'All or Nothing' Eating

OMG_Twinkies

This has always been one of my biggest battles, because of the way I view my eating. I have been on a lot of diets, which all demanded that I eat certain things, label other things as "bad," never go above "x" amount of calories, etc. I still struggle, but I've made major improvements by adjusting my outlook. I don't use the word "diet" because of the negative connotation it carries, and the way it sets me up for mental failures (which, for me, lead to binges). Instead, I have adopted a healthier lifestyle. This allows everything in moderation, encourages exercise for health, and eliminates the pressure associated with diets. It's also helped me to educate myself on water weight, daily fluctuations, BMR, etc. A year ago, if I saw a gain on the scale, I'd contribute it to the cookie (yes singular!) that I had yesterday and give up. And finally, when I still find myself struggling with the all-or-nothing thinking, I force myself to look at my progress. It really helps put things in perspective, especially since I have such a long way to go. Hope this helps

WifeofPJ

This has been one of the biggest struggles I have had during my past weightloss attempts. But for me it's also that if I eat something that is unhealthy, my body craves the unhealthy stuff. I actually have to fight myself in order to get back on track after a bad day. One bad meal is usually not that bad for me but if I have a day where I eat what I want to eat it takes a lot of effort for me to get back on track.

1yoyoKAT

I can be all or nothing too, and very goal oriented. I find that it's lessened as I've gotten older, but still rears its head and it's the pattern I'm comfortable with.

Some things that have worked for me: I forgive myself right away and get right back on track, I don't wait for Monday, or tomorrow, or even the next meal. Also, I don't keep what I call "trigger foods" around. There are some foods that I just am not ready to handle and I know that I don't have great control around them and they have the potential to set me off in that all or nothing spiral. And I try to step back and look more at the big picture of things. My goal is better health, losing weight is a byproduct of that. So I ask myself will this food accomplish my big picture goal?

I love your egg analogy, I'll remember that!

whatsallthisthen

My tendency is, when I feel like I've messed up for the day, is to mess it up with a vengeance.

This so much.

One thing that has helped(in the short amount of time I have been here) is to LOG EVERYTHING. I used to go over, eat 2000 calories in a meal after giving up, and out of shame/horror never record it. This was true folly because it never showed me my true ways, but also I came to realize it was a way of me avoiding responsibility.

Now, if I eat a box of Fruit Loops.... dammit I LOG that box of fruit loops.

1976lisa1976

It would be impossible to always eat within weightless or maintenance calories. What about Christmas dinner, dining out with friends, weddings, parties etc etc.... If you give yourself the impossible goal of sticking to your calorie limit every single day, then on a day you go over its easy to think 'I've blown it now is my chance to just eat everything I've wanted to all week as I've already failed...' however, if you say, 5 days a week I stick to my limit and 2 days are 'free' days, then by giving yourself that freedom, you don't always want or need to go over calories. It's because we think 'oh we've been 'bad' I've failed etc etc...' Instead of thinking, it's ok, it's allowed, I'm living life! Hope that makes sense

jennifershoo

All-or-Nothing Dieting & Eating Disorder Risk

In 1997, a general physician named Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia nervosa [21], which he defines as, “an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food.” It reminds me of the counterproductive dietary perfectionism I’ve seen among many athletes, trainers, and coaches. One of the fundamental pitfalls of dichotomizing foods as good or bad, or clean or dirty, is that it can form a destructive relationship with food. This isn’t just an empty claim; it’s been seen in research. Smith and colleagues found that flexible dieting was associated with the absence of overeating, lower bodyweight, and the absence of depression and anxiety [22]. They also found that a strict all-or-nothing approach to dieting was associated with overeating and increased bodyweight. Similarly, Stewart and colleagues found that rigid dieting was associated with symptoms of an eating disorder, mood disturbances, and anxiety [23]. Flexible dieting was not highly correlated with these qualities. Although these are observational study designs with self-reported data, anyone who spends enough time among fitness buffs knows that these findings are not off the mark.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

Wow! I had never heard the term "orthorexia nervosa" before but it sounds exactly like me last year. When I first changed my diet habits, I went to the extreme, became obsessed with eating only healthy food and had a nervous breakdown over an non-organic avocado. I had to let go of the "clean versus dirty" food mindset. I'm much healthier (mentally!) now by eating 80% healthy and allowing myself to not stress over treats. I eat chocolate everyday, have lost 21lbs in 3 month and I'm happier!

