What do you do on a day when you can't stop eating?

onelentilatatime

Even though I have been eating moderately and healthily pretty consistently for 5 months, and have lost 60 lbs so far, I occassionally have days when my body is screaming out to be fed all day. If you have any thoughts on what causes this or how to deal with it would love to hear them. This is what I know so far:

CAUSES

Lack of sleep is the main cause.
Stress can also trigger it.
Possible that lots of exercise can trigger it too

SOLUTIONS

Eat lean protein
Drink water
I find drinking electrolyte water can help
Distract yourself
Give yourself permission to eat anything you want but in one hour's time
Relax - sometimes I find the desire to eat is bound up with some kind of tension in my body and if I mediate or relax it lessens.

These solutions partly work for me but I can't seem to make the cravings go away permanently. I ate over 6000 calories yesterday when it all went wrong. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Sued0nim

I don't follow any kind of food restriction so if I like the food I make it work, I also work on a rolling 7 day defecit so if I'm hungrier one day I will eat more but only if I already have those calories in the bank

I just haven't needed to crash and burn and I credit that plan with it

mihaelapopolan

Don't feel bad about those calories.I struggle with the same thing, about twice a week on average. But I try to listen to my body, and if that means eating more calories, I just go ahead, but try doing the healthier options. And yes, like rabbtjb pointed out, I save some calories from the previous days, just in case.

SwankyTomato

I up my protein and fat when I get like that.

Also, what do you have in the house that makes you hit 6000 calories? I have to keep my house mostly "junk free" otherwise I would go non stop too.

mihaelapopolan

Agreed. Cleaning out the junk food from the fridge and cupboards and filling them up with healthies helps enormously. Maybe that's not something new, but once you get down to doing it, it's really great.

onelentilatatime

Thanks for great ideas do far. I wasn't in my house .. always harder to do when travelling.

fat2strongbeth

Lots of hot tea, salads for snacks. I try to change my environment too if possible. Go for a short walk.

SandyCoils

My trouble times are usually the weekends, BUT, I tend to get out more, walk more, and rest more on the weekends. I also have more time to play on my Wii. Saturday I was able to play the Wii and do over 20 flights of stairs which helped me sooo much.

Francl27

Nothing works for me. I've tried it all, lol. Frankly the best thing for ME is to follow my craving (typically... complex carbs). Otherwise I just eat other things hoping it will go away, but it won't, and I end up just eating more in the end than if I had given in right away.

But that only happens when I ovulate or when I have PMS really... and typically I naturally tend to be less hungry the next day at least, so I usually mostly make up for it that way.

Liftng4Lis

I eat. It's my responsibility to use moderation.

MB_Positif

I just eat. There are days like this. You just pick right back up and get it together the next day.

scrittrice

This caught my eye:

<<Possible that lots of exercise can trigger it too>>

Do you eat back exercise calories? Once I started doing that, I realized that I wasn't irrationally hungry--I hadn't been fueling myself enough. I know everyone says MFP overestimates exercise calories, but it's been spot on for me.

Agree that protein helps a lot.

blueboxgeek

My best tip is distraction. I'll find something to do. I'm in to crafts so will start making something. Or go for a walk or paint my nails.

If after an hour or so I still want to eat my arm then I am probably genuinely hungry and will just try and make the most of the calories I have spare. Something protein heavy if possible. Although sometimes I just think sod it and eat what I like. One day over calories and the rest of my life to go.....it ain't a big deal.

carlosjenno

The only time I usually get to that point is following either 2 or 3 hours running or 6+ hours out cycling. I'm generally ravenous, but have burned sufficient calories to eat what I like by that time! On days I'm excessively hungry, I try and eat protein in the form of lean meat and vegetables for carbs instead of cakes or processed stuff. I sometimes fail however. On those days, I just write it off and don't worry about it. Not sure how you get to 6000 calories though, that would be a bit beyond me, even on big exercise days...

rightoncommander

If you've lost 60lbs, you're doing something right and really should be giving others advice rather than seeking help! Don't look at single days in isolation at all. I used to weigh in on a Friday, and log whatever happened at the weekend so I could be sure to balance it out over the week.

