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Sugar dragon or eating disorder?


gothope77

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Hi,

I'm Barb and I was a Whole 30 success story back in 2015.  I dId my first W90 in Jan 2015, and kept eating mostly W30 or paleo for almost 15 months.  Jan 1, 2016 I felt like a million bucks after having gone through the holidays without a single binge (the usual suspects through the holidays....candy and desserts...) and went into the new year not feeling hopeless or needing to lose weight for the first time in over a decade.  To make a long story short since Oct. 2016 I've been binge eating candy (a big bag almost daily,) or eating 2 donuts daily and feeling tired, lethargic, bloated and miserable, and have gained back over half of the 30# I had lost.  I did another Whole 30 this January 2017 successfully...sort of.  I did allow Larabar snacks almost daily when coming home from work...a.very common time to snack, I know.  But otherwise did it to a Tee.

Once again I feel hopeless and defeated.  Daily I'm eating a W30 breakfast and lunch, and vowing NOT to stop and buy candy, only to stop and buy not 1 bag of candy but sometimes 2.  I eat the whole thing before going home and thinking...praying, I won't do it again tomorrow only to wake up the next day to do it again.  

I know this isn't exclusive to me but feel like such a loser anyway.  I'm 56 years old and so afraid of this being my life from now on.  I am a Physical therapist assistant and see what happens when you lead an unhealthy lifestyle.  And I felt so freaking good, emotionally and physically,  when I ate clean!  It makes no sense to know better and not do better, but sometimes I feel completely powerless.  Thank God I'm healthy but I won't be for long if I keep this stupidity up.

How do you know when it's the sugar dragon or if it's an eating disorder?  (I don't throw up, and am mostly afraid to weigh.)  

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Find a pro.  Sit down face-to-face and face this.  Head on.  

Self-help does little for a legitimate food addiction or eating disorder.  Anything that's been going on for months with little change needs further looking into.  Sooner rather than later.  

I did.  Best decision I've ever made.  The sooner it's caught the greater the chances for a full recovery.  

One key:  People who show signs of food addiction develop a tolerance to food. They eat more and more, only to find that food satisfies them less and less.

 

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@gothope77: Sugar is just so addictive and of course, there are plenty of times in life when you crave something sweet. It feels good in the moment but it's bad for us long-term. If i were you, I'd do another W30 and cut the sugar entirely (no larabars). On my first W30, I decided to cut sugars out (no fruits, fruit juices, etc) for the entire Whole30 b/c I really wanted to slay the dragon! I get easily addicted to sugar and I've definitely used it in the past to comfort me when I'm not feeling at my best. I also cut out nut/seed butters of all kinds because those have always been FWOB for me. I made a commitment and said I would do this for 30 days! and I did!

If you can follow the program to a Tee, you can cut out the sugars for another round. You can do this.

Move your body: get some exercise. It helps to move through emotions, feelings, stress, anger, or whatever is bothering you. It's an alternative to reaching for the sugar.

Lastly, I would also keep a daily journal on your thoughts and feelings. I've used food in the past as a way through stress/anxiety. Idk what your triggers are but everyone has them. 

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Hi Barb. I'm Kat, 57 and have a similar story only my issue is salty carbs more than sweet treats. I unofficially started my program yesterday but last night fell into the usual trap cause I had some fresh dinner rolls in the house. Today is my official start day. It's only 1:00 but so far so good. I threw out all the tempting stuff in my house  

I did see a professional but she linked my binges to other things going on in my life and wanted to address them  I was looking for someone to hold me accountable each week and to talk about the eating. After 10 visits I didn't think it was helping. 

I can get through the entire day and then at 11:30 pm I get an uncontrollable craving - usually if I see something food-related on TV or if people in a book I'm reading are eating. I'm hoping this plan will do something to stop the cravings. Plus if I start sleeping better I think that will help too. 

I'd be happy to be a buddy and we can check in about how we got through another day. 

There's a book I picked up called Appetite Awareness. I was going to fill out the forms religiously about how I felt when I ate, etc. but life got in the way. It's about controlling overeating. I'm going to try and stick to 3 meals a day with Whole30 and will eat whether I'm hungry or not. 

You've been successful before so you know you can do it. I was in great shape up until 4 years ago. Have no idea what changed and don't really care, I just want my control back. 

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21 hours ago, gothope77 said:

Hi,

I'm Barb and I was a Whole 30 success story back in 2015.  I dId my first W90 in Jan 2015, and kept eating mostly W30 or paleo for almost 15 months.  Jan 1, 2016 I felt like a million bucks after having gone through the holidays without a single binge (the usual suspects through the holidays....candy and desserts...) and went into the new year not feeling hopeless or needing to lose weight for the first time in over a decade.  To make a long story short since Oct. 2016 I've been binge eating candy (a big bag almost daily,) or eating 2 donuts daily and feeling tired, lethargic, bloated and miserable, and have gained back over half of the 30# I had lost.  I did another Whole 30 this January 2017 successfully...sort of.  I did allow Larabar snacks almost daily when coming home from work...a.very common time to snack, I know.  But otherwise did it to a Tee.

Once again I feel hopeless and defeated.  Daily I'm eating a W30 breakfast and lunch, and vowing NOT to stop and buy candy, only to stop and buy not 1 bag of candy but sometimes 2.  I eat the whole thing before going home and thinking...praying, I won't do it again tomorrow only to wake up the next day to do it again.  

I know this isn't exclusive to me but feel like such a loser anyway.  I'm 56 years old and so afraid of this being my life from now on.  I am a Physical therapist assistant and see what happens when you lead an unhealthy lifestyle.  And I felt so freaking good, emotionally and physically,  when I ate clean!  It makes no sense to know better and not do better, but sometimes I feel completely powerless.  Thank God I'm healthy but I won't be for long if I keep this stupidity up.

How do you know when it's the sugar dragon or if it's an eating disorder?  (I don't throw up, and am mostly afraid to weigh.)  

*hopeless and defeated
*feel like such a loser
*stupidity
*afraid of this being my life
*feel completely powerless

I really feel like you might need a mental reset as much as a food one. I do think it's an eating disorder in that most of us (especially women) have disordered eating. Is it serious enough to need a label or a professional's help? You tell us. I'm so sorry that you're experiencing this and as someone who has felt much the same and had very similar experiences and who bargains with the devil and then feels immense regret, sadness afterwards, I know that this is not an easy road. 

I think the advice to do a completely sugarless Whole30 is an excellent idea. But you might need to gird your loins for the first few days/week because those cravings and mental battles are going to be intense. You have to learn how to feel your emotions and how to let yourself be uncomfortable and twisty without soothing with sugars. It sucks. It hurts. It feels gross. But you'll come out the other side stronger and with more self awareness, this I believe.

And by the way, you are not a loser, you're not powerless, you're not stupid and the situation isn't hopeless. MAKE hope. TAKE the power back. SHED fear and claim your victory now. And then work for it. 

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3 hours ago, Kat49 said:

 

I can get through the entire day and then at 11:30 pm I get an uncontrollable craving - usually if I see something food-related on TV or if people in a book I'm reading are eating. I'm hoping this plan will do something to stop the cravings. Plus if I start sleeping better I think that will help too. 

 

This could be a sleep related issue for you. When you are lacking sleep or you've missed your body's bed time, your body kicks up the desire/need for serotonin which is best delivered by a nice hit of something junky that you love. What you really need is sleep. And preferrably if 1130 is your witching hour, you're in bed asleep 45-60 minutes before that happens.

Give it a shot cultivating your sleep hygiene and see if that doesn't help with your cravings/night eating.

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4 hours ago, ladyshanny said:

This could be a sleep related issue for you. When you are lacking sleep or you've missed your body's bed time, your body kicks up the desire/need for serotonin which is best delivered by a nice hit of something junky that you love. What you really need is sleep. And preferrably if 1130 is your witching hour, you're in bed asleep 45-60 minutes before that happens.

Give it a shot cultivating your sleep hygiene and see if that doesn't help with your cravings/night eating.

Good advice! Thank you. 

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