Kestrel45

Let's say one day you eat around 500 calories over. That will not reverse any of your efforts, because that will be the average amount of calories you need to maintain your weight. No, that day will not have been a contribution for your weight loss progression, although you won't "ruin" anything, it's more like stalling your weight loss one more day.

If you ate much more than 500 calories, then it's no big deal. People have to realize this. I know cause I've had this issue in the past but don't let it bother me anymore. Your analogy was spot on. Dropping 11 more eggs will only do more harm. If you want to continue losing weight, just hop back on the wagon asap and the most important thing.....

*DON'T WORRY!!*

chelseascounter

I read somewhere on here that 'it's never too late to change.' Even if you binge in the morning, that's no excuse to spend the rest of the day binging and 'start over the next day.' You'll just keep on piling the pounds.

Espressocycle

I am going to admit right now that sometimes if I go over my calorie goal for the day, I am more likely to go over more. Like, last night I was 100 calories over so I decided, what the hell, I'll have a piece of cake. It was a small piece of cake and I enjoyed it a lot, but it's just one of those psychological things.

ash8184

YES. I do much better with trying to stay away from certain things. I'm not good about doing all things in moderation!

TeaBea

That's an interesting point sullus. It's hard to recall that a 500 cal deficit is just that, and by eating 500 over your reduced calories, you really are just at maintenance.

Positive way to look at it.

And not only that .... I bet you're still under for the week. I used to beat myself up each & everytime. Now I realize that each day ... I need to make more good decisions than bad ones..... my goal is not that I have to make "perfect" decisions everytime.

rhia575

I know it isn't the majority, but there is a small subset of people who actually thrive on all-or-nothing, 100% dedication, anything less than total commitment is failure. These people also tend to do well with the "clean" eating approach. For the people who are wired this way, this approach works very well for them and they *will* reach their goal (even if it kills them). (Of course, they also tend to have more heart attacks and stress-related illnesses later in their lives too.)

This is me,i've tried to cut down and eat less unhealthy foods never worked before so this time i decided to cut everything including bread going much better this time but i wonder when i'll let myself eat something unhealthy but then i feel like i fail if i do

jofjltncb6

All-or-Nothing Dieting & Eating Disorder Risk

In 1997, a general physician named Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia nervosa [21], which he defines as, “an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food.” It reminds me of the counterproductive dietary perfectionism I’ve seen among many athletes, trainers, and coaches. One of the fundamental pitfalls of dichotomizing foods as good or bad, or clean or dirty, is that it can form a destructive relationship with food. This isn’t just an empty claim; it’s been seen in research. Smith and colleagues found that flexible dieting was associated with the absence of overeating, lower bodyweight, and the absence of depression and anxiety [22]. They also found that a strict all-or-nothing approach to dieting was associated with overeating and increased bodyweight. Similarly, Stewart and colleagues found that rigid dieting was associated with symptoms of an eating disorder, mood disturbances, and anxiety [23]. Flexible dieting was not highly correlated with these qualities. Although these are observational study designs with self-reported data, anyone who spends enough time among fitness buffs knows that these findings are not off the mark.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

However, I've seen this "orthorexia nervosa" claim used as justification for some really sketchy dietary choices.

mustgetmuscles1

All-or-Nothing Dieting & Eating Disorder Risk

In 1997, a general physician named Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia nervosa [21], which he defines as, “an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food.” It reminds me of the counterproductive dietary perfectionism I’ve seen among many athletes, trainers, and coaches. One of the fundamental pitfalls of dichotomizing foods as good or bad, or clean or dirty, is that it can form a destructive relationship with food. This isn’t just an empty claim; it’s been seen in research. Smith and colleagues found that flexible dieting was associated with the absence of overeating, lower bodyweight, and the absence of depression and anxiety [22]. They also found that a strict all-or-nothing approach to dieting was associated with overeating and increased bodyweight. Similarly, Stewart and colleagues found that rigid dieting was associated with symptoms of an eating disorder, mood disturbances, and anxiety [23]. Flexible dieting was not highly correlated with these qualities. Although these are observational study designs with self-reported data, anyone who spends enough time among fitness buffs knows that these findings are not off the mark.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

