Having this new lifestyle at a first place on my current ladder of priorities helps.
I’m calling it lifestyle because changing my eating habits to the extend I’ve chosen, shall bring me to a very new way of living and affect more than my eating.
I’m currently doing my best to stay present as much as I can, especially around food, and I’m keeping my mind alerted when it comes to my thoughts; meaning that I’m aware of them and I analyse them, they’re not only happening to travel through my head without a recognision anymore.
I’m often doing things connected to the eating awareness; e.g. listening to a podcast about how to overcome cravings (link above in my previous entry), writing a diary, planning ahead, preparing my food with a knowledge of who I became (as oppose to the old ways), when shopping for food, etc.
It’s important to me to live this and to know that I’m living it, because it takes a while to create a new habit and get rid of the old ones.
It’s good for me to have my guards up for now, and let my eating to overtake my life for once again - but this time it’s in a much better way
@Jana1988 Looks like you are onto something very powerful: Recovery is not abstinence. It’s a lifestyle. And you are embracing it fully. Great job! The difference to your previous mindset is so obvious in your writing. Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you, @acromouse
I wish I stay always strong like this and don’t have a hiccup. That’s perhaps the only thing I fear a little bit.
Today I exercised after a week of doing nothing, so I am observing what I need in a day like this to be able to stay on track. So far so good but cleaning my house made my mind busy. Now I need a proper lunch
I’m glad that you and others share here, because it gave me tools to start my own recovery journey
Hey, have you tried to make your food for those work things less healthy (tasting) and a bit more luxurious or extra? If they offer the poison there, you need to bring something that can at least somewhat compete w the attraction, methinks. Better to eat a bit less perfect atm when you have these work things than completely loose it every day and eat mostly the junk.
Like idk, make a nice sauce or put a few nachos on top of your salad. Trick yourself into eating your food FIRST so you’re full and will eat less of the junk.
Idk just thinking out loud! Good luck!
Really enjoying the support that’s flying every way here atm! @Jana1988 you on fire girl! And if you have a hiccup, well that is that, you’ll get back to your new normal asap and get on w it.
Thanks, that’s a great point. I usually just bring whatever I’ve meal prepped, string cheese, and some fruit. Not very exciting! I could bring one of these frozen trader Joe’s things that are really good.
I’ve decided to set myself small goals. No bingeing of course, take away only once a month & no eating after 6pm. The third one should help with the first one as whenever I binge it will most often be evening time. Try to get in a good pattern with this before I set more goals. Going to try and make healthy choices in the day too but these will be my main goals for now. Have succeeded with this today & yesterday so that’s good.
Sounds good! And well done for already sticking to it
I also have rules around eating. I can’t call them “goals”, because it evokes in me something I will be aiming to achieve rather than something what is given and can’t be changed. I know it’s just a silly terminology, but words make a difference in my recovery for some reason. Maybe I’m “word sensitive”
I also set up a time when I want to eat the latest, but I had to take in different factors, because some days I’m going to the office and coming home later than if I work from home, some days I’m active and am more hungry due to it… So my times vary based on that all. I literally inteoduced set up time rules this morning before I ñogged in here, so I don’t know how well it works for me yet and some adjustments might be necessary.
It’s good that you set up only few goals for now and that you’re not overwhelming yourself with too many. Maybe the idea is to set up a reasonable goals you feel confident that you can achieve and the achievements will motivate you and give you confidence that I’m the future you can achieve other goals too. Even those which you can’t see manageable now.
Besides my eating, 9 days ago I also decided to sort out my sleeping Somehow I got myself to a state when I had very irregular bed time and due to it I struggled with sleeping a lot. I was quite unhappy about my inability to sleep, because often I was so tired, yet laying in bed watching my sealing like it was the most interesting thing in the room Frustrated though!
I decided that I want to be in bed latest by 9pm and ready to sleep by 10pm and I also set up an alarm for every day at the same time in the morning, doesn’t matter if it’s weekend or not. It’s only 9 days but man it works for me!!! So if anyone struggles with sleeping here, it helps to have a strict routine! I love it because I get up early every morning and have time for my coffee, diary and this app. It’s amazing!
I don’t even mind that my evening is cut short because I have more energy in the morning anyway, so I prefer it. And it gives me less time to potentially think about food in the night.
I know it can feel unrelated to this topic, but for me it means to be more rested = more resilient to any unwanted voices in my head about food (+not craving sugar as much). As I said, for me the change involves more than only eating habits, because they’re influenced by many other things I’m doing in my life. It’s good to have it sorted and see it working
Yesterday, however, I had a small piece of cake (because my boyfriend was having it too and it happened that here were last two in the house, so it made so much sense to share and finish it off ). I’m not beating myself up about it, I knew what I was doing and I didn’t binge on it. Except for the immediate bloating and acid reflux after I actually quite enjoyed it. But nope, the symptoms are not worth eating it and so it was defo the last one!
This morning I was thinking why I ate it and to be fair, I have no rules about sweets. It was more like “I’ll try not to eat them and we’ll see.”. So I saw Now I made a strict rule, that I don’t want to eat sugar anymore, except for if it’s been homemade. E.g. if I bake something (which doesn’t happen btw) - then I can have 1 reasonable sized (important to say!) piece. Or, if there’s a very special occasion like b’day cake - same rule - 1 reasonably sized piece. But if I can avoid, I’d still go for the avoidance… I don’t want cakes in the restaurants anymore after every food. It’s always the thing which gets me over the top and makes me feel rather uncomfortable after a nice meal. I’ll make my man aware in case he’s planning something for the Valentine
Another rule: no UPF except for once a month takeaway, or again - special occasion. I dodged Valentine’s dinner at a restaurant (I hope) by suggesting of celebrating it at our new home and cooking a meal together (for which I’ll shop and pay as my treat). My man liked it and I can’t wait
Day 4 here. I’ve been watching the last few Superbowls at my best friend’s house but that results in a ton of slow binging as there is always TONS of unhealthy food.
