Been on a chocolate binge........

Not a good day. It started out at breakfast time when I inadvertently knocked the milk over. It spread across my desk at work as I was about to set about my morning All-Bran. After clearing up and drying everything off, I realised I didn't have enough milk left to actually have my breakfast. So, I went out and bought a lemon muffin! At lunch time, I ate my normal food - I had a small version of what I ate for dinner last night (potato, sprouts and prawns).

But then it all seemed to go wrong. I came over all 'weak' mid-afternoon and went to the chocolate machine and bought a small bag of mini chocolate Hob Nobs. Once I'd eaten them, I felt I needed more and went back and got a bar of Galaxy chocolate and some Maltesers. Just before I left work to come home I raided the machine again and got a packet of crisps and a Twirl. Now I'm at home, I feel pretty naff, like I've failed. I keep trying to remind myself that it's not a disaster; one bad day isn't going to put me back at 20 stone. But on the other hand, I wish I could understand what drives me to these illogical binges. Thinking about the past couple of days, here's what I think may have contributed:

1. It's 'that' time of month - this always makes me feel a bit 'down' and desperate for chocolate.....
2. The last two days at work have been exceptionally dull, tedious and frustrating - I always have a tendency to eat more when I'm bored
3. I didn't have the energy to do any exercise (stepping or walking) when I got home from work yesterday - the first day I've been inactive for some time (plus today....) - lack of activity always makes me feel miserable (see yesterday's post)
4. The muffin, which was sort of necessary (given my milk accident) stirred the sweet/fat gene in my head and got me hankering for more sweet and fatty food

Given the above, I guess there are some things I can do to try and reduce the chances of me falling into binge-mode again:

1. There's not much I can do about it being that time of month, except be aware of my extra need for bad food at this time and try to counteract it. For example, next time, I could take some extra food to work with me, but make sure it is good, healthy food.
2. Avoid getting bored! If work is boring at times, switch from dull activities to more interesting things for limited periods of time to raise my spirits.
3. Get exercise more clearly fixed into my daily routine so that I don't have to plan it or find extra motivation to do it - I just do it, like cleaning my teeth every night before I go to bed!
4. Avoid muffins! In the event of being stuck without food, buy something that isn't likely to get my sweet/fatty juices going (today, I could have gone to a different shop and bought some prepared salad or mixed fruit, for example).

Having said all that, which might make me sound rather saintly (!), I am going to eat a take-away tonight! We always used to eat one every Friday night but I have only had one in the last three months so this will be a one-off treat that marks the end of my 24 hour binge. I am also having my second fill on Sunday which I am hoping will start to give me some serious restriction at last. That being the case, it is likely to be the last opportunity I have to eat a take-away for a long time to come. I'll keep you posted.