Do you log your binges?

atvfanatics1

ABSOLUTELY!! If I don't log them then who is losing out and who am I cheating ... myself! I also take pictures of my food with my iPhone so I can sit down and log EVERYTHING if I'm short on time. I will even log 2-3 potatoe chips or 1 hershey's kiss or a hand full of peanuts because I need to know the absolute truth about when I am putting in my own body.

Be true to yourself people! Those binges and little cheat add up. And if you're questioning "I don't understand why I can't lose weight or I'm gaining weight" then maybe it's because you are not logging everything.

pyrowill

I've found if I don't log the binges, the next one is worse.

VickyO1977

Until now I have not always logged all of my binges but my commitment to myself is to be 100% upfront about what I eat, what is he point of hiding it you are only cheating yourself.

highwhite

Absolutely. I feel its important to have a record of both the good and the bad. This way if at the next weighin there hasnt been a loss it gives you some indication of why. "The most important person to be true to is yourself"

Cherie7575

Yes, log EVERYTHING.

Pugs! (sorry I miss my puggy. Ill have one again someday for sure).

I'm only about a month in, and I log everything for the most part. Those cheat/binge days are hard, but we all have them. And I needn't worry so much about what others might think about it anyway. It's more about me being accountable.

robin52077

It should be defined what everyone is calling a "binge"

Grabbing a few cookies and going over your calories by 5 or 6 hundred is not a "binge", you just "overate" or "cheated".

A "binge" is when you mindlessly and blindly realize you are in the kitchen surrounded by food wrappers and barely remember putting anything in your mouth. Some people triple their calorie goal in 10 minutes.
They can't log that. It's a mental illness that requires counseling.

I've seen people say they "binged" and ended the day at 2000 calories. NOT a binge in ANY way, that's called "eating at maintenance" for a lot of people, and for some that's still a deficit. And for a few, they overate a bit. Still not a binge.

I understand you may be upset you "lost willpower and ate too many cookies", but you probably didn't binge.
Let's just stop overusing the word.



And if you find yourself overeating from time to time compulsively, perhaps your calorie goal is set too low and your body is telling you something.

jayliospecky

No because I too eat too much, too fast if I'm binging. Today was a bad day though, and I actually did log everything. I made tacos for dinner, and my total calories came to ~625 for dinner, and almost 2000 for the whole day (before my exercise was added in). It disgusted me to see it in black and white and makes me want to push even harder tomorrow.

This is not a binge. 2000 calories for a day, even without exercise, is a very normal amount of food for an adult female. Some people, if they are active enough, can lose weight eating 2000 calories a day. And 625 is also a reasonable amount for a satisfying meal. You should not feel disgusted by normal amounts of food.

F1953

I think it's important to. Sometimes, at someone's house, a party or out to eat, it is difficult to judge what your intake is. I would like them to include a feature where you can drop out certain ingredients if you don't eat them (like the scoop of ice cream and the whipped cream that are often included, but that I never eat). Also, a calculator (incase, for example, you are sharing a dessert with several others). I try to get it all, in there, but don't always succeed. I was horrified that on Thanksgiving day, I ate a little over 3000 calories.

F1953

I think it's important to. Sometimes, at someone's house, a party or out to eat, it is difficult to judge what your intake is. I would like them to include a feature where you can drop out certain ingredients if you don't eat them (like the scoop of ice cream and the whipped cream that are often included, but that I never eat). Also, a calculator (in case, for example, you are sharing a dessert with several others). I try to get it all, in there, but don't always succeed. I was horrified that on Thanksgiving day, I ate a little over 3000 calories.

Debbe2

Yes.

Bernadette60614

Yes, even if all I do is the "quick add" of calories. What I have found is that if I log them I feel as if I still have some measure of control. I've also noted that by binges over time have been less like 2 bags of cookies and a gallon of ice cream to 6 slices of whole wheat bread.

