Had an awful binge day. Need advice!
gargisingh
Posts: 123 Member
Binge Day:
I am really disappointed today but I want to face it and think of how to avoid such days. Here is a summary:
We had a symposium today and I gulped in four large cookies! They were certainly not in the plan. They were not really good either. :=(
SOS response: Skip dinner.
So, I skipped my dinner (just had 4 walnut halves).
Failed:
And, late in night few minutes ago- some weird feeling hijacked my mind and I ate a slice of bread with lots of peanut butter and sunflower seeds.
I feel awful. But worse I am afraid that I will gain back the weight I have lost over these 90+ days on MFP. Earlier in my weightloss journey I would not have these binge days. Why am I having them now? What can I do to avoid them?
Help!
I am really disappointed today but I want to face it and think of how to avoid such days. Here is a summary:
We had a symposium today and I gulped in four large cookies! They were certainly not in the plan. They were not really good either. :=(
SOS response: Skip dinner.
So, I skipped my dinner (just had 4 walnut halves).
Failed:
And, late in night few minutes ago- some weird feeling hijacked my mind and I ate a slice of bread with lots of peanut butter and sunflower seeds.
I feel awful. But worse I am afraid that I will gain back the weight I have lost over these 90+ days on MFP. Earlier in my weightloss journey I would not have these binge days. Why am I having them now? What can I do to avoid them?
Help!
0
Replies
-
The best thing to do when you overeat (eating 4 cookies isn't a binge -- it's just plain ol' overeating), is to NOT punish yourself by skipping meals, which will only lead to another binge.
Log your intake and move on to your next planned meal, and eat healthy foods in moderation. You cannot undo eating the 4 cookies. Don't let shame, guilt and punishment enter into the equation.
Just log it and move on.
I know that early on in my weight loss, I never "cheated" or strayed from the plan, but after I'd done it for a while, I needed a "cheat/treat" meal once in a while to keep me psychologically on track. Even now, in maintenance, I try to stick to a healthy, moderate plan during the week, and have a few "treats" on the weekends. Allowing myself to have things that I really want, and setting limits on when/how much I can have really helps me to stick with this as a lifestyle. Really, there is no end-point in all of this -- once you're in maintenance, you still have to do everything you're doing now, so you might as well try to work in a few of the things that are tempting you now.0 -
Thank you so much! (I am touched. Your reply is so motivating. )
I feel specially better and motivated as your ticker says that you lost 109 lbs total. That is gigantic accomplishment compared to my 30+ lbs weight loss. ( My greatest fear is that I will gain weight back.) I would take your advice any day. I will try not to be ashamed and guilty. I am trying.0 -
The best thing to do when you overeat (eating 4 cookies isn't a binge -- it's just plain ol' overeating), is to NOT punish yourself by skipping meals, which will only lead to another binge.
Log your intake and move on to your next planned meal, and eat healthy foods in moderation. You cannot undo eating the 4 cookies. Don't let shame, guilt and punishment enter into the equation.
Just log it and move on.
I know that early on in my weight loss, I never "cheated" or strayed from the plan, but after I'd done it for a while, I needed a "cheat/treat" meal once in a while to keep me psychologically on track. Even now, in maintenance, I try to stick to a healthy, moderate plan during the week, and have a few "treats" on the weekends. Allowing myself to have things that I really want, and setting limits on when/how much I can have really helps me to stick with this as a lifestyle. Really, there is no end-point in all of this -- once you're in maintenance, you still have to do everything you're doing now, so you might as well try to work in a few of the things that are tempting you now.
^Exactly this! Don't punish yourself for having an off-day, they happen to everyone! And punishing yourself for eating some extra cookies is not how you have a healthy relationship with food. Instead of seeing it as a "cheat," look at is as a treat or a CHOICE for all the awesome hard work you've already put in. One off-day won't make you gain 30 pounds again--just be healthier tomorrow.
0 -
Don't be afraid to gain weight back, it will fluctuate.0
-
Schedule cheat days. They're good for you. BTW, your "fail" meal isn't even bad.
Start a strength program with free weights as soon as possible.0 -
I focus on my weekly average. I don't know how to view that chart on the computer, but the phone app has it more accessibly. I was WAY over my calories today, but I was only over 1 other day this week and was under the other days, so as long as I get in a good workout and make good choices tomorrow and Sunday my average net calories for the week will still be well within my goal. Don't let one day derail you. It won't have a long term impact on your weight loss, and sometimes an occasional day of eating over goal can boost your weight loss by confusing your body. At least that's been my experience.0
-
Yep, I agree with the other replies. We all have those days and moments from time to time. It is part of life. Learn from this one...make a plan for allowing treats from time to time--for me, the longer I stay on the straight and narrow, the worse the cravings become when temptation hits. Also, prepare yourself to have weak moments when you succumb to temptation and have a plan for responding. Skipping the next meal did not help, remember that. For what it is worth, yeah your "treat" this evening after skipping dinner was high in calories, but it had a lot of good stuff too--healthy fats, protein, grains.
