[Hoasis]

Every week I start fresh thinking to myself this will be the week I will start eating healthy again, starting to work out a little bit and set course for a healthier lifestyle. Then every monday I crack and end up binge eating and wathing Netflix or whatever. And then when I didnt make it through monday, whats the point trying rest of the week? So I end up binging rest of the week preparing myself for next monday. Why cant I motivate myself to start fresh the next day whatever day it is, this is so damn frustrating. Anyone else have the same problem that maybe has some tricks they would like to share?

[steelcurtain27]

I've started working with a dietitian and something that has helped me is knowing and saying to myself a couple things. One, I didn't fail- it is not just about my personality or willpower that controls my binging. By that I mean (or my dietitian has explained) there are a lot of factors that go into a binge and very little of it has to do with me as a person. For example, there's brain chemistry and the sort of addictive nature of it and then there's the emotional component. So we can work on the behavior part all we want but until we understand that things like shaming ourselves only feeds it, it makes changing harder. If that makes any sense, my dietitian does a way better job of explaining it.
The other thing I tell myself is, I don't have to finish a binge. At first it didn't seem to help. But now over just a couple weeks it's given me the leniency I've needed. What I do is either stop during a binge and think about how I'm feeling emotionally without judgement then decide whether or not to proceed, again without judgement, or if I've already finished I'll say I don't have to do it tomorrow or again today.

Idk if that's helpful for you but I hope you find something that is, I know how hopeless it feels.

[lovinglifechick]

I really appreciated what steelcurtain had to say—that is super helpful. You were saying steelcurtain, there is “the sort of addictive nature of it...and the emotional component...shaming ourselves only feeds it, it makes changing harder”. Super true and well put! Just to add a little bit to that...it is amazing how powerful the thoughts in our head are. I think it is common for people to think that they have to get themselves to stop bingeing so they can finally feel good about themselves...the little known secret is that for many of us, accepting ourselves EXACTLY as we are, whatever we are doing, whatever we have done, is an absolutely necessary first step.

For me...once I said to myself, it's really OK if I do this. I accept this behavior, I accept whatever I do. Then I started thinking, well maybe I don't WANT to. It's horribly unhealthy, let's see what I can do to start transforming it. Hmmm...maybe I could start by trying to at least eat healthier food even if I am eating too much, feeding my body the best way I can. Then I started thinking about the environment, the earth, wanting to buy organic and thinking about how the food was produced. This yearning for health for myself and the planet really helped me a lot.

Regarding the power of our thoughts, I am a great believer in affirmations. If you want to, you could think of a sentence or two or three of how you want your life to be, but then put it in the present tense—for example, “I eat and live in a way that is healthy for my body and spirit.” Post it around, and keep believing in it and in yourself—even when you binge, know that you are on your way to eating in a way that is healthy, and take it moment by moment. Let that affirmation into your heart. Also, I personally think that even if you binge on a Monday, that doesn't mean it is a lost week. "Progress, not perfection." Anytime you can be healthy and make healthy choices, is fantastic--even if it just means that you binged a bit less this week than usual or ate less during your binges. Know that you are on the journey to healing, and I am wishing you well on that journey.