BINGE eating... vicious cycle?!

lindsabe11e

Had a terrible day, binged on junk food at a BBQ, and couldnt exercise past 20 minutes from feeling so sick. :embarassed: The worst part is that after the binge is over, you feel twenty times worse and amazingly want to resort back to those comfort foods (mine are the sugary kind). I'm having a lot of trouble figuring this out, and would really like to hear others' experiences and opinions (if you feel comfortable sharing of course).

How do you get back on track after a particularly discouraging day?
What do you say to yourself to get that motivation back?
When you feel the binge about to strike, how do you personally keep yourself from going through with it?

This MFP Community is really amazing; everyone here is so nice. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and strategies

Heatherbelle_87

You have to remember every day is a new day when it comes to Healthy Eating and a New Lifestyle

Weightloss is as much a psychological battle as it is a physical one.

Im a sugar binger too, and honestly the only way I have found to stop it is to not deprive myself in the first place. If I crave ice cream I have a normal serving and I make it fit in my calorie goals (even if I have to workout) If I have a super bad day I try to workout more and stay an extra 100 cals under the next few days to help burn it off. PUSH THE WATER you can flush out alot of things before your body can absorb it if you have an abundance of water.

If youre a picutre taker look back at your old pics and some newer ones being 10 lbs lighter and see the difference! This will remind you not to go back to how you ate before because you like your new slimmer figure

kr3851

As silly as it seems, I wait. If I get the urge to have something (like if I'm at a party and the crap is staring me in the face, daring me to eat it), I hold out for 10 minutes. If I still want it, I'll have it. Most of the time, I've forgotten about it and moved on in that time. At home it's a different story. If I know there's something there, and I want it, I wait 30 minutes. If the craving is still there, I have it. You're going to give in occasionally. And that's okay. I'd say 4/5 times I don't end up indulging.

As for getting back on track - your diary resets itself EVERY SINGLE DAY. Treat your mindset the same way. Don't go chasing yesterday's calories and trying to burn them off, or dwelling on what happened yesterday. With the right attitude, today will be a better day. I'm sure you've learned from yesterday's indulgence. You might even still be paying for it with a headache, feeling dehydrated, interesting toilet occurrences, and other things your body does. But today is a new day, and you can make this one a better one.

it helps to jump on here and click on the success stories - people who post pictures showing the difference between then and now amaze and inspire me. I only have one set of pictures... and every day gets me closer to taking the other set that I'll post to inspire others.

Dinob661

When you are just setting out on your routine it is very easy to get off track. The important thing is to not let that 1 slip up be what causes you to end your training. I know its hard to let it go...but in reality it is only one day. So your fine. When I slip up I look at it not as a negative like "OMG Why did I eat all that!" I look at it as a challenge to undo the days damage.

But again, sometimes it's OK to enjoy yourself. My suggestion for you is to plan ahead. If you know you are going somewhere were there will be a lot of food and you might be tempted to treat yourself. Plan a trip to the gym either before or after the event.

And finally, Remember we are all behind you. We believe in you! so you can always turn here for help.

bblanke5

I keep from binging on my favorite foods by literally separating myself from those foods that tempt me, walk away from the food table or draw the party's attention elsewhere! If completely removing the foods isn't possible, I always plan in my head what I am going to eat at a special event, such as a BBQ. Go into the situation knowing what you should and what you are going to eat. Realize before you go to these events that those tempting foods WILL be there in order to mentally prepare yourself for seeing them. If you find yourself craving the foods intensely, try eating fruit (this is how I always satisfy my sweet tooth!)

peacestar84

Well I originally started MFP in January and by the end of March lost 16 lbs. I started a binge in April and then I had a lot of continuous binging between then and May. I gained a total of 24lbs in a really short time. My binge foods were cupcakes, and frequently large meals of McDonalds. I restarted up trying to loose weight and I still do have cravings. After a particularly discouraging day I remind myself that one day doesn't ruin your weight loss efforts, continuous bad days do. I always remind my self how I feel when I am at my heaviest, and what I want to feel instead. I also remind myself of the people in my life who I find motivating. When I feel a binge coming on I have a very long and heated debate in my mind about the pros and cons of binging and most of the time I rely on my cons to win the battle, sometimes it also means removing myself from a situation where I could have an opportunity to binge. Distraction is a big help to me, whether it be phoning a friend, eating something healthy that perhaps I didn't want and coming onto MFP to look at success stories. If I don't succeed in talking myself out of it, I now try to limit the food, such as the other day I really wanted cupcakes, instead of buying six or more I bought 2. That way I feel more in control and a lot better about the fact I can work off calories of two cupcakes but not six.
Hope my story helps

lindsabe11e

Kr- that makes a lot of sense to wait until the urge passes. Even though every minute may feel like an eternity, it can't last that long, right? I guess occupying the mind and/or body for a ~half hour can make someone forget about the craving all together!

Heather- A lot of people have been saying to push the water in an attempt to satisfy hunger pangs (which are sometimes dehydration signs). I didn't know that it can flush out some stuff before it gets absorbed though.. I will definitely definitely keep that in mind.

I've been too embarrassed to take pictures of myself, but I think I will (especially that it's a bad day). Like you said, it's good motivation to eat healthy and avoid indulging too often. I'm gonna go look at the "Success Stories" right now

Thank you so much for your help. What an amazing group of people this website has!

lindsabe11e

It seems like the common themes are...

- Plan Ahead (especially if you know the event will have tempting foods). I like the idea of "relocating" the party to a different, less tempting table Also, being mentally prepared for the upcoming obstacles at the BBQ is a great idea, in addition to filling up on a fresh fruit salad (bblanke)!

- (peacestar) First off, good idea buying only 2 instead of 6 cupcakes- that takes real strength and willpower!! I like your thought that it's much easier to exercise away 2 cupcakes rather than 6. hehe Thank you for sharing your story; I'm going to be re-reading it for sure

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saying that "we believe in you", because a lot of times it's difficult just to believe in myself. Although I'm a newbie, I whole-heartedly support you guys and am willing to talk or listen or be a person to whom you can vent- anytime. :flowerforyou:

PS: congratulations to those of you who have stuck with your diet plans, exercise, and have even lost weight. You're truly inspiring