For me, the difference this time around is that I am being more gracious with myself. I have moments, sometimes a day, sometimes several days that my choices literally stink. But I don't do what I used to and either go on a food bender and start a downward spiral, and I don't give up. I still look and feel better than I have in years and I am healthier than I ever used to be. What I do on my "cheats" USED TO BE MY NORMAL. I bet there was a time not too long ago for you too, that you'd have eaten a handful of cookies without much of a thought and then gone about your business. Now it bothers you. So, really, in a way, this experience is a learning one for you, maybe? You can do this, don't give up on yourself!
0 -
I agree completely. I pay much more attention to my weekly total than to my daily totals. In my food notes sections, I note calories "banked" and calories "over" and stay within my weekly goal that way.I focus on my weekly average. I don't know how to view that chart on the computer, but the phone app has it more accessibly. I was WAY over my calories today, but I was only over 1 other day this week and was under the other days, so as long as I get in a good workout and make good choices tomorrow and Sunday my average net calories for the week will still be well within my goal. Don't let one day derail you. It won't have a long term impact on your weight loss, and sometimes an occasional day of eating over goal can boost your weight loss by confusing your body. At least that's been my experience.0 -
Don't beat yourself up- it happens to the best of us If I feel like binging on something, I will ask myself if 1. It is really that good, and 2. If I have the calories left to cover it and 3. if not, do I have time do do enough exercise to "earn back" those calories? Hope that makes sense. In any event- 4 cookies is not that bad, lol. And also if you do binge, I would not punish yourself by skipping a meal, just eat a meal that is low in calories but filling. Good luck! 0
-
1 "bad" day can't and won't undo 90 "good" days Let it go and back on the horse tomorrow. 0
-
Cheat days are only cheating yourself out of the hard work you've done. You can't take the weekend off from your diet like you do your job. Log it, earn the calories back through exercise, accept the fact you blew a few days of your diet, and you will probably carry a pound or two of water for a week because of the amount of salt in the cookies.0
-
I build in two "binge busters" into my daily calorie requirement.
Binge busters for me that correct a sugar/flour attack or other binge trigger would be hard boiled eggs or a teaspoon to a tablespoon of organic fresh first cold pressed olive oil. Anything with fat BUT NO CARBS or artificial sweeteners or flavoring etc usually works! Those things corrects my blood sugar down spike and keeps the blood level steady for a good long while.
I just make sure I leave calories for them-- If I don't use them, it's okay. I just save it up for another day where I have my body acting on its own accord -- IE food possessed. LOL! :devil:0 -
My experience... don't sweat it. Tomorrows a new day. If you're commited to the long haul a slip up now and then doesn't affect the end. It's just life.
Yesterday was my day. Just lost my mind. DH came home and asked what I had for dinner. I said, "2 chicken wings, ice cream, a cupcake and some popcorn." He laughed and said, "No really what did you have?" I said, "I'm not kidding."
Back on track today.0 -
You may have cut way back on your carbs for a few days without even realizing it. Today your body wanted to even things out again. That happens to me occasionally and all it takes to start a carb binge is one trigger food (in your case, the cookies). I agree with the others ~ I wouldn't call your eating pattern today a 'binge', but merely overeating. Those days happen to many of us, but over the course of the week, your body will level off. As kms1320 said ~ own it, do some extra activity, and move on...0
-
Ooops. How do you delete a post?0
-
I build in two "binge busters" into my daily calorie requirement.
Binge busters for me that correct a sugar/flour attack or other binge trigger would be hard boiled eggs or a teaspoon to a tablespoon of organic fresh first cold pressed olive oil. Anything with fat BUT NO CARBS or artificial sweeteners or flavoring etc usually works! Those things corrects my blood sugar down spike and keeps the blood level steady for a good long while.
I just make sure I leave calories for them-- If I don't use them, it's okay. I just save it up for another day where I have my body acting on its own accord -- IE food possessed. LOL! :devil:
^^ I love this idea. I've been struggling with carb/sugar cravings a lot lately (I blame the cold weather and the impending holiday season lol) I'm going to try this next time.
Don't worry about one bad day. If it turns into a bad week or weeks then maybe it's time to reevaluate, but don't beat yourself up over one day. Everyone has those and remember, tomorrow is a new day 0 -
Binge Day:
I am really disappointed today but I want to face it and think of how to avoid such days. Here is a summary:
We had a symposium today and I gulped in four large cookies! They were certainly not in the plan. They were not really good either. :=(
SOS response: Skip dinner.
So, I skipped my dinner (just had 4 walnut halves).
Failed:
And, late in night few minutes ago- some weird feeling hijacked my mind and I ate a slice of bread with lots of peanut butter and sunflower seeds.
I feel awful. But worse I am afraid that I will gain back the weight I have lost over these 90+ days on MFP. Earlier in my weightloss journey I would not have these binge days. Why am I having them now? What can I do to avoid them?
Help!
Tips for combating a binge.
