Is it ok to binge once in a while??

emmashutt91

Hi Guys!

Hope every one's doing okay on MFP and getting the results they are looking for!

I have a query... is it okay to binge once in a while???

Tonight, I gave in to food I do this on occasions and wondered if it's okay to do and does anyone else do this?

I feel that when I do binge, it puts me back in my place as it makes me want to be sick and I let myself down. Should I feel this way, or be happy for the fact that what I know I did was wrong and puts me back on the right track?

I was just hoping for answers, so I don't feel like a big massive fail and i'm not alone!

Thanks Xx

CynMM29

Hey, I'm no expert... I have done a diet (Body for Life) where for six days you adhere to your diet/exercise and one day you get to do whatever you like. I've heard of others that have the same principle. The idea behind this is, well, it helps us to stay on course without guilt. Hope it helps...

BobbyClerici

I do once a week - eat anything I want - as much as I want.
It has been claimed that such diet practices reset your internal metabolism set point often stifled when we diet. A good weekly feeding is supposed to help, plus it's a great psychological boost in that we can have what we crave.

All I can say is that I never miss my pig day, and I lost 63 lbs and 17% body fat.

It sure worked well for me.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

well, what did you eat? was it really a binge? many people OVEREAT by a ton but don't label it as a binge because their mindset is not such that they need to label it or even view it as a big deal.

in high school i would routinely eat 1/2-2/3 of an entire large pizza...I'm ~100 pounds, did i call it a binge? NO! because it was normal, i mean i didn't do it daily but i think just having a healthy relationship with food would change how you view overeating.

therealangd

From my point of view, that's life. I don't expect to eat clean 100% of the time for the rest of my life.

flyawaybyebye

No, if you are out of control and binging, that's disordered eating. You shouldn't need to do that. You should teach your body to love good, healthy food so that you don't feel a need to go completely crazy once a week. Especially if, as you say, it makes you want to be sick. That's only a step or two from making yourself sick. Instead of having a total freak out binge, maybe think about what it is you really want, and have a little bit of that, instead of devouring everything in sight.

maryd523

Listen, you will probably get a bunch of different answers, but here is mine. Binging once in a while is not going to set you back long-term. I've been logging for almost 6 months, and there have been PLENTY of binges. I don't really like the word "binge", it brings to mind crazy-stuffing-food-in-mouth-crumbs-spilling-down-shirt type image, but going over, WAY over, is something that happens, and I don't worry about it. This is a life-style change, and sometimes you are going to want to eat.

Keeping your mentality in the right place is more important. If I go out to eat and go over my calories, I just enjoy the food, log it, and then jump back into it the next day.

P.S. It makes sense to me that eating a lot every once in a while is going to keep your metabolism reved up, but I'm not sure of the science behind that.

sweetheart03622

Sweetie, anything you decide to do is okay. There is no right and there is no wrong. There is only effort and results. Yes, I binge. I challenge you to find many that don't. Just realize that it does impede your progress, isn't good for you, and typically leaves you in a bad mental state. That being said, you can pick yourself up and realize that tomorrow is another day. Yes, it's okay. No, it's not recommended. Work on getting control of it, it'll happen slowly, but it will happen.

RisyaLifsheTova

Totally normal. It doesnt have to be bingeing, your just enjoying things out of the norm! Nothing wrong with it what so ever I just know , that since I have been eating a lot healthier, I cant just eat what I want because it makes me sick Learned this Sunday when I tried eating a Big Mac....MY stomach was sooooo pissed lol it destroyed me later lol. But I do eat off program every once in awhile Nothing wrong at all. You can enjoy what you like in moderation....or not If I have something Im going to enjoy ALL of it! But learning that I dont have to EAT all of it It just makes me feel blah the rest of the day lol

UponThisRock

No, if you are out of control and binging, that's disordered eating. You shouldn't need to do that. You should teach your body to love good, healthy food so that you don't feel a need to go completely crazy once a week. Especially if, as you say, it makes you want to be sick. That's only a step or two from making yourself sick. Instead of having a total freak out binge, maybe think about what it is you really want, and have a little bit of that, instead of devouring everything in sight.

This.

Taking a day or two, or even a week or two, away from dieting is fine and will probably do you more good than harm.