Austin198024

Worth remembering if you dont log the binges who are you cheating?
Only yourself as if your over weight like me it is your body you let down no one else's so i feel its important to be truthful

Mandy165

I agree that it is important to log. I am currently working on logging my food, let alone binges. It is so important. I am boring and eat the same foods almost every day so I become complacent. That is when my progress stalls. Log everything (coming from someone who needs to step up!)

napompl

I didn't this last weekend when I had Thursday and Friday off of work and really just ate junk all weekend but yeah there was a lot of make up exercise! Reading the posts I am going to start no more hiding even if it is for my eyes only. Gotta own up to it!

melham

Log everything. It shouldn't matter what you call it, you're eating food. Call it whatever you like: binge, snack, reward, falling off the wagon, or second breakfast, you're still just eating food. Log it. Yes, I log everything.

ztaitaifufu

Yup! Otherwise what's the point of logging at all you ate it didn't you? I think it's the only way to go if you re honing to be accountable and change the behavior

uconnwinsnc

How does lying to yourself improve yourself? It's not like the binge didn't happen just because you didn't log it. There really is no point in using a calorie tracker if you're just gonna cherry pick what you decide to put in it.

F1953

Everything! Sometimes I can't find a food, and don't know what's in it. If I can't find the calorie count for unknown ingredients, I guestimate additional calories. When my phone and desktop or MFP is unavailable, I write down food and exercise, and input it later. I have been tracking food and most stuff that burns calories for 706 days!

It won't work as well if you lie to yourself. You can set MFP so that your account is totally private! That helps me a lot.

Rocki_

LOG EVERYTHING! Also, put a note in the comments saying how you were feeling. You may see a pattern emerge. Plus....if you log everything you will be surprised at how much your "bingeing" will change from before. JMHO.

Rocki_

How does lying to yourself improve yourself? It's not like the binge didn't happen just because you didn't log it. There really is no point in using a calorie tracker if you're just gonna cherry pick what you decide to put in it.

Yep....It's like cheating at solitaire!

IsMollyReallyHungry

Yes. I own it then I move on. No sense in hiding it or beating myself up over it.

I am learning to do this. I closed my diary so I can be true to logging it all when it happens. My goal this month is to log it all including the binges. It is hard to put it on paper but it is worth it and hopefully will help too.

bumblebreezy91

Not usually, my binges used to be late at night and then I would just go to bed feeling pitiful :laugh:

aarar

The days I overdo it are the most important ones to log.

MandysChange

Yes, I do log them. I'm ashamed of them, but always log them.

_db_

keeptehpeace

Yup, I binged yesterday and ended up 488 over maintenance, without tracking I'd probably have ordered a pizza and ended up thousands over maintenance - accountability is important

lauraleighangel

I know this was posted a while back..but it really hits home for me..I, too, have been trying to attack 30 excess pounds for a while. The times when I know i am overeating have always bothered me. I am trying to log them for the same reasons you said..maybe the shock value will make me aware of my overeating..to me, that is at least a step up from just plain binging. LEarning to eat healthy again is a process that I think is probably gonna take me a while! So, I'm trying to learn to log even the overeating..Last night, I went totally off the charts and didn't log anything..but I dont wanna get in that habit..I am really trying to be diligent about logging even the horrible stuff ..i think that will be the catalyst that stops me from eating wayyyy too much! Let's hope! Thanks so much for posting this though! On a side note, I must be way too into facebook..I find myself reading these posts from others and wanting to hit "like"..but there is no like button! lol

scottkjar

I log everything. I figure that a binge day is just one calorie data point in a week. The issue is not just how many calories I get in a day, but how many in a week, how many over time, etc.

I had around 3800 calories this past Friday -- 2200 over my target. So I am trying to cut 1100 on Saturday and 1100 on Sunday -- I am semi-fasting this weekend -- to get the total back in line.

But if I hadn't tracked Friday, I would not know what I had to do on Saturday and Sunday to make up for it.

It's not about guilt. It's about information. That's the whole point of MFP -- information.

MarlaVSings

Yes. Always.

If I can't find the nutrition label on whatever it is I am eating, I'll look it up online or at worst I would even guess if I had to.

There is the accountability, but also I am the type of person that if I fall of the wagon with one cookie, I'll start telling myself I should give up and eat a whole bag. Counting what I have ate helps me see that I just stop now, my little slip up isn't all that bad. I also for the most part don't try to burn off my binge with working out harder because I feel slipping up and learning is part of this. I also don't want to associate working out with punishment. I just learn what I can and move along.

ebayaddict0127

I haven't had a binge since starting back up January 2nd. I had two cheat days and logged the best I could. However, during previous attempts at losing weight, I never logged my binges. And usually, I'd give up after a binge or two.