Binge eating

katrinahitaffer1838

When first starting off what are some tips to not over eat so I don't go over my calorie goal? Trying to lose 100 pounds

quiksylver296

I wouldn't even worry about going over your goal at first. Just start tracking your food. All of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. After you've done that for a week or two, then look at your diary. What foods weren't worth the calories? Either they didn't keep your full, or didn't taste that great, or whatever. Start subbing out those foods for others that are lower calorie or keep you more full. Keep tracking and tweaking as you go.

Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

CheekyChiq88

amen to the poster above @quiksylver296 exactly what she wrote! Then once you have done the above start adding a glass of water before every meal!

RachelKH2018

Hi! I'm only about two months in, but I started by changing my diet before I cut calories and it's helped a lot. I realized a lot of my binge eating was either sweets or super processed carbs that were high in sodium, so working those out of my diet and getting through the sweet/salty cravings while I was still eating as much as I liked helped a ton when I started cutting calories.

Not sure if this is the case for everyone, but once I'd gotten down to healthier foods, I was able to pinpoint certain foods that were "trigger" foods for my binge eating. Rather than expecting myself to have the willpower to stop in the moment (i.e. have a smaller portion), I just try and avoid those specific foods. Not the greatest solution, but it works.

hroderick

Habit changing doesn't come easy but it does come to the committed.
I'm closing in on 100lb loss and had very bad eating habits to change.

Planning, planning, more planning, preparation, and accurate logging.

Learning what triggered my bad eating and plan a strategy
> I'd have a meal size snack on my long commute home
(I now have an apple and just do without because I know a great dinner is waiting at home)
> I'd sit on the couch in front of the TV and finish whatever bag I sat down with
(I now put a measured portion into a bowl, put the bag out of sight, and eat very slowly to enjoy it)
> I'd grab stuff at the checkout line)
(I now just don't)
> I'd skip breakfast and eat a lot at night
(I now force down a tiny breakfast (diary is open), have a moderate lunch and dinner, and save calories for big evening snacks)
Your bad habits may differ, but you need to know them and take charge.

Reading up and trying to practice 'mindful eating' was a big help for me.

Stop watching cooking shows on TV. Use smaller plates and bowls.

Diet drinks and gum without counting help me.

Keeping nutritious snacks on hand and put away out of sight is a big help for me.

People are going to think I work for platejoy.com because I credit them here so often (I don't), but it has been essential for me to make the change. It makes planning nutritious meals within my calorie goals easy. Before dinner choice was a rushed decision after work every day. After ingredients and recipes for a few meals are waiting at home when I wake up every morning.

By eating almost only nutritious food, my human needs are met so I don't often get hungry. Learning the difference between an appetite for something and being hungry is essential. With an appetite, you want one specific item and can't get the appealing taste and texture and smell out of your mind. Take ONE spoon of the craved item, eat it very slowly, log it, and ponder if the calories were worth it knowing a second spoon would not be as good as the first. In doing so you don't deny yourself and you practice self-control. (I now go to Mexican restaurants and eat no chips, but it took practice to get there). Hunger is different than appetite. You are hungry when you need to eat something, anything, now! Everything around that reminds you of food makes you want to eat it. When hungry, eat a measured portion of something nutritions slowly. Eat enough and spread it out enough that you don't get hungry and you don't eat more than you planned. We used to eat too much and can get used to eating less. Nutritious food is the secret to not wasting calories.

IHaveMyActTogether

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I wouldn't even worry about going over your goal at first. Just start tracking your food. All of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. After you've done that for a week or two, then look at your diary. What foods weren't worth the calories? Either they didn't keep your full, or didn't taste that great, or whatever. Start subbing out those foods for others that are lower calorie or keep you more full. Keep tracking and tweaking as you go.

Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

Excellent advice!

WinoGelato

Going over your calories = binge eating?

How much over?

nutmegoreo

Binge eating is a specific condition/diagnosis. Do you mean binge eating disorder, or are you using it to refer just overeating but not uncontrollably so? The response would be different depending on what you are referring to.

Junebug2022

Do be around the foods you binge on. They are likely full of sugars and refined carbs that make you more likely to binge.

mariluny

Like @nutmegoreo said, if you mean bindge eating disorder, that's a different game. BED is quite the condition that you'll mostly have to heal in your head more than anything.

If you mean over eating as big portion out of habit or just plain bad eating habits than my 2 best tips would be:

1. Start realistic. If you used to eat 2000 calories a day, don't get too agressive. Note what you eat now, try to make better decisions when you can and slowly swap thing out.

2. Enter everything you want to eat in your diary BEFORE you eat it. You CRAVE that dessert for tonight, enter it in the morning and make the rest of your day fit around it. When I go to bed at night, my lunch is already entered in the diary, I know if I have a big lunch planned I'll have a protein filled but light in calories breakfast or vice versa. And I know I have X calories left for dinner so if I have not much room in the evening for calories, I'll make sure to use less oil to cook stuff, swap out the mash potato I had planned for baked potatoes (wich will cut the milk and butter from it), etc.

And finally, remember it's not a marathon to the finish line. The important thing is to get there and be able to sustain your new habits once you reach maintenance. Good luck!

OHFlamingo

I have a photo of me at my best weight and a little sign that says:"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" on my refrigerator. I also live alone, and just don't bring food items that I would be tempted to "binge" on into the house. I do usually have two Pecan Sandies cookies (my absolute favorites) with my lunchtime protein shake; somehow I have learned that if I eat them all at once, I won't have any left for the next day! I also learned that if I get plenty of protein, I don't have food cravings. I'm rarely overlt hungry anymore, as I don't have the sugar spikes from my previous eating habits. I'm on 1200 calories. SW 222 CW 188 GW 118 I have just started using an elliptical for about 20 miles a day, and eat back just some of the extra calories, as I don't really trust the calorie counter. I was in a wheelchair for the past 6 years, and just got two new knee implants, so I should be able to pick up the pace of my weight loss now that I can get around. I would suggest trial and error to find what combinations of foods your body needs. Good Luck to all. Be gentle with yourself.

katrinahitaffer1838

WinoGelato wrote: »

Going over your calories = binge eating?

How much over?

Sometimes it's only 1,000 calories over and sometimes its almost 3,000 calories over. It depends on the day

Jxgilber

Are you trying to cut your calories too hard? Or trying to be too be to strict with foods? Start with a small deficit of the same types of food you normally eat.