TOM madness

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones

I had a great last week, not overeating, exercising, and most
importantly, resisting the tempting food at a family bday party.
However, here comes this week, and in 3 days I've had a huge piece of
grandma's leftover cake, 1/4 of waffle cake, 1 chocolate candy, and
one dark chocolate bar (~3.3 oz). Not to mention finishing off almost
1/2 gallon of full-fat milk and about 1/2 lb of hulled sunflower
seeds. I ate all of this mostly at night, while watching the Olympics
in prime time. This is all in addition to the food I consumed during
the day. Aside from huge carb count, I also easily doubled my
calories for these 3 days. My only positive thought during this time
is that I continued to exercise, with about 60 minutes of various
cardio each day.

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...

Thanks for reading.
Elana

In article ,
(Elana) wrote:

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones

I had a great last week, not overeating, exercising, and most
importantly, resisting the tempting food at a family bday party.
However, here comes this week, and in 3 days I've had a huge piece of
grandma's leftover cake, 1/4 of waffle cake, 1 chocolate candy, and
one dark chocolate bar (~3.3 oz). Not to mention finishing off almost
1/2 gallon of full-fat milk and about 1/2 lb of hulled sunflower
seeds. I ate all of this mostly at night, while watching the Olympics
in prime time. This is all in addition to the food I consumed during
the day. Aside from huge carb count, I also easily doubled my
calories for these 3 days. My only positive thought during this time
is that I continued to exercise, with about 60 minutes of various
cardio each day.

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...

Thanks for reading.
Elana

I hear ya!! I have had the same pattern recently, except for me it isn't
TOM, it's quitting smoking. I made a resolution yesterday not to eat in
the recliner in front of the tv, but so far, not so good. I ate way too
many pistachios last night. But at least I managed to stay away from the
chocolates. *sigh* Tonight is my going out night, so I won't be home to
eat, so I'm going to use tonight as a springboard for change. Tomorrow
night my new strategy will be chewing sugarless gum and drinking ice water
so I can munch on the ice. I'll keep the group posted on whether or not it
helps, if you promise to share any sucessful strategies you come up with
too! )

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

In article ,
(Elana) wrote:

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones

I had a great last week, not overeating, exercising, and most
importantly, resisting the tempting food at a family bday party.
However, here comes this week, and in 3 days I've had a huge piece of
grandma's leftover cake, 1/4 of waffle cake, 1 chocolate candy, and
one dark chocolate bar (~3.3 oz). Not to mention finishing off almost
1/2 gallon of full-fat milk and about 1/2 lb of hulled sunflower
seeds. I ate all of this mostly at night, while watching the Olympics
in prime time. This is all in addition to the food I consumed during
the day. Aside from huge carb count, I also easily doubled my
calories for these 3 days. My only positive thought during this time
is that I continued to exercise, with about 60 minutes of various
cardio each day.

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...

Thanks for reading.
Elana

I hear ya!! I have had the same pattern recently, except for me it isn't
TOM, it's quitting smoking. I made a resolution yesterday not to eat in
the recliner in front of the tv, but so far, not so good. I ate way too
many pistachios last night. But at least I managed to stay away from the
chocolates. *sigh* Tonight is my going out night, so I won't be home to
eat, so I'm going to use tonight as a springboard for change. Tomorrow
night my new strategy will be chewing sugarless gum and drinking ice water
so I can munch on the ice. I'll keep the group posted on whether or not it
helps, if you promise to share any sucessful strategies you come up with
too! )

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

In article ,
Ignoramus22762 wrote:

Try eating more of what you are allowed, during the day.

i

That probably won't help, because in my experience this type of eating has
nothing to do with hunger.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

Luna wrote:
In article ,
Ignoramus22762 wrote:

Try eating more of what you are allowed, during the day.

i

That probably won't help, because in my experience this type of eating has
nothing to do with hunger.

Hear Hear.
During tom I allow myself to eat a bit of what I've been craving. It's
the taste I am after, most of all. I can go weeks and weeks without
even being aware of chocolate's existence, but during TOM the urge is
like no other. So it's not even a "forbidden fruit, then I binge"
experience. I don't binge, I just want a few squares of exactly the
kind of chocolate I want, and bada bing, craving gone.

I've tried to ignore the cravings before by simply eating "an extra
helping of chicken and salad". But my body does know the difference
between chicken and a square of chocolate, even though I try to fool it
;-)

Doesn't affect my weight loss.
FWIW I am not strictly low-carbing anymore, although most of my food is
low in carbs. I'm very much on the "eat less, exercise more" plan.

Luna wrote:
In article ,
Ignoramus22762 wrote:

Try eating more of what you are allowed, during the day.

i

That probably won't help, because in my experience this type of eating has
nothing to do with hunger.

Hear Hear.
During tom I allow myself to eat a bit of what I've been craving. It's
the taste I am after, most of all. I can go weeks and weeks without
even being aware of chocolate's existence, but during TOM the urge is
like no other. So it's not even a "forbidden fruit, then I binge"
experience. I don't binge, I just want a few squares of exactly the
kind of chocolate I want, and bada bing, craving gone.

I've tried to ignore the cravings before by simply eating "an extra
helping of chicken and salad". But my body does know the difference
between chicken and a square of chocolate, even though I try to fool it
;-)

Doesn't affect my weight loss.
FWIW I am not strictly low-carbing anymore, although most of my food is
low in carbs. I'm very much on the "eat less, exercise more" plan.

