high protein = no binge?

battling_binge

Hi,
I've realised that I'm eating quite a carb heavy diet at the moment, and all my snacks are carby. Do you think this has an impact on binge eating? Or is it just as easy to binge when eating more protein etc.
Just wondering what kind of foods everyone eats here....
Obviously restricting food groups can backfire and add to temptation but is that always the case?

girlviernes

For me, if I am eating a good balance of fat, protein, and carb, I am much less likely to binge. I usually use the food plate (1/2 veggies and fruit, 1/4 starch, and 1/4 protein + about 1 oz fat/oil) to plan my meals.

Carbs alone can definitely drive hunger and cravings.

JenH1550

Carbs trigger me sooo bad.

I have to stay away from sweets or it's over.

I bribe myself with a scoop of ice cream. I pre-log it in the morning, and as long as I stay away from cereal, cookies, granola bars, and cake, I get that reward.

It I eat a granola bar, it's too much like candy, and then I kind of go out of control.

Plain oatmeal has helped a lot. And plain hot-air pop corn.

The blandless sort of... dulls the urge? I hink it bores my tastebuds so they don't get all excited and squeal CAKE! MORE CAKE!

battling_binge

Oh cake.

The plate idea is a good one, which in theory I attempt, but in practice, not so much.

I'm gonna have to stop being so lazy with my intake. I just don't feel like cooking lately, and all the easy options are carb heavy. Do you have any quick go-to's when you can't be bothered cooking?

girlviernes

Well I try to cook in large batches about once a week, not always very successful at that.

Snacks are really easy when not up for cooking. I like to combine a fruit, veggie, or starch with a protein/fat. Here are some things I pick regularly that require little or no prep.

Fruit, veggie, starch
Piece of fruit or 1/2 cup fruit
Mini peppers (about 6-9) or one colored pepper
1 cup steamed veggies (I use a microwave steaming tray and it takes about 30 sec to cut up and then 2.15 min to steam) - I like broccoli, cauliflower, or zucchini squash (will put some kind of spices like lemon pepper or cayenne on the squash)
Cucumber (just eat it whole, don't even need to slice!)
Grape tomatoes 1/2-1 cup
Popcorn
Healthy (low sugar) granola 1/2 cup
Roasted seaweed (1 box) from costco
Baby carrots (1/2 cup)
Chopped broccoli salad

+

Protein/fat
Mozzarella (e.g., one string cheese stick)
Cottage cheese
1 oz of other cheese
Yogurt
1 serving nuts (e.g., 23 almonds)
1/2 cup coconut chips (I get at whole foods - super yum)
Hummus
Peanut/almond/cashew butter

One of my favorite snacks is a caprese salad, which I just add together tomatoes, mozzarella, some fresh basil, and pour balsamic vinegar on top.

If I'm less organized I'll eat a larabar.

For actual meals when do not have time/energy to prepare I will go for an easy sandwich such as a tortilla or wrap, a little bit of hummus for flavor, 3-4oz of turkey, and kale, tomatoes, etc. The protein portion can be the more challenging, sometimes I will buy a lightly prepared protein at a deli/hot bar like they have at Whole Foods or Mariano's. Usually the hot bars have the same price for all of the items, and I think the proteins are the best deal. I recently bought about 8 oz of tilapia at Mariano's for $6/lb so that will be my protein for 2 meals. Another option is to get a frozen dinner and then add extra veggies and perhaps a little bit of fat (e.g. brocolli with some olive oil).

I hope this gives you some ideas. I'd love to hear what else people do!

JenH1550

I'm lazy, too.

I pull out the giant, pain-in-the-butt-to-clean Foreman Grill and I grill an entire bag of the chicken tenderloins at once.

Season 'em and throw on the grill.

Then, I toss the cooked chicken in a bag in the fridge and just eat 'em. (I like cold chicken, so I don't care)

Or break 'em up over a salad. Or shred them and mix with a spoon of mayo for a chicken salad. Or on a wrap. Or whatever.

Or canned Tuna. With a tablespoon of the mayo-with-olive-oil over a bed of lettuce if I'm feeling froggy.

And eggs. I try to plug an egg in my life once a day. They are super easy.

Dennis4766

I would encourage balance - or atleast dont go all "atkins" on your diet. But I will say that I have been adding more and more protein - and protein does stay with you longer. But when I go too heavy on protein, my body starts cravings carbs - but of course, I run 50-70 miles a week, so carbs for energy are essential.

crepes_

Back in 2012, I had the longest binge-free streak ever (went nearly a year and had only 3 binges) because I was doing a low carb and higher fat style of eating due to PCOS management. The fat and protein kept me satisfied and I never craved the carbs that I was missing. At least not after the first 2 weeks. But it stopped working for me and then I started carb-fest.

So who knows! It's worth a shot. The cravings did minimize, but there's a bit psychological aspect to it too, and restriction is a fickle thing.

daltonjsmom

I do beans or other legumes (black-eyed peas/lentil soup) in a slow-cooker and then freeze in pint jars to take for my lunches (2 servings). I also love a 1/2 avocado filled with red-pepper or garlic hummus, topped with chopped veggies. Very fast to prep ahead of time and then keep in fridge for a few days in eat several days in a row.

daltonjsmom

The thing that helps me the most is that I make up our dinner meal plan (for the family) ahead of time, pull together the recipes, make the ingredient list, shop on the weekend, and then I have the items to prep the morning of or night before while other things are cooking.

I also will sometimes use my Vitamix to make a quick, hot soup (takes about 10 min.) as a first course if I know dinner will take a little longer than usual. Then we aren't snatching any kind of snack we can get our hands on! That is also the time to try a healthy new recipe they might otherwise not be so open to...when they are starving is a great time to get them to eat something new!

superj016

I am currently on high protein meal replacements through a doctor facilitated program and I still binge. I will also say, however, that the binges are smaller. Honestly, this is mostly because the supplements provide 100% perfect nutrition so they have curbed my cravings substantially. The idea behind the protein is to keep you fuller longer and to help maintain muscle while losing weight. But as science shows and my doctors and dietitians tell me, meals that are well-balanced are what should minimize a physical desire to binge because it's feeding everything your body needs, thereby improving your urge to have any one particular type of food.

ObtainingBalance

JenH1550 wrote: »

Carbs trigger me sooo bad.

I have to stay away from sweets or it's over.

I bribe myself with a scoop of ice cream. I pre-log it in the morning, and as long as I stay away from cereal, cookies, granola bars, and cake, I get that reward.

It I eat a granola bar, it's too much like candy, and then I kind of go out of control.

Plain oatmeal has helped a lot. And plain hot-air pop corn.

The blandless sort of... dulls the urge? I hink it bores my tastebuds so they don't get all excited and squeal CAKE! MORE CAKE!

I can relate. If I eat too much sweets/carbs I get out of control. I eat a lot of oats and plain/whole grain carbs. They rarely make me lose control.