very sick and went into the hospital, and suddenly my resistance vanished and i dove into carbs. i don't just mean here and there, i mean i fully, completely, went into a carb-frenzy that's lasted, oh, for the past month. i don't mean the better carbs, either. i mean sugar, cookies, flour, everything that i had avoided for an entire 8 months.

i guess i thought i could do it without going nuts, but this much is clear. I AM A CARB ADDICT. I AM A SUGAR ADDICT. there is no such thing as moderation for me.

i have also battled with binge eating in the past, and like it says in the atkins book, this is an issue that even low-carbing cannot solve, but at least it helps by reducing cravings. even now i just finished bingeing on chocolate spread and peanut butter on ritz crackers. gross.

i guess my question is (if you've all read this far) is there ANYONE out there who's been in this situation? how did you get back on track? i have gained back all the weight i had lost, plus another 4 kgs. i'm fatter than i was before i started, and none of my clothes fit.

i'm ready to start strict induction starting tomorrow. i just need some support here- i really appreciate it in advance!
thanks for reading.

HI Muricinko!
I been on and off this WOE for about a month now! I was confident and sticking to it about a year and a half ago and got to my goal weight, went back to eating carbs and gained the weight back plus. Being on and off carbs for this month has been a struggle for me but just lowering carbs has helped with the 8 pound loss, so instead of feeling guilty I been trying to look at that as a good thing......because after all I have not gained but lost. So I encourage u to start again and try sticking to it, if u fall its ok we all do, but we just gotta learn to pick ourselves up and start again and realize that at least we have the motivation to realize we need change and work towards it. I have just started back today! These forums are such a great help.....so good luck in your journey and just know u are not the only one starting again. deeray7

Hiya! You're in good company; you're certainly not alone. I know how you feel about binge eating. But at least you know what works for you. You know that moderation *doesn't* work, and you know that just staying away from those carbs helps. Another thing that will probably help you is to address why you binge eat - is it purely because of the carbs? Just a bad habit? Are you lonely, angry, anxious? Those are some of the feelings that used to drive me into the kitchen. Now, I write when I feel like that. I have a private journal that I write to.

YMMV, but do know that you can post here or in your journal. We're here to cheer you on!

Hi Kristine and Deeray7!
Thank you so much for your replies. I really appreciate them. It's so good to know that I'm not alone. I"m going to give this my best shot. And I'm especially going to start to address my other food issues.
Thanks a lot!

Hi! Although new to this forum, I've been down the road you are on. Same here, lost a lot of weight, close to goal and all of a sudden "Whamo" back to carbs. I'm just re-starting after months of soul searching, and yes, carbs......
One of the things I can look back on and say that it might have been a trigger was this unrelenting perfectionism that I suffer from. Four months into the program I got "caught" cheating, felt like a failure therefore WAS a failure. Instead of looking at the eating of carbs as a signal that either some food was triggering me, or my emotional state was fragile, I was judge and jury and pronounced my sentence "well, you failed, you might as well show yourself how BIG a failure you are, so go eat more carbs and proof yourself right!" Isn't that why we binge too? We disappoint ourselves by starting, then punish ourselves by continuing.
Part of my soul searching was to look at how to avoid this pattern, for it will undoubtedly rear it's ugly head again. First of all, when I fall, instead of kicking myself, I want to pick myself up, give me a hug and STOP whatever is roaring through my mind. At home the strategy is to do something different right then and there. I've made a list.....20 min on the treadmill, a walk with the dog, writing a note to some elderly friends, and other such things that make me feel worthwhile and GET ME OUT of the scene of the crime. I've done the same for other situations, driving, with friends, etc etc. I'm hoping to be positive when I slip, after all I easily commiserate about it with others, I don't throw carbs at them why not with myself? Sorry this is so long, but your situation is very similar to mine and I dare say the answer to it is part of the equation of why we want to/need to lose weight.

All the best -