Stop dieting to stop binging

bunnies26

Hey everyone, I have been reading up on binge eating (one of the books recommended by a member here...thank you) and it seems to be the consensus that to stop binge eating one needs to NOT diet. And that research shows that there is a consistent correlation between the two. So what do we do when so many of us are overweight? Now I have gained and lost 30 to 50 pounds three times. I assume many of you want to lose weight, what is your game plan to reduce the poundage without binge? In July I started on my fitnesspal, slowly went from 196 to 174. Then December hit and by the end of the month I was up to 196 again, and am now 200. It seems incredible that I ate that much.
My second question is, has anyone had their metabolism scientifically tested to see if all this dieting and binging has f#@*ed it up? Is that even possible?
:indifferent:

ObtainingBalance

Well, I think that everyone is different. Very restrictive diets can definitely trigger binges, and not eating adequate calories. That's why I eat back most of my exercise calories, like MFP's plan, I can't do 1,200 calorie diets - too low for my activity, anyways.

I have never met a binge eater who hasn't dieted in their past.

Some people find the only way to stop their binges is to eat at maintenance calories, some find they can cut their calories for weight loss - but still include small treats, so they feel they aren't restricted too much.
Others find they can have small calorie deficits (like 200) and slowly lose their weight while avoiding binges (because they're keeping their calories fairly high, but still below maintenance)
Some even find calorie counting as a trigger, and they go to intuitive eating for awhile, or for life.

You really just have to find what works for you. It's easy to slide back into restrictive eating if I see weight loss, I find balance hard. I either want to diet strict or binge. I'm still working on finding my balance. Some days I seem to have it down, other days not so much. But hey, with normal eaters, they sometimes overeat, and sometimes they forget a meal... it's not the end of the world. :flowerforyou:

mamahannick

I have found this to be very true. I struggle with vicious binge-restrict cycles, and each end of the spectrum fueling the other. I starve myself, then I break down and binge because I'm so freaking hungry. To find my way out of this I know I need to find that balance in the middle.

You figure if you consume 3000+ on days that you binge (mine are usually 3000-5000), then eating maintenance calories or close to it for a while will create a deficit in itself. Then after you get a hold of the binging, you can create a small deficit below maintenance (-1/2 lb/week). Once that goes well for a few weeks, make the deficit just a bit larger. I recommend never dropping below 1200 though, as not eating enough I think contributes to the urges to binge.

Good luck!

WannabeStressFree

I've mostly been binge free for a while, it's taken a lot of trial and error.
My new goal is 1550 cal a day net, my bmr is 1444, so I'm pretty close to that. If I exercise then I eat back.
I have been improving my nutrition hugely and I attribute that towards helping get rid of binges, I think deficiency in nutrients is what created binges for me. I used to eat tons of junk and sugar, I've mostly even gotten rid of my sweet tooth.
good luck, This has taken me a while, I'd say half a year to figure out what's good for me.
A buddy on MFP stressed to stop the diet mentality, I started dieting in the 2nd grade, always was chubby then disordered in my eating.
So I agree to stop dieting, I know it's not easy for those of us that have tried many diets, but at least for me none worked.
The restriction def fueled my binges, plus I feel defincies in nutrients.

bunnies26

Thanks everybody.

mufamuscles

I can only tell you what has worked for me, and I am not a doctor.

After dropping the first 30-40 pounds, maintaining a 500 cal/day deficit for me was no longer sustainable and I would inevitably binge after a week or two. I know 500/day is what most people on MFP like, but I just felt too deprived, and I would binge. The vicious cycle you reference.

At first I was resistant to switching to a smaller deficit because I didn't want weight loss to take so long! But after so many binge/restrict cycles I realized that it was going to take just as long, if not longer, with all the bingeing.

So now I eat at a 200-250 calorie deficit and have done so for the last 15ish pounds. Yes, it's slow, but the weight is still coming off and my urges to binge have been reduced by 95%.

Don't be so hard on yourself. If you can't do it on 1200 calories a day, don't keep trying to make it work! Madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. As you say, it is normal to have urges to binge after restricting. So restrict LESS - just to have a small deficit.