SOCIAL MEDIA

Saturday, March 5, 2011

I Failed

The past two weeks have been a struggle for me. Although I have been counting my points and staying on track, I have been struggling with emotional eating. I have felt myself slip into my old habits and I kept thinking to myself, “I have got to stop this. I am forming really bad habits.” And I just couldn’t take control. I knew what I needed to do and I failed to take any action.

With hubby being gone, I have lost my emotional support. I can talk to him on the phone, but it’s just not the same as face to face conversation and a hug. I didn’t have my partner here to tell me that everything was going to be alright and that whatever aspect of my life that was stressing me out, from school, to work, to my family members’ problems- which are much bigger than my own. I didn’t have that support and in my moment of truth- I failed.

Let me explain what happened. For the past two weeks, I have started mindless snacking. I don’t even know if I could call it mindless snacking because I know that I’m doing it and I try not to care or think about the consequences of my actions. You cannot feel pleasure and pain at the same time and while my “pain” is NOTHING in comparison to what some people go through, sometimes I feel weak and out of control, and I don’t want to deal with my “pain,” and so I started to eat to replace the “pain” with “pleasure” even if only for that short moment while I ate that handful of chocolate chips. And the irony of it all is that as I was eating, I thought- “So this is what they mean when they say you can’t experience pain and pleasure at the same time.” It was like my stress melted away for the seconds that I ate those chocolate chips. But it came back. It always does. Food is not a hug.

I do want you to know that what I post of my food throughout the day is honest. The mindless snacking happened AFTER I published my posts- in the last couple of hours before I go to bed. I like to wind down and relax and watch an episode of Ugly Betty, or some other show that makes me laugh. And I started a bad habit of snacking while doing so. I’d tell myself- ok, one snack. The next thing I knew, that snack would be gone and I’d want more. So I’d get more. And I’d go online and track those points and think, “I have go to stop this.” But I’d feel better because I tracked it and it made me feel like I had a grip on my reality, even if it was a loose grip.

But it all hit home last night. Hubby came home and he was sick and went to bed at 6:30. I missed him all week and while I understood that he was sick and he needed to get some sleep, I missed him even more when he was right there but we couldn’t spend quality time together. And I ate Girl Scout Cookies, which last year I handled with ease and in moderation. And in one night, I ate eight cookies. All I can do now is hang my head in shame. But I was mortified when hubby came downstairs this morning to see eight cookies eaten. What a failure I was. How could I get so out of control? How could I let a cookie control me? I know better than this. I know that a cookie (or eight) cannot meet my emotional needs. And yet I still ate them.

That moment when hubby noticed the results of my emotional eating and was so disappointed in me was the moment that brought me to my senses. I don’t want to feel ashamed of myself. I’ve spent my entire life feeling ashamed of myself. That is not who I want to be. I don’t want to be here telling you all that I ate eight Girl Scout Cookies. I want to be here telling you all that I ran a marathon, that I completed a triathlon, that I hit my goal weight. I want to be here to tell you about my successes, not my failures. But here I am.

I am so scared of slipping back into my old habits and it is times like these that I realize how easy that’s going to be for me. Like a recovering alcoholic with a sip of wine. It’s that easy. And I think it always will be.

And more than ever, I realize that I can only depend on myself. I may not always going to have a cheerleader there to push me on, and I have to learn to do that for myself. I have to learn to be my own cheerleader. I have to be able to reach within and find the strength that I need to make it through any circumstance or trial. Sometimes I’m all that I’ve got and I have got to be strong.

I feel like this is a turning point in my road. I took a little detour and now I am back on track. I know that while I may be staying within my points, it’s not healthy or normal to eat eight Girl Scout Cookies. No one eats eight Girl Scout Cookies because they need them. I ate them to try to feed my emotions and I cannot do that because I will never meet that need with food. And while one or two Girl Scout Cookies is ok, eight is not. No one can do this for me. It is up to me. I must find the strength, the resolve, the motivation, the willpower and the desire to finish this race and become a healthier, stronger and better person.

This post was very emotional for me to write. It’s hard to tell your biggest supporters that you failed, or admit that you do things like eating uncontrollably. But please understand that I do know where I went wrong and I have already begun to fix it. I worked out today. I have eaten very healthfully. I have a plan in place to combat my evening snacking. I am back in control- but I just wanted to let you all in on this experience where I failed. But it isn’t stopping me.

22 comments :

  1. In my opinion, you didn't fail. Failing is giving up and no where in your post did you talk about giving up. We all struggle once in a while... if losing weight was easy, we'd all be a size 6. No matter how much success I have, I always take a step backwards once in a while. But I believe my steps backward make me even stronger in the end. You are strong. You've lost so much weight. You did not fail. Keep your head up!

    Take care!

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  2. Please go to my blog and read "The Night Lie" from November, 2010. I think there is some help for you there. www.myrasjourney.blogspot.com

    Remember you don't drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying there. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get on with it.

    -Myra

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  3. Awww... that is not a fail... it's a slip up. We all have slip ups every now and then, but at least now you know that eating 8 cookies may not have been the greatest idea. You pick yourself up, brush yourself off and keep going, because 8 cookies is not going to stop the journey you are on.
    Hang in there!

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  4. YOU DID NOT FAIL! This is life and some days are going to be good days and some days we are all going to slip. Geez, I don't even think 8 Girl Scout cookies is that bad of a binge. Try not to be too black and white because this is life and it sounds like you are being waaaaay too hard on yourself. I am extremely proud of you for blogging about the slip. Keeping fighting the good fight. You may not win every day, but I bet you'll win most days and that is the important part.

