I can't quit sabotaging my progess & I don't know why!! I have been doing Atkins since January and have had great success. I know I would make even more progress if I could quit sabotaging my efforts. The lowest I can remember weighing in the past 4 years is 187. This was after 24 weeks of Body For Life and I felt really good to be at that low of a weight. Then I gained it all back and more. I got back down to 187 doing Atkins and have never felt better. My goal is to get to 160 by March 2004. I weighed 181.5 on Friday and then instead of keeping on a roll and eating right, etc. I totally blew it over the weekend. I overate a ton, I ate LOTS of chocoalte endulge bars (4 this entire weekend). I even ate one of my man's little debbie lunch treat snacks - the small cake and no, I couldn't have just one, I had to have 2!! I need HELP! I am not sure why I am doing this! I am now back up to 186.5. I know this will probably even out to around 183 but man, I was all the way down to 181.5!! Lowest ever. I did this same thing the weekend before too. I was down to 183 or something then stuffed myself the whole weekend and by the time Monday came around I was back up to weighing 187.
I really want to meet my goal and weigh 160 by March and I know the only thing stopping me is myself. I need some advice. Should I throw out the scale & only weight once a month? I use fitday and have been tracking everything since the middle of Oct to try to get back to losing.
Any help would be appreciated

I heard of people on this forum putting the scale in the kitchen or a picture of a fit person on the refrigerator so that they don't snack or eat. Also, people have suggested when you have an urge to snack-clean the house, go for a walk or call a friend for support. Unfortunelty most of us don't get instant results when we are good and follow Induction to the T so I think we get discouraged, give in and cheat. You can do this! Focus and get serious and make promises to yourself. Write down everything that you eat and keep your fitday.com updated everyday. Read labels and ingredients too!

Just read (Iwant to eat) and Rogue suggested eating substancial snacks that will keep you full as well as satisfying dinners.Maybee you should try this( I know I will since I have the same problem as you)....good luck

You need to delve into WHY you are doing this. It can't be hunger, or you would have mentioned it.
At this point it might be mental reasons. Especially since you seem to be triggered by doing WELL. Do you think you deserve a treat now that you've come this far? Do you panic at the thought of changing your life?
Just suggestions. But you definitely need to figure out what's tripping you.
I know when I ate for emotional reasons I'd turn off my brain while I was doing it. Just leaving your brain ON while you reach for the Little Debbie (and I find those so awful to contemplate now) will help you figure it out.

adkpam-
you are right, it definetely is NOT because I am hungry! I was full from dinner last night & still ate afterwards. I am not scared of changing my life - it's actually changed more this past year than ever before and I am very happy (even getting married in June 2004). I don't know what it is, but it is defintely mental. I will think about this a little longer and really try to pinpoint why I do this to myself. I want to meet my goal and am sick and tired of taking two steps forward only to fall 3 steps back! I can do this and will. As of now, I promise to STOP sabotaging my efforts and to follow my plan EACH day including weekends! I will weigh and take measurements again tomorrow - then I am putting the scale away for another month!

We must be twins!! I'm the same way. For some reason, I tell myself it's ok. When it's definately not. But I do alot worse then you. I will go the whole day or weekend with the who cares. I talked to my dr about it last week and she suggested Dr Phil's weight loss book. I'm actually going to start counseling and this is one of the things on my list. I know part of my reason is the comfort of the extra weight. It keeps people at bay But Adkpam brought up a good point, on some level do I not believe I'm worth looking and feeling that good? Keep in touch with any progress.

Congratulations on getting married, m1molly! That's wonderful!
Are you pressuring yourself to be at a certain weight for the wedding? That can be too much pressure!

Hello m1molly and welcome to the forum!

I wouldn't stop weighing-in once a week - that's a good incentive and in your case a part of your self control regimen. It's brilliant that you use Fitday too.

Since your binging always happens on weekends - what is it about weekends that make you lose control over yourself? Are you bored or understimulated? Any social events that triggers off these cravings? Any person you socialise with who snacks a lot in front of you, making you do the same? How about changing weekend routines? Start a new hobby? Just some thoughts...

Best of luck!

/gil

No, not pressuring myself to be at a certain weight for the wedding. I actually bought my dress last month and it fits perfect right now. I'll probably need to have it taken in when it gets closer to the date. I don't know what it is that's making me overeat and cheat, but it's stopping now. Maybe just having a forum to participate in will help keep me on track. I will not be defeated

That's so wierd that this was at the top of the list for this board today.. I've been mia for a couple of weeks now, and I'm falling SO badly off the wagon here...

I have come to realise I'm an emotional eater too... didn't think I was. We've had an especially stressful past two weeks, and I've been binging like mad.. I've eaten sweets, chips, pop, etc... and each time I ended up feeling sick afterwards... feeling bloated and gross.. and each time I say "Oh, this wasn't worth it, I won't do that again" and each time I DO.. maybe I need counselling... but I don't know of any food counsellors, AND I honestly can't afford it anyhow.. that's part of the stress (and the fact that we have less low-carb type snacking food in the house). I need to get back to eggs... I was doing so well on eggs twice a day.. and now I'm a mess.
I'm just whining... sorry.. I guess I'm trying to say I'm in the same boat as you, and I'm not sure either what to do about it... so you're not alone!
Blessings!!!

I found a great thread on this very subject in the "Best Of" forum titled "Self-sabotage: Why? How do you stop?". If anyone else was interested.

My favorite two words on the subject. Doctor Phil.

I've finished his Ultimate Weight Loss book, and can't believe I didn't "get it" until now. It really helps walk you through the whole process of figuring out the traps you set for yourself. Sometimes it's the little things that get you, and not one big, dramatic CAUSE, if you know what I mean.

Maybe just to stay where you are for a while? Wedding, new body, new you--that's a lot to deal with. One thing at a time. I decided not to quit smoking one year when other big changes happened. Worked out ok for me.

Molly1 - in addition to trying to figure out why you're emotionally eating, also cut yourself some slack. Remember - this is a new way of life, but it's not your total life. Food is not something we should obsess about - whether we're being 'good' or 'bad'. It's so sad the way we sometimes color the whole way we look at live by how we're eating. If I've been really good for a few days I'm proud of myself, but I really don't think about it that much any more. If I slip up and shouldn't have eaten the bowl of popcorn after my husband made the whole house smell wonderful, well, that's ok - I'll live after having a bowl of popcorn.

I will say that I make my husband hide the scale in the barn - I use it only every few weeks - if it's in the house I obsess SO much more about food.

Good luck - one small step at a time......