How do you deal with immediate guilt, if you've just pigged out?

[Tasaio]

Greetings

This morning, I got up at 9:00...

And the first thing I did was help myself to some chocolate chip cookies...about 10(!) cookies in all.

This was my "breakfast", so to speak. I'm finding my guilt is paralyzing me, and preventing me from working on my personal projects.

I've tried meditating, but I feel so queasy from the high amount of sugar that I'm finding it difficult to concentrate.

In this, and similar situations, how do you reduce the amount of guilt and tell yourself

"OK, I made a bad decision, but worrying about diabetes and cancer isn't going to improve anything, nor prevent me from making the mistake again"

More generally:

Do you have any advice for maintaining positive thinking if you've just done something you regret?

Thanks in advance for any advice

[Dating Specialist]

Just tell yourself to stop that and move on!

Because once you know how much it's costing you to wallow in that guilt and not doing anything about it, you'll want to get over it.

Guilt can be used as a value to drive you towards achieving your goal. So maybe you can remember this guilt and utilise it whenever you feel like eating that cookie again! Who knows, you may not do it anymore because you know how sucky it felt to be that guilty..

[marktb]

forgive yourself. repeat and tap on the energy meriidan points "even though I just pigged out on chocolate chip cookies, I completely and deeply love and accept myself".

Mark

[Michelle]

Woah. Eating cookies for breakfast one time is no problem. Enjoy them! If you do it all the time, that is something to examine. Go for the feelings underneath the food - were you feeling lonely, anxious, somehow uncomfortable?

Sometimes I eat dessert for dinner. :-) Yumm!

[빈센트]

Do 60 pushups. Do them in sets if you have to.

[ChefSalad]

Please no on the pushups. There's no reason to punish yourself. Just forgive yourself and move on. A few indulgences here and there won't hurt you. Visualize yourself cooking and eating a delicious and healthy breakfast tomorrow and visualize yourself bing happy as a clam while doing it (it's VERY important for you to be happy.). Also, it may help to examine why you ate ten cookies for breakfast in the first place. Were you eating out of stress? Habit? Was your planned breakfast really crappy tasting? Every meal, no matter whether you're trying to lose wight or not should be ridiculously delicious. If your idea of breakfast doesn't get your mouth watering it's time to reevaluate your diet plan. And, lastly, if you were planning on eating breakfast cereal, then eating cookies wasn't really so bad after all. Most breakfast cereals are like bowls full of miniature cookies.

[Baltar]

Originally Posted by ChefSalad

Please no on the pushups. There's no reason to punish yourself. Just forgive yourself and move on.

I agree. There's no need to punish yourself or feel guilty. Those are the worst things you can do. By doing them you can end up with a closed loop where you do something bad, then feel guilty about it or punish yourself. And this can simply happen over and over again and won't solve anything. What you have to do is attack the cause of the problem, not the symptoms. You have to understand why you ate all those cookies in the first place.

Ultimately to stop eating something like cookies completely or limit yourself to small amounts, you have to create certain associations in your brain (something I learned from Tony Robbins). I personally don't eat almost any junk food because I created a neural association that refined sugar is an awful thing and is terrible for my body. When I see junk food I don't see something tasty, I see poison.

On the other hand most people associate junk food with pleasure, which is why people eat so much of it. It's not difficult to change associations, you just have to do it consciously and it takes some time. It also takes some discipline. But once the system is in place, it's very easy to maintain it.

[ChrisCountryGirl]

I tell myself it's okay to pig out occassionally like on a holiday. I try to keep only healthy food in the house so I'm not tempted to pig out on junk food.

[빈센트]

Since when was physical exercise punishment? It's merely a way to get the frustration out quickly instead having to go to the gym or a jog.

[Jaben]

Was your planned breakfast really crappy tasting? Every meal, no matter whether you're trying to lose wight or not should be ridiculously delicious.

I think this is key. Eating healthy and enjoying your food aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. In fact I believe if it isn't rediculously delicious we shouldn't consider it to be healthy. However you may have to work a little to find something that will suit your appetite as well as make you feel great after you eat it. Don't give up, the search can be very rewarding.

I would also suggest, pay more attention to how you feel than what you read or hear regarding what you should or shouldn't eat. And no matter what you do, find a way to feel good.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Jaben

I would also suggest, pay more attention to how you feel than what you read or hear regarding what you should or shouldn't eat. And no matter what you do, find a way to feel good.

I agree with that! It's amazing how physically and emotionally awful a sugar binge can leave you. Have you ever had that, "well, I ate ten cookies, so I might as well eat badly for the whole day" rationalization? You start off bad and end up worse -- you've Federlined!

Maybe it would help to learn from this kind of episode what your triggers are. Do you wake up vulnerable, or have other timing or emotional cues that make you crave sweets? Stock up on something appealing and healthy so it's the first thing you reach for. Don't have sweet treats on hand -- if you see them, you'll eat them.

