“Once I started, I figured I’d blown it anyway, so I might as well have everything I like”
How many times have you said that?
Be honest, come on.
I’ll help you get started.
I just did it…. Sunday!
Yup, Sunday. I went out the night before, drank a bit, overindulged, nothing major but way more then I normally consume. The next morning I tried so hard to fight that feeling. Normally it’s hard, but boy it’s even harder when you only had 4 hours of sleep and a have hangover with a 2 ½ year old! Slowly through out the day I picked, and picked and picked. Then I went to a movie with the some friends had some popcorn came home and discovered the husband and the toddler ordered pizza. PIZZA of all things. Most of you know about my Pizza Addiction, so I won’t reiterate. Let’s just say, even though I wasn’t even the tiniest bit hungry I ate the leftovers slices. ALL OF THEM.
What is wrong with me?!?
Well after the pizza ‘incident’ I sat down to read a new magazine I found while grocery shopping this weekend called Eating Well. Flipping through the pages of some interesting recipes and pictures I come across an article entitled Change the Way you Think About Food. I thought the magazine was mostly about recipes and preparing food, so I didn’t expect to see such weight loss inspired story.
Anyway, I began reading it and was immediately drawn in. It was the most insightful article about the binge eating cycle I’ve every read. It even described exactly what happened to me Sunday night…
“anytime we see or smell food, several systems kick in simultaneously in various parts of the brain to make sure we don’t miss the opportunity to chow down. The brain’s reward and motivation system gets fired up (“I must have that pizza now!”), while centers of the brain that link to emotion and memory switch into higher gear (“The last time I had pizza, it made me happy!”). At the same time, the brain’s pleasure centers are activated (“Pizza is yummy!”), with the most high-calorie foods causing the most stimulation (“Pizza with double cheese and pepperoni is even yummier!”). The result? Too often we dig in, hungry or not.”
I mean seriously, they even used pizza in their example. It’s like they were writing it to me, about me!
The article goes on to describe, what it calls, the “almost eating disorder” (which I have, without a doubt!). It continues with the science on why we overeat, why diets don’t work and how we can take control. It really is the most comprehensible article I’ve ever seen on the subject.
After I finished it, I just knew I had to share it with you. I immediately looked the article up online and I was EXCSTATIC to find it so I can share it with you! If you ever experienced that cycle of eating just because it’s there or binging because you ‘already overate’ this is a MUST READ!
So I guess you can figure out pretty easily my weekend didn’t go so well. Actually I had a great weekend I just ate a bit more then I wanted to. I did get a TON of work done and I had some fun going out with the husband one night and seeing a movie with friends the other. Plus today we took the toddler out all day and had a blast at the mall. I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend, I just wish I didn’t eat so darn much!
OK, I can’t dwell on it. It’s over. I did it. I’m moving on!
So all this work I’m talking about, let’s see, I finally added a new template to the community, I announced a recipe contest on GreenLiteBites, updated my workout and weight progress pages, and worked on a logo for my new company site (don’t worry I’ll announce it soon.)
After a weekend working on fun stuff, tomorrow is back to work. Although I don’t want to prepare for classes I welcome the set schedule again. I need a little bit of structure to get out of the eating funk I’ve been in since the new year.
Oh! and one more thing before I go! Today I received a note from the gym that I lifted over 500,000 pounds since I started working out in August! And I signed up for a personal trainer! I’ll let you know when I have my first session! Free weights… HERE I COME! :~D
29 Responses to A Must Read For All Those Watchen’ their Weight!
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About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
Sounds like a great article and just in time for what you were experiencing. Oh, and I totally thought of you today, I made and ate 2 more tortilla pizzas. I’m addicted to them!
WOW 500,000 pounds, that is amazing!!! How did they track that?
What a great article, Roni! I saw a lot of myself in it. I’ve often wondered why once I start in on a piece of a junk food, I have to finish it and maybe even go back for seconds long after I’m full. One thing I’ve noticed is that I have this tiny voice in the back of my head trying to convince me that this is the LAST TIME I will ever get to eat pizza, so I have to eat up now. It sometimes helps me to just remind myself that pizza isn’t really a limited commodity…I will have plenty of opportunities to eat it in the future, so there’s no point in stuffing myself to the point of sickness.
Congrats on the 500,000 pounds! That’s totally amazing!
Totally sounds like me! I will definitely read the article. Thanks!
Great article. I do that all the time, though I’m trying to stop. When I get a thought in my head, like “I want a doughnut,” I can’t stop thinking about it until I actually have the doughnut. (That happened to me on Sunday. Guess you’re not the only one who had a bad Sunday!)
Dont forget that when you’re very tired the body automatically assumes your blood sugar levels have dropped and makes you crave carbs and sugar.
Add that to less willpower because you’re tired and it spells disaster.
So me on the article as well. I hate that feeling of getting caught up in a binge, usually before, during, and after, but I still do it from time to time. I like your pick yourself up, dust yourself off attitude!
I work out with a personal trainer on Thursdays – I just love it! I actually hate lifting weights, but I still look forward to my sessions with this gal. Best $$ I’ve ever spent!!
Roni did you ever read “the Beck diet solution” book. I can relate so much to you and your blog and that book for me was the best ever read to do with diets I’ve ever read. It exsplains why we do things with food and ways to stop us.
You are amazing so dont keep beating yourself up.
I’m trying new ways to maintain my ww goal and its hard. The on top of it everyday like you is the only way for me. I would rather maintain than always trying to lose every week after eating the wrong foods.
Awesome article, thanks for the link!
GZD
I have to say that this helps ME sooo much to read this. I know how bad the binging is, but I can’t stress to you enough that just by looking at you and seeing that you are now so thin, that I automatically take it for granted that you have it so easy now. You have lost the weight and won. End of story (to me). And it’s really inspiring to see that you still struggle like those of us who are not at the weight we want to be yet, and not this thin ‘never had a weight problem in her life’ kinda girl that I would truly think of you if I just saw you on the street.
Thank you for all of your inspiration!
Thanks Roni, just looking at the oreo’s and pizza on the top of the article made my mouth water a bit. I guess the only way I can avoid binges is by not letting myself get too hungry. That is hard to do all the time.
Letting it go and moving on, is the best thing you can do. I often think too many people go through the same cycle everyday, thus, never getting back on track. Forgive yourself, but don’t forget.
Kudos on the 500,000 pounds, that’s quite an achievement………….:)
Hi. My name is Sarah and I’m addicted to pizza. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one. Its so bad, that at work, I got my co-workers to recognize “Pizza Monday” as an almost holiday. How true that article is—-as soon as I see/smell/hear about pizza, I need it. I’ve learned to subsitute lean cuisines or smaller portions—and that I can’t order a big one or I will eat it all.
That’s an awesome accomplishment! 500,000 pounds. Wow.
I don’t order pizza on my own anymore since you have identified the pizza addiction. I will eat it somewhere else where it won’t sit in my fridge!
Hey Roni
I got a call yesterday that I MAY, MAY be on the cover of WWld mag for my weight loss. I immediately thought of you since I was SO THRILLED when you made the cover. I must’ve bought 3 of them I was so excited for you! Got any tips, just in case? Do take care and I read your site every single day. You amaze and motivate me to stay on track week to week.
I can relate to that article. I messed up on Saturday and was in the mind set of “I’ve already blown it any” but somehow, I made myself stop. I guess I just talked myself out of the binge. That’s a step in the right direction I think. Another thing is, I’ve noticed EVERY time I go out and have drinks with my friends, I ALWAYS blow my diet the next day. It’s like I’m hung over but still pick everything I can get a hold of. I wonder if it has anything to do with all the sugar in the alcohol? I wonder if anyone else has noticed that?
Those durned day-after-drinking times kick my arse. If I drink, the next afternoon there’s this sudden magnetic force drawing me to McDonalds. I don’t even LIKE McDonalds! Except the day after I drink. *sigh* Stupid endorphins.
I’ve bookmarked the article – good stuff – thanks!
that was a really great article. what clicked for me was the way your trigger foods can send you on a binge because of the way your brain reacts to them. like one bite of a butterfinger can make people go crazy and lead to much more.
it really makes a case for not restricting ones self too much!
Very good article… I know I relate and it’s nice to see the problem discussed so frankly. you are definitely not alone!
Wonderful article! My favorite line, “Nobody breaks a diet with broccoli and cottage cheese,…” is sooo true! That’s what I tell myself every night when I am making the veggie portion of my dinner. I don’t have to worry about making too much. It’s filling, it’s nutritious and most of the time, it’s 0 points ;)
I love Eating Well magazine. I have a subscription and look forward to getting it every other month. The article is a great one ~ I just read it last night.
Yes, I’m guilty of doing the same thing…but not as bad as I used to be. I don’t make a little treat and excuse to binge anymore.
This article was really interesting, thank you for sharing it! I know I have emotional reasons for overeating in addition to the basic wiring and genes issues mentioned in the article. It’s reassuring to think that we can ‘rewire’ our brains and turn that into lifetime management of eating.
Thanks for this article. I definitely need to save it and go back to it often! Fighting that, “I screwed up, I’m done” feeling is probably the hardest part for me.
I actually read a very interesting quote once that really stayed with me (I’m paraphrasing here) “If you were driving down the street and you blew out a tire, would you get out of the car and proceed to slash the other three? Of course not, you would fix the tire and continue on your journey. Yet all too often when we have a ‘blowout’ eating, we elect to ‘slash our remaining tires’ rather than fix our mindset and continue on our way.”
Huh? Are you talking about me? lol…wow…I guess a lot of us go through this.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing this. I wish I would have read this 2 hours ago. I had a 20 minute binge after talking to someone about a major dilemma in my life. I gotta say, the food didn’t make things any clearer it just made me feel worse. Thankfully it was only 5 points worth, it could have been SO much worse.
Hey Roni- thanks for sharing this article! I really got alot out of reading it….if fact, I even took the Quiz that was listed at the end of the article. Thanks again!
-Chris
BTW- I’m hoping it will help me to get motivated to quit playing with the same 15 pounds and get on with the program!
I love the article. So much great information in it! Thanks so much for sharing this.
I can definitely relate to your behaviour. thank you so much for posting that link, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me……i’ve just finished writing my own post after having a binge day myself. It helps to know i’m not alone!!
Hel