Oops!

Last night I went to my usual Weigh****chers meeting, and found I had gained 2.6 pounds! I sat at the meeting, feeling down, while I listened to the people around me talking about their weight losses. I've been going to Weigh****chers since August, and seem to be going nowhere. I feel it's my portion sizes, and I also feel I'm not being consistent every week. Also, I'm more lax with what I eat on the weekends. I have an eating disorder of COE (compulsive over eating). I find that if I don't feel satisfied with a meal, then I get strong feelings of deprivation. These come from my childhood. I find if I feel full, then I feel secure, knowing I will be O****il the next meal. One of my clients (I'm a home health aide) has a hard time understanding this. I also find it hard to "give up" a favorite food, because of those feelings. If I try to do this cold turkey, then I end up getting into the other part of my disorder, BED (binge eating disorder). I feel ashamed that I am not getting Weigh****chers Core program, so far. I will lose one week, only to gain the next. If anybody has any suggestions for me, I'd appreciate it. Denise Phares

Denise, I don't have any suggestions but wanted to say that I know how you feel and to encourage you to keep trying. You will find your way through this as long as you don't stop trying. We all will. Best of luck to you on your journey. Blessings, Maren

Denise, I don't have any suggestions on what you can do. That would be presumptous of me and I don't ever want to assume to know anothers struggles or what makes them tick. That being said, I do want to commend you on figuring out your pitfalls. You have a great handle on what you are NOT doing right that is causing you not to lose. I admire the way you didn't make excuses about gaining but admitted freely to your weaknesses. I know that it wasn't until I did that very same thing that I was able to succeed in my own journey. I remember for years not being able to admit if I ate something. I'd blame it on everyone, even the dog!!!! Only after a bad marriage and the appearance of a good relationship, did I begin to change. I finally confronted my weaknesses and when asked who ate the entire half gallon of icecream or the whole bag of cookies I was able to admit that it was me. When I realized that food wasn't something to be guilty about I was able to deal with it on a much more rational level. Actually I do have one suggestion. It's about the "full" feeling. Perhaps next time eat slower, put down your fork between bites and really get in touch with your body. I know that when I do this I get full a whole lot faster. Now that I find myself having to eat more calories or go into starvation mode, I speed up my eating so that I don't notice the full feelings. The things we do to succeed, huh? Good luck and keep working on it Denise, you'll figure it out soon I am sure. Donna

Hi Denise. I know what it's like to feel out of control. I certainly can relate to feeling ashamed of myself for not having "will power" or not "succeeding" on whatever the plan of the month was. I do have a suggestion for you. It's free, it's flexible, and it really helps you figure out who you are, and what you're doing. I spend some months in Overeaters Anonymous. You can go online and find meetings in your area. The things I learned in OA helped me get to where I am today. I learned not to kick myself for being "weak"---because the truth is, I'm not weak: I'm addicted. As you have already figured out, someone with COE or BED is no longer in control of their eating. Once you've identified what's happening in your life, you can take steps to turn it around. I won't be easy. It won't be fast. It's not even a direct route from overeater to sane eater. It's most simply, a way of thinking, and a way of recognizing the addict within you. Once you really understand that your food addict has taken over your life, you can slowly begin to disarm that food addict. If you believe in a higher power, that will be a wonderful help; buy not fully necessary. I, for one, learned what I needed to in OA, then left and took the lessons on in my life, because the whole "higher power" thing just wasn't me. But I get it. I respect it. And the program is logical, sane, and safe. You'll be surrounded by people who are going through exactly what you are. You'll meet people who've been one step ahead of their addict for years! The sad thing is, our addict is a part of who we are, and it never completely goes away. She rears her ugly head at the most inopportune times! But the sane you will recognize her, and put her back in her place----sooner and sooner with each passing day. I'm currently on Adkins, and have been for almost 5 months. I started ;out at 302#, and today, I'm wiggling around 256#. I can't lie and say that my addict has been dormant that entire time; she's reared her ugly head and had to be slammed back into submission. I'm guilty of kicking myself when I sway off my track, but fortunately, I have tremendous support and love from somene who truly understands. So, chin up, Denise. Take this one day at a time, and let's remove the power from that food addict. Come talk to us lots! And let me know if any of this helped. Take care, Jessica

Denise, Weigh****chers is not for everyone. That are other eating plans that you might be more successful at. Best of luck. Kasey 365/215/195 (nonop)