Estimating calories/Binging on the weekend

Molly_234

Hello everyone,

I've been using MFP for about 5 months now but I've never posted but I frequently read forums. I am 5'2 with starting weight of 150 and now I am at 135. My goal weight is 115. I live in a dorm setting and I am required to eat at a cafeteria for most of my meals. I began estimating calories religiously but I've given up due to it being impossible to know the exact amount. These past few weeks I stopped counting but continued eating very healthy and small portions and the weight continued to drop. I don't restrict any certain foods but I make a conscious effort to eat everything in moderation. On the weekend a vicious cycle of Binging has started to where I will eat to the point of throwing up. I get in the mindset of " ive done so well during the week I deserve to indulge" and before I know it I am sick from how much I ate that day and full of guilt. This is exactly how i gained all of the weight and I just really want to be consistent even on the weekends. I don't know if it's because I don't eat enough during the week or if it's because I'm not in my typical schedule. How do I stop this vicious cycle?

BrandtMurphy

I would suggest you allow yourself one cheat day every month. If you are good all month, for example, allow yourself to have one day where you eat less-healthy options,while promising to yourself that you will still do so in moderation.

TimothyFish

Quite treating weight loss like it is karma. You don't earn an indulgence by restricting your diet during the week. But that being said, I find that what keeps me from eating too much is finding something else to do that isn't food related. Go for a job. Ride a bicycle around town. Go fishing. Knit a turtleneck. It doesn't really matter what it is, just think about something besides food.

chase8oliver

May I make a suggestion? I utilize a form of balancing a sustainable diet thru the concept of Flexible Dieting aka IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros.) This allows people to consume what they NEED and a LITTLE bit of what they want each day. It is a concept a lot of people are still learning about. This is not some fad, or an excuse to eat poorly. I teach this to my own clients. Frankly, most people will try to avoid the "bad" foods for so long that eventually they binge way above their caloric intake. I use this approach with my own clients. I'd highly encourage you to learn more about it.

LushofthebebeAlexa

This vicious cycle is very dangerous. I've been there for a long time, I would eat clean and not really much for a week or two and then I would epically binge until I felt sick for days. This bad was for about a year or so...it made my life a living hell, I couldn't do anything because it was taking all my energy and school was already stressful enough. That time I felt completely lost, nothing was making sense in my life and no one was on my side...
When I did realize that I wasn't making myself any favor and that I was basically hurting myself, I started to see my relationship with food differently... I chose to forgive myself and move on...of course, this didn't happen in seconds, it took me around half a year to get better, when I was binging less than before and with less amount of food, until like half a year ago when I had my last epic binge. Since then, I haven't eaten until the point of really feeling sick...there are time when I eat more and other food than I should, but that's ok
So..my advice, eat enough food, get all the nutrients u need, surround yourself with people u love and love u back and, last but not least, love yourself.

Francl27

Log what you eat on the week ends too... it can be a real eye opener to see the big red numbers.

Molly_234

I do enjoy logging but not having an accurate way to count the calories makes it seem pointless.

Iknewyouweretrouble

they stock that cafeteria food with nasties anyway. i used to survive by taking little silk drink boxes for later and eating food from there that i know is "safe"- anything from the salad bar, nothing from the main bar, etc. as for the binging, try to up your activity on the weekend. i also like to pick the healthiest thing on that fast food menu. also try to force yourself to eat enough during the week to feel satisfied. not enough calories can lead to binging.

kshama2001

shaeerichards227 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I've been using MFP for about 5 months now but I've never posted but I frequently read forums. I am 5'2 with starting weight of 150 and now I am at 135. My goal weight is 115. I live in a dorm setting and I am required to eat at a cafeteria for most of my meals. I began estimating calories religiously but I've given up due to it being impossible to know the exact amount. These past few weeks I stopped counting but continued eating very healthy and small portions and the weight continued to drop. I don't restrict any certain foods but I make a conscious effort to eat everything in moderation. On the weekend a vicious cycle of Binging has started to where I will eat to the point of throwing up. I get in the mindset of " ive done so well during the week I deserve to indulge" and before I know it I am sick from how much I ate that day and full of guilt. This is exactly how i gained all of the weight and I just really want to be consistent even on the weekends. I don't know if it's because I don't eat enough during the week or if it's because I'm not in my typical schedule. How do I stop this vicious cycle?

