Confessions of member struggling page

[Lilith]

Hi all,

I'm not sure what is wrong, I feel really guilty though as my eating seems to have gone out of kilter and I am beating myself up about it and wondering what is wrong.

I have been getting on ok with primal up until the weekend just gone.

My OH and I went out on Saturday evening to see some friends (no alcohol for me as I have given it up). We'd had a good day food-wise. However, when we got home I devoured two bacon sandwiches (we had some bread left in the freezer) and a 90% Lindt chocolate bar even though by the time I got halfway through the chocolate bar I felt sick

I've bought 90% Lindt before and been able to eat one square per evening which has previously been enough to satisfy me.

I kind of thought it was just an 'off' moment and carried on eating primal. Then yesterday my OH went out and bought a chocolate bar for himself and a dark chocolate one for me as we were craving something sweet. The bar had 15 squares and I ate the whole lot.

And again tonight, it came to dinner time and I was craving something sweet. However, I cooked some steak and vegetables and that seemed to satisfy me. However, an hour later I decided to raid the last of the cereal we had lying round and eat a bowl (I know, I should have thrown it sooner), again until I was full to bursting.

At these points I have eaten when I have not even been hungry. I'm concerned as to what is going on.

I don't know if this has links with me previously having an eating disorder, or maybe I am not eating enough during the day and I am getting these sweet cravings.

I feel like I should apologise as I feel like I have let myself and the people on here down as everyone else seems to be doing so well

Any advice welcome please x

[magicmerl]

I have temptations like you do, but with a slight difference. I think that they are partly due to missing something from my diet, maybe as simple as not enough calories. Two things you can do:
1. Get rid of all of the junk in your house. That makes it off limits
2. Give yourself permission to eat as much treat foods as you want, but know in advance what those treat foods are

For me that's bananas and cream. Any time I'm hungry in the evening, I can have a banana (microwaved until soft with lots of fluid pooling) topped with melted dark chocolate and with about a cup of cream. That is divine and very filling. If I'm still peckish I have another one. I've never needed to have 3 in a row

[Dragonfly]

No need to beat yourself up--ever!

Probably Magnesium deficiency. Very common, when going Primal since grains are a primary source in the Western diet.

Try 400-600 mg Magnesium Citrate or Glycinate before bed.

[Lilith]

Thanks for your replies. All junk has now been removed

Thanks for the recommendation Dragonfly, I will look into the magnesium. Does this deficiency 'sort itself out' in time or should I be taking it from now on?

[magicmerl]

You need magnesium, so if your diet doesn't have it, you should supplement.

[Dragonfly]

Yup. Unless you eat a LOT of seafood, or you live in one of the few places with high Mag water, you are likely to be deficient and need it long-term.

[YogaBare]

Hey Lilith,

This actually comes up A LOT! Many people struggle with different aspects of dietary change, at different intervals - so don't feel bad!

I just posted this on another thread - thought it might be relevant to you too:

You know, I had the exact same problem. Was super strict for the first month, then went on a binging frenzy. This kept happening (restricting, binging) for several months. I had an ED prior to the dietary change, but it got a lot worse for quite a few months.

The ethos of Primal - real food, healthy living, is fantastic, but first you need to question why you are doing this diet. Is it for weight loss? Or is it to be healthy? I think the people who do it for weight loss but who come saddled with a lot of food phobias find their binging gets out of control.

It was only when I realised I was projecting a lot of fears and neurosis onto food (and my body), and started to deal with the underlying emotions that I stopped binging. Although not everyone binges for emotional reasons. Some people are just physically hooked to the food. My instinct is that if you went a month without eating it, and then went back on it, that's not the case for you, and there is an underlying issue that needs to be addressed.

Restricting food groups, "healthy eating" is just papering over the cracks IMO.

[drssgchic]

Trust me, not everyone here is "doing well." That's why we have the forum. To help each other when things go off the rails.

A couple of other things to think about- PMS? I eat anything and everything at that time of the month. Primal or not. Other emotional/stressful things that just cropped up? That makes me crave sweets, particularly at the end of the day.

A possible stop-gap would be to stuff yourself on fats and proteins earlier in the day for a little while. This makes sure that you aren't accidentally shorting yourself on calories, and while you might want that sweet at the end of the day, *groan* eating it will actually make you pop.

[GioMetry]

YogaBare, I love that answer.

I've have issues with food/restricting/overeating ever since I can remember. So far, primal has worked amazingly, but I am definitely aware of the danger of falling back into old patters.
Anyway, excellent write-up.

Lilith, I wish you much success.

[YogaBare]

YogaBare, I love that answer.

I've have issues with food/restricting/overeating ever since I can remember. So far, primal has worked amazingly, but I am definitely aware of the danger of falling back into old patters.
Anyway, excellent write-up.

Really happy it resonated with you I remember I read a story years ago about a morbidly obese man who went from 550 to a regular weight, and back again... twice! After his third weight loss he gave an interview and said where he had gone wrong was dealing with "the outer problem, not the inner problem". That's always really stuck with me.

People often look for quick fixes instead of addressing the (scarey) underlying emotions and issues. These become addictions, and the addiction becomes the "problem", but really it's just a symptom. I could write about this a lot...

i think so,that's not the case for you, and there is an underlying issue that needs to be addressed.thank you

ARgh - it really bugs me when spammers jump on heart felt threads!