Binge Days: Why they can be beneficial for your weight loss

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  • walktalkdog
    walktalkdog Posts: 102 Member
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    Definitely doesn't work for me. Once I've opened that gate, I'm right back where I've started from. But I do hear from many other sources that it works.
  • Stilllosing26
    Stilllosing26 Posts: 256 Member
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    Definitely doesn't work for me. Once I've opened that gate, I'm right back where I've started from. But I do hear from many other sources that it works.

    I appreciate the honesty, and the respect of your post
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    Doesn't work for me. Way too easy for me to blow a week's worth of progress with a single "cheat"/"free" meal. It works for some people, but I just try to fit things in every day and stay at/under calorie goal.
  • Stilllosing26
    Stilllosing26 Posts: 256 Member
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    Doesn't work for me. Way too easy for me to blow a week's worth of progress with a single "cheat"/"free" meal. It works for some people, but I just try to fit things in every day and stay at/under calorie goal.

    Glad to see you have something that works with you
  • Stilllosing26
    Stilllosing26 Posts: 256 Member
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    I did not expect this topic to cause so much negativity! I just wanted to share something that has really helped my loss!
  • knlucero
    knlucero Posts: 8 Member
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    I don't think she means actual binging, I think she means just letting loose one day. I think it's healthy, life is all about balance. I do it too, I have a non healthy day and eat foods that are not healthy (sometimes under calorie goal, sometimes not). I see it as a way to keep going, cause you have to eat what you love or you're going to drive yourself nuts and end up loathing your diet. It makes me appreciate my diet and now even on my "cheat" day I don't cheat as much because I'm not used to the food anymore and my stomach gets fuller faster. But if I craved something unhealthy during the week I save it for my cheat day. Also it makes your body feel the difference between healthy and fatty food so you end up appreciating healthy food more. Let loose a little every now and then, like I said, just keep everything in balance.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    I did not expect this topic to cause so much negativity! I just wanted to share something that has really helped my loss!
    I don't question that your intentions were good. Binging is just universally bad. I know you also didn't really mean binge, you meant more of having a free day, but even that can be detrimental to many people's success.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    Looking at your stats and your previous posts, I really don't know how this way of binging is helping you.
  • Stilllosing26
    Stilllosing26 Posts: 256 Member
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    I don't think she means actual binging, I think she means just letting loose one day. I think it's healthy, life is all about balance. I do it too, I have a non healthy day and eat foods that are not healthy (sometimes under calorie goal, sometimes not). I see it as a way to keep going, cause you have to eat what you love or you're going to drive yourself nuts and end up loathing your diet. It makes me appreciate my diet and now even on my "cheat" day I don't cheat as much because I'm not used to the food anymore and my stomach gets fuller faster. But if I craved something unhealthy during the week I save it for my cheat day. Also it makes your body feel the difference between healthy and fatty food so you end up appreciating healthy food more. Let loose a little every now and then, like I said, just keep everything in balance.

    You hit it right on the mark! Thank You :)
  • Stilllosing26
    Stilllosing26 Posts: 256 Member
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    I did not expect this topic to cause so much negativity! I just wanted to share something that has really helped my loss!
    I don't question that your intentions were good. Binging is just universally bad. I know you also didn't really mean binge, you meant more of having a free day, but even that can be detrimental to many people's success.

    I completely, and entirely understand. Thank you :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I did not expect this topic to cause so much negativity! I just wanted to share something that has really helped my loss!
    I don't question that your intentions were good. Binging is just universally bad. I know you also didn't really mean binge, you meant more of having a free day, but even that can be detrimental to many people's success.
    this. You have several threads about "binging". It's never a good thing. Indulging in the foods you love and crave may work for you. And time will tell. LOSING is only part of the battle. MAINTAINING is also a huge challenge
    .
  • Stilllosing26
    Stilllosing26 Posts: 256 Member
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    I did not expect this topic to cause so much negativity! I just wanted to share something that has really helped my loss!
    I don't question that your intentions were good. Binging is just universally bad. I know you also didn't really mean binge, you meant more of having a free day, but even that can be detrimental to many people's success.
    this. You have several threads about "binging". It's never a good thing. Indulging in the foods you love and crave may work for you. And time will tell. LOSING is only part of the battle. MAINTAINING is also a huge challenge
    .

