CANT STOP BINGE EATING! 3000 calories 4 days in a row

rowbubble

hey everyone

im 21, 5'5, BMR of 1350 (digital scale) and have a sedentary TDEE of 1650 (4 online calculators)

this is actually my first ever post and ive joined MFP since 2011! but this time ive fallen way too low and i need help otherwise i will literally eat myself to depression and diabetes.

anyway, so when i first joined i successfully and healthily went down from 120-110, losing 2 pounds a month.

maintained a year.

went on a university year abroad to Taiwan and came back september 2013 after a year weighing 130! ive never weighed above 120 for the past 7 years of my life. so i was so suprised to find myself ending up at 130! Darn all the Taiwan street food.....

Anyway, after 2 months of returning i am STILL 132-133...... and i getting more and more upset by the week..... i figured all my life that 120 was my natural set point, so how is it possible i turn 130 and cant back to 120? is 130 now my natural set point just because i gained to 130? grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

ive been especially frustrated the past week at my weight so i binged (as i do couple times a month but this time it was uncontrollable). I binged at an indian restaurant, finishing off 2 naan breads and my friends curry while 8 people watched me, i binged on a university day where i went to a cafe after class by myself and ordered 2 crepes and went to another cafe and ordered 2 pumpkin pies and more (just because i craved brie crepes and because i was emotionally angry at my 'indian' binge), then i binged the next day (because i was angry for the binge the day before!) and had fish&chips at a restaurant with my friend, before going home and secretly eating a snickers bar, 3 crackers with brie, handful walnuts, nachos with cheese in my bedroom before my dad saw me and today i binged (because i felt hopeless) and went to a cafe after class and ordered a scone, brie sandwich, caramel shortcake, peanut butter slice and then another scone from another cafe and ate it all before going home and eating rice with my dad and half an apple pie slice.

my point is: i know those were binges because i was not hungry - just craved brie and peanut butter and carbs. i know those were binges because of the hopelessness i felt before and during.

IM WORRIED ILL BINGE TOMORROW AND EVERYDAT THIS WEEK AND MONTH NOW, and im already depressed about my 20 pound weigh gain over my recent year abroad as it is. this is just the icing on the cake to kick me down........

i just want someone to 'shock' me with something so that i wont binge again

herblackwings39

Leave your money, bank card, and credit card at home. If you can't pay for it you can't eat it. It won't help the underlying issues, but it should help keep you from the cafe stops.

tmariethomas5

"emotionally angry" - just a thought, perhaps the place to start is with what is in your head and heart, not what you are putting in your tummy.

Mr_Knight

i just want someone to 'shock' me with something so that i wont binge again

The only person who can "shock" you, is you.

shining_light

Leave your money, bank card, and credit card at home. If you can't pay for it you can't eat it. It won't help the underlying issues, but it should help keep you from the cafe stops.

^This. At my worst, this was the only thing that worked. Also, bringing my own food with me when I went out helps. I pack my own lunch everywhere I go for work(I have to travel a lot for work) so I won't be tempted.

rosemary98

the fact you wrote this thread means that you are interested in change. you know that technically you aren't overweight...but I agree bingeing needs to stop. create meal plans...log everything on MFP...and avoid restaurants to a great extent (for now). substitute binge foods with other foods. for me, a binge food is peanut butter, but I found this peanut flour that is 1/4 the calories that I go to when I am feeling a binge coming on. other options, no-salt added soups, 100 calorie popcorn, frozen veggies you heat up in the microwave.

I spent nearly a year in Sweden and Europe...and put on the pounds....I understand.

Hildy_J

I did the EXACT same thing last month. Don't stress, you've had your lightbulb moment and you'll be back on track tomorrow. It's a setback, but in the long term, it won't matter. :flowerforyou:

ALSO - I ate the same things - naan bread, Snickers, peanut butter, scones, apple pie etc. And I had a ton of Brie. Love Brie. Costa do a brie and bacon toasted sandwich with onion jam... to die for! Sometimes you have to eat the food you want and that's all there is to it. You'll start on the 'hopelessness' factor when you're ready.

TerraJanuary

The only time I went through a "food addiction" phase was when I was around your age and in university. I still never became technically overweight, but I became obsessed with food-- like I'd want to go home alone and eat instead of hanging out with my friends, etc. I would go to the movies alone in the middle of the day so I could binge on candy for example. The only thing that helped me get through it was resolve some issues that were bothering me (a bad relationship) and become immersed in activities that made me happy. For me, it was joining an acting company and meeting new and interesting people...

Maybe tomorrow you can treat yourself to something relaxing that will soothe your negativity towards yourself-- a massage, a walk in nature--I don't know, whatever floats your boat. Love yourself! You are the best YOU you've got, haha! Don't be mad at yourself!

caseycornell

Thats tough. I do get what you're going through. It helps to bring healthy, YUMMY snacks everywhere! Seriously, if you pack tupperware with mango slices, veggies with hummus, even popcorn, or rice cakes with peanut butter, then you can give yourself permission to eat small amounts allll day long. This will help prevent the all or nothing feelings of deprivation. Good luck! You can do it. Also, develop ways to increase your daily positive affect- listen to happy music or go for a nice nature walk every morning.

Myhaloslipped

That naan bread is a b***h! Tastes like pure heaven, and it has so many calories for such a small amount!

twooliver

Good for you for being honest. That's a great place to start. I agree that you need to be concerned...however what you are talking about is an emotional issue and requires emotional support. Please seek out a counselor...someone familiar with eating issues. Work on this now hon... don't wait till you're my age and have an obesity issue...please...

floydfreeman911

You really have to make the mental decision to avoid whatever it is that's triggering your binge eating. If you realize that you aren't hungry then you should definitely avoid helping yourself to session of senseless eating. You have to find what motivates you, you HAVE to want better. We can only reinforce your motivation, not supply it for you. I know overcoming your habits is a difficult journey but there are no short cuts.

nattatalie

I'm a very emotional/stress eater and cravings are very frustrating because they can feel beyond your control. You're wanting to change, so that's the first step; now you need to find YOUR reason to stop binging. You know that it makes you feel depressed...Remember the depressed feeling when you want to eat more than you should, and say no, because IT'S NOT WORTH IT.
When the cravings come on, try to keep yourself distracted so that it is not the main focus in your mind, or else it will consume you and you will likely give in...and then feel the guilt later, like you are now. And carbs aren't always bad, but if your body is so used to them at its disposal, it would be very difficult to give them up cold turkey as well. Say no to a few unhealthy things that you want to eat, and as you go on, it will become easier to say no. Keep your focus off of food. Food should be used to fuel your body. Some foods are just so dang delicious so it's hard, and that's what gets us into trouble. Keep your eye on what you want, which is a healthy, happy life. Good luck!

acogg

I am also 5'5" and 110 pounds is underweight from all guidelines I have read. You are only 21, you are still developing into a mature woman. Developed women weigh more than girls. With that aside, when I have the empty hungries, I add more protein to my diet. Women typically don't get enough. Before I joined MFP, I certainly didn't get near enough. Good luck!:flowerforyou:

Mahi_22

I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN!! holy **** do I. excuse my parisian way of speaking, but dude!! lemme tell youuuu somethin. the same thing happened to me when i first reached my university. like, the moment i set foot on campus, it's a sandwich and fries here at the cafe study, belgian chocolate chip and ****load of chocs and biscuits *covered* in chocolate at the student shop. not to mention vanilla sponge cake with rasberry and vanilla icing filling. 2 months in, i've managed to gain all the pounds i'd lost. and now feeling emotional as **** and regretting all the binges. tryna tune my inner vegan self back and really, really get back on track.

Mahi_22

before you even GO to the cafes and order your usual, think about how you're gonna feel right after you've eaten your peanut butter slices and your scones. you're gonna feel like crap, and even more emotional. even if you do, youre gonna follow the same damn routine the next day. you'll find yourself stuck, my friend. stuck, feel lazy and bloated. ****, it ain't fun. and plus, you could save ****load of money instead of buying snacks all the time.

Sabine_Stroehm

I'm going to approach this a little differently. You're 21. You don't really know what your weight set point "all your life" will be.

You're 5'5" and weigh 130-135. i.e.: normal.

I'd suggest stepping back and considering your relationship with food, with weight, your sense of things. Your profile suggests a long standing DISORDERED relationship with food. (you want to get "back to 118lbs?)

3000 calories a day? No, not good. But perhaps your ideals and expectations for yourself aren't either? Dunno. Just suggesting you give it some thought.

SLLRunner

Yep, been there and done that. There are so many binge foods at work that I refuse to eat any of the work food. I take my own with me- morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack. I drink lots and lots of water too.

By the way, you're pretty brave sharing your truth. I suggest trying to find out what is triggering your binges and then talk it over with someone you trust--counselor, friend, family member, whomever you feel most comfortable with. It's great you've shared it here too.

mockchoc

On the days you weren't bingeing are you eating very little, like 1200 calories or less? Eating too little can cause binges. If yes then work out what you really should be eating and stay at that goal everyday as much as possible and this might stop.

Failing2Thrive

Leave your money, bank card, and credit card at home. If you can't pay for it you can't eat it. It won't help the underlying issues, but it should help keep you from the cafe stops.

Love this! That would save me a few hundred calories too!

elyelyse

Something to tell yourself before you start a binge (or during): whatever you are looking for...it's not in there.

peanutbutterfish

Wow! Your study abroad program sounds like an amazing opportunity. Good for you. I suspect it could be a bit of an reintegration and emotional letdown coming back to the states after such a major life experience. I know in situations like that I often find myself craving carbs and other comfort foods. I'm confident you will level out into a healthy heating routine once gain.

Fragilebird24

I've been in a very similar situation to you. I've weight cycled my whole life. I'll save you all the details but I got down to my lowest weight in 2011, then gained 10 pounds that Christmas. Long story short, I ended up gaining nearly 70 pounds because I was so upset with myself for gaining the first ten. After getting to about 205 pounds I decided I NEEDED to change (for the zillionth time)June of this year. I did really well and lost twenty pounds between June and August. When I went back to school it was really hard for me to maintain a steady weight loss and I found myself eating more and more like I used to and it. I recently gained six pounds, lost 3 then gained 3 again. I decided that I needed to put my scale away and focus on how I felt. I know how horrible I feel during and after I eat a bunch of junk. And for me, if I'm eating junk I'm usually not exercising. To me, it is more gratifying to watch what I eat and exercise and then be able to treat myself to something that I enjoy (in moderation.) Since you've been at a normal weight your entire life you may want to find what workouts/ eating plans work for you. I agree that there is definitely an underlying emotional issue. Try to work that through that and figure out why you're using food for comfort. I wish you the best!