Binge eating on healthy food

jennaplease

So I keep mostly healthy food in my apartment. I don't keep sweets or anything that would add to my binge eating in the house. Sometimes I get home from work and can not help myself from eating a little bite of everything! I stare into my fridge and think, "There's nothing to eat." There is but I'm just not satisfied. I'm looking for help because I have plateaued after losing 30 pounds. I believe this is what's holding me back from losing more weight. Does anyone have any tips or the same problem?

allshebe

It's possible it's a "fatigue" or thirst issue. Try drinking some water or tea first, then wait at least 15 minutes before grazing in the fridge. If you do graze, log it against your calorie budget (or have an actual snack waiting in the fridge, eat it and log it).

MsEndomorph

Hello!

I'm the same way. I'm a healthy shopper and rarely have anything that people normally binge eat in the house. No cookies, chips, sodas, pizzas...nothing.

But I still struggle with binging. I made a zucchini dish a few days ago that was probably enough to feed 12 people. I had one serving, saved it, and then came home in an eating mood and ate probably 8 servings of that sucker. I threw the rest of it away because it obviously triggered me in some way.

Or I just want to have a banana. And a peanut butter sandwich. And trail mix. And apples. And a protein shake. And an entire head of broccoli. And then anther helping of dinner. It's not hunger..it's binging, and I haven't conquered it yet.

I wish I had some advice for ya! I think what's helped me is using the "notes" section of MFP to record my feelings and thoughts when I fall off the wagon. I've noticed I'm a "energy eater." I eat when I'm tired and bed isn't in the immediate future. Which is why my weight always spirals out of control when I've had a new baby or toddler or when I went back to school.

healthygreek

Congrats on losing 30 pounds! That's wonderful!
I have found that when I eat enough during the day, I have have a much better chance of not bingeing. I barely ever binge anymore. I can't even remember my last one and I used to binge several times a week. What stopped me? Feeding myself a good variety of nutritious foods including protein, fats, fruits and veggies and yes-chocolate! I also drinks lots of water and a variety of teas-hot or iced. When I eat well-I rarely have the desire to binge and I still lose, although at my weight, very slowly. Foods that keep me from bingeing include:
Avocado
Banana
Peanut butter
Beans
Fish
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussel sprouts
Berries
Olive oil on the veggies

Just a variety of great foods to target all your nutrition needs.

kate21797

Same problem here. Last night I binged on apples, peaches, and special K cereal. I knew I was going over my calorie limit for the day, but just couldn't find it within myself to stop. I'm just worried that next time, it won't be fruit, but something really unhealthy.

Salem02_96

omg i have the same problem but i binge on mueslbars like i can eat 4 muesli bars in one day and worst is when you and yo
u ate perfect all day and ate all your calories for the day then it hits 8:00 or 9:00 and you snackish and you just can stop but go crazy and turn healthy crackers to something unhealthy after consuming the whole thing with cheese spread. i need help and advice ASAP

DrJenO

Log it and move on.

If you go over your calories for the day, exercise extra the next day and don't eat those calories (since you ate them the day before).

Sometimes, you are just hungry.

I was SUPER hungry last night, and I only had 200 calories left. I ended up eating some peanut butter and an apple and drinking a huge glass of water. It did the trick.

Don't let yourself be caught flat-footed. PREPARE ahead of time; say to yourself "this is what I will eat when I get late night cravings", and make sure it's got protein in it so that you will actually feel full when you are done.

pennyllayne

It's possible that there's something in your diet that is triggering your desire to binge or something you're missing entirely! I don't know what you're eating - healthy foods mean different things to different people - so I can't offer advice on where you may be going wrong. I have had a problem with bingeing in the past too, but I find that making my meals satisfying and of decent size is key to prevent it. One problem I have found is that if I cook enough for more than one portion it will encourage me to have a second helping, so now I do not cook more than I intend to eat at any meal. Even if you plan on saving it for another meal, the temptation will be there when you see all this freshly cooked food.

Another thing you could try is loading up on vegetables to stretch your stomach and give it that full feeling. When you feel full you feel less like bingeing. I would find it hard to look at a fridge full of veggies and feel like munching on everything - veggies aren't THAT appetising! So the question is, what is in your fridge that is leading you to want to try everything? One trigger can be having too much variety. E.g. you want to buy some dairy but instead of just buying some milk and yoghurt you buy yoghurt, cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, cheese triangles...now you can't decide what to have with your meal because you like them ALL so you feel like you have to have a bit of everything. You have to find a balance because having NO variety will make you feel unsatisfied and want to keep eating, but having too much variety is just as problematic. Same thing if your meals are either too bland or too tasty. You have to find a way to make your meals tasty so you're satisfied, but not so tasty that you can't stop eating. You also don't want to go out and buy a bunch of different things you've never tried before because that will increase the desire to try everything. For variety, add ONE new thing every week and wait until it's finished to buy something else.

