So I am 31 days sober today and since I made the decision to be sober, I haven’t really had a binge since. I’ve lost 7.6 pounds and 9 inches and I’m so proud. But today I binged. And I feel awful. Physically and emotionally. Ever since Easter I’ve had much more of an appetite and have had some slip ups. But today I was soo tired and this work week has been so stressful and today I just gave in. I had 5 Reece’s cups, some mini cow tails (which I didn’t even like but I couldn’t stop eating them), and some mini Twix at work. After I left work I went straight to the gas station and bought some Oreos and a two pack of hostess cakes. I opened the wrapper and was eating one of the cakes before I even left the gas station. Finished the second cake and started at the Oreos. I could only eat one as I felt so full. Then I got home and had a couple bites of a cake that was in my fridge from Easter. I feel defeated and gross and ashamed. And I’m scared the scale will go back up and I don’t want to see that. I’ve FINALLY lost weight after years of slowly gaining weight and being at my heaviest this past January. Idk how to fully kick these insane sweet cravings. It’s like once I have a taste, there’s no stopping me, I need to keep eating and eating. I’m so angry with myself.
I hate that feeling too. Go for a walk. It always helps me to exercise a bit right after. Later have some tea or sparklong water to cleanse your palette. Watch some trash tv of you feel loke relaxing and maybe clean or call a friend if you feel anxious. Hugs.
All is not lost. This feeling will pass. I know it sucks big time. Its So hard when you start because I think you just feel guilty and then the emotions take over and you end up eating more. It’s okay. I promise it’s okay and this day is not going to change what you’ve accomplished so far. Honestly think the feelings of guilt make us relapse and self sabotage more. Try to be in this moment right now I really hope that you’re feeling better. Maybe try a nice walk like was already suggested or a hot water bottle to help your tummy digest or even do a guided meditation or a youtube yoga for digestion which I have found super helpful in the past. Sending a hug. I hope you can be kind and gentle with yourself 
Thank you @Daphnecat and @Miranda for your advice and kind words. They mean so much. I read your replies yesterday and took some advice. I was so so tired yesterday which is one of the reasons why I binged, so I could not go for a walk. I did as Daphnecat said though and had both sparkling water and tea. And I did some marching in place as I was getting ready for bed. I did feel better after reading your comments before I went to bed. I was in a better mindset than I was when I wrote the post because of your kind words and advice. Thank you both so much.
I am so happy Because when I woke up this morning, the scale hadn’t gone up at all, which I could not believe. I then went for a run and had a great day and was much kinder and forgiving of myself.
I’m so glad you’re feeling better
Hello there, thank you for commenting. I actually used to eat a lot of soups and use those as a tool to help me with weight loss, and they always worked. And I used to be an avid low carb her. But I cannot seem to kick carbs anymore. Since I’ve been sober, I’ve lost 7.6 pounds and 9 inches because of how much I have changed my diet and how much I have started working out now that I have so much more energy. I do feel like I am at a plateau though. I’ve been the same weight for eight days now!
I am still very proud of myself because I am sober even though I had a binge, which ultimately didn’t add any weight and I’m so grateful for that!
It happens, especially when we are trying to remain sober from alcohol. Get a bit stressed and instead of drinking, we eat a bunch of junk, as we can self-justify it as the lesser of two evils, which is true, but still harmful nonetheless.
When I first quit drinking, I ate like a horse and craved sweets frequently. I walked many miles during what had been my normal drinking hours, but working from home, a few steps away from the kitchen was a huge challenge. Something that helped me was when I felt an urge to go hit the leftover Halloween candy, I would down a big glass of water, and then chew a piece of sugarless gum. The water made be feel full, and the gum helped me deal with the sweet tooth.
Yes! Friday was stressful for sure and I was sooo tired. All I could think about was sugar. That is a good idea to drink a big glass of water then chew some gum when a craving hits. I’ll definitely be giving that a try!
