Jump to content

I'm not angry...


jodea

Recommended Posts

I did my first Whole 30 in January, felt great and have been sticking to the principles ever since, with a little careful off-roading, generally with the occasional wine, dark chocolate or milky drink, but have felt in control and able to stop after I've satisfied my craving.

My food background is dieting on and off since I was 16 (I'm 33) weight fluctuating by up to 30 pounds and, worst of all, bingeing and then restricting. I'd been following the Paleo diet for about six months, With some success, before I discovered the W30, but had still been bingeing when stressed/tired.

I thought the W30 had cured me! It was the answer at last! I had one blip a few months ago when tired when I ate a few too many chocolates but quickly put it behind me.

I decided a few weeks ago that I'll do another W30 in April as I have a busy March and am gong on two vacations in May.

Well, over the last two days, I've eaten clean all day, get to the evening and think I'll have a little treat. Then bam. Like the bad old days. Got sugar in it? I'm eating. Wheat? Bring it here!

The most disappointing thing is how long I went without this happening. Nearly three months free of my old enemy. I'll admit I'd look at people's tales of bingeing again on these forums and think 'not me!' Pride is a terrible thing.

I know my triggers - tiredness and stress. Clearly I've not dealt with these properly and relied on good old-fashioned self-restraint and willpower and feeling good. Well, they finally caved.

Any tips on beating these trigger factors for good. Feeling sad to meet my old enemy again but also determined to kill it once and for all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Jodea, all I can say is hang in there and absolute kudos for having recognised your triggers. There's a good post on the Whole 9 Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Whole9?ref=ts&fref=ts

#Whole30: "Psychology research tells us that the average amount of time necessary to reach 'maximum automacity' (a habit) is 66 days. But when you are trying to develop a healthy habit, it's likely it will take 80 days for it to become automatic. The more complex the habit, the longer it takes to form." -David DiSalvo

Consistency is key. Don't short-change your Whole30 by wondering why "It's been 21 days and it's just not working." Understand that the Whole30 is just the first step towards changing your life. Believe that you can do it.

Now I know it's more than 21 days for you but sometimes we just need more time before something truly becomes a habit and, as you say, learning to deal with our triggers. Hang in there and good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you so much Kirsteen and ScoutFinch. It's hard not to feel like I failed myself but I have to be realistic and accept that it may take more than a few months to break habits formed over many years. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself and go into deprivation/punishment mode. It's tough!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is really tough, as I know from hard and terrible experience, but you keep telling yourself, that is not the way to go for any reason! Don't fall back down into that whole (and, get yourself some new friends while you're at it--just read your other post, and how toxic is that? Geeze!).

Keep it going--you can do what's right for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha ha! I know, right! Thank goodness my boyfriend is very supportive and understanding! We just laughed about it and joked about how 'frail' I am. You're right. I need some new friends! (Not cookie-shaped ;) ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's taken me the better part of a year for paleo habits to be truly automatic. Once I nailed down the shopping (i.e. don't buy anything you aren't eating) it became easier. But, it's only now that my Whole30 food is really starting to look like what (I perceive) Dallas and Melissa want it to -- little fruit, no more nuts as a crutch, greens on the plate nearly every meal, etc., and doing that easily, every day.

In addition to knowing situational triggers it's good to know the biochemical/food ones, too. The things that fuel a fall back into cravings for me are wheat and sugar, period. Alcohol is only a problem if it gets combined with eating wheat and sugar and relaxes my inhibitions. Dairy gives me the sniffles if I eat too much, but a little cheese in my salad doesn't take me into a cascade of gradually eating worse and worse. I can sub rice or blue potatoes or beans for my starchy carbs once in a while and it doesn't really affect me. Knowing which foods you can safely cave in to during your stress situations is really helpful. Like, the other day I really wanted to socialize with my friends and I knew that rice and beans at an Indian restaurant where everything is scratch-cooked were not going to mess with me, so I just did it and didn't sweat it. If they'd been going for pizza and pasta I'd have stayed home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, breaking this cycle was a 2-step process: 1. Eat healthy food instead of junk when the craving hits, and 2. Work on changing the association between stress and reaching for any food.

In step 1, my stopgap measure for sugar binges was to substitute mashed butternut or acorn squash with coconut oil and "apple pie spice" from Penzey's. This comfort food was enough to keep me from reaching for the Girl Scout cookies for a few days without completely blowing the diet. Then for step 2, when the major cravings dissipated after a few days, I was able to dial back on the squash and balance out the food in my meals, and I started reaching for herbal teas instead of food when I'm stressed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both. It's true it's early days really when it comes to figuring out what foods I can handle and what I can't. I have similar triggers to you, Befabdaily, in that sugar is definitely a trigger and I know dairy gives me sniffles but have been having it anyway lately. Why?!

Xandra, I think your two step process makes really good sense. On both occasions when I've overdone in this week there've been lots of bad choices around which made it very easy for me to go totally off-track. I need to figure out some safe comfort foods, because those moments of stress will come up and it's going to take time to learn to cope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both. It's true it's early days really when it comes to figuring out what foods I can handle and what I can't. I have similar triggers to you, Befabdaily, in that sugar is definitely a trigger and I know dairy gives me sniffles but have been having it anyway lately. Why?!

Why is the real question and one so many of us struggle with!

I've been paleo for almost two years now and even after a successful Jan Whole30, I went whole hog off the rails in Feb with things like donuts (I never eat donuts...even pre-paleo!), ice cream and regular cookies. I kept eating them and expecting to immediately feel like crap and when I didn't, I kept eating them. For me, I think it was mostly a rebellion thing. What I hadn't considered was the cost of the guilt, knowing full well that even though I felt OK, I knew these things were not good for me and in some cases, probably really, really BAD.

It wasn't until I committed to a longer term Whole (for me, it's 60) that I started to see clearly again.

Just pick yourself up and get back on track again. As others have mentioned (and as I am seeing right now), the more we do this, the better we get at it. Each time, I learn something new about why I do the things I do. And the hope is that eventually, I'll have mastered this and will be able to live my life comfortably within the Whole30 guidelines, 90% of the time AND allow that the 10% I venture outside of it, won't turn into 15%, then 20%, then 30%, then 60%.... ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It really is a process. Thank you for sharing your experiences, GLC1968. I'm too hard on myself and expect to be perfect on my first go! It's always disappointing to have a slip when you've been doing well, even if slips are inevitable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...