It sounds like your bad days are a little more unpredictable. Just log it and make a plan to make up for it over the next week or so. Don't beat yourself up, you're already doing great!

It sounds like stress was the trigger to yesterday's eating. You've already found some stress management techniques to deal with these problems in another way. Decide now how you will deal with stress the next time using one of the methods you've found effective in the past, and just give it a try!

SergeantSausage

Eat. Drink. And be merry.

Sometimes I need a re-feed to fill the empty tank, or need to "carb up" and replenish burned up glycogen stores - especially day of and/or day after a longer (10-miler or longer) training run. I'll just eat and eat and eat ... and I don't even feel guilty about it. It's needed.

Mine's usually on the order of 600-ish to maybe 800 calories over the normal daily quota.

Log it and move on with life.

Foodiethinking

Don't just go for protein, go for carbs too. When it's from lack of sleep, your body is craving energy in the form of food, which carbs directly provide. I find it's easier to give myself a big o' bowl of pasta than sit knawing on nuts, chocolate, crisps before I eventually cave and decide I should have a meal... Better to cut it off at the source ASAP!
Also, if I am up all night, I've usually achievement something with my uni-work so I'm not TOO hard on myself.

Lounmoun

If I were not feeling satisfied with my normal calories then I suppose I would look at the type of food I'm eating. I would see if maybe I am too low on protein or fat or some nutrient and eat more of those kind of foods.
I would drink more water to see if that would help.
I would sleep if I were tired.
I've noticed that my eating spikes toward the time of my period. As long as I don't go too far over my goal one day or so of eating more doesn't seem to throw things off too much.

ndj1979

how many calories a day do you regularly consume?

hwestphal

I'm terrible about this! In fact it just happened yesterday! But in the past I find that searching Pinterest for something really awesome and indulgent (be it dessert or not) and then heading to the store to get the stuff to make it and then actually following through on making it, then I eat one normal sized portion and if no one else does, I destroy it as soon as I take a portion (because I have zero will power). Then I eat it using baby utensils. Tiny bites. And I stare at it, and I close my eyes and savor it. It works, most of the time. Other times I think I truly am just THAT hungry...or hormones are working their evil deeds. In which case, you just loose! LOL! Seriously though, I think throwing in an indulgent day every so often keeps your body guessing and also, keeps you from giving up completely. But don't do it every weekend. I did that for years and never lost anything, and just couldn't figure out why! My biggest issue is when I just don't FEEL like cooking...then I snack myself into oblivion eating crap that doesn't really fill me up or satisfy me. I mean, who gets full on crackers? I've started learning to keep a portion of bean soup frozen at all times. Bean soup fills me up, and its a comfort food from my childhood. Split Pea does too. Both are high in good carbs, and low in fat...even if you add ham! And also, nuts. Eating about 12 almonds with a piece of fruit will usually put snacking in check. Good luck. Feel free to friend me. We'll commiserate together! LOL!

SideSteel

If this is something that happens frequently I'd start to look into the causes of it.

If you think it's related to sleep (lacking sleep can reduce your ability to exert willpower and it can increase your cravings and the combination of those two factors can make dieting tough at times) then you should look at methods of improving sleep quality and/or quantity.

As far as damage control I would probably look at ways to better manage your food environment. So for example if you make things like fruits and vegetables and lean protein sources prevalent in your environment, and you make energy dense, heavily refined foods scarce or inconvenient in your environment, then you're more likely to consume the former vs the latter. And most people aren't capable of going on a broccoli and apple binge.

I don't like the idea of a one hour buffet, so to speak. Pure speculation on my part but that seems to be a way to encourage binge eating.

onelentilatatime

ndj1979 wrote: »

how many calories a day do you regularly consume?

My target is 2050 which I have been largely hitting lately. But I think it is a bit too restrictive. It corresponds to a 2lb loss a week. I may increase it a little. 1lb a week seems easier to handle.

mommastepp

the last thing to do is beat yourself up. Change your environment and go for a walk.

SwankyTomato

onelentilatatime wrote: »

ndj1979 wrote: »

how many calories a day do you regularly consume?