Thank you, I’m so proud of the progress. A lot of my progress is actually from walking, along with weight lifting. The day I decided to become sober was two days after my last drink, I was sitting in my doctors office going through some withdrawals, my doctor told me to become addicted to walking, and I did. I Began walking a lot. I definitely think the amount of carbs I’m eating is leading to some water retention. I’m hopeful it’ll pass soon. I know that weight loss will slow down since I’ve lost a lot pretty fast. I just need to be patient and keep eating well and exercising
You’ll be well hydrated with fabulous breath and clean white teeth…BONUS!
The more water you drink, the less you retain. Also, keep an eye on your sodium intake. My doctor told me to do so, and when I started tracking it I was amazed at how much sodium is added or naturally occurring in the foods I love.
I actually do watch my sodium. I never used to. I am either below the typical 2300 mg per day or at it. Sometimes above. Since I work out hard (and live in Florida where I sweat like a maniac) I do try to be on the higher end of my sodium intake. I’ve noticed that I start to feel shitty if I don’t have enough
Too little is as bad as too much. I experienced hyponatremia a few times in the Marines, and it ain’t fun.
Thats so scary. That’s definitely a fear of mine. I’ve never been that low. I just had blood work done 2 weeks ago and I was 1 point lower than I should be and the doctor didn’t worry about it at all, though it scared the hell out of me. I’m a bit of a hypochondriac…Idk how people live their lives without tracking their food and exercise. How do they know how much sodium, fat, carbs, protein, calories they’re getting and how many calories they’re burning?? If I don’t track, I’m either under eating or severely over eating, and the under eating comes with low sodium. I feel like I have no idea how to just LIVE and not track or monitor.
I spent my early adulthood (18-31) in the Marines. I tracked nothing, and ate what I wanted. Post-military career, that approach led to steady weight gain, borderline hypertension, pre-diabetic, and pre-fatty liver disease. Now I have to be conscious of everything. What and how much are relevant and important.
Some people don’t care and for some it’s a struggle.
Oh wow. Hopefully you are healthy now and don’t have those health issues anymore.
And yeah. I feel like a lot of people don’t care what goes in their bodies. I feel like the tracking I do helps me in some ways like being conscious of what I’m eating since I have suffered with binge eating disorder for so long but it’s also maddening to track and I get obsessed with it, then tired of it.
Healthier in my 50’s than I was in my 40’s.
“And…I binged.” But… you stayed sober! Kudos to you for that. You can do a small course correction and get back on track. Work out what you can do next time you feel the way you did that doesn’t involve binging. Also, maybe have mints or gum on hand. I had a definite oral fixation after I quit and went through a ton of lifesavers. Mainly, I just want to offer encouragement. Your emotions are all over the place in early recovery and you are having to learn new coping mechanisms. Be patient with yourself, you are doing great!!
Congratulations to you for losing this 7.6 pounds in the 9 inches that’s awesome! As you see, eating a little bit of sugar made you want to eat more and more. It might be at work it’s accessible In your work environment.
At home if possible get rid of it and get it out of your home. If you have other people in your home that want to eat the sugar/cakes/whatever Consider freezing it and taking it out a portion at a time for those who want to eat it. Not you.
Next time you eat it at work think about what you’re going to do to get from work to home Without stopping at the store to buy more of the dreaded sugar. As you see, also, although it made you feel awful, you didn’t really gain weight. As you know 1 pound of weight is 3500 cal.
Get back on track on your good health weight loss journey that you have been on.
Aw thank you! Yes I stayed sober! That’s what’s most important. I’ve been buying a lot of flavored seltzer and that seems to really help my sweet cravings and the feeling of wanting a drink cause I put it in a stemless wine glass and I enjoy it very much. It’s delicious and does help me wind down a bit like wine did. And I get to use my cute glasses. My emotions are absolutely all over the place. I go from extreme happiness to absolute boredom, not sad or down though, which is good. But I find myself to be so bored, so I eat. And I have many hobbies but no motivation to do any of them but watch tv and eat. I’m working on just picking a hobby and doing it even if I don’t fully feel like doing it