There's also the emotional side of it to look at. Emotions trigger the need to eat for comfort, so look at the stressors in your life and try to get some help with focusing your attention away from eating and finding a healthier way of dealing with those stressors.

Rocbola

It sounds like you are just hungry. That is often a side effect of calorie restriction. As long as what you are eating is a raw fruit, or vegetable, eat as much as you desire, even if it puts you over calories for a day. If you let that hunger build, pretty soon, you might not be very discerning, and grab for something more calorie dense than fruit and veg. If you are hungry every day, and going over your calories every day, you might want to consider swapping out something dense from your diet, and replacing it with something with a lower calorie density.

eldamiano

So I keep mostly healthy food in my apartment. I don't keep sweets or anything that would add to my binge eating in the house. Sometimes I get home from work and can not help myself from eating a little bite of everything! I stare into my fridge and think, "There's nothing to eat." There is but I'm just not satisfied. I'm looking for help because I have plateaued after losing 30 pounds. I believe this is what's holding me back from losing more weight. Does anyone have any tips or the same problem?

Buy a burger.... and eat it.

craftywitch_63

Take a look at your calorie count, it may be too low. I'm kind of skeptical of the whole "starvation mode" thing, but as a fellow binger, I can tell you that I will sabotage myself every time I try to decrease calories too low. In my case no amount of protein or fiber will make up for that and water just doesn't cut it!

If you like miso soup, that's between 15 and 30 calories per packet. It's warm and soothing especially when you're craving salt.

If I slip, I just log every bite and move on. I may exercise more the next day but I don't try to make up for the extra calories consumed the night before by restricting my eating the next day. For me, that triggers a cycle of restricting calories -> binge eating -> further restricting calories -> more (and increased calorie) binge eating.

I do make sure that I get snacks throughout the day. Hunger will trigger a binge for me.

:flowerforyou:

scraver2003

If you are hungry when you get home - can you just make and eat dinner at that time?

I was snacking too much when I got home, too. It was part of my transition from work to home. I had to change my habits. Now, I come home, I change into comfy clothes, pour myself a seltzer and well... I have an 11 month old who demands dinner as soon as we walk in the door, so that has helped me change my routine, too. You could turn on some music. Or go check Facebook. Try to find a different routine other than coming home and heding straight for a snack.

skeneton

Try 'bingeing' on things like steamed veggies. I counteract the excessive volume of food I eat by simply bingeing on mixed veg. My meal will be a very large portion of steamed/stirfried vegetables, like 300g uncooked, with a solid portion of lean meat and occasionally some sort of carb (i like legumes). use low calorie sauces to season the veg (I like tomato sauce, but just avoid things like dairy/oil based sauces). I eat the veggies first to fill me up (high water/fiber content), and then am left with the satisfying protein to push my body into feeling full. Works great and zero guilt because all those veggies come out to like 100/200 calories and you will definitely get a daily dose of your vitamins and minerals. In fact I occasionally find myself in the kitchen late night because I realize that I have ended up with hundreds of spare calories at the end of the day.
I am definitely a volume guy when it comes to eating and the only way to satisfy that and not be huge is to eat foods that are super low calorie/fat/carb. Vegetables work great for that and I am still getting leaner to this day.

SoDamnHungry

If you're still binging, it doesn't matter what you're binging on. Good choice to make it healthy foods, but the underlying problem is there. Are you lacking in any nutrients or macros? Are you getting protein and fat into your diet? What are your calorie goals? Are they too low? Is it emotional? Could talking to a therapist help? Once you answer those questions you may be able to take steps to stop altogether.

fatcity66

It may be that you are binging because you're not eating what you are really craving. If you want chocolate, but all you have is granola in the house, you will never satisfy that craving for chocolate, no matter how much granola you eat. It has happened to me. I really want an ice cream sandwich, but I don't want to eat it because it's "not healthy," so I eat something "healthier," and end up eating way too much of it, or eating a serving of 3-4 different things. I end up consuming a lot more calories than if I had just had the 220 calorie ice cream sandwich in the first place!

segovm

Yeah I'm in the "You are probably just hungry" camp myself.

I'm pretty OCD with stuff so when I "binge" it tends to be on healthy food and then only a serving at a time. If I'm willing to go through the trouble of making a turkey wrap and some veggies it's probably because I need something to eat.

If it happens every now and then just log it and move on, if you are constantly hungry at night then add a few more calories to your goal and or shift some meals around so you are a little fuller when it gets to craving time.

Anyway, good luck! You are doing great, don't punish yourself too much!

elginbrown10

That whole idea of a healthy binge household is Awesome

Liftng4Lis

Congratulations on 30 pounds! With only 5 pounds to go, have you adjusted your goals? If you're hungry, you're probably not eating enough calorie dense foods. Your diary is closed.