    I can assure you the reason I am, and have been at a healthy weight is due to these free days. I am not "binging" (sorry for the confusion in the title), but simply eating foods that I love and enjoy. I am pretty much at my goal weight, and am happy with the way I look and feel. This is definitely working for me. Sorry that you disagree :(
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
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    I don't call it a ''cheat'' day. I'm not cheating anything. I'm simply choosing to eat more/differently than I normally would. I don't do it once a week, but any time a potluck comes up you can pretty well forget logging, and I don't feel the least bit guilty about it.
  • alisondavidson9
    alisondavidson9 Posts: 6
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    I found this website and pamphlet really helpful for people suffering from Binge Eating Disorder, or B.E.D, which is a clinical eating disorder and one with a lot more stigma and shame attached to it than bulimia or anorexia.

    http://www.bodywhys.ie/aboutED/binge-eating-disorder/

    I don't normally jump into these forums because I find people post stuff just for attention or to start a flamewar, but I did a double-take when I saw the subject line.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    You know it is pretty easy to blow out your whole week of deficit dieting with your one cheat day right?

    Having said that, I'm currently doing some cyclical dieting so I reefed for 1.5 days. It is not about just eating whatever though. I have specific targets to reach still. (and no, this isn't required for the majority of people but I know it works very well for me at around my current BF%)
  • Sallyrose5994
    Sallyrose5994 Posts: 36
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    Good job on finding something that works for you! I think we are all different and need different things. For some never going over and logging every day work great and they couldn't control themselves or just plain don't want to risk having a "free" day. I think your system is working great for you and you should stick with it! I myself am taking a break from logging food and just going to log exercise for awhile because the logging was becoming tedious and I feel that I can stay on track without focusing on every calorie.I know though that most people on here would call me crazy. So, just don't take all of the negativity personally, people always seem to think that we should all do the same things, but in reality we all have different goals and ways to get there. What your doing seems perfectly logical to me. Congrats on your success!
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I wouldn't call it a binge either, but I do agree with occasionally letting loose. I did it once a month for over a year. It helped me with anything I happened to be craving, and never hurt over all. I can be a binge eater, but that is different. That for me, is an unplanned eating frenzy, where I am overeating for emotional reasons and eat till I am sick.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    This is such a terrible idea and it is horrible advice for you to be giving people.

    QFT

    As a person that suffers from an actual binge eating disorder, I would never encourage a binge. A big treat every now and then, absolutely. A daily treat, I have one every day. Binging, NO WAY. I struggle to stay binge free.

    Just because it has "worked for you" doesn't mean it is for everyone.
    +1

    OP, I really hope you don't know what an actual binge is, but it's not something you wish on anyone. It's also not something you should encourage, since you don't know who reads these forums and whether or not your topics could be triggering for them.
  • sarainiowa
    sarainiowa Posts: 287 Member
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    I don't even consider them "cheat' meals or days. They are just more calorie days for me. I do them about every two weeks. If a more calorie day comes along, it's ok. I tend to have a drop in weight the day after a more calorie day.

    Sometimes we have to wake the body up.

    Exercise is the same thing. Mix it up because the body will get use to things and you won't see results either.

    Mix it up, log it and have fun!! Life is to short!!
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    Yeah, many people have cheat days. I usually go with a cheat meal instead so I dont run the risk of getting blasted.

    I am trying to understand "cheat meals" vs. "cheat days". So if I eat a big meal, wouldnt that still put overall calories over the chart? or do you mean only eating one big chea meal for the entire day so your calorie is stil within limit?
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