1. Go to bed when you're done
2. Wake up
3. Live your life
It takes 3,500 calories to gain 1lbs of fat. This is 3,500 calories above your TDEE. assuming your TDEE is 2000, that's 5,500 calories you need to consume. Stop worrying, it's silly.
Best advice ever! So practical! 0 -
Wait...4 cookies, a slice of bread with PB and sunflower seeds is a binge? I've been doing this very, very wrong.0
-
You ate 2,046 calories today. GET A GRIP. That's probably around your maintanence level.0
-
Is all of that even over 600 calories? Lol. This is not a binge- You just over ate. Shake it off. Sleep good. A new day is here. Exercise and get your eating on track. A binge to me is 1000 or more extra calories you didn't earn- don't beat yourself up- good night0
-
Agree with everyone. Just let it go honey. Tomorrow is a new day. One day does not a lifestyle make. You can do this.0
-
If you skip meals you'll just binge more so certainly don't do that. Everyone has days where they over eat. It's not the end of the world or like you completely sabotaged your weight loss. Just log it and forget about it and stay within your calorie goal the next day. This sort of thing happens to the best of us0
-
You think that is a binge?
I wish my binges were like that.
Try 5-6 days of uncontrollable binges on in excess of 5000 calories, one of the pleasant side effects of having bulimia.0 -
I've been stressed the past two weeks, busy, tired of feeling like I can't enjoy food because I have to log the cals right away. Ate a whole bag of chocolate covered macadamia nuts at work, 4 blueberry and vanilla frozen yogurt bars this morning, 3 slices of pizza at work, 2 slices of toast with too much butter, and an egg/turkey bacon/green pepper sandwich this morning.
I would lose weight if I could just stop eating whole packages of things.0 -
I'm sorry you're having trouble, but that is NOT a binge. Just because you ate a few things wrong doesn't mean you failed or that you're going to gain all the weight back. My binges consisted of eating sometimes 2000 calories or more in one sitting; that is a binge. Please be glad you don't have a true binge eating disorder. Just wake up tomorrow and know you have the opportunity to make better choices. 0
-
The best thing to do when you overeat (eating 4 cookies isn't a binge -- it's just plain ol' overeating), is to NOT punish yourself by skipping meals, which will only lead to another binge.
Log your intake and move on to your next planned meal, and eat healthy foods in moderation. You cannot undo eating the 4 cookies. Don't let shame, guilt and punishment enter into the equation.
Just log it and move on.
I know that early on in my weight loss, I never "cheated" or strayed from the plan, but after I'd done it for a while, I needed a "cheat/treat" meal once in a while to keep me psychologically on track. Even now, in maintenance, I try to stick to a healthy, moderate plan during the week, and have a few "treats" on the weekends. Allowing myself to have things that I really want, and setting limits on when/how much I can have really helps me to stick with this as a lifestyle. Really, there is no end-point in all of this -- once you're in maintenance, you still have to do everything you're doing now, so you might as well try to work in a few of the things that are tempting you now.
Good Advice Sunshine. Pick yourself up, brush yourself down and start again - it wasn't so bad; don't let it make you give up completely0 -
I build in two "binge busters" into my daily calorie requirement.
Binge busters for me that correct a sugar/flour attack or other binge trigger would be hard boiled eggs or a teaspoon to a tablespoon of organic fresh first cold pressed olive oil. Anything with fat BUT NO CARBS or artificial sweeteners or flavoring etc usually works! Those things corrects my blood sugar down spike and keeps the blood level steady for a good long while.
I just make sure I leave calories for them-- If I don't use them, it's okay. I just save it up for another day where I have my body acting on its own accord -- IE food possessed. LOL! :devil:
Binge busters: That is a great idea! I will take the hard-boiled eggs or soy milk.0 -
I will also reassure you that 4 cookies is not binge eating. If you find yourself having a heavy carb day then make the next day a low carb, high fiber & protein day with LOTS of water. You will be fine.0
-
You can enjoy food and still log into your MFP. Suggestion - take a week off from MFP. It is a tool to assist you NOT your life. Another suggestion - Continue to use MFP but log your food in at the end of the day or if you are a meal planner, then log your total day in at the beginning. Good Luck!
Sorry - this is for the one who ate the nuts, pizza, bars, etc. I forgot to include their post in my reply.0 -
Thank you everyone! A lots! (I just love MFP and this group for all the support!)
I feel much better now. I am ready to live a new day and a new week. I will summarize all the things I learnt from your awesome replies:
1) Leave room for weekly treats. (Seriously I had the cookies for the first time in 4 months probably.)
2) Dont cut too heavily on carbs. My body will crave it more.
3) This probably is not a binge. I probably dont have a binge problem. I should be thankful for that.
4) I over-ate. I should own it; do extra and move on.
5) Binge busters- high protein, high good fat food cuts the blood sugar roller-coaster. (Amazing idea.)
6) (I loved all the humorous replies. They cheered me up- so much. Thank you!) Despite everything I can always try to be cheerful.
Thank you to all of you! Thanks MFP!0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions