I cant stop over-eating and I'm gaining rapidly. Halp?

mzbek24

It's kind of crazy, I lost over 20 kilo's and tracked my calories every single day on myfitnesspal for over two years and made heaps of friends on it etc, got super into fitness like cycling and running, ran a marathon and walking over 100k steps a week on my fitbit etc.

But suddenly without warning I began to start just eating too much. I'd increase my calories but nothing worked and now I've quit logging entirely and can't seem to stop myself just eating so much crap food beyond the point of being full (which is what I used to do before when I was overweight) anyway so I have put on 9 kilo's or a bit over that, since Feb. I have tried getting back on the wagon but failed again and I am trying to keep active as well (still training for a race in a few months) but the eating is still out of control so it's showing, I probably eat what calories I burn from workouts, and I physically feel full and feel disgusting-I was 9 kilo's lighter when I met my boyfriend compared to now, and its effecting my confidence with him quite a bit.

What should I do? I really want to lose this 9 kilo's and stop doing this.

mikichrisman

Sadly, I don't have a solution, just experiencing the same thing - It seems like all of a sudden my best friend is food. I had lost 30 pounds and was at 170 for 3 years. then I put on 8 pounds on a cruise and another 15 after...I am running up and down between 190 and 195...and I can''t seem to stop eating. I know once I get in the swing it will be like lightning. 3 days focusing on protein will cut the cravings, just 3 days. I know drinking lots of water so I feel stuffed helps...I just need to commit to the simple habits that catch fire. We can do this!!!

madammags

To be honest, if you really can't think of anything that has precipitated this change, I would talk to a doctor. Some medical conditions (including some very serious ones) can screw with your appetite regulation.
If it turns out to be psychological rather than physical, you might benefit from talking to a psychologist about your relationship with food. I know that's something I've considered many times. I do really well on keeping to my calories most of the time, but sometimes I feel like I lose control and just keep eating even when I'm full and not really enjoying the food any more.

EDIT: I should also note that I wouldn't be TOO freaked out about your gain. I moved countries earlier in the year and had about 3 months where I didn't count and ate like crap. I was at the lower end of my goal range at the beginning, ended up about 5 kgs above the top of said range. However, as soon as I started reigning myself in again and logging, I dropped 2 kgs almost overnight and was back at goal in about 3-4 weeks. A lot of the excess weight was water weight and just my stomach never really being empty.

emmylootwo

I would see a therapist. From personal experience, I know tracking calories and getting "super into fitness" (AKA obsessing over weight loss and exercise) can trigger disordered eating. I still remember the first time I binged, nearly 3 and a half years ago. I called my mom crying because I honestly could not stop eating and was so scared. My bulimia nervosa slowly spiraled out of control over the next two years. I don't mean to scare/upset/offend you, but I'm just noticing some behaviors that I have experienced. "Crap foods" makes me think you associate foods as bad or good. Tracking calories every single day for two years, feeling disgusted and out of control, letting food affect personal relationships, sudden onset of bingeing (that could very well be a physical response to some degree of malnutrition or psychological stress or a number of other things)... This worries me. Besides the recent weight gain, how are you feeling? Anything new going on in your life? I really hope you will consider reaching out to someone. I might be jumping the gun here, but I still felt I should say something. Please look this over, see if anything on this webpage resonates with you: http://www.something-fishy.org/isf/signssymptoms.php

Wish you the best of luck.

Francl27

Make yourself log. No matter what. Denial is too easy when you don't log.

LivingtheLeanDream

9 kilos isn't too bad, but if you keep going on as you are then that number will keep going up.

Its time to get back on track, re-focus on your weight loss and remember how good it was to be at goal weight.
You did it before, you can do it again.

I would suggest to have too agressive a deficit and that way you wont feel deprived even if the pace of loss will be slower.

SkezzaShredder

I'm not an expert at all, so all this advice is probably crap but here we go. I spent years over-eating without truly realizing it until I had ballooned. You have a head start here, because in my opinion, acknowledging the fact you're over-eating is perhaps a better start than saying one day "crap, I've put a load of weight on". You're already in a position to make that change.

If you know you're eating, is it possible to distract yourself with something else? One of the things I've found is that I often would sneak to McDonald's when driving home from work. It became a bit of an addiction, partly because I didn't know how to eat healthily, but also because it was there and it was instant gratification.

One way I was able to overcome this was by reminding myself something a mate told me (he lost a huge amount of weight when he was a teenager), which is "a glass of water later and it's gone", as in, once you've eaten it, and then had a glass of water, that food is just a memory. You can't taste it any more, it's merely a distant memory, but one you'll ultimately regret and quite clearly you are here.

I was very quickly able to overcome my trips to McDonald's by focussing on something I wanted to do at home. I would drive home keen to do something.... watch a TV show, cook a healthy dinner, play some football, play guitar, or whatever. A lot of times people binge, it's when they're bored. Are you bored when you eat a lot?

vivmom2014

You may just be experiencing burnout. Happens to me. Human nature.

Knowledge is power, though. So take what you know, and use it. Get back to logging. Your fun & games of wild eating abandon are over.

If you're feeling utterly helpless and anxious about this, it could be time to speak to a counselor.

SideSteel

How's the overall quality of your diet?

mzbek24

SideSteel wrote: »

How's the overall quality of your diet?

