Anyone else....starve binge cycle?

lilMimi24

So I have the MFP function set to 1200, often eat back my exercise calories though (which is often 600+). The problem is i have been getting hungry at night and have actually been getting up out of bed to eat! Some days i go way over and other days i manage to restrict and stay way under (like yesterday net -245) but i kind of feel like i am on a roller coaster, over eating one day, making up for it the next only to over eat the next. I have not been loosing any weight (mid normal weight range atm but still 20lbs above pre-illness long term stable weight) however it may be that my skewy eating is causing me to retain water...Just terrified that if i up my calories and eat all of them every day i will gain Has anyone else suffered similar issues, how did you resolve it? Thanks in advance.

Taking on advice from here i have already tried adding more protein e.t.c but the problem has not resolved....

parkscs

Plenty of people struggle with this. You need to play with when, what and how much you're eating until you find something that's sustainable for you. If you're getting hungry at night, make sure you're eating a satiating dinner. If you're eating 1800 calories and still feeling hungry, my guess is you're either just eating out of boredom or you aren't eating filling foods.

Psychgrrl

Well, adding more protein is a good start. What are your macros set at? How much fiber are you getting? What kind of carbs do you eat and what's your meal distribution like?

I work out after work and eat dinner late, after I get home. If I don't hit the gym, and eat earlier, I am often hungry later.

There are lots of rumors/rules out there about not eating after 7pm or within 4 hours of going to bed. But with my schedule, that means I wouldn't eat after the gym, or I'd be up really late. I usually eat dinner between 8-8:30 and am in bed by 10. Works for me.

I'd consider tweaking your macros, meal content (especially dinner) and your meal timing to see if that makes a difference.

SEAFOODMAN

eat a apple b4 each meal or at least 2 of them and a bottle of water.........eat slow.........................we all have days.............if you have one, move on..............don't give up

ana3067

Either:
a) you are eating too many of your calories early in the day. If so, try spreading them out more evenly or simply eat most of your food in the evening.
b) eating too little protein/fat, as they are both going to help you feel fuller
c) eating too many calorie-dense foods, or too few. Generally I'd say most people will fair better on a high-volume diet (lower cal options that are quite nutritious) but some people might do better with calorie dense.
d) not eating enough food overall, especially if you're actually more active than you assume you are. I work out 5 hours a week on average and am eating 2100, previously 2000 which was actually feeling too low. I am not overweight either, so I don't have an abnormally high TDEE.

ChildrenCryinNCoffee

Your Food Diary isn't Public, so there goes that idea.

Foods NATURALLY rich in protein and fiber keep you satiated and satisfied, especially for your last meal of the day. Also, if you wake up hungry, drink water and go back to bed, or have a SMALL snack, under 200 calories or so, no binging.

Also, do you know why we eat BREAKFAST in the morning? It's a meal to BREAK the night's FAST=Breakfast. It IS an important meal.

You can eat your minimum suggested calories or be under, but it's not helping one bit if it's random junk with no nutritional value.

BUT, your diary isn't public, so suggestions are futile...

michikade

Some days i go way over and other days i manage to restrict and stay way under (like yesterday net -245) but i kind of feel like i am on a roller coaster, over eating one day, making up for it the next only to over eat the next.

There are days that you netted with a negative????

I think this may be why you're on a roller coaster.

I would suggest not having a net in the negative. Ever. That should help keep you from feeling completely empty or ravenous in the evenings.

lilMimi24

Ok apologies, didn't realise diary was set to private, well it is embarrassing reading (although within the past 5 days i have eaten way more than usual, getting a little discouraged and self sabotaging), i like the apple before a meal idea but am a bit worried about eating too much fruit as part of an overall plan, is it not meant to be high in sugar? (i realise i probably overdo the fruit at the moment but it is not intentional!)

HappyKazz

I am ending my first week. I am trying to exercise am and pm. I have definitely reduced my calorie intake, and while my exercise is helping me tone up and feel amazing. I sense my loss will be slow as I do generally eat 1-200 over my allowance. I eat as much gluten free as possible, and see the sugar boosts in this. I have a wicked sweet tooth, and satisfy this with dark chocolate morsels, which I crave less, it's the hidden sugars that take me over. I like the apple/water suggestions, increasing protein is a definite plan for me. i love waking hungry and agree with the eating done by 8pm. Thank you.

ana3067

Looking at your diary, four things pop out at me

1) Your main meals are very low calorie. One of the reasons I would recommend eating TDEE-20% instead of using MFP's method is because you can eat consistently every day, making it much easier to know how many calories on average you should be eating per meal. I eat 2100, so I eat 525 or so for each meal. This keeps me from needing to snack at all.

2) Low protein compared to your fats and carbs. I would increase them.

3) You seem to eat a lot of calorie dense foods, which will make you have a harder time feeling full most likely. Especially for your snacks, maybe try eating more nutrient-dense snacks or more protein-heavy snacks.

4) I doubt a net of 1200 is actually beneficial for you, although it's really good that you're eating back exercise calories. Setting your goal to 2lbs loss a week is really not going to benefit you in the long run.

lilMimi24

Many thanks to all, i have started to have a niggling feeling about 1200 net causing trouble and will make sure i eat back exercise calories (but not all in calorie dense binge foods at night!). Ill try to work on the protein too (not a big meat fan so may be a bit of a challenge). I have had a look at a couple of your diaries that are open and they have been very instructive I think i may have to learn that I don't have to eat under 1200 in order to loose (a mentality that i seem to find hard to break) as plenty of people seem to have success here on numbers above. I am interested in being healthy not just thin!

GiveMeCoffee

Just going to leave this information and links here for you please read them.

Log your food accurately and honestly. Go for 80% good choices the other 20% don't worry so much about. I eat lots of delicious food and have consistently lost. Keep it simple find a REASONABLE deficit:

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+step+guide

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

catmode

Even if you manage to get to your ideal weight eating 1200 calories a day you at a high risk of gaining it all back when you stop the diet. That's why i flexible diet (41 pounds lost in 6 months) aswel as a bunch of muscle gains. The best part about it is i don't ever feel hungry and it keeps your motivation high