ferrarri Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I just want to apologize for typing such a long post, but I really need some advice. So this was my first whole 30. I decided to try it to see if I could finally lose some weight that I gained my first year of college. Keep in mind that I'm also an athlete. I play college soccer and I also just started crossfit and Olympic weight lifting. Anyways, I just finished my whole 30 on Thursday. However, when I tried to do the reintroduction phase I failed terribly. I went on a sugar eating binge and did the same thing today. It's weird because I've never really binged on anything before until I came to college. It all started last year with a jar of peanut butter. I would just wear spoonfuls of it without stoping. I also have a history of OCD and depression as well. Basically, eating has been a constant struggle for me. Before my transition to be healthier I didn't worry about what I ate as much and I was the skinniest I ever was. It was like once I started to become more healthy and knowledgable about what I ate, is when the binge eating and the weight started to come. I just don't know what to do. It seems like the more I restrict food, the more likely I am to binge. All I want is balance. I want to lose body fat, but in a way that's healthy and helps me keep my sanity. The only thing is I know losing body fat means cutting down the sugar and I'm afraid that I will binge. The whole 30 really did help me in ways I can't explain, but since I have a chronic problem with anxiety, I don't know if it's the best thing for me to do. Any advice, tips, etc. on what to eat and what to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 You're so honest and upfront. I respect that very much. I'm not a professional but there are some mentor/moderators here that are. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejulian Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Ferrarri, your story sounds a lot like mine! If you'd like, you can PM me & we can chat :-) I don't claim to have stuff all figured out- I still struggle- but I think it's getting easier & I have some ideas that I'd love to bounce off of someone in a similar situation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted August 16, 2014 Moderators Share Posted August 16, 2014 It sounds like you tend to use food to help manage stress and anxiety. Lots of people do. Then when you do a Whole30, you take away coping strategies - food as relief, comfort, reward, distraction, etc - but you don't have substitutes. The pressure builds and you then give way to binges. I think the key is to find new coping strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. When you learn how to use new techniques effectively, I bet the pressure to binge will drop sharply. I used to be a mental health counselor, so take my perspective with a grain of salt, but I think every adult needs to spend time in psychotherapy, learning the fine points of living. Therapy can help you develop and refine good skills for dealing with stress and pressure. Look around and see what resources are available to you. Many schools have free services for students, especially if you are at or near a large university. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyB Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I think Tom's advice is great. I used food also as stress management, comfort, celebration etc etc. When doing my whole30, I made a conscious effort to reward and de-stress myself using other things. In 30 days, I bought 5 pairs of shoes and had a weekly massage. While that was a bit extravagant, it helped me to detach myself from the role food was playing in my life (other just for nourishment.) When I get the urge to binge now, I have a little voice that says "What's wrong?" and then "What can you do to make it better, or go away?" Being self aware is the first step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettina Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I sympathize with your dilemma. I think Allyb's response was a good way to proceed (as was Tom's). Being angry at ourselves for 'backsliding' becomes a self fulfilling loop. If you can, stand back a bit and remember you only backslid 2 days. You suceeded the prior 30 days. You can stop the backslide and simply give yourself a few days of adhering to your prior successful behavior. I think when we have a relapse it feels endless and that we've undone all the hard work we did before. But that is not true. It's only a hiccup. Be really nice to yourself and give yourself non food rewards (like Allyb). Building and maintaining awareness of lifelong habits we are trying to break is no easy task. Once I suceeded in getting past the food cravings (sugar, carbs), even when I had a small backslide (overeating, even if it was good food), I took a deep breath and just listened to how my body felt. Sometimes all you have to do is listen. Your body really is full of wisdom and will let you know that it appreciates the healthy actions you are taking. The sugar urge will pass, the sugar will get out of your system in a couple of days and your body will thank you for it. Be kind to yourself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Thornsbury Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Being angry at ourselves for 'backsliding' becomes a self fulfilling loop. Bettina, that really hit home with me. Thank you! I have fallen so far off the wagon I am being drug by it. I have put on all the weight i have lost during my first Whole30 (which ended June 10th) and can not seem to get back on track. I'm angry at myself and do not know WHY i can't make better choices. I listen to my body - - - which is telling me I am killing myself with my food choices. Yet I continue to make those choices. I have no idea why. So I get frustrated with myself, and angry that I am not capable of just deciding to pass on an item. So then I don't pass on them because I've 'already broken it today...' so why bother. Ugh. I am obsessively reading these forum posts to try to find some inspiration and to get my act in gear and get back on a Whole30. I need to change my mindset - and that's really hard to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettina Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Dear Nancy, Thanks for reaching out. Did you know that with regard to all our behavior, when we attempt change it, the brain ACTUALLY HAS TO REWIRE ITSELF??? Neural pathways are created by repeated behavior (this is not me making this up - major scientific studies evidence this), and if we have a pattern of eating X food (sugar, carbs, fill in the blank), AND having a physiological response to it, the brain is USED to that - even if we end up beating ourselves up about it. I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the way the brain responds but consider the fact that if due to a lifetime of certain behaviors, our brains are familiar with the process, then changing that is really the equivalent of cutting a new path in the road. When you are hiking or driving for example, you don't veer off the road and choose to drive/hike through brush or trees, right? Well, your brain is going to fight for a while to stay on the FAMILIAR path - even if it wreaks havoc on your body (i.e. release of hormones and insulin in an attempt to control the chaos). Common sense (to the brain), says stay on the pathway that already exists. BUT if we do change behaviors, the brain is suddenly introduced to another path - it's now well worn and familiar like the old one, but with some diligence of walking on it, the road becomes more familiar and more likely to be a potential choice. So, I've been on this new way of eating for four months. The first month was dodgy, the following months became easier. I will not tell you I didn't "cheat", I did. AND I made a decision at the very beginning that I COULD live without bread and grains and I COULD live without sugar but I could NOT live without my Trader Joe's Israeli Feta cheese!!! So, I have never given that up. I just knew if I had to give up everything it would be too scary. So I've never relapsed with grains. I did relapse with sugar a few times (and felt physically gross afterward even though the sugar rush was delightful). I had sugar cravings for a few days so I ate a LOT of sweet potatoes to make up for it. The relief of having that nasty little inner voice finally shut the heck up is the thing that keeps me committed. I have so much more mental energy now that I am not beating myself up constantly. What has also helped is knowing that it's the hormone and insulin chaos that creates the cravings - NOT SOME FAILURE OF WILL OR DEFECT OF CHARACTER. This is so hard to get our minds around! We punish ourselves for imagined shortcomings when it's just our own bodies trying to keep the inflammation and inner physiological agitation to a minimum. Hope this rant is helpful! Feel free to reach out again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Do you eat pre and post work out meals? Anyone looking to start and maintain a healthy habit, tinyhabits.com might help. It seems weird as each new habit has to be very small, but in being small, it's more effort to not do it than to do it, which I think is why it works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettina Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 HI, No, I don't eat pre and post workout. Thanks for the reference to the site - it looks really interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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