Shedding the Guilt...Not Just the Pounds

I wish I could tell you I enjoyed eating badly this weekend. I wish I could tell you that I ate my favorite foods--chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, thin crust pizza, croissants spread with a thin layer of nuttella. I wish I could tell you that, at least, I enjoyed the binge. But that is not the case.

Yesterday, I ate 3 packets of instant oatmeal, a few bags of popcorn, some dry cereal and the remainder of my jar of peanut butter (maybe 3-4 tablespoons). I did not enjoy any of it. But I was so consumed with the desire to eat and watch tv that I didn't care what I put in my mouth. This is very hard to admit, but when I'm in that mood I'll eat absolutely anything--even stale cereal. I hesitate to make this comparison, but I wonder if my problem with binge eating is anything similar to being an alcoholic?

Something I've learned from the Weight Watchers community is that slip-ups will inevitably happen, but the important thing is what you do afterwards. So, this morning I woke up early, put on my workout clothes and went to the gym. I did 30minutes on the elliptical and worked up a really good sweat. I also plan on going to my Body Jam class tonight. While the exercise probably won't erase the excess calories I consumed this weekend, I'm hoping that it will help me to refocus and get back on track.

It felt good to sweat this morning, and in a way I felt like I was sweating away the binge, my guilty feelings, and all the stressers in my life. Now, I feel peaceful and at ease with myself. I know that I am not perfect. And it's okay...because I'm back on track again.