Luna wrote:
In article ,
Ignoramus22762 wrote:

Try eating more of what you are allowed, during the day.

i

That probably won't help, because in my experience this type of eating has
nothing to do with hunger.

Hear Hear.
During tom I allow myself to eat a bit of what I've been craving. It's
the taste I am after, most of all. I can go weeks and weeks without
even being aware of chocolate's existence, but during TOM the urge is
like no other. So it's not even a "forbidden fruit, then I binge"
experience. I don't binge, I just want a few squares of exactly the
kind of chocolate I want, and bada bing, craving gone.

I've tried to ignore the cravings before by simply eating "an extra
helping of chicken and salad". But my body does know the difference
between chicken and a square of chocolate, even though I try to fool it
;-)

Doesn't affect my weight loss.
FWIW I am not strictly low-carbing anymore, although most of my food is
low in carbs. I'm very much on the "eat less, exercise more" plan.

TOM madness
From: (Elana)

writes:

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones

I just went through my hellish three days. It sucks. Of all the bodily
systems that were affected when I went low-carb, the reproductive system seems
to have been affected least.

I had a great last week, not overeating, exercising, and most
importantly, resisting the tempting food at a family bday party.
However, here comes this week, and in 3 days I've had a huge piece of
grandma's leftover cake, 1/4 of waffle cake, 1 chocolate candy, and
one dark chocolate bar (~3.3 oz). Not to mention finishing off almost
1/2 gallon of full-fat milk and about 1/2 lb of hulled sunflower
seeds. I ate all of this mostly at night, while watching the Olympics
in prime time. This is all in addition to the food I consumed during
the day. Aside from huge carb count, I also easily doubled my
calories for these 3 days. My only positive thought during this time
is that I continued to exercise, with about 60 minutes of various
cardio each day.

Oh, yeah. I've attacked this beast from a different angle, which may or may
not work for you but might warrant a try. I buy several bars of the darkest
chocolate I can find right before TOM. And I don't kick myself for eating
them, but that's all the "bad stuff" I have in the house. I don't know if you
have the option of purging your house of other stuff, but if you do, it
wouldn't be the worst idea. Probably you're craving something in the
chocolate.

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

If you can, go for a walk around the block first. If you still want the
chocolate when you get back, have the chocolate, because that means it's
important.

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...

The day after my heavy day, I force myself back into good eating habits,
because I figure the worst is over and I no longer have an excuse. If you fall
off for a few days, you have not lost control and you are not a failure. You
are reacting to hormones you can't control and therefore can't be blamed for.
The important thing is to get back on the WOE as soon as you can.

Hang in there. You can master this, but if you still need some dark chocolate
each month, it's not a personal failing or anything.

Daria
166/under 145/under 145
sugar-free since 2/1/04
low-carb since 2/17/04

TOM madness
From: (Elana)

writes:

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones

I just went through my hellish three days. It sucks. Of all the bodily
systems that were affected when I went low-carb, the reproductive system seems
to have been affected least.

I had a great last week, not overeating, exercising, and most
importantly, resisting the tempting food at a family bday party.
However, here comes this week, and in 3 days I've had a huge piece of
grandma's leftover cake, 1/4 of waffle cake, 1 chocolate candy, and
one dark chocolate bar (~3.3 oz). Not to mention finishing off almost
1/2 gallon of full-fat milk and about 1/2 lb of hulled sunflower
seeds. I ate all of this mostly at night, while watching the Olympics
in prime time. This is all in addition to the food I consumed during
the day. Aside from huge carb count, I also easily doubled my
calories for these 3 days. My only positive thought during this time
is that I continued to exercise, with about 60 minutes of various
cardio each day.

Oh, yeah. I've attacked this beast from a different angle, which may or may
not work for you but might warrant a try. I buy several bars of the darkest
chocolate I can find right before TOM. And I don't kick myself for eating
them, but that's all the "bad stuff" I have in the house. I don't know if you
have the option of purging your house of other stuff, but if you do, it
wouldn't be the worst idea. Probably you're craving something in the
chocolate.

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

If you can, go for a walk around the block first. If you still want the
chocolate when you get back, have the chocolate, because that means it's
important.

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...

The day after my heavy day, I force myself back into good eating habits,
because I figure the worst is over and I no longer have an excuse. If you fall
off for a few days, you have not lost control and you are not a failure. You
are reacting to hormones you can't control and therefore can't be blamed for.
The important thing is to get back on the WOE as soon as you can.

Hang in there. You can master this, but if you still need some dark chocolate
each month, it's not a personal failing or anything.

Daria
166/under 145/under 145
sugar-free since 2/1/04
low-carb since 2/17/04

Luna,

I used a fake cigarette to take care of the hand-mouth reflexes after I
quit: http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezquit/index.htm. A cut straw or
stirrer might give the same satisfaction. The only other thing that
worked for me was baby carrots; of course, they're out. Good luck.

Luna wrote:

I hear ya!! I have had the same pattern recently, except for me it isn't
TOM, it's quitting smoking. I made a resolution yesterday not to eat in
the recliner in front of the tv, but so far, not so good. I ate way too
many pistachios last night. But at least I managed to stay away from the
chocolates. *sigh* Tonight is my going out night, so I won't be home to
eat, so I'm going to use tonight as a springboard for change. Tomorrow
night my new strategy will be chewing sugarless gum and drinking ice water
so I can munch on the ice. I'll keep the group posted on whether or not it
helps, if you promise to share any sucessful strategies you come up with
too! )