[ticktockclok]

Before, my mood would be ruined for the rest of the day over that.

Now, I have the Sedona Method.

[The David]

Originally Posted by 빈센트

Since when was physical exercise punishment? It's merely a way to get the frustration out quickly instead having to go to the gym or a jog.

That could be a good point, actually. It may take your mind off the emotional strain, and will burn some calories, too.

[da1prophet]

I work out a lot and typically maintain a very healthy diet. I'll occasionally pig out but so what? If I really feel gross I'll put in a little more time at the gym the next day. I agree with the posters that suggest that you don't punish yourself--I'd rather enjoy a great meal at a nice restaurant than deny myself of a pleasurable experience, even if it means I eat a little more than I should. Of course that's different than pounding 10 choco-chip cookies for breakfast, but even in that case if you typically maintain a decent diet I wouldn't worry about it.

[Jessica Adlin]

I also agree that guilt doesn't usally help a situation. I think the answer lies in action, in being proactive and guilt has the opposite effect...it can overwhelm you and fills your mind with negative, ultimately self-defeating thoughts.

I find that one of the best ways to take an active role is to ask myself, "what can I do RIGHT NOW to feel better..." For example, sometimes in the afternoon I feel very tired and lethargic. Often this feeling makes me want to eat a starchy snack (which I don't want to do). If I say, "ohhh, I am so tired...", my mind will go ahead and confirm this fact and I will feel all the worse and more inclined to eat junky food. If I say, "What can I do RIGHT now to have more energy", my mind will, instead, work on solving this question--perhaps I need a drink of water, perhaps I need to get up and move around. This focuses my thoughts on what I can do rather that what I just did that I wished I hadn't. Does that make any sense?

Let go of that guilt, think well of yourself!

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

Use EFT as marktb suggested. Knocks guilt on the head pronto! For a quick guide, check my website.

Joy to you in all things!
Hazel

[dalante]

Last night I pigged out on brown bread and I was feeling guilty about it. Then I realized I hadn't eaten carbs in the last 3 days, so my body was probably in desperate need for it (I didn't realized it when I devoured the bread).

I realized I didn't cave in because I was weak. I caved in because something inside me wanted to.

Guilt comes in when you start telling yourself stuff like: I am weak, I am naughty, I am bad, etc...

I find that reading nutruition books and keeping a balance diets stops the cravings and the pigging, and hence the feeling of guilt.

[The David]

Guilt is only there to spur you to action. Otherwise, it's just a waste of seratonin.

[Jaben]

If you are craving sweets, there are plenty of guilt free options. Fresh fruit dairy free smoothies for example. You can make them with frozen fruit as well and sweeten with organic raw agave, dates and or stevia. Or make a fruit salad with oranges, apples, pears and pomegranates. How about a mango shake and spice it with ginger and cinnamon. Make a trail mix with raw nuts and raisins, currants or other dried fruits.

Or if you crave chocolate and want to make a special treat I can give you my recipe for a rich raw cacao tart. You can make raw cookies, sorbets and ice cream too. Raw Food Real World has some delicious dessert recipes including young coconut pudding.

It is difficult to go overboard and damage your health even if you indulge to your hearts content on raw unrefined dairy free whole food sweets. With the right options at hand you can eat freely and feel great with no guilt.

[jamasiel]

Originally Posted by The David

That could be a good point, actually. It may take your mind off the emotional strain, and will burn some calories, too.

Exactly! It's positive counteraction, not punishment.

This isn't the army...is it?

[Lauxa]

You have to accept yourself where you are.

Tell yourself all your decisions that you have made are perfect and that you could not have made any other decision than the one you made. Remind yourself that you wish to act in your own self-interest, therefore the decision you just made must be consistent with your self-interest at this time. Even if the decision was "bad" you have gained something valuable out of that decision. This thought process allows you to release the guilt and accept yourself. Only once you accept yourself where you are will you be able to move forward.

This sounds a bit crazy and counter-intuitive, but I have used it with good success so far in breaking some bad habits. By the Law of Attraction, feeding guilt into the situation will only bring you more of what you don't want.

[sophieb]

One bad meal does not mean you're off the wagon forever. You have two more chances to balance it out today. And more days to balance it out this week. Stop flogging yourself!
I lost 80 lbs last year, and yes, i did have to be disciplined, but it all comes down to balance. Over the holidays I ate too much crap staying with my folks in Wisconsin (they dont' eat healthy and I was sick and too tired to cook for myself). I felt like I put on a pound or two. So what did I do when I got home? Ate less than I normally do for a week or so, until i felt the overeating was "balanced" out.
I didn't starve myself, but I also didn't allow myself little "treats" like I normally do, and I couldn't have any overindulgences in portion or richness. I would have thrown in more walking, but it was butt cold!

It's all about balance.

I do have to pipe up about exercise also, but not as punishment. The more you work out, the less you will crave crap, and soon the idea of eating cookies for breakfast will seem *repulsive* to you.