If you work off your binge...

cassandra77

do you still consider it a good day. In other words if you eat a hot fudge sundae and then work all the calories off do you feel like you failed or do you consider it ok? Just curious to see how others feel about this because I am on the fence but I am also finding it harder and harder, as I enter the three month point, to fight off the binges. I am halfway to my goal and I feel like I am sabotaging myself. If I have to give in to the binge and then I workout I think I could be ok with that because otherwise I don't think I will make it and I will end up right back where I was.

tahardesty

I consider that an accomplishment. It's a whole lot better than binging, but not working out and then feeling bad about what you've done. You're doing the extra work to enjoy something every once in a while...

perrytyra

I am not sure what everyone considers a binge. I thought it was eating a large amount of food without any thought to it.

I don't know if I could handle enough exercise to burn off a binge. Luckily, I haven't binged since joining mfp. I have eaten things I shouldn't, but I still usually stay within my limit, especially on exercise days. So if I want a hotfudge sundae, I work it into my day. If it is the end of the day and I don't have calories left but I am still hungry, I will eat something under 200 calories, and don't worry about it. I can't go to bed hungry. I can go to bed with the munchies though, as long as I am tired.

lestahling

I don't consider a hot fudge sundae a "binge", i'd just consider it a hot fudge sundae.
And if I worked it off, great, if not, well, tomorrows another day, and in the grand scheme of thing one hot fudge sundae is not going to ruin everything. You can eat hot fudge sundaes, this is real life, and in real life sometimes we eat junk. it's not something that happens everyday, so if it's just an occasional thing, i don't see anything wrong with it.

basically - everything in moderation

hope this helped!

bbb84

Personally I feel like If I want it bad enough to work it off, and I follow through and burn more calories than I consumed. It's a good day. I'm not saying splurge everyday, but if we don't allow ourselfs the opportunity to endulge a little I think the craving will just get worse and I may fall off the wagon. Cold turkey doesn't work for everyone.

WalkingGirl1985

I have the same problem. I'm constantly battling with binges. Theres time i am mad at myself, and time I shrug it off. I know it will be okay, and keep trying. I think of how much I want to stay on track and lose this weight, how happy I feel when my scale smiles..when the inches are coming off and that just motivates me to keep it going! I've gone almost 10 days without a binge, usually its like every 4-5 day. I feel proud. If you want to have a night where you want to say screw it once a great while its ok, I have those nights too..keep your head held high. Sometimes with those binges, your obviously craving something. Try to have whatever it might be in small stages..sometimes that helps. I wish you the best of luck, feel free to friend me if you wish..maybe friends who are going through the same thing can be your best friends on here to help keep you on track! :flowerforyou:

helthymom6

I think it is better to indulge once in awhile and not let it get to the point where you binge. Especially if you work off the calories you ate. Just my opinion!

redefiningmyself

For myself I try not to think of it in terms of "good" or "bad", but instead a learning process. So while I feel better if I've worked it off - because that's better then what I used to do, I still think of the binging as something that needs to be stopped. So what I've been working on is trying to figure out what caused the binge in the first place. For example" Was it emotional eating - was I upset about something before I pigged out? or could it have been hunger - how long has it been since I ate something?

Once I think I might have narrowed it down, then I reflect back and see if there was a moment when it was building that I could have made better choices. I think knowing the antecedent is key to changing my behaviour.

Just last night I started craving mcdonalds really really badly. I was driving home and had to pass at least 3 differents ones along the way. I starting thinking BEFORE I got the mcdonalds, I am upset or stressed?? Nope. So that's not it, when did I eat last? 10 hours ago (no breaks at work) I realized I was super rediculously hungry. So I grabbed my purse and took out an apple and some pecans I had packed. (luckily I knew in advance that might happen so I packed something) I wolfed it down and in about 10 minutes I wasn't craving mcdonalds anymore. - so that time I was successful.

Sometimes I'm not successful, but its a learning process.

