Mistakes that lead to binges

MJ7910

Here is a short list of things that i consider personal "mistakes" that tend to lead to binges for me

- Not counting out portions - such as someone in your family or yourself bringing in a box of cereal and just getting "a little bit" which leads to handfuls and then a binge
- Thinking "well i've already blown this day"... No, you haven't! just stop now and you'll be ok.
- not knowing calories in something so not trying to look it up and then that leads to more not tracking - just go ahead and try to track. track the binges too! at least you'll know. knowing isn't going to change the amount you ate, will just make you aware.
- thinking taking "just a bite" of something that someone else (ie children) didn't finish as not to waste the food is a good idea. you may need to "waste" the food so it doesn't go to your "waist"... it's either waste in the trash or waste in the form of extra weight on the body. just dont' do it.
- feeling stressed and craving something, giving in and wanting more (the old say you can never eat just one is true). any large amount is not going to be enough. just realize you will not be satisfied if you eat the whole box, so why start? you need to deal with the feeling, food won't cure it.

PeggyWoodson

It is that last one that is a problem for me. I feel hungry and I eat. Then in a few minutes, I'm not satisfied so I eat a little more of something else. And it is not necessarily sweets. Then I'm hungry again and I eat. When I don't eat, I get cranky as hell. Then after I've eaten three or four times I say, "Hey, wait a minute. I'm frustrated, that is why I'm eating so much." It isn't until I connect the two that I can stop. Usually once I put two and two together, I can do something about it, like get out o the house and away from my kitchen. Or maybe do something I like to do like a craft.

I just don't know how to recognize it earlier and by the time I do, I'm already into it.

InTheInbetween

All of these for me too!

it's either waste in the trash or waste in the form of extra weight on the body. just dont' do it.

^^ That's a great way to think about it. I always feel SOOOOO guilty about wasting food but I never thought of it as waste in the form of extra weight . . . That's a great new perspective I can really use to help prevent it!

Might I also add:
Restricting to make up for excess calories already consumed . . . It's so tempting and satisfying in the short term but only just leads to more binging . .

greekygirl

Restricting to make up for excess calories already consumed . . . It's so tempting and satisfying in the short term but only just leads to more binging . .

I think this is my biggest mistake - restricting and/or not eating enough. It may take a few days but it always catches up with me. Then I get so hungry or feel deprived or something and I'll end up bingeing.

I've thought about upping my calories in an effort to prevent this but part of me doesn't want to so I can continue to binge here and there. Sick and twisted, I know, but obviously I'm getting something out of it (comfort?) or I wouldn't want to do it.

strawberrie_milk

For me, what leads to binges are:
1. Cravings
2. Boredom/depression
3. Messing up a little (even the slightest bit) and thinking I've screwed the whole day up. I came across some good advice for this one though... "Binging after a small mess-up is like dropping your phone on the ground and then hitting it with a hammer."

pamelazee

- Thinking "well i've already blown this day"... No, you haven't! just stop now and you'll be ok.

This is by far my biggest mistake. Does anyone else particularly stuggle with this one?

BevP123

- Thinking "well i've already blown this day"... No, you haven't! just stop now and you'll be ok.

This is by far my biggest mistake. Does anyone else particularly stuggle with this one?

I seem to hit the self destruct button with a small binge just because I'm stressed or a little down then follow it up with this excuse, almost as a punishment. Why do we do it? It leaves me feeling ever worse and off goes that vicious circle. Any other suggestions on how to snap out of this?

nickyfm

For me it's always 1 of 3 things
1) I've gone on holidays and am on track with weight loss, so I allow myself to be a bit more flexible with my eating. ALWAYS becomes a binge at buffets etc

2) I get too hungry and just can't control it

3) I trust myself enough to be sensible at catered events...always leads to eating everything in sight, plus usually a maccas run on the way home, because of the "well you've already blown it" feeling...

"Binging after a small mess-up is like dropping your phone on the ground and then hitting it with a hammer."

LOVE this

katelynsnyder1

Oh my word, I just, literally, did this exact mistake. I ate two pieces of pizza earlier, and I thought, "my whole day is ruined, I don't even care about tracking todays calories," so then I ate three more pieces of pizza, and now I feel like garbage, both physically and emotionally. I need to remember that making one mistake does not equal ruining my whole day of eating. I constantly think in all or nothing terms when it comes to food, and I just cant break that cycle... feeling very discouraged at the moment.

BevP123

I just cant break that cycle... feeling very discouraged at the moment.

That's what I used to think but I'm finding logging everything (including the binges) helps me see what I've done before having a mini melt down and piling more in....no-one punishes you for going over your calories except you ;-) Stay positive x

pamelazee

[/quote]
....no-one punishes you for going over your calories except you ;-) Stay positive x
[/quote]

THANK YOU FOR THAT! Very encouraging!

stephabef

- Thinking "well i've already blown this day"... No, you haven't! just stop now and you'll be ok.

This is by far my biggest mistake. Does anyone else particularly stuggle with this one?

This is me, too

determined136

Mine usually start when I have one bite of something that I feel I shouldn't have. I used to call these "what the hell days" but then turn into weeks and months and 50 pounds or more.... So I have had to change my thought process. If I want something I will have one bite. It usually satisifies me but occasionally it will still push me over the edge. It is a constant battle for me but I am learning slowly to overcome!

Skyflier83

I find that not getting enough sleep makes me more likely to binge as I'm tired and then can't stop... also the other really weird one for me is if I think I'll have a skinny mocha or something but then it gives me the taste for sweet stuff and then I'm off eating chocolate etc.

Clearly I haven't got the self-control thing sorted yet

sdm329

My biggest mistake is letting someone talk me into a little something extra. If I do it, I won't be able to stop, so I just have to keep telling them no. Sometimes, I just lie and say that I'm allergic, just so they stop offering. If I stick to my regime and log daily. This has helped sooooo much. When I don't log, I can easily go off course and binge without thinking about it. I know that I'm going to binge again, but if I can put it off for as long as I can, I will feel good about it.

pamelazee

Sometimes, I just lie and say that I'm allergic, just so they stop offering.

I LOVE this. I am totally going to start doing this. Thank you!!!