It's usually pretty balanced, this whole time. I eat everything, but at the moment pretty terrible with the binging, like even if I start out the day going well and plan out what I'm going to have so that it'd be within my calories and have decent food with some treats in there if I get room for it, I'll pretty much end up just mindlessly eating more than I need to be and can't seem to stop it. Also drinking a ridiculous amount of full cream milk

mzbek24

vivmom2014 wrote: »

You may just be experiencing burnout. Happens to me. Human nature.

Knowledge is power, though. So take what you know, and use it. Get back to logging. Your fun & games of wild eating abandon are over.

If you're feeling utterly helpless and anxious about this, it could be time to speak to a counselor.

I think it might be that a bit. I think somehow this logging everyday has just created a bit of an obsession, mixed with some other issues going on in my life in the past 4 months-lost 4 year relationship, working 50 hours a week, studying final year uni, new relationship etc I feel like yeah maybe I need to get some actual help with it...I have been trying to get back into logging for the past couple of months but just been on and off, feeling a bit out of control and I just cant seem to shake the binging even when I feel good after I log and stick to a full day and everything, like I managed to get back down 1kg after a couple of weeks, but just didn't manage to keep it up.

jgnatca

First of all, even with the weight gain are you still within normal BMI?

Second of all, consider that this is less about food and more about those feelings that you can't stop yourself. There's a part of you that can maintain control but for whatever reason it's sleeping right now. I think you are on to something that this is less to do with eating and food and more about all the other stuff you are dealing with. It might not hurt to get some help with that and the dieting might become something easier to manage.

billglitch

try low carb, high fat and protein. its working for me. rarely hungry and rarely have cravings

Amarilka

Full cream milk sounds pretty much like high fat high protein to me already...

Amarilka

I totally understand! Couple of years ago I was 8 kg lighter. Then stress came, we moved, my husband started to work from home, we got a new puppy, I was working on my certificate, ran 3 marathons and started to eat without control. I just felt like I was denying certain calories for so long that now was the time to take a break and eat. SO now I am 8 kilos heavier and trying to calm myself down first before attempting to loose it ... sorry I do not have any advise, but I can relate to you. I know I still am within healthy BMI range, but it makes me sad that I do not fit into my old clothes anymore.

vikinglander

This:

"I would see a therapist."

annaskiski

Your training might be making you very hungry, sabotaging your efforts.
Figure out what makes you feel full (protein? fats? some carbs?) and try and satisfy your hunger without going over your calorie count.
Maybe trying to eat at a deficit while training is a problem. Try and eat at maintenance for now, til your weight stabilizes....

mzbek24

billglitch wrote: »

try low carb, high fat and protein. its working for me. rarely hungry and rarely have cravings

I need carbs, I'm a runner heh. And I think that'd probably make me wanna binge worse if I restricted things.

vivmom2014

mzbek24 wrote: »

vivmom2014 wrote: »

You may just be experiencing burnout. Happens to me. Human nature.

Knowledge is power, though. So take what you know, and use it. Get back to logging. Your fun & games of wild eating abandon are over.

If you're feeling utterly helpless and anxious about this, it could be time to speak to a counselor.

I think it might be that a bit. I think somehow this logging everyday has just created a bit of an obsession, mixed with some other issues going on in my life in the past 4 months-lost 4 year relationship, working 50 hours a week, studying final year uni, new relationship etc I feel like yeah maybe I need to get some actual help with it...I have been trying to get back into logging for the past couple of months but just been on and off, feeling a bit out of control and I just cant seem to shake the binging even when I feel good after I log and stick to a full day and everything, like I managed to get back down 1kg after a couple of weeks, but just didn't manage to keep it up.

I get it. I have times of derailment and this awful rebellious attitude like, "Oh what's the point anyway?! I'm going to live my life and throw all this accountability out the window!" Which I do, for a couple days (longer during the holidays), and then I right the ship. It's not a cycle I particularly enjoy, but I guess it's all part of the big picture and process (at least for me).

You've had a lot going on. I sense some panic. You can focus on what's going well, for instance, it's great that you've been logging on & off - at least you're maintaining some data. Can you reduce your work hours/schedule to a less frenetic pace?

You CAN shake the binging. You may need some help (talk therapy) to get there - and there's no shame in that.

tulips_and_tea

mzbek24 wrote: »

SideSteel wrote: »

How's the overall quality of your diet?

It's usually pretty balanced, this whole time. I eat everything, but at the moment pretty terrible with the binging, like even if I start out the day going well and plan out what I'm going to have so that it'd be within my calories and have decent food with some treats in there if I get room for it, I'll pretty much end up just mindlessly eating more than I need to be and can't seem to stop it. Also drinking a ridiculous amount of full cream milk

When exactly is this mindless eating happening during your day? If it's at home then you may need to limit how much food you buy at a time, particularly things that can trigger a binge. If it's at work or when you're out and about then try just sticking to your planned food and remind yourself that you don't need to eat food simply because it's available.

And I'd just stop buying that milk. If you don't have it you can't drink it. It does sound like you have a lot going on in your life right now, so maybe time for some self-reflection and a new game plan. These transitional periods are normal throughout our lives so the sooner we learn to adapt and adjust to them the better. Hang in there - you can do this!

sylkates

I would suggest working on your mental health first, before you work so hard on your weight. Working on the first will lead to it being easier to work on the second.