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  5. Setbacks do not equal failure! You're stronger than that! Congratulations on realizing what you were doing and putting a plan in place to get back on track!!!

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  6. Please do not ever call yourself a failure - you are amazing! You have lost so much weight and have come so far mentally that you inspire me everyday! Seeing your success helps me to keep going everyday, to not give up.

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  7. PROUD OF YOU. Way to face yourself with honesty. You know, doing that is the hardest thing to do. and then doing it in front of all of us blog readers, even more so. but you chose to take this and face it dead on. GOOD ON YAH! Proud of you... very proud. =) can't wait to hear about how you kick life in the butt again. =) chin up... you're on your way.

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  8. oh this hit home with me
    it is so incredibly hard to be OUR own cheerleader
    to tell ourselves we are worth it and we can do it
    when its so easy to pick up those cookies, or whatever we stick in our mouths to be our substitute cheerleader...they don't cheer for us.
    the mock and depress us. hang in there hun!

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  9. You have learned a huge lesson and I am so proud of you for writing this honest blog as you have been so real within this entry.
    Firstly, know these emotions you experienced are what so many of us have and not always honest about it for fear of condemnation from other...so well done on this.
    Secondly, you have learned such a huge lesson this is going to carry you forward to your goal weight.
    You are so right, and you reminded me again that only YOU ( me ) can be the cheerleader of our lives, this journey. Thanks for this....

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  10. I agree with the others, Alissa. You did not fail! Failure is quitting and that's not what you're doing. Part of healing a certain behavior is being able to acknowledge it. You've done that and now you can work to change it! It's a hard journey and won't be perfect. We all have those slip ups. Don't let it affect all the good work you've done. You're not going backward; it was just a blip on the radar screen! Onward, girlie! You got this :)

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  11. I think this was very cathartic for you. And I don't think you failed. I think you had a setback. You're having a tough time and you're without someone who's a big support to you. It's tough. That's not an excuse. It's hard. It's a change, and sometimes changes are really hard to get through. But look at your spirit at the end... you know that you want to keep on going and not let this get you down. That means you won. You're still fighting for your health and for yourself.

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  12. There are falls on these kind of journeys, but this does not mean it is a fail. Maybe a slip, or moment of weakness (which is alright to admit), but the important part is you know that it was a bad choice. Many don't even realize this! Just take it as something to learn from and don't sit on the past, don't worry about the future, try to focus on the moment you are currently in. Just the present day. You seem to have done so well! keep it up : )

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  13. You haven't failed...you have hit a bump in the road, but things will straighten out for you. Good for you for blogging about this so you can receive support. You can do it!

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  14. How brave of you to write this post and face your slip, admit it to yourself and others. You're allowing your readers to know you're like they are - human - and you slipped and then learned the lesson from it. That's all you can do - move on and learn the lesson and try your darnedest not to repeat it. But if you do, you know what? Continue to love yourself because no one else is judging you here and everyone (EVERYONE!) slips up on occasion. God knows I have! Toss the girl scout cookies and take a deep breath and smile - today's a new, fresh start! ;)

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  15. I'll say what everyone else said - you didn't fail, you just slipped up. Plus, if you learn anything from it (which you did), then its empowering and motivates you in the future. It's a learning experience for the next time you are tempted. Personally I try not to even have those damn GS cookies around because I'll just eat them til theyre gone. Thanks for sharing, and don't beat yourself up, you're only human!

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  16. You know, part of doing a blog like this is also talking about the struggles. You can gain a lot of insight sharing this and hearing other people's thoughts on it. No one is perfect.

    Just don't call yourself a failure or that you failed. Yes, maybe you could be making better choices, but you recognize that and are trying to work through it. Take some time and really learn from this week and see what plan you might be able to put into place to develop new habits instead of turning to snacking. You won't always be successful, but it sure won't be for lack of trying :D

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  17. I almost want to smack your hand for this post! ;) In NO WAY did you fail! You had a small set back, you recognized it, and you're turning it around. Failing is quitting, and you've never done that. Losing weight does not fix the habits that got us obese in the first place- that could take a lifetime. You're a work in progress, remember that!

    And really? 8 cookies? If you'd eaten a whole sleeve- maybe then we could call it a binge, but 8? You so silly.

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  18. You didn't fail. You ate 8 cookies, and while that isn't something you want to make a habit of. It happened, your recognized it and you got things in check. Don't get too upset, you are doing so amazing, it is hard not to emotional eat - trust me I know. And once or twice will not put you where you used to be. You are doing great, good for you for seeing some habits you don't want in your life and stopping it. Keep up the good work :)

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  19. You SO did not fail!!! Its a bit of a hiccup and setback, but you nipped it in the bud, are back on track, and you're good to go forward. This is a very brave post to write, and you are and ALWAYS WILL be an inspiration to your readers!!! Have a great day!!! Sending a virtual hug your way.

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  20. def not a fail. You know what needs to be done. You are on the right track!

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  21. Just found your blog...loved seeing all of the food pics!

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  22. I'm so behind on reading, but I had to comment on this entry. You have NOT failed, by anyone's definition except your own (and unfortunately that's the one that counts most). The reality is no matter how we progress on the journey, no matter how much we know better, no matter how much weight we lose, we'll always be one emotion away or one bad day away from not making the best decisions. That doesn't constitute failure. Failure is when we make excuses. Failure is not realizing our mistakes. And the worst failure? Stop trying. You haven't done that. You're as accountable as anyone blogger I follow. It's hard/damn near impossible to photograph everything you eat. I've tried. I get hungry, start eating and forget. You're holding your own feet to the fire and I applaud you for that. You've lost almost 80 lbs; you're doing something right.

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