Binge

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annaclaireblack
annaclaireblack Posts: 63 Member
in Food and Nutrition
After a binge do you cut back calories for a day or two? Or keep them normal?

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  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    Keep them normal. Going back and forth between bingeing and restricting can create bad habits that can lead to disordered eating. (Speaking from experience here.)
  • RAxB
    RAxB Posts: 120 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Stay normal, but also listen to your body. You might be less hungry the next day. If that is true then eat accordingly, if not don't starve!

    The last time I ate more than I intended for the day the next day I ate only my meals and no snacks because I was not hungry for them. Third day was completely normal.
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
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    This reply is going to be way more than you actually asked, but I hope some of it will be helpful.

    Unfortunately I have a lot of experience with binging, and people that haven't ever had the issue don't understand how HARD it is to stop or redirect when the urge starts. It's not just a matter of self control.

    I started out losing weight by only counting calories when I was 300 lbs, and I was eating 1500 calories a day. Then I moved to only counting calories and eating 1200 calories a day. Then I plateaued and added exercise. Eventually I moved to eating around 1000 calories and working out for around 3 hours a day when I could manage it. I thought, well, if a little exercise is good, more must be better. And if 1200 calories was good, less must be better. On top of that, I was eating very little fat. I was good for about a year, and ended up losing down to around 110. Then, out of nowhere, uncontrollable binges would start. I would go crazy with anything that contained carbs and fat. And then after my binges, I would go crazy again with over restricting and over exercising to "make up" for those binges. I got desperate because I was gaining weight back, and I just couldn't get out of the cycle, so I decided to get help (with the strong urging of several friends).

    I ended up seeing a nutritionist that specialized in eating disorders. She taught me several things that were a BIG help. The first thing was that I was sleep deprived because I was getting up at 4 am to work out, but going to bed around midnight (I had just started dating my boyfriend). Being sleep deprived can make you crave carbs. The second was that my body was going crazy craving carbs and fat because I was expending energy like crazy, but never replenishing. I needed to start eating more, and working out less.

    It's still hard to find a balance, but as long as I listened to her AND listen to my body, I have very little issues now. The below is what I try to keep in mind, and what I suggest for anyone else having problems:

    1) Make sure you get enough sleep
    2) Make sure you are eating enough (especially enough fat)
    3) Don't over exercise, and make sure you eat enough for you level of activity
    4) DON'T try to "make up" for binges.

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