Perhaps you are actually undereating during the week and that is triggering the urge to binge on the weekends? Try eating more during the week and see if that helps you eat moderately over the weekend.

kgirlhart

I am a big believer in moderation and logging everything. If you are restricting too much during the week it can lead to bingeing on the weekends. I would log your best guess for the cafeteria. It is best to weigh everything, but it isn't always possible so just do the best you can. Since you are a college student I would recommend seeking some counseling. Most universities have it and you are already paying for it with your tuition and fees.

Unknown

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Molly_234

Thank you everyone for the great advice. I'm going to get back on calorie counting and stop making excuses. I actually bought a food scale 3 weeks ago and ever since I got it, I stopped calorie counting! I am also recovering from a foot surgery so I've been super bored during the weekend so I might be eating out of boredom.

CattOfTheGarage

kshama2001 wrote: »

shaeerichards227 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I've been using MFP for about 5 months now but I've never posted but I frequently read forums. I am 5'2 with starting weight of 150 and now I am at 135. My goal weight is 115. I live in a dorm setting and I am required to eat at a cafeteria for most of my meals. I began estimating calories religiously but I've given up due to it being impossible to know the exact amount. These past few weeks I stopped counting but continued eating very healthy and small portions and the weight continued to drop. I don't restrict any certain foods but I make a conscious effort to eat everything in moderation. On the weekend a vicious cycle of Binging has started to where I will eat to the point of throwing up. I get in the mindset of " ive done so well during the week I deserve to indulge" and before I know it I am sick from how much I ate that day and full of guilt. This is exactly how i gained all of the weight and I just really want to be consistent even on the weekends. I don't know if it's because I don't eat enough during the week or if it's because I'm not in my typical schedule. How do I stop this vicious cycle?

Perhaps you are actually undereating during the week and that is triggering the urge to binge on the weekends? Try eating more during the week and see if that helps you eat moderately over the weekend.

I suspect this also. OP, estimating is NOT a waste of time, it may be only a rough guide but at the moment you have no guide at all and I suspect you are over restricting as a result, hence the binges.

The easiest way to get out of this cycle is to start logging again and make sure you are eating adequately during the week. That will also stop the "I've been good so I deserve it" mindset, as you will be able to see if you have actually earned those extra calories or not.

lemonychild

This is happening because you have divided food into good and evil. A calorie is a calorie. Period. Because you are restricting yourself from normal treats for 5 days you literally SNAP and binge on the foods you have restricted all along. There is no dirty food unless u got it out of the garbage. Incorporate the foods u binge on into your calorie allotment daily and you'll never have to binge on them because they will be always available in normal portion size

trwww

I disagree that logging when you don't have immediate access to nutrition info is hard.

The school website probably has nutrition info.

Also, its not that difficult to estimate. I've only been at this 5 months, before which I had no idea about general calorie content of food, and now I'm sure that I can guess nutrition info for a random bit of food to +/- 10%

getupforchange

I would turn it all around in your head. Instead of telling yourself you should treat yourself at the weekend because you deserve it after having been so good all week, tell yourself you've been so good that it would be horrible to sabotage yourself at the weekend. Treat yourself to consistency, because you're well on your way, you're motivated and strong and you want this.

As for rewarding yourself, it's great! But maybe not with food? Set other goals for yourself. Treat yourself to a new pair of shoes? A haircut? A spa day?

Another idea is to put away the same money you would have spent on "treat foods" each week and then book a holiday somewhere for that money or buy something you've always wanted once you hit a certain amount or goal weight. It doesn't have to be your ultimate goal, you can set little mini goals for yourself along the way.