Help, Help, Help - how to break binge streak.

weightlossguy01

No offense, but telling anyone to simply keep the junk out of the house is easier said than done. We have no idea if the OP lives alone, has a spouse or partner, has a roommate. I am pretty good about buying good stuff, my DH while he eats only *some* of it (*edit i.e the good stuff *I* buy) he still buys stuff that I really wish he wouldn't because I sometimes find it tempting as it stares back at me in the fridge or cabinets. I have indulged at times, within reason and if/when it fits into my calories. Other times I didn't keep tabs on it, just ate ate ate it, went over goal, didn't log it, sometimes logged it.

Unfortunately I do not have the answer. It's different and personal for each person. But you are not alone, trust me.

I'm going to have to disagree. Even if the OP has a spouse/children junk food is not good for them either. Just don't buy it as simple as that. Buy fruit, veggies, nuts, etc. Doesn't matter if you are underweight, overweight, young or old you do not need potato chips to live.

I agree that the original poster shouldn't be buying the stuff themself because the money spent on that could go towards much healthier alternatives.

However, in an ideal world, that's simply not the case. Not everyone around you is trying to lose weight like you are. You'd also have to avoid going to certain people's houses, visiting certain friends and family, social gatherings, etc. The truth is you have to eventually face it. I occasionally go to IHOP with a friend to get coffee and EVERY TIME I go, I sit there and see everyone around me eating very unhealthy food. It's very tempting to order something but I've since learned, you do not go there unless you've ate first. I have a certain degree of self control but I am not invincible. And I have since learned there are chemical releases in your body that literally fight you on it! I thought it was all about self control but it's not. It's partly self control but it's also about never allowing yourself to get really hungry and release those chemicals.

There was a study done where a guy was put under a machine on a full stomach and they flashed images of unhealthy sweets and then of healthy salads. They checked his brain and didn't see it firing as much, he simply was not as effected by it and therefore if he faced those foods in real life, he would not need to exercise as much self control on a full stomach. They then put him under on an empty stomach after he hadn't ate in a long time and flashed those images and his brain began firing like crazy when he saw the images of the sweets and not so much so with the salad.

The point of the experiment was to show that you are fighting your own biology trying to fight this stuff on an empty stomach. Don't starve yourself or skip meals or you could end up eating back 2-3+ times more food! Eat every four hours and keep track of the last time you ate.

I would almost bet money the person binged after going a long period of time without eating something. Always look at a clock after you finish a meal to know roughly when you must eat again and you can greatly fight your risk to binge.

Watch the bbc documentary I posted previously, highly recommended.

weightlossguy01

If you finish breakfast at 8am, you need to look at the clock and add 4 hours to it and think, I need to eat something again around 12pm. It doesn't have to be exact but just know, the longer you wait after 12pm to eat, the more likely you are to binge or eat horribly. If you finally finish eating at 1pm, start counting again 4 hours out and set a mental reminder to eat around 5pm. That should then technically be your last meal of the day outside of snacks. 4 hours after that food wears off you'll begin to get sleepy and you should go to sleep! Always choose sleep at night over eating if you want to lose weight! If you stay up to 1am, you'll likely eat again! So go to sleep and don't stay up and binge. Lack of sleep is also a vicious cycle because you get a lot of your energy from sleep. If you don't get enough the night before, you are more likely to binge during the next day based on the lack of energy!

Dave198lbs

If you finish breakfast at 8am, you need to look at the clock and add 4 hours to it and think, I need to eat something again around 12pm. It doesn't have to be exact but just know, the longer you wait after 12pm to eat, the more likely you are to binge or eat horribly. If you finally finish eating at 1pm, start counting again 4 hours out and set a mental reminder to eat around 5pm. That should then technically be your last meal of the day outside of snacks. 4 hours after that food wears off you'll begin to get sleepy and you should go to sleep! Always choose sleep at night over eating if you want to lose weight! If you stay up to 1am, you'll likely eat again! So go to sleep and don't stay up and binge. Lack of sleep is also a vicious cycle because you get a lot of your energy from sleep. If you don't get enough the night before, you are more likely to binge during the next day based on the lack of energy!

I seem to keep disagreeing with you but what you are suggesting isnt true for everyone. I do IF (intermittent fasting) every day and have found that my hunger is much more in control now. I fast from last nights dinner to the next afternoon and occasionally continue fasting up to 20 hours.

The idea of eating every four hours fails because you cant eat that much in one feeding and you never feel full and are always looking towards the next meal. Plus its just inconvenient to have to schedule eating that way.

mccollumse

I truly appreciate all the great replies! It has been a huge help keeping me on track today. My binges over the last few days haven't had much to do with actual hunger....although there are times that they start like that, but I can just go and go, like a bottomless pit of eating. I also have felt fatigued this week that makes me vulnerable. The suggestions to keep the bad stuff out of the house is good, but you know what, if I am binging I find that my standard of what is appealing will alter. I will eat the most appealing stuff first (like the frozen cookie dough, not even cooked, augh!) then I will move to other things. Eventually thinking about frozen biscuits (cooked!) with peanut butter seems appealing. I was eating leftover Halloween and Easter candy......had eliminated the chocolate pieces quite a while back, but settling for the sugar jelly beans,etc. it isn't a rational thing. And part of the problem is the dreaded "all or nothing " mindset. If I slip I am going all out. I was thinking I should look into over eaters anonymous. I do think it is like taking that first drink and falling off the wagon.

On the plus side, ran my 3 miles and 30 min on the elliptical. Feeling pious today. If I can just make it thru the long weekend. Thanks everyone. Means more than you know!

Tickateeboo

No offense, but telling anyone to simply keep the junk out of the house is easier said than done.

No.

It isn't.

If you've got a problem with it, then it doesn't come in the house. If other people in the house have a problem with it then they can sort themselves out.