I don't know for the life of me what happened to me last night. I have been going to the gym and watching what I eat, it has taken me over three months to lose 11 pounds. I just started eating junk and couldn't help myself! It was like I was pocessed or something.....anyone else go through this? I certainly don't want to blow everything like this, I have worked so hard and went through alot of pain to lose those pounds. I have to get a grip, somehow.....I get so stressed lately, everything is on my nerves, too.

Hi Jilie... Congratulations on losing 11 pounds! Eeeiiiyy! I'd do ANYTHING to lose some of this flab. I doubt you put it all back on last night, though. A good pig-out is a great idea, once in a while. Good for the soul. So if you relieve a little dieting stress by indulging in an ocassional binge, then don't let the morning-after guilt pack on more stress... Be good to yourself!! (Just don't change your address to the refrigerator.) Trade the guilt for a few giggles Keep the faith! Susan

I, too, lost 12 pound over about a three month period, and I occasionally go on a sort of binge. But it hasn't affected my weight, because it's just occasional. So I wouldn't worry about it at all. In fact, I think it actually helps, because the body revs up the metabolism to counter all of the food and you aren't stuck with a constantly low metabolism because you've reduced your calorie intake. But, of course, that's *occasionally* eating everything in sight, not often! Studies actually show that increasing calorie intake (a bit, not an enormous amount) a day or two a week while dieting produces faster weight loss, because your body doesn't then think it is starving and conserve every calorie. Also, I think it helps psychologically that your don't always feel deprived. Anyway, I've binged here and there and my weight has not increased an ounce since I lost the weight early this year. But I'm not dieting, I'm just eating "right."

Were you going through something emotional? I find sometimes that when I want to go on a binge, locating my emotional state helps. Usually it's after I get off the phone from talking to my mother. :mad: Then at least I know what it is, and I can tune in to when I've had enough of whatever it is I want to binge on (usually has something to do with chocolate!). There's nothing worse than eating everything in sight because you know you want SOMETHING but don't know what it is -- so you keep eating till you find it!! Were you just HUNGRY? You might be better off eating a few healthy snacks during the day to avoid those hunger pangs. If you're on 1200 calories a day, that could do it. I'm a "FIRM moonie", so keep this in mind when reading this post. They recommend that you multiply your weight by 10 and that's the calories you should eat daily; then get on a fitness plan that replaces fat with muscle to rev up your metabolism. I went on Cambridge Diet in the 1980's -- 300 calories a day, and it still took me 16 weeks to lose 13 pounds. Starving your body doesn't help you lose weight.

Hi, Jilibeane...I am going through that now! For me, I think it is stress with another foot surgery ahead of me and I can't do what I really want to do right now with exercise. A day off now and then happens. As long as it is now and then, it is ok. If you deprive yourself of things, sometimes this will happen. You just have to get it out of your system. Know you are not alone and you will not gain your weight back with a treat day once in awhile. Grace

Dear Lilibean, I too ate everything in sight last night. What is up with that? Is this menopause related? You are in Surfside Beach, so close. I'm in M.B.

Before my period I can have devour everything in sight. This is why generally keep junk out of the house. Since it's classic cravings for potato chips or chocolate I don't think it's driven by emotion. I am more emotional then, however. When I'm stressed, depressed, or anxious food eating is usually something I force myself to do. Anyways, good thing I got my period, because I was eating a small bag of Wavy Lays a night. Oh, then there was that bag of dark chocolate kisses. In post my sister said these cravings have ceased. I don't have a weight problem, but can't afford extra weight since it goes right on the gut.

Omit the have in the first sentence. I really have to learn to edit, or revise.

Finally, a girl after my own heart! Dark chocolate, food of the Gods. That is probably a good reason to get out of bed in the mornings. I don't keep it in the house because "I am an addict." I wonder if there is a "Chocoholics Anonymous"? Chocolate is a mood elevator, but the next morning you have to deal with the guilt and withdrawal. By the way, have you seen the film "Chocolat" or whatever the French spelling is. Kinda fun. Have you seen "Frida"? My mother idolized Frida Kahlo, even after she was transformed into a conservative housewife. She even wore her hair like Frida's, which I thought weird at the time. Now, I would love the dress like Frida all of the time, but not a good practice in a law office. Oh, her jewelry was fabulous. Do you listen to any "Lila Downs"? See is very talented and very supportive of womens' issues. I never wanted to associate with any women or be involved with "womens' issues" when I was younger, but I feel very differently now. I have no problem with my own gender, but men were always so much more interesting. Now I just sort of resent all of them, maybe because they never have to bear children, go through menopause, and look "distinguished" with gray hair. Having said that, I am not fond of many female musicians, except for Diana Krall and Billie Holliday. My mother taught me to appreciate opera, and I believe my dream career would be an operatic diva, or a chef. Having never made an attempt to be either, I guess it's not going to happen. Just dreaming. Enough of this drivel. Chris, please do a photo. It is nice to put a face with a poster. Otherwise, all of this sometimes seems like an imaginary journey through cyberspace. I now have proof that Jacquie is real and not some pleasant figment of my imagination. Is "figment" a word? It sounds ridiculous and just wrong at the moment. I need to have a dictionary at hand because now that my brain no longer works, I sometimes use words that seem like ridiculous "figments" of my imagination. Thanks for listening, I think my husband has been overexposed.

Chris: as you are so very articulate and a talented writer, could you be writing incognito in this group, and is your husband Alan Greenspan?

Of course you are too young to be Andrea Mitchell, although I mean't it as a compliment. My husband says I need to find something constructive to do and stop bothering you guys. I am going out to browbeat the dogs for peeing on my shrubbery.

I have got to get a grip. I swear, I have ZERO impulse control premenstrually. I will eat ANYTHNG. I was out to dinner with a friend last night, whining about needing to lose 15 pounds, and he says, "Ya know...it's not brain surgery- eat less, exercise more. It's that simple. Eat fewer calories, burn more calories". I could have slugged him. I KNOW THAT!! DUH!!!! Men can be so pragmatic, and practical. Let's see THEM ovulate and curb chocolate cravings at the same time!! Sheesh!!

MEN!!! Julie, I read the book Chocolat, then saw the movie. I liked the book better. My daughter is an artist and loved the movie Freida. With my current anxiety level, I felt the movie might be too intense, so passed. My father taught me an appreciation for opera, as he had a great tenor voice, before he burned it out with booze and cigars. He had a wide range of musical taste. Always loved to strum that guitar, too. He was part Italian so I heard lots of Italian songs and opera. He was a character. Nope, not Andrea. I wish I had her loot. Let's see who have I been told I look like, Faye Dunaway, the mom in ET, Jane Fonda, and recently the Olson twins, particulary one of them. I said yeah, "Maybe their mother." I am part Scandanavian, so. Oh, I finished the chocolate kisses last night. I have to have my husband, the enabler, hide the chocolate from me. Or, keep it at work!!! Dark chocolate is healthy in moderation. Yup, it affects the cannaboid receptors. Just like marijuana. I hate those premenstrual munchies, lee I was also craving those bowtie pastries from Dunkin Donuts. Stick one of those suckers in the microwave for 10 seconds, PURE NIRVANA. Or, a Krispy Kreme might do. I passed on the bowtie!!!! I recall a boss of mine saying she never had a craving in her life. I rather felt sorry for her, as I find gratification in occasionally indulging a food craving. Disable smileys? Use signature? Turn BBCode off? Receive email notification of new replies?

How the heck did I get those bottom words on the last post. God, I'm a computer dunce.

Tell that husband of yours I enjoy our correspondence.

And, my husband has heard it all too, Julie. With my obsessive nature he's heard it a million times. When I went to counseling with him he sat there emotionless. The counselor said, "Is he layed back, or just shellshocked." I said, "He's layed back." I told him this he said, "I've heard it all before, it was nice to have someone else have to hear it for once." Not sure about counseling. I come home ticked off. Oh, I guess I'll make an appt. for next week and drag him there again. Off topic, so sorry.

Plus, on this hormonal roller coaster ride, things change quite quickly. Up,down, up down. The queen of the mood swing.

I wanted to write, but was never very disciplined. Thanks for the kind compliment, Julie. And, KEEP THE JUNK FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE, LADIES. I had to go back to topic, so I don't drive Alice to hunt me down and shoot me.

Man am I hungry. 24 / 7 for about 2 weeks prior to my period. My munchies are starting today. I get a craving for cereal so I will eat cereal, bowl after bowl until my craving changes to something else. Sometimes I don't know what I am after so while I do my grocery shopping My eye falls upon something and I think to myself, "THAT'S IT". I buy it, take it home, have a bite and it's not what I wanted or what my body wanted. Fresh or Canned Peaches are often the thing, but usually it I am feeling sick at the same time. Peaches are my version of "Chicken Soup". Chocolate usually fades from the snack list at this time. Salty stuff increases. Some times I want Herring strips in wine sauce. Or a bowl ful of Polish Garlic Baby Dill Piclkes, and you dig around in the bottom of the pickle jar for the pickled garlic cloves. None of those Dry, too vinigary Deli style Vlasic pickles. It seems that for about 1 to 2 weeks I can be an eating machine. WILL POWER is a think of the past during this time. I just finished a bowl of cereal. I am now going to go check out the pantry for something Yummy. My brain will know what it is when I see it.

Does this sound familiar to any one?

Munch, Munch, Slurp, Mumble Munch. Wipe, Wipe, Wipe.

Linda
Linderful

Linderful. Totally!!!!! It used to be a few days before my period I would start picking, chips and chocolate mostly (my favorites) but I knew that afterwards I could get back to normal eating habits.
Now, it's as you say, 2 weeks of eating the most stupid things, things that don't go together: a lump of cheese then a piece of cake, a Twix bar and then a turkey sandwich. Doesn''t make any sense, but you just keep on eating even when you are all bloated up and feelng sick. You think "Well, I'm fat now anyway so what's the difference"? Rita

Hi Linderful,
Me too! I have always had almost an unsatiable appetite right before my period...in fact was one of the ways I knew my period was coming. Then when my period started, I had just the opposite effect and hardly felt like eating. Guess it all balanced out in the end.

I usually get the munchies a few days before my period, but last month was unreal. A full 10 days before I was due, I craved all the junk food that I can usually avoid. And my breasts were bloated and painful for that long too. I hated it and I hope this doesn't happen this month. It was too weird for me, since I'm careful how I eat (Zone diet for 2 meals a day). I definitely put on a few pounds that haven't left yet. I sometimes wonder if it was just the change in the seasons that prompted my body to load up on hibernation lard... I can't afford to grow out of the clothes I bought all summer for the cruise in Feb!

Shel

Linderful,

I feel exactly the same way. For the past 3 months or so I can never satisfy my hungry. I eat every two-three hours. I can be eating cereal then have a taste for a sandwich. I just eat eat eat. Initially, when all my symptoms started I lost 20lbs. I lost the weight in about 4 months but now it has only taken me about 2 months to put the 20lbs back on! Its like my body is making up for all the times that my appetite was decreased and I was not eating. Since I am not overweight at this point I am going with what my body tells me to do. If my body says eat 3 chocolate donuts I am gonna do it.

Jill~

Chocolate, chocolate, ice cream and more chocolate for the week before my period then, back to eating normally. I think we all do this. I know my daughter and I vie for the chocolate in the house! The guys better not touch it!