What to do after a binge?

onelbperweek

I fell off the wagon today after 1 month binge free and stuffed my fat gluttonous face for BOTH lunch and dinner because I went out to a shopping centre with loads of great food while being stressed abt exam prep. What should I do tomorrow in response to this? I feel too ill to eat breakfast tmr,not to mention the guilt is killing me because at this rate i wil be GAINING 1 lb per week instead of losing...

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Branstin

There isn't much you can do after a binge. The key is to figure out the root cause of it in order to not allow it to continue.

yopeeps025

Emotional eating needs to be controlled. Your stress made you mindlessly eat food and now you feel shame. What can be better cope strategies for you?

SLLRunner

onelbperweek wrote: »

I fell off the wagon today after 1 month binge free and stuffed my fat gluttonous face for BOTH lunch and dinner because I went out to a shopping centre with loads of great food while being stressed abt exam prep. What should I do tomorrow in response to this? I feel too ill to eat breakfast tmr,not to mention the guilt is killing me because at this rate i wil be GAINING 1 lb per week instead of losing...

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Don't beat yourself up and get right back on the horse. Just eat normally today.

In order to gain one pound, you have to eat 3,500 calories over your total daily energy expenditure. Besides this, you don't gain weight overnight.

Also, I notice you have only 22 pounds to lose, which isn't much. What is your calorie goal? I have a feeling you may have too large of a deficit, which often leads to binges.

amykhughes

Get back on track immediately. And whatever you do, don't restrict or try to "make up for it". I struggle with binge eating too (ugh) and my weight and mental sanity return the quickest if I don't mess around. It's so tempting to eat really low calorie the next couple days after a binge, but it backfires on me every time (leading to more bingeing). Just get back to what you should be doing and you will recover quickly. For some reason this is SO hard to do, but it really is the best way to get back on track.

zilannoj

Log it truthfully to remain accountable. Understand why you did it and think of ways to control it in the future. I tend to binge, because I'd rather feel full than feel hurt or depressed or stressed. Once I truly understood that, I started making changes.

Also, understand that one day of bad eating isn't the end. This is one day out of your entire life. The only way it could get worse is if you let it.

jennifermcornett

It will probably stimulate your metabolism, so be happy that you got to freely enjoy yourself, and eat normally today.

SLLRunner

jennifermcornett wrote: »

It will probably stimulate your metabolism, so be happy that you got to freely enjoy yourself, and eat normally today.

Just curious- why do you think a binge will stimulate metabolism?

BrittTomore87

I binge eat all the time, it is something that I keep struggling with due to the fact my friends don't really understand my healthy lifestyle. When we go out I tend to eat like them but sometimes after my binges I end up losing more weight because it shocks your metabolism. Thinking about the binge is what kills me. Eating bad is fine from time to time just try to not let it get to you xx

ILoveGingerNut

i normally feel sorry for myself and write some self deprecatory posts.. however i log everything and on binge days i go just over 2000 cal... which is maintenance for most people. so it gets on the way of my plans but is not such a huge amount of food if seen in perspective. don't be too hard on yourself xxx

brenn24179

just start over tomorrow and get discipline and get back on track. We all mess up.

sgtchester

Don't beat yourself up about it. Today is a new day. Make it be just a blip on the graph. You're in this for the long run, so if the graph goes in the right direction in the long run, then you're good. Have another good month (or two or three...)

Canwehugnow

Drink lot of water, shake it off and realize that today's a new day.

caitconquersweight

You start over the next day. It's NEVER too late to get back on track. Too many people screw one day over, then decide it's not worth it. They go "Aw, what's the use?" and just binge forever and ever and gain all the weight back.

Halloween was only a week ago, remember? You would be disgusted at the amount of candy I ate. I know I was. I'm still recovering from it. BUT I am recovering. I didn't give up and wallow in self-pity. Binges happen. Overeating happens. That's life. We need to enjoy our lives. And eating a little too much once in awhile is okay.

JoeCWV

One salad wont make you thin and one binge wont make you fat. It is your behavior over time that matters. Don't sweat it, just move on. If binges are a problem you need to re-evaluate to make sure you aren't too restrictive in you plan. Other than that good luck on your exams.

Kalikel

Say, "Well, that was yummy!" then log it and move on.

At some point, you should think about your binging when you aren't in the middle of an urge or feeling guilty about having done it.

Why do you binge? Not eating enough? Try to set up a more balanced, healthy way of eating. Not enough sugar? Add more fruit. Mental or emotional causes? Get some therapy.

You want to stop this cycle. Brains tend to repeat things. If binging is a habitual occurrence, you need to change that habit and addressing the reason for it is the first step.

But stop with the shame. It serves no purpose. It helps nobody. Just let that go.

gothchiq

Now this is a topic I'm very familiar with. Once your stomach isn't all uncomfy, and you feel fairly normal, get some exercise, both weights and cardio, say an hour's workout. Eat light the day after a binge... not starve or skip meals, but high nutrition low calorie. Lean proteins. Nonstarchy vegetables. low carbs. Plenty of water to flush out the sodium that a binge always contains. And whatever you do, do NOT step on the scales for at least 3 days!!! Also take your vitamins and supplements. Sometimes a lack of vitamins or minerals will set you up for a binge. Low on magnesium, binge on chocolate, stuff like that. Take like 250 mg magnesium daily along with your multivitamins or whatever you're using.

Francl27

Just get back on track the next day. And yeah, don't try to make up for it by undereating the next day, or it will just trigger another binge. Also make sure your goal is reasonable, it's not uncommon to binge when you have a high deficit.

MoveitlikeManda

beavislong

Personally I think a binge once in a while is not a bad thing. It let's your body know that it's not starving. Like one poster said you would have to eat 3500 calories above your maintenance number so I wouldn't worry too much. As stated by others don't undereat the next day, instead maybe do some extra cardio if you are worried about the extra calories.

TossaBeanBag

Cardio a little longer.

skinnyforhi

That's life. Some days you will overeat. Even if you adopt a healthy lifestyle forever, I bet you might overeat one day a month. So yesterday was your day . Eat normally tomorrow and move on. And congrats on a month of staying within your calorie goals!!!

Sidebar: if you struggle with this frequently see a counselor at your school to talk about what else may be going on. But I wouldn't get worked up if this is a rare occurrence.