Binge Eating: Will This Cycle Ever End?

Have you ever felt like your binge eating cycle will never end? Here's a letter from my inbox that illustrates the difference between knowing what to do and being able to put it into practice:

Hi Carol,

I took your teleclass two years ago (I think). I reflect so often on everything the class covered that it seems like it was much more recently that I took the course.

I am much better at recognizing what situations, people or foods will trigger a binge. I am very cognizant of what foods make me feel bad and what foods make me feel good physically.

I can go for weeks eating a very healthy diet but I always end up in a binge cycle again. I have lost 20 lbs and have 20 more to go.

To say that this has been any easy road is far from the truth. I find myself in the midst of a binge right now. Of course, the toughest part is getting back on track.

One would think that I would be happy that I have lost 20 lbs but how I really feel is disappointed with myself that I allowed myself to get so out of shape.

I feel angry that I worked hard to lose those 20 lbs but I still can't fit into many of my clothes. I just want this last 20 lbs to be gone but I know I have to put some effort into that happening.

Will this cycle ever stop? I know this was all covered in the course and your e-book (which I loaned to a friend and never got back) but actually connecting the dots between knowing what to do and actually doing it don't seem to stick with me for more than a few weeks at a time.

Thanks for all of the wonderful support you offer every week in your newsletter.

Deidre Robinso

Hi Deidre,

I think your situation is a good example of how easy it is to get stuck.

Yes, you might think that you would be happy and be able to celebrate your success.

But it is just too easy to focus on what you haven't done, or where you haven't been successful.

Believe me; many people would love to be in your shoes.

Besides losing 20 pounds, your successes include being more aware of what situations can trigger a binge, of what foods make you feel good or bad, and for being able to go for weeks eating healthy.

The problem comes when you go off the healthy eating path onto a detour and what you tell yourself when that happens.

That might be things like "this will NEVER be any different" or "I am ALWAYS going to have this problem" or "I will NEVER be able to control myself.

Notice the extreme thoughts. Since when did weight loss become such an all or nothing proposition?

Getting back on track requires that you are kind and gentle to yourself, that you analyze and learn from the situation, that you get support for yourself if you need it, that you focus more on what you HAVE done than what you HAVEN'T done, and that you consider it more of a detour than a crash.

You also might think about what it would mean for you to lose those last 20 pounds.

Is there anything uncomfortable about that?

Something is causing you to sabotage yourself just when things are going well.

It is critical to your success to figure this out and break the pattern.

It is the key to bridging the gap betwee
KNOWING what to do and doing it.

Warm personal regards,
Carol

PS - Deidre, congratulations on your weight loss, and I am attaching another copy of the book.

Hi Carol,

Thank you so much for your wise words. I have alsonwondered why I keep sabotaging my efforts at losing these last 20 pounds. I hope to figure this out very soon.

Thank you so much for the ebook. This will not leave my possession for any reason.

Thank you again for your continued support and wisdom.

Deidren