Anyway, that's what works for me.

jllipson

Consider keeping something small to satisfy your binge. In the beginning it was hard for me to not eat chocolates. I make buckeyes (peanut butter balls) at Christmas time, I allowed myself 1 each night - it helped me get through my need for binging and sweets - I'm OK without the chocolates now...
See if you can find something similar to satisfy the sweet tooth, that is small and already portioned - limit yourself and stick with it - you will still have calories to work off, but not as many... that way you will feel better because you can work off the treat plus more...

peachyxoxoxo

If I binge.... it was a binge day, even if I exercise enough to work it off. No matter how much I exercise, there's still the fact that I binged, and that's not normal behavior. For me, a hot fudge sundae is so not a binge. I've eaten whole bags (not just the snack size) of pretzels, whole boxes of cereal, a half gallon of ice cream, etc. in one sitting. Obviously this is taking it to the extreme but binge eating is different than "overeating."

Anyone who struggles with binge eating, please come join our thread on support for binge eating disorder--it's been an immense help to me

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186531-support-for-binge-eating-disorder

MissingMinnesota

Bingeing to me is sitting down and eating a whole bag of chips with out realizing it or half a cake instead of a piece of cake. I keep everything in moderation and if I want a treat I try and make it work within my calorie goals.

Will_Lift_4_Shoes

This is about real life. If you slip, and work off the calories, I think you are fine. Real life includes hot fudge sundaes. Dont beat your self up over it and stay in control. dont eat 12 hot fudge sundaes, have one and know that you are going to be fine and you are willing to do a little extra work cuz you did enjoy it. Long term, if you are seeing results then you are on the right track.

eellis2000

you know they say change things up to confuse your body when talking about exercise. why wouldn't that apply to eating too. it's not everyday and if your craving something i've always thought that was your body telling you hey i need this. if your willing to work it off there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. if you follow the extreme (cold turkey) i think you are more likely to really binge eventually. just my opinion though and i'm no doctor but i say enjoy you've worked hard and you deserve a (ch/tr)eat.

angelaclassact

My trainer thinks it is an unhealthy mindset if you have a "bad" food day, and then try to recover from it by exercising - her opinion is that exercising after the fact isn't going to "burn" whatever it is that you ate that was "bad." A correctly portioned ice cream sundae you earned because you exercised is one thing, I wouldn't call that a binge. Eating a gigantic sundae, feeling guilty, and then exercising like crazy to try to burn the calories isn't healthy, and in my opinion is a binge.

Moderation is key. And there are so many alternatives out there to full fat icecream that having a sundae as a treat isn't nearly as sinful as it sounds.

eellis2000

If I binge.... it was a binge day, even if I exercise enough to work it off. No matter how much I exercise, there's still the fact that I binged, and that's not normal behavior. For me, a hot fudge sundae is so not a binge. I've eaten whole bags (not just the snack size) of pretzels, whole boxes of cereal, a half gallon of ice cream, etc. in one sitting. Obviously this is taking it to the extreme but binge eating is different than "overeating."

Anyone who struggles with binge eating, please come join our thread on support for binge eating disorder--it's been an immense help to me

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186531-support-for-binge-eating-disorder

or a whole med pizza and not thin crust.lol

Cristy_AZ

I look at it like this. Are you going to go the rest of your life without eating a hot fudge sundae? If you are craving them then you are obviously not going to!! I'm not going to go the rest of my life without eating a steak dinner with bread on the side and cheesecake for dessert or chocolate or having a glass of wine or even an occasionally beer. So, yes, if you work it off and if you eat healthy and clean most of the time then you are definately succeeding!! I think the mistake is thinking of it as a binge, or as good or bad. This is life, this is how we have to manage our food and exercise to live long healthy lives. And, personally, I don't want to do it if it doesn't include the occassional splurge. Moderation is key. Complete self restriction will only lead to failure (in my opinion, of course)

shanolap

:happy: I call this BALANCE, not bingeing! The same applies if you want to buy something and have to save up the $ for it or pay it off later.

carl1738

Personally, I don't worry about it. I watch what I eat and get plenty of exercise, so I really don't stress too much over a day that my calories might be over what they should be. If you're eating a sundae every day, then you might have problems, but once in a while isn't going to hurt you. Your diet should be something that you can live with for the rest of your life, not something that you go on for a couple of months, then go back to eating as you did before. That's why people tend to yo-yo back and forth between fat and skinny. If you're eating healthy most of the time, there's no reason to feel guilty about a "treat" once in a while.