Accountability thread 8/26 - 9/1
Hi everyone,
Welcome to the safe space where @Phoenix22k @enigmaticOcean8813 and I share our journey together to overcome eating disorders.
Everyone is welcome to join and share their stories and thoughts.
Sending positive vibes and lots of love
Sunday 9/1
Day 3 of being binge free! Like last night, I came very close to binging on chocolates/sweets after dinner but I stopped myself. I let myself indulge in a good serving of wafers and chocolate and then stopped even though I wanted more. Hope everyone else had a good day too!
@orangeSpruce9113
WOOHOO! Know that your progress is huge! It is also great that again you showed restraint and did not let yourself binge despite the treat.
Incredible job. Seriously. I know how hard it is to string days together. I also know the feelings that come along with it. I imagine you woke up feeling better, proud of yourself, and more motivated for today. I can also imagine you may be nervous/anxious about how long you can keep it up.
Know that each day will challenge you, but you have shown that you are capable and can continue your streak! Small steps each day :)
@orangeSpruce9113
Hi Orange,
You’ve been amazing! Three days of great results, one after the other. The fact that you came so close to giving in, but managed to recognize the voice in your head trying to make you cave and were able to say, "No way, not today! You won’t make me crumble!" is a huge step forward. Unfortunately, our ED brain is always trying to trick us, to make us fall into temptation, so being able to have control over it is incredibly difficult, and it's something I hope you’re proud of.
And then, you know the saying "progress, not perfection"? Well, I think it applies perfectly in your case. It’s not necessary for you to run towards perfection (which could actually lead you to restrict and then relapse). It's better if you manage to give yourself small rewards each day—like a few wafers—but by controlling the quantities to avoid bingeing.
Great job!!! Keep it up!
Sunday 9/1
Woke up and did my Sunday morning routine, went to church, came home and read :) A pleasant start to the day. Around lunch I took a little walk as now they are my time to listen to podcasts. I found another great episode from move well, 3$ fitness questions vs. What Really Makes an Impact.
I'm starting to re-wire thoughts and recognize... there is no perfection. There is no perfect diet, there is no perfect workout, there is no perfect body. I have focused so much the last 10 years trying to find these.. with no success. The podcast really highlighted this. For diet it seems the most important things are to hit protein goals, but there is less impact on the carb/fat split from research. Perhaps if you are looking to be in superhero shape for a movie or in a competition, but overall its protein and calorie amount. This really opened my eyes to new possibilities of food and dare I say it, treats.
Food choices went well, and after such a solid month in August, I had a small bowl of ice cream that had a peanut butter "ribbon" in it. My favorite. I enjoyed it, but while I did keep thinking about it for the afternoon, it did not lead to any binges/purges.
My goal for September is to allow Sunday's to be a day where I do not worry about step count and can enjoy a little treat if I want to. I'd love to be able to go out to eat with my family and enjoy ice cream or cake at birthdays again. I know that I will have some feelings of guilt/shame, but I also need to tell myself that it is okay and to just not let it ruin my entire day.
So all in all, just a really nice day. Improving little by little. I can't thank you all enough for the encouragement and safe space here.
@Phoenix22k
Hi Phoenix,
It’s so
nice to open 7Cups and read about another one of your good days.
Thanks for the suggestion about the new podcast episode to listen to. In the
last couple of days, I’ve kind of abandoned "our" podcast because I
discovered a collection of recordings from conferences by a very famous Italian
historian. He talks about many historical events in a deep yet very engaging
way. When I was in school, I liked history, but it wasn’t my favorite subject.
I discovered this by chance, and it blew me away! There are so many things we
aren’t taught in school that help you understand exactly why things happened
(like the World Wars) and make you really interested in the topic...
I know it sounds nerdy and lame, but in the last few days, I’ve had a really hard time tearing myself away from these historical stories! It’s such a shame these podcasts didn’t exist when I was in school; otherwise, I think I would have had much higher grades!
But back to you—sorry for the digression—I’m really proud of you for starting to realize that perfection doesn’t exist in life. Of course, you already knew that; we all do. But knowing it is one thing, and being fully aware of it is another. And this podcast often seems to manage to get this idea into our brains more effectively. Incredible!
The peanut butter ice cream sounds really good! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I’m happy you were able to silence that part of your brain that wanted to make you feel guilty and lead you to binge. I’m really proud of you for managing to do that! I hope you can repeat this experience in the coming Sundays and see it as a reward for doing so well all week, with the understanding that a small treat won’t ruin everything you’ve done. It’s just a normal thing to enjoy some time and good food with your friends and family.
Sending you a hug!
@Turtleonmyleftarm
Thanks turtle!
How dare you find another podcast you enjoy! (kidding of course!) That's great! I also have found a few historical ones I enjoy (not in Italian though :p ).
Very cool! Thanks for making the new week for us :)
Hi everyone,
I've created the new post for the new week: https://www.7cups.com/forum/eds/EatingDisordersGeneralSupport_32/Accountabilitythread9298_335864/
See you there!!! 🤗
@Turtleonmyleftarm
this is really inspiring, thank you for sharing this!