What To Do After a Binge

e_v_v

We're all human, right?

Once in a while, my cheat meal or day gets out of hand. What are the best ways that you have found to recover from a big binge and get the weight off right away?

rosebarnalice

My "reboot" food is cabbage and tomato soup. I make a huge stock pot of canned diced tomatoes, onions, a half a head of napa cabbage, several cans of water, and some spices (I like cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder for a sort of southwestern flavor), and eat that for lunch and dinner on the day after a big calorie surplus.

The whole pot is like 600-700 calories--but it's basically all water and fiber, so I feel terribly virtuous!

sbl1881

Just acknowledge that it happened, and start the next day fresh. Don't restrict or try to undo what you did, as that will just start the cycle all over again. Just be better today than you were yesterday

*Advice I'm also giving myself after a bad weekend of overeating*

goldthistime

sbl1881 wrote: »

Just acknowledge that it happened, and start the next day fresh. Don't restrict or try to undo what you did, as that will just start the cycle all over again. Just be better today than you were yesterday

*Advice I'm also giving myself after a bad weekend of overeating*

Yup. The risk of trying to "get the weight off right away" rather than continuing on your "steady as she goes" weight loss journey is that you will set yourself up for a binge/restrict cycle. I'm there with you too today. I expect to want to eat a little less today (at full glycogen levels) but if I find it tough for any reason, I'll eat all my calories.

Asher_Ethan

Log it all. And water water water to get rid of the water weight.

meredith1629

goldthistime wrote: »

sbl1881 wrote: »

Just acknowledge that it happened, and start the next day fresh. Don't restrict or try to undo what you did, as that will just start the cycle all over again. Just be better today than you were yesterday

*Advice I'm also giving myself after a bad weekend of overeating*

Yup. The risk of trying to "get the weight off right away" rather than continuing on your "steady as she goes" weight loss journey is that you will set yourself up for a binge/restrict cycle. I'm there with you too today. I expect to want to eat a little less today (at full glycogen levels) but if I find it tough for any reason, I'll eat all my calories.

I agree with both posts. If you restrict it's like a punishment. Just hop back on and do better today than yesterday.

jaynee7283

Log it and move on.

When I started in January my husband wanted to throw out all the "good" (read: bad) food in the house to encourage me. I told him not to, because I knew I would still want Oreos, or sugary cereal (hello, Golden Grahams!), or chocolate, or chips. The key was to learn moderation.

I'm down 18 pounds in under three months and I've indulged in Oreos, GG cereal, chocolate and chips all along the way. Log it, and move on. I don't restrict or cut out any of the things I enjoy, or else I know I'd never be able to sustain.

The difference now is I only eat 6 Oreos in one sitting, versus 16.

rileysowner

I just get back to logging and evaluate why I did what I did. Sometimes that evaluation can be helpful in terms of avoiding it in the future. There really is no reason to do something to make up for it in my opinion.

Francl27

I log it and go back to my normal deficit the next day... maybe eat less if I'm not as hungry, but not sweat it if I don't.

Every single time I've restricted myself after a binge to 'make up for it', it just lead to another binge...

epeart11

Think about it as just one day, keep moving on. If you make one mistake don't let it take you down for the rest of your journey.

aloranger7708

I keep a journal, and after a binge, I will write down what I ate that day, how I was feeling before/after the binge, was I having cravings, etc. Usually the cause of my binges is that I didn't eat enough throughout the day, so now I always make sure to not skip meals or go too long without eating. Also, I just log it and move on. It sucks to binge but I don't want to punish myself over it.

rnelson88

I like to do a 16-24 hour fast. It's like a system reset for my body

Jruzer

I usually go a little light the next day, but that's mostly because I've eaten enough for two days.

Unknown

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Rick_Nelson81

nosajjao wrote: »

Acknowledge the binge, calculate how bad it was. Then go back to normal healthy eating lifestyle.

Exactly. Acknowledge that is was not a good idea and move on. Try not to do it again, and stick to a long-term regimen of foods that keep you satisfied without a feeling that you need to binge. If you can't do that, there's a good chance you will be chasing your tail for a long time.

Strawblackcat

I usually just eat less for a couple of days. I'll often feel so physically sick for the first few days after a binge that I don't want much anyway, so this works for me.

Rick_Nelson81

Ugh... That's not so much a binge as it is... I don't know... Self-sabotage! I hear ya though, I've eaten a family bag of Doritos in 10 minutes, and that was just the beginning... I feel sick now too...

DAM5412

I don't plan "cheats", I mean, what are you cheating on? If you've researched and determined a particular way of eating is needed for you to reach your goals, what are you accomplishing by "cheating" especially if you're finding out that your plans lead to a binge? I just don't get the whole concept, personally, so I avoid it.

ctraugh

Just get back to your normal diet and drink lots of water to flush the sodium and other bad stuff out. Since I haven't relay cut anything out of my diet I don't get the cravings to binge, yet. But if I do get a day, maybe a holiday where I eat a little too much, I will shrug it off and just go back to my "diet". But I make sure I drink extra water to flush out the sodium that I may have in excess. Most weight gained after a binge is water weight anyway.