This year my partner suggested we just watch it at home and get some healthier snacks, so we did! Got some dill yogurt dip, with baked lays, broccoli, and sugar snap peas for dipping; and some NA light beer. We went to the gym and then ate a normal dinner first so we wouldn’t be super hungry. I’m glad we make such a good team
@reallivingthing Welcome to the thread. How are you doing today? @Passerina_cyanea TV gatherings are difficult like that. I get into mindless grazing mode quite easily. Sounds like you have found a great solution!
Welcome to the thread, @reallivingthing! It gets a little easier each day, and you made it 2 days, that’s a good start! You got this! I hope you find this thread helpful/inspiring in a positive way.
Hello @reallivingthing
Welcome here and I hope you’ll stick around and find this group to be the support you need
@Passerina_cyanea That’s such a brilliant idea, well done to your partner for such a great support! That’s super nice, all the kudos to him! Nice 4 days, too - congratulations
I was quite in a hurry yesterday morning, so I didn’t have any time to write my diary or check in here, which resulted in my mind wandering where it shouldn’t be! I experienced small cravings, nothing too difficult, but it still felt unpleasant. Fortunately, I’ve been listening my podcast a lot yesterday instead of checking in and that helped me to stay focused on my intentions and reasons why I started this journey.
I also had a weird dream in which my boyfriend brought home a big chocolate and he left me half of it. And I took it and decided to hide it so when he wants to go for another chocolate at some point, I can give him this one. If I just said that I didn’t want it, I knew he’d eat it all at one go and I didn’t want that for him. Hence the hiding.
I was also talking to my colleague and mentioned me and my boyfriend snacking in the bed while watching something on my laptop. My colleague was shocked that we were snacking in bed and I realised that normal people probably don’t do that! It was normal for me, because when we lived with Sean’s mum for 6 years, the bedroom was the only place with privacy so I ate there quite often. But I remember now that I’ve never done this at home before and I really realised how bad habit that is! It’s been on my list of rules already “not to eat in the bed”, more from the cravings avoidance point, but now it got even wider meaning to me. The bed is for sleep, not food! (Unless it’s a part of someone’s kink hahaha)
Talking about food in bed, on Sunday evening my boyfriend came with arms full of snacks All these triggers he bought on Saturday and which were quite a trigger through the weekend. I managed to avoid them so he could throw them in front of my face like this. But all good points to him for offering to go back downstairs if I mind and found it triggering. I was in peace at that moment and so he was fine. I read my book and watched him to eat it all while watching some series. It was like watching my past, not a nice view and I want better for him!! I know he’s trying not to do this anymore, too, but he told me the other day that he has got cravings all the time. It must be hard. I hope that seeing me being right on track will help him in some way and maybe he will start asking questions so I can help him a bit more by telling him what works for me. So far I’m at least trying by preparing food and buying only good stuff. So only when he brings it’s then here.
Well, that is me and another of my essay Sorry for that but it is helping me to write like this
@Jana1988 Good idea to surround yourself with sober listening. Helps the mind keep focused. As to others at home still eating triggering stuff, I asked my family members to keep their stuff in a cupboard I don’t usually use, so I won’t be accidentally triggerd and to try and not eat it in front of me. That helped a lot in the beginning. Nowadays I don’t care anymore.
above in my previous entry), writing a diary, planning ahead, preparing my food with a knowledge of who I became (as oppose to the old ways), when shopping for food, etc.
Somehow I got myself to a state when I had very irregular bed time and due to it I struggled with sleeping a lot. I was quite unhappy about my inability to sleep, because often I was so tired, yet laying in bed watching my sealing like it was the most interesting thing in the room 
Frustrated though!
). I’m not beating myself up about it, I knew what I was doing and I didn’t binge on it. Except for the immediate bloating and acid reflux after I actually quite enjoyed it. But nope, the symptoms are not worth eating it and so it was defo the last one!
and cooking a meal together (for which I’ll shop and pay as my treat). My man liked it and I can’t wait 
I experienced small cravings, nothing too difficult, but it still felt unpleasant. Fortunately, I’ve been listening my podcast a lot yesterday instead of checking in and that helped me to stay focused on my intentions and reasons why I started this journey.
It was normal for me, because when we lived with Sean’s mum for 6 years, the bedroom was the only place with privacy so I ate there quite often. But I remember now that I’ve never done this at home before and I really realised how bad habit that is! It’s been on my list of rules already “not to eat in the bed”, more from the cravings avoidance point, but now it got even wider meaning to me. The bed is for sleep, not food! (Unless it’s a part of someone’s kink hahaha)
I know he’s trying not to do this anymore, too, but he told me the other day that he has got cravings all the time. It must be hard. I hope that seeing me being right on track will help him in some way and maybe he will start asking questions so I can help him a bit more by telling him what works for me. So far I’m at least trying by preparing food and buying only good stuff. So only when he brings 
it’s then here.
Sorry for that but it is helping me to write like this