But actually binging, where you're just eating massive amounts of foods out of control, is something completely different

Lift_hard_eat_big

At Ieast one day a week, I feast

_Bro

1 1/2 day binge fest every week

taso42

Binge is kind of a dirty word with bad connotations. I'm all for a once a week "free day" where you don't log or worry about calories. I call this a free day or a splurge and there is absolutely no guilt about it, period. You can call it a binge day if you like, as long as it doesn't have guilty strings attached....

solpwr

Binge is kind of a dirty word with bad connotations. I'm all for a once a week "free day" where you don't log or worry about calories. I call this a free day or a splurge and there is absolutely no guilt about it, period. You can call it a binge day if you like, as long as it doesn't have guilty strings attached....

This.

But I like to log it all, keep track of the days and calories where I don't adhere to my eating plan. Because then I actually plan for the unplanned, if that makes sense.

Logging it helps me to get over the "guilt" of it too. I better understand over time what I can and can't get away with. I've done it enough to realize the sky hasn't fallen in and the earth is still rotating. What's funny is, when you do it that way, you see how many calories you go over, and realize what the impact is overall, then you start having free meals periodically, rather than a whole "free day".

Its funny, that word "binge" can mean many things to many people. Reminds me of the word "flirt". A word easily misunderstood because so many have different definitions.

Reasie26

I'm no expert either, but my opinion is that while, yes, the extra-calorie intake once-in-a-while might be good for boosting the metabolism and sort of re-revving your system, if it makes you feel sort of depressed, guilty, and/or sick, then, no, it's not healthy.

You're shooting for healthy, right??

I think it's all in the attitude. A lot of people say they plan on over-eating once a week and they enjoy it and feel it does them good. So, I think that's healthy because they have positive feelings and responses in connection with that. But, if it's unplanned, sneaks up on you, conquers you and then you feel like crap afterwards....no good.

So, maybe plan to treat yourself with a less restrictive day every once in a while, but I also think rewarding ourselves with food is sort of counter-productive...so maybe don't think of it in terms as "I did so good this week, I get to eat what ever I want" because then you start wanting to reward yourself for other things or feel deserving of this "reward" more often.

Depression, feelings of guilt, stress, and feelings of failure all lead most of us to want to just eat more, so try to avoid that viscious cycle.

Best of luck! Please, don't think I'm raining on the parade here or being "holier than thou" because I have my own issues with bingeing. I do it, and I feel embarrassed and like a total loser when I do it. I always wish I "had the courage" to make myself throw it up afterwards. These are bad behavior and thought patterns - very unhealthy in my opinion.

I think the advice "Do what makes you happy" is good advice, so long as we are honest about what really makes us genuinly happy - long term. Bingeing does NOT make me happy or make me feel satisfied in any way.

I've rattled on long enough....hope one of us opinionated, non-experts helps you out with this!!! Stay POSITIVE!!!!!!

iuew

i eat food that i don't normally eat maybe twice a month on average : a nice meal around the holidays, and burger / fries before gigs. i did the same while on the losing weight part of the diet. unless you go seriously out of control, you most likely won't gain weight from one meal.

ratellcm

Instead of a 'binge', I sometimes say I'm having a snack attack where I may give into cravings or hunger but I'm not eating just for the sake of eating anymore. Like I might have a second apple and a second square of dark chocolate and a serving of crackers. And it's nice because I feel like I'm giving in, but really I'm not doing a whole lot of damage.

Moeincognito

I get my treat day once a week~ on a Wednesday I get to have takeout from my favorite restaurant~ If I didn't get that, i'd probably wind up binging properly! My gym instructor said something like that's fine as long as you work it off~

klmnumbers

I definitely think it's fine. I haven't eaten out at all since I started dieting about 5 weeks ago. This past weekend, I was just REALLY craving chinese food. So, I ordered chicken lo mein, fretted about it, but ate it anyway. I even stupidly forced food on myself. I was full halfway through but just kept eating it because it was delicious.

I wasn't looking forward to my weigh in, but I still lost 1.5 lbs that week, chinese food and all.

WalkingGirl1985

Bump.

If you feel like you want to do an all out food fest where you gain 2lbs, do so once a month. At least you can continue your progress that way. Sadly, mine has been once a week (I am a binge eater) I'm trying to sort through any emotions I've been having to drive me to this..so i prefer my days to be a once in a month deal.

MMarvelous

This article may help you with your binge eating!

10 Ways to Stop Binge Eating in Its Tracks
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1703