My target is 2050 which I have been largely hitting lately. But I think it is a bit too restrictive. It corresponds to a 2lb loss a week. I may increase it a little. 1lb a week seems easier to handle.

Oh yea, if you can adjust it, go for it. I am already down to .5/week so I am at the bottom of adjustments...blah.

And eating out is hard for sure when you are traveling.

Hitting a grocery store instead of restaurant can help. That way you can buy fresh fruit and veggies. Some stores will even cook your fish for you.

salemxo

I've had a terrible terrible day today. But I know that going for a walk, drinking loads of water and eating protein helps me.

elphie754

I struggled with this sometimes as well. What I do is set a number above me calorie goal (so say 2500 cals instead of 1300) that I want to stay below. I remind myself that if I stay on course, I can have a little of what I want today and some tomorrow as well. Even if I do raid the kitchen without forethought, I record it after so if I see a spike on the scale I know why.

vismal

There are a couple of approaches I'd use. It truly depends how regularly this happens. If its a weekly (or more frequent) thing, I'd look at reasons it's happening so frequently. The number one thing would be my overall caloric deficit. I am still trying to lose 2 lbs a week with 15 lbs or less to lose? If so, I maybe rethink my goals and accept a slower rate of loss. Am I doing a lot more exercise or just generally more active then usual? If so I probably need to eat a little more to compensate. Am I getting in a good ratio of macro nutrients and enough micro nutrients? If not, I'll readjust what I'm eating. Often times increasing protein and fat can lead to increased satiation. Other times, increasing overall carb intake will help stop those insane carb cravings. This is largely individual so play around and see what works for you.

If it's not a question of what or how much I'm eating, here's a great question to ask: How long have I been in a deficit? If I've spent more then 10 weeks in a deficit without a break, I take one. A 2 week diet break (where you increase calories to maintenance) can be quite helpful both physiologically and psychologically. Maintenance breaks might be one of the best dieting tips that no one is doing (or at least not enough people are doing). I take them usually every 8 weeks of dieting. If you have lots of weight to lose, you can stretch it to 10-12 weeks.

Now if this is not a regular occurrence, and happens maybe once a month. I wouldn't worry too much. Eat a little bit more and don't sweat. It's not the one of's or the rare occasions that determine long term results. There are 365 days in a year and if your hitting your goals on most of the days, the few days a year you aren't are going to be of little consequence. The only way these rare days can mess you up is how you react to them. Some people can let one binge turn into 2 turn into 3 turn in to abandoning their diet. Don't let that happen. If you have a binge, just move on. If it's not a regular occurrence don't even think about it. Just get right back to hitting your goals the next day. If these binges start to become more frequent, ask yourself the question I mentioned before.

TL/DR: If it happens a lot, find out why and correct. If it doesn't happen a lot, don't worry about it and move on.

onelentilatatime

vismal wrote: »

A 2 week diet break (where you increase calories to maintenance) can be quite helpful both physiologically and psychologically.

This is such a great idea. I had planned to do something similar but mainly to experience maintenance level calorie consumption, being that I am usually undereating or overeating so don't know what maintenance feels like. But then I got impatient and decided to keep pushing it.

vismal wrote: »

Some people can let one binge turn into 2 turn into 3 turn in to abandoning their diet. Don't let that happen.

This is the key issue. You can try and just move on, as you suggested, but I think things change physiologically after a binge and you want to keep on eating calorific food. It takes me a day or three to re-acquire all my healthy eating habits.

hinaisold

I've found this helps me a lot.


Also sugar free chewing gum. Distracting myself works too.

novembersuse

I think just accept it. If you're losing weight consistently, then you obviously know what you're doing and it's working. I get days like that. You can be good day after day, and then one day you just eat everything in sight. I think that a day of bingeing will no more ruin your regime than a day of fasting will make you skinny

zipitzippy

Oh how I hate hungry days - I try and load up on filling food and non-junk if I can. So nuts, bananas, soup and tea all help me, and rice cakes are a life saver that stop me craving crisps. I realise if my belly is full and I'm still craving, there's not much I can do about it, so distractions such as walks help me. Sometimes though you just need to eat, and should listen to your body. Don't beat yourself up, the next day is a fresh day to start again.