Something bigger?

[sharic]

I have been doing South Beach Diet since about 2007. I had one bout during that time when I was drinking beer more and wasn't really following it, but for the most part, I do pretty well on it.

Memorial Day, I was home all day and I binged. I had ice cream and poptarts, and then I couldn't stop (I figured since I already ruined the day, just get it out of my system and kept eating crap regardless if I was full). The next day, I got back on the horse, and have been fine...until yesterday. I did it again. I had my lunch (a salad), but then we had ice cream at work, so I made myself a sundae, then had some oreos and it turned into an all day thing again, since the day was already ruined anyway.

After I had completely stuff myself, I went through and threw away everything "bad" in all of my cupboards, refrigerator, etc.

I am just really nervous that this might be the start of something bigger, and I will do it again! Does anyone have experience with this? Do you think I might just be getting bored with South Beach and the restrictions, and need to change it up?

[chrissie3416]

As someone who has struggled with weight and body issues her whole life one thing I learned in nutrition counseling and my classes was that any diet that restricts foods is not a healthy one. If you keep denying yourself the things you crave eventually you'll binge whereas if, lets say, you have a sweet tooth, you allow yourself something small to curb that craving. Im not an expert this is just waht Ive learned.

[farfalla2011]

I'm not very familiar with the South Beach diet, however, if its restrictive, I would think that may be the problem. I think one of the things people forget is its OK to have junk in moderation on occasion. I think if we don't allow ourselves those little joys if we want them, it leads to binge eating. It sounds like you may be really hard on yourself when you do eat a little junk so you sabotage the rest of the day.

Since you are completely aware of what you are doing, I don't think its a big problem coming, I think it may just be time to change up your eating habits a little bit.

[bowies]

I'll echo chrissie and say that it's long past time for you to get on a healthy eating plan and not keep yourself on an unhealthy, restrictive diet. Everything is OK in moderation. I would recommend you book an appointment with a registered dietician or nutritionist.

[kc18]

I've never done South Beach persay, but I've been following a pretty regular Paleo routine (i.e., nothing processed, just lean meats, organic vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, try to cut out any sugar or wheat or grains or bread, etc). I've seen amazing results and it's become a lifestyle change for me. I no longer purchase anything at the grocery store that I know is bad for me. I don't even entertain the thought of bringing it into my house so I don't cave when I feel a moment of weakness coming on. I allow myself a few "cheat" meals a week - usually 2 or 3. That way if I'm really really feeling like I want something and it's not completely "paleo", I will just count that as one of my cheat meals, but right after that, I'm back on the horse.

Don't follow the philosophy of "well, I've already eaten bad today, so I'll just count that day out and eat crap". That's where you'll get yourself in trouble. If you eat a bad meal or a bad snack, just jump right back on the horse and go back to eating clean for your next meal. Don't waste a whole day. If you make a bad food decision, you have to correct it for the remainder of the day by making good food decisions, or else you'll just get into a spiral of bad food decisions more often than you'd like.

[kc18]

And I agree with the other posters - hence the philosophy of cheat meals. Everything in moderation. Give in to your cravings (in moderation) - and set a goal of 2 to 3 times a week you'll allow yourself to eat a small/controlled portion of what you're craving. That way you won't go bat shit crazy whenever you see a bag of oreos and want to devour the whole thing.

[starburst604]

I think no matter what kind of eating plan you follow, when you take a hard dive off the wagon it's hard to get back on again. I mostly eat clean and don't follow really any organized plan but when I have a weekend of eating all crap (like this past weekend) I have a hard time because of the cravings when I try to get back to my regular eating. It's almost like detoxing after. If you can just get through a couple of days of eating the way you normally do I bet the cravings for crap will subside. I'm going through the same right now, ughhhh!!!!!

ETA I agree with the PP's about "everything in moderation" but I didn't mention it because it sounded like you were talking more about a bad food binge. I definitely indulge here and there in a normal week, but going face down into the pop tarts and ice cream is a different thing +o(

[formerlyak]

Stories like this is why I love Weight Watchers. I don't have to cut out any foods, I just have to learn portion control to stick with it.

[sharic]

Thanks for your replies. South Beach is the only diet I have ever tried, and I was successful in losing the weight and keeping it off. I have done well on it - I am just worried because since '07, I have only binged twice, and they were within two weeks of each other (and 5 years into it)!

I've thought about Weight Watchers, but am afraid to have that much variety again in my diet. It could either be really good for me, or really, really bad!! I am just afraid to find out:)