I'm a broken record...

dragonbug300

I'm home from college for Spring Break. When I come home, I tend to--scratch that--I ALWAYS over eat. I used to be severely underweight, so my parents still freak out if I don't eat a regular meal. But my eating habits have been so piss poor lately that I'm eating unhealthy foods in gratuitous amounts (cupcakes for breakfast, peanut butter pretzels, chocolate, energy bars, almost no veggies, and whipped cream as an appetizer for everything...). Usually my breakfast/lunch will sort of run together over a span of time, and I'll eat enough in that one meal to go over all my calories for the day.
So! I need two main pieces of advice, if anyone out there has advice to give:
1) What are your strategies for not over-eating when surrounded with binge foods?

2) How should I approach my parents with this problem? I'm still relatively thin because I can more easily control my eating in college, so my parents don't believe me when I say I have a problem with over-eating. It doesn't help that I wait until they're gone to dive into the cupboards. I tell my mother, "I'm not hungry because I ate too much earlier." every day. It's getting old. Nothing's changing (except my expanding waistline and self-loathing).

meggonkgonk

1- Planning is your friend. If you map out what you plan to have, then the treat foods (I shy away from binge unless you are eating like 3-4 times your daily allotment) can be just that- treats, exceptions to the rule and not your go-to foods out of convenience. If your breakfast and lunch bleed into the same meal- make it a bigger meal- go for one of those "balanced breakfasts" they used to show on cereal commercials- the ones with more food than anyone has ever eaten for breakfast ever

2- Your parents have a right to be concerned here, IMO. Dealing with issues of undereating can be just as scary or even scarier for them, possibly scarier as they have no idea how to help other than to nag you or try to force feed you. The best solution I can think of is to be open--Go over your plans with your parents- show them what you want to eat, be honest with yourself, and make sure you are honest with them too- keep at or above your maintenence calories. And show them you are being healthy (and splurging from time to time!)

3- Over eating while you are home, really not a big deal, esp if you aren't home often or for long. I would try not to stress about it too much- relax because there's more to life than food!

dragonbug300

I go by the textbook definition of binge--" an unrestrained and excessive indulgence"
When I say breakfast and lunch bleed together, I mean that I start eating around breakfast time (ex: 10 a.m.) and continue eating until lunch time (12 p.m.).

I like the idea of planning ahead. It'd take a lot of adjustment, though. There's not much communication in my household about meals. I've never considered sharing my meal plans with my parents by choice... when I used to share with them, I'd always get the same negative response. It's worth another try, I suppose. Given the different circumstances.

The trouble is come summer break, I'll be home for months at a time. I gained ten pounds in two weeks the last time I came home. Imagine that rapid gain over a span of three or four months!:sick: