End Binge Eating Newsletter

From the desk of: Kristin Gerstley
Date: February 26, 2007

Hello friends!

I hope this newsletter finds you all in a good place.

Before I get started on the actual newsletter, I just want to send out a big thank you to all of you who have asked about my grandmother and how she is doing.  (To see my last newsletter, click here.)  It means a lot and I’m so happy to say that she is recovering from her lung surgery wonderfully!  She is free of cancer and we couldn’t ask for any better results!  Thank you!

Now onto the newsletter…

Certain things still amaze me even though I’m almost 3 years binge-free.  I think that it’s great to be able to get through your life and to be able to notice how much you have changed over any given period of time.   

My boyfriend’s dad and step-mom came in town for a 10-day visit from North Carolina.  (Photos taken a couple of weeks ago.)  If this was three years ago, I would have been stressing out about bingeing when two other people were staying in my house.  Luckily, this thought didn’t even cross my mind this time.

I had to stock up with food that Rob and I usually do not eat because not everyone likes the same foods.  Again, if this was three years ago, I would have been freaking out to have chips, Pepsi, candy, etc in the house.  After all, those were some of my favorite binge foods! 

We went out to dinner to great restaurants and I stuck with the types of food that I usually eat.  I didn’t stray away from my beloved salads, veggies, or seafood.  I stayed on track and didn’t feel tempted in the least. 

We went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch one day and they have the most wonderful cheesecake.  It is so good!  If I was hungry after my meal, I would have gotten one.  Get this: I was so full from my Seared Ahi Tuna that I didn’t even want cheesecake.  I recognized that I was full and left it at that.  (OK, I did have one bite of Rob’s cheesecake because it is that good!) 

If this was three years ago, I would have gotten my own cheesecake no matter how full I was.  My thoughts would have been, “Are you crazy to pass up cheesecake?”  And I’m sure you all know what your thoughts can do when it comes to bingeing – One thought about a certain type of food and you can’t get your mind off of it.

We went to San Antonio for a night to show them the Alamo and the Riverwalk.  We had Mexican food at a great restaurant and in the past I know that I would have gone overboard with how much I ate.  I used to eat like every meal was my last meal ever!  Well, not this time. 

This time I ordered what I wanted and enjoyed it.  I even ate some chips before our meal.  It’s a great feeling for me when I have the freedom to eat the food that I used to binge on.

I’m proud to say that I’ve noticed that even when situations change for a short amount of time or a long one, I stay on track for the most part.  People can come in town for a visit, Rob and I can go out of town, and I can deal with the stress of lung cancer affecting my grandmother without regressing to food. 

When I used to turn to food for comfort to get me through difficult and unusual situations, I no longer have that need.  I have enough love for myself (finally!) and feel worthy of feeding my body with the nutrients that it needs instead of filling it with binge food to try to make me feel better.

Here’s what I ask you – Even if you are not completely healed from Binge Eating Disorder, what changes have you made in your life that you have grown from? 

 Are there certain situations when you used to binge because you felt out of control, but now feel in control?  If so, that is great and I hope that you recognize all of the changes that are pushing you forward to recovery. 

Remember, all of these changes that I mentioned above did not happen to me overnight.  It took time (a lot of time).  The most important piece of advice that I can leave you with right now is to welcome any and all victories that you notice, no matter how small they may seem. 

In time, all of your small victories will continue to add up and you will have accomplished much more than you ever thought. 

Just have patience – I binged for over 8 years and I would have never thought that I would be able to eat my binge foods again.  But I got in control and do not let food control me any more.  I did it and so can you!!

FREEDOM from bingeing is what it's all about.

Freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it without feeling consumed by food.  It's truly priceless.  But for most people, it's only a dream that seems so far from reality. 

But the reality is that true freedom CAN be accomplished by anyone with the right mindset.

It never happens as fast as you'd like it.  And often times you have to work much harder than you had thought it would take to obtain it.  You'll fall down many times.  You'll want to quit 1,000 times.  You'll want to give up 10,000 times.  And sadly, most people do.

True freedom is reserved for those who are willing to stick it out.  It’s reserved for those who are willing to do whatever it takes to be able to say that they are binge-free.

True freedom is staring you in the face.  It's yours for the taking and all you have to do is work for it.

How would your lifestyle change if you didn’t have the struggles?  How would it change if you believed in yourself?

You need to take a serious look at your life, your goals, and figure out the freedom from food that you desire.

You need to look at why you want to be binge-free.  What is the single reason, your biggest "WHY"?  You then need to use that as rocket fuel to help push you to where you want to go.  And believe me, sometimes you have to use that fuel 10 times a day.  And there are several days where it feels like your fuel has run out.  But to get to where you want to go in life takes WORK.

Why do most people fail for the most part?  It's because people fail themselves.  They give up.  They give up on themselves and they give up on their dreams.  They get used to the life they are living, used to struggling with food, and they become stuck.

You have your shot at freedom.  Right here.  Right now. 

What do you want your life to be like?  Think it.  Feel it.  Imagine it.  And take that image in your mind and use it as the unstoppable driving force within you to propel you to ending binge eating.

Do not let people or life get in the way.  Keep pushing... keep moving forward.

Are you willing to truly do whatever it takes to get to where you want to be?  If you are, let's make 2007 YOUR year.  And I'm here to help you any way that I can with my personal experience with bingeing to make that happen!

You can do it!  I believe in you!

P.S... I am now down 30.9 pounds!  Since my last newsletter, several of you asked for some before and after pictures.  But I wanted to hold off until I reached my goal weight.  Although I still have a little more to go, I decided to go ahead and share some photos with you.  To see them, click here.

P.P.S... Are you ready to finally put an end to binge eating today?  You really can!

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