Cheat day turned into a 4 day binge!?

Bitter_Bug

My maintenance is 1600, but this has been my calorie intake over these past few days:
Monday: 5000
Tues: 2500
Wed: 2230
Thurs: 4200

Before I binged, my diet was sugar free, gluten free, soy free and dairy free. It was a success for 17 days until my birthday came along and I was forced to eat cake. It's all or nothing for me when it comes to any kind of sugar whether it'd be dried fruit, juice or honey. Once I quit cold turkey, my cravings disappeared after seven days without it. Re-introducing sugar to my diet made me go crazy; I'm craving it non-stop now and I've ruined so much progress. How do I stop this binge eating? How much will I gain if my maintenance is 1600?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

AJ_G

Before I binged, my diet was sugar free, gluten free, soy free and dairy free.

This is a textbook example of why restrictive diets don't work, and often times lead to binges. Unless you plan on sticking to the rules of a diet for the rest of your life, do not use that diet to lose weight.

amgreenwell

I agree with the first reply... restricting any certain food is going to eventually lead you to binge on it. Just remember to eat healthy, stay within your calories and you'll be fine. Are you exercising? It will amaze you how much better you'll feel with exercise and you won't want to binge b/c all that hard work is for nothing.
Start tomorrow fresh!

RoseTheWarrior

I agree with the first reply as well. Also - you were "forced" to eat cake? Like, was a knife involved? Or other forms of torture if you did not eat cake? There comes a point where you have to respectfully decline if you have a real issue with controlling things with a bit a sugar intake.

That all said, nothing is "ruined". It's not all or nothing. You just get right back at it and continue. Forgive yourself and move on. I really think if you try to be overly restrictive though, this may happen again. There's nothing wrong with sugar, gluten, soy, or dairy, in moderation (unless you're somehow intolerant of those things, in which case then it's for the greater good if you cut them). Always try to eat HEALTHY foods, but if you can swing a treat every now and again and stay within your calorie goals, then do it. Good luck

CoffeeNBooze

Clearly it's not a sustainable diet. And you weren't forced to eat cake, you chose to. And you know what else? There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Cake is a fun part of life! You can still eat whatever you want, just count calories and eat LESS of it. Exercise to eat more and stay fit. You won't miss out on a thing.

lemonychild

You set yourself up for failure by restricting everything in the book. It's no wonder. Learn how to eat sustainably while including all foods

NoIdea101NoIdea

This is exactly the reason i stopped having cheat days - i just never knew when or how to stop and it would last for days, and i would up gaining more than i lost.

Stop cutting things out of your diet unless you have a medical reason to do so. Eat the things you enjoy, just fit them into your calorie allowance. Yesterday i ate from a takeaway (although i did go for the healthiest option, veggie pitta, corn on the cob and some peri-peri chicken wings) plus i ate an entire pack of chocolate chip cookies. Was still 1lb down on the scale this morning.

It was all yummy, not entirely healthy, and i'm still losing. It can be done! Restricting the things you love will just lead you to 'break' and binge on them, so fit them into your allowance and treat yourself every day - food is awesome, you're allowed to enjoy it, and as this is a change you will need to keep up in your every day life if you really want to see results, you need to work to something tat is sustainable and you can indeed stick with. Good luck!

fireball1970

Every day is a new chance to get it right!! I agree with what everyone is saying about restricting so many foods. However!! It does sound like sugar drives yor food cravings. That's why sugar is the one food I have tried to completely eliminate. I did have a handful of grapes last night & they were so good!! Hang in there & dont give up !!

Maria_R88

I totally believe in SF, GF, DF, etc. I believe it's better for MY health in general so I don't think anyone should knock you for not eating these things if you believe it's the best diet for food sensitivities, health, etc. (This might not be the best diet for everyone, but to simply say, "Well, add them back into your diet" doesn't take into account food sensitivities, sugar or carb addiction, and personal choices.

That said, it is INCREDIBLY hard to sustain this diet for long periods of time *IF you are not prepared for it.* I could sustain it forever if I had a personal chef and a freezer full of SF/GF/DF low cal cookies. But I don't, so I have to make choices in the moment accordingly.

I also have a major addiction to sugar. I know that if I eat it, it's a slippery slope to 5,000 calorie days. And even though I know this, I still eat it. The most important thing to do is NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP about it.

Take responsibility for your actions. It is one way to get back on the diet. Taking responsibility is not having a pity party (although, if it helps, do it and set a time limit for it - 24 hours, say). Then resolve to stop.

One thing that has been helpful for me is to use the Sedona Method. (You can look it up further online.) 1. Ask yourself, How am I feeling about this? (Ex: "I hate myself for going on this binge.") 2. Am I ready to give up feeling this way and eat healthy? 3. Could I? 4. Would I? 5. When? Don't beat yourself up if the answer is no. This is a mindfulness technique that helps you get in touch with how you feel instead of eating how you feel - it's not about getting to a "yes" on each question. Even if the answer is no, do something: yoga, take a walk, ride a bike. You will feel better!

Do your research ahead of time and figure out what you can make and freeze that will satisfy your sweet tooth that fits your diet. If someone is buying you a cake or wants to treat you in the office, tell them, "Okay, but here is what it needs to be without." Empower yourself to ask for what you want - or to say no! As others have said, this is a choice and no one can force you to eat something you don't want to eat.

As someone who has fallen off the wagon a thousand times, and who also chooses to eliminate soy, dairy, sugar, and gluten from my diet, I totally understand how you feel and where you are at. But take it from the person who JUST got back to tracking today after a LONG break (we are talking months!), don't give up!

Thank you for taking the time to post. I needed to see this today and also tell you that in the spring I was doing very well, exercising and eating right more often than not. Then one day of binging on sugar (NOT because I was restricting soy, sugar and gluten in my diet but because I am an ADDICT - don't conflate eating a cleaner diet with a sugar addiction - they are two different things), I fell off the wagon. Then summer school started and work got crazy. Then fall came and I have been in school full-time and working part-time. Nine months and 15 pounds passed and I never got back on the wagon.

Today is the day I decided to get back on. And I saw your message. So if in some parallel universe I am your future self, I came back from the future to let you that a few days of being off plan is NOTHING compared to nine months and fifteen pounds! Don't beat yourself up about what you couldn't change yesterday! Make the decision to change it now! And if you need a buddy in the process, feel free to friend me.

Best of luck to you!