I binged last night

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Replies

  • MichelleF115
    MichelleF115 Posts: 20 Member
    Yes, I do try to make it beyond 5 days - a whole week without a binge would be great. And I have tracked what I ate last night:

    3 ice cream sandwiches
    15 large crackers
    1 banana
    1 bowl of kefir with honey
    2 Babybel light cheeses

    I'm eating 1500 calories a day (with about 1 hour of daily activity), so I don't think it's a lack of food. I always binge when I'm done with dinner and watching a movie, but why the 5 day cycle?

    I'm going to eat 1600 a day and see if that helps. Thanks for the feedback - I really appreciate it.

    That's a binge? Now I see why you feel so regretful in the morning. It's because you're doing it wrong. Can I get some pizza on there? A bottle of wine? A bag of oreos? This binge would leave me starving.

    Stop getting depressed over food. It's just one day. Okay, it's one day each week. Still not that big of a deal. How about this: instead of being so restrictive your cravings stage a weekly prison break, allow yourself one of the snacks per day. Nobody ever died from eating 1 ice cream sandwich. You can fit that into your daily allowance. After a week or two, back down to 1 treat every other day. Then maybe every third day. I wouldn't bother spacing it further because you deserve to enjoy life, and if these are foods you like you can eat them regularly without going over in cals.


    You made me laugh out loud! Thanks!
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Yes, I do try to make it beyond 5 days - a whole week without a binge would be great. And I have tracked what I ate last night:

    3 ice cream sandwiches
    15 large crackers
    1 banana
    1 bowl of kefir with honey
    2 Babybel light cheeses

    I'm eating 1500 calories a day (with about 1 hour of daily activity), so I don't think it's a lack of food. I always binge when I'm done with dinner and watching a movie, but why the 5 day cycle?

    I'm going to eat 1600 a day and see if that helps. Thanks for the feedback - I really appreciate it.

    Instead of "try it and see if it helps," I recommend checking out the thread titled "In Place Of A Road Map" http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Figure out your BMR, figure out your TDEE (these acronyms will be explained in the thread) and really get a solid guideline for how much you should be eating. Beats the pants off of guessing. I mean, you're eating 1500 and it might not be enough so you're going to bump up to 1600 - but what if your TDEE is more like mine (close to 1900) then bumping up to 1600 won't be nearly enough of an increase to make a decision on.
  • crystaljohnsongendron
    crystaljohnsongendron Posts: 8 Member
    it's ok....just take a step back and look at what you did wrong and why. get back on track the next morning. after you realize why you did it, next time you are going through that, try to curb that binge feeling with exercise, prayer, talking to a friend, etc. whatever works for you! and good luck! hang in there :)
  • bigrosh
    bigrosh Posts: 1
    Drink water when you feel hungry. I got a Camelbak water bottle and it helps SO much to drink more