Binge/Restrict

ophelia200

Hi guys,

I've completed my weight loss mission a while ago now and have been maintaining for around a year, at a weight that is admittedly a bit lower than it probably ought to be (around 102lbs). Just lately I've made a few bad food choices after some nights out drinking with friends, celebrating this or that. I told myself that I would stick to a 1200 a day calorie limit until I had "undone" all of the food that I over-ate.

However, this is putting me onto somewhat of a cycle of eating my usual maintenance 1500 on some days and then feeling excessively guilty for exceeding this 1200 calorie goal. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of this cycle and what the best way to remedy it is - have you usually restricted for some time after a "binge" or do you just take the hit and accept a small gain? (Maybe around 1lb - 1.5lbs)

Thanks a lot

happysherri

I NEVER Sweat a 1 - 2 lbs Gain, EVER! That's so minimal. I don't know how tall you are, but you are correct 102 seems low.

My opinion - Do Not Worry about the 1 to 2 lbs - those extra few lbs probably look good! Eat at maintenance.

And most importantly Enjoy Life!

aarondnguyen

I'll admit I used to do this. Essentially, it's a pretty bad idea since you'll form a bad relationship with food in the long run and it'll turn into a vicious cycle. Life is too short to beat yourself up over a few days of eating over your calories. Look at the big picture.

My advice would be to continue dieting like you normally would the next day.

On another note, if you have been restricting calories for a long time, your body's metabolism will adapt... possibly making it harder than before to lose fat on the same amount of calories (i.e. 1500). To solve this, you should look into reverse dieting -- slowly re-introducing more calories into your diet (maybe 100 to 200 per week) and allowing your metabolism to catch up. The general goal is to be able to eat as much as you can while still burning fat or maintaining your weight.

I personally used to diet under 1500 .. and I often binged/restricted. This went on for well over a year. This time around I noticed I was losing weight at a much slower rate even though I was eating the same amount as before. I learned that I was really depriving myself, especially since I'm a 22-year-old male that lifts weight almost every day of the week.

I'm about done with my first week of reverse dieting, and I'm currently eating 1800 calories a day. My strength gains have increased in the gym, and my fat loss is still progressing. Hope this helps!

ophelia200

Thanks - its reassuring to hear. I guess its more of a psychological thing - seeing a gain on the scales for the first time in 2 years almost feels un-natural and I guess makes me worry that I'm somehow going backwards, even though I know its only 1lb.

In an ideal world I would like to eat more and gain more muscle mass, just to be healthier overall, it just seems daunting to increase calories after so long of sticking to 1200-1500!