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MyFitnessPal Community

Banning binge foods vs. IIFYM approach?

dlbaron

Hey everyone! So after months of struggling with binging and watching my weight creep up, I finally had a turning point and have gotten my food habits under control for the past month. I should note, I got help from a professional life coach who herself has overcome food addiction. Also one of my IRL friends is also undertaking a goal to be healthy with me, and he's helping to enforce rules I set for myself for this first month. I banned all my binge foods (basically any refined carbs, flour, all added sugars, dried fruit...) and alcohol for one month. By having someone checking my food diary and keeping me accountable, I have managed to have an awesome month. My blood sugar rushes and crashes, sugar cravings, and that uncontrollable urge to just eat for no reason have all mostly subsided. There have been a lot of moments for which I'm really proud of myself. I've turned down tons of free foods from coworkers or friends, like brownies and pizza, and even actually enjoyed my packed meals more than I think I would have enjoyed the treats, since the pleasure from those is SO short lived and I always just want more, I never feel satiated.

The thing I've been thinking about lately, though, is how I should approach these kind of foods going forward. I have some events coming up at which there will be lots of goodies that I want to partake in. I'm a bit afraid to let go of the current rules, because I fear that I won't be able to get back on track again once I start. At the same time, I know I don't want to go the entire rest of my life without ANY sugar, because that just makes me too sad. I want to learn moderation and self control. I have looked into the IIFYM approach to dieting, and considered doing that so that I eat mostly nutritious foods, but can plan and have wiggle room for treats sometimes. A big part of my problem is the all-or-nothing thinking that I'm sure you all understand. I am doing great with banning some foods temporarily, but I've already been thinking about the banned foods a good bit, and wondering if this time around I could just have a little without going crazy. By banning them I may just be feeding my unhealthy relationship with food, instead of learning how to handle them like a person who doesn't have an ED.

I'm wondering how you all handle these kind of foods. Have you had to totally cut out sugar/binge foods? Or can you have some? If so, how often? Something small once a day, once a week, only on special occasions?

Replies

Summerfit321

First off, congrats on doing so well for a month! I can imagine it being like a breath of fresh air

I have struggled with this decision as well: banning foods, or not? I have banned foods for months at a time, and crashed for weeks at a time afterwards. I really do believe that deep down, finding a balance and enjoying all kinds of food from time to time is key. I really want to distance myself from the belief that certain foods are off limits for me.

Good luck!

girlviernes

I'm finding that I can have binge foods without bingeing now. I have been eating pasta regularly with no problem this week, and I've had a little bit of chocolate about a week ago.

I think the key for me is to make sure I am getting enough food and in a balance of carbs, protein, and fat, the commitment to log all foods including binges, and keeping a lot of the helpful food around and not keeping binge foods around. I have some go to snacks which I definitely eat if I am hungry, like roasted seaweed, almonds, coconut chips, and tomatoes.

dlbaron

@summer- thank you! Yes, it feels really good. I know we all will be able to find this type of balance for life, it just takes trial and error.

@girlviernes- that is so encouraging to hear! I agree, making sure I get enough nutrients keeps me from feeling like I want to eat in excess. And I think your approach is probably how I will do it too, just not keeping binge foods around, and making sure when I do have them it's either out of the house or in a pre-measured portion so that once it's gone, it's gone. No gallons of ice cream in the freezer. For a long time, I kept my commitment to log all binges, but it didn't seem to stop me. I would continue weighing portions and faithfully tracking even when I had consumed 5,000 calories. It was weird. But eventually I stopped even logging and I think that made it worse, so I'm back to tracking every single thing again, always being honest. Congrats on getting it under control!