Wow! I had never heard the term "orthorexia nervosa" before but it sounds exactly like me last year. When I first changed my diet habits, I went to the extreme, became obsessed with eating only healthy food and had a nervous breakdown over an non-organic avocado. I had to let go of the "clean versus dirty" food mindset. I'm much healthier (mentally!) now by eating 80% healthy and allowing myself to not stress over treats. I eat chocolate everyday, have lost 21lbs in 3 month and I'm happier!

Glad you are doing better with your diet. I dont think Orthorexia is recognized as and actual disorder yet and the term was created by a GP doctor not a psychologist. It does seem to be a very real problem people struggle with though. You see it all the time on this, and other, fitness and nutrition sites and seems to tie into the all or nothing topic here.

chickybuns

I used to , but what helps me is to log EVERYTHING I eat. If I go over then big deal, I'll try to make up for it later in the week. Otherwise I would just go crazy and eat poorly

mustgetmuscles1

All-or-Nothing Dieting & Eating Disorder Risk

In 1997, a general physician named Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia nervosa [21], which he defines as, “an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food.” It reminds me of the counterproductive dietary perfectionism I’ve seen among many athletes, trainers, and coaches. One of the fundamental pitfalls of dichotomizing foods as good or bad, or clean or dirty, is that it can form a destructive relationship with food. This isn’t just an empty claim; it’s been seen in research. Smith and colleagues found that flexible dieting was associated with the absence of overeating, lower bodyweight, and the absence of depression and anxiety [22]. They also found that a strict all-or-nothing approach to dieting was associated with overeating and increased bodyweight. Similarly, Stewart and colleagues found that rigid dieting was associated with symptoms of an eating disorder, mood disturbances, and anxiety [23]. Flexible dieting was not highly correlated with these qualities. Although these are observational study designs with self-reported data, anyone who spends enough time among fitness buffs knows that these findings are not off the mark.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

However, I've seen this "orthorexia nervosa" claim used as justification for some really sketchy dietary choices.

Agreed. Going from one extreme to the other is just as bad. Flexible dieting or IIFYM get unfairly aligned with the all junk food diets.

action_figure

My tendency is, when I feel like I've messed up for the day, is to mess it up with a vengeance.

This so much.

One thing that has helped(in the short amount of time I have been here) is to LOG EVERYTHING. I used to go over, eat 2000 calories in a meal after giving up, and out of shame/horror never record it. This was true folly because it never showed me my true ways, but also I came to realize it was a way of me avoiding responsibility.

Now, if I eat a box of Fruit Loops.... dammit I LOG that box of fruit loops.

Yes. I log everything. If I eat 4,000 calories on my anniversary, well, I ate 'em, so I own 'em. I write that **** down. It even stops a bad day from getting worse sometimes. I think "Holy crap. I don't want to admit THAT!" and if I'm too ashamed to admit it, then I'm not gonna do it.

autumnrunning

This has been my biggest problem for the longest time.

What helps is getting on track and staying there. Do not let yourself get too hungry, when you are ravenous you will more likely overeat. Exercise! I haven't binged for months but i still have some not so good days and what helps is that when i want to go jogging i can't do it with a very full stomach so i have to eat less and drink more water.

I used to overeat then fast the next days - do not do that. This will slow you metabolism down and mess with your system.

Do not stay home, go out, even for a walk. This way you won't be alone and tempted to stuff your face with all the contents of your kitchen.

Don't treat your stomach like a trash can! Think of your health!

Another problem for me was black coffee. After a binge i drank tons of it since it was kind of a natural laxative. But it hurts your heart and it's not good for your stomach, i just hope i didn't damage myself that much.

Never again, never again...

MostlyWater

I don't have a problem with it but I'm not dieting, this is a lifestyle change.