Everyday Systems

... and I feel like crap!

I haven't really posted here before, but I've lurked a while. I've been doing NoS on and off for a few months, and had really good success for a while. At the beginning of November I was wearing my skinny jeans for the first time in years! Then I got super stressed out. I eat my feelings, BIG time. Plus, I'm no good at being strict with myself. Something stressful happens and I can easily convince myself that "just this once" it's OK to slip. Before I know it, a month of slips have happened and the results are that I'm right back where I started.

Anyway, last week I did really well, so I have been looking forward to today. I haven't even really eaten THAT much (for me - LOL) but I have snacked this afternoon and had a treat that my son and I made. I'm taking it as a good sign that I'm not used to eating between meals anymore. That part is relatively easy for me. The sweets get me every time though.

I really want to remember this feeling of "Ugh" from overindulgence. I guess that's why I suddenly felt the need to post here. I love, love, love this board and all the encouragement and support y'all offer around here.

This may come and go, but at some point, it becomes clearer that there just isn't the payoff that there used to be. This can take awhile, far beyond the time when it seems it should be obvious. Enjoy whatever release you feel from the urges and fill up on alternatives to food as often as you can!

Thank you for the encouragement oolala53! I'm doing a lot better today

I usually end up doing a "feel like crap" S-day every couple of months. At this point, they serve to remind me that I really don't LIKE eating like that.

Which is a good thing to remember. I generally don't do it again for a while!

What I usually do to recover... (this is fresh in my mind, because I just had to do this!!)

- Eat extra-decently for a few days, being mindful about meals. If I'm stuffed the day after, I eat light meals but I don't skip them. (Other people may do fasting stuff, but that's not for me. If I skip a meal, it sets off a boom-and-bust cycle that's very bad for me.)
- For the next S-day, be very intentional about treats. On "crap" S-days, I tend to graze because nothing is satisfying. So, I plan to have something really satisfying next time! Something worth looking forward to, and eating with enjoyment.
- Remind myself that this is a process, and I'm learning. Try to look with compassionate curiosity at what I ate and why I ate it. Sometimes there are Other Things that need addressing. Sometimes I just need some TLC... in a non-food form. Sometimes it's because I didn't have what I really wanted in the first place, and nothing substituted, so I kept looking.
- Finally, in the immortal words of vsurmbat, "mark it and move on."

Hope some of this is useful to you. As BA says, "we are all experiments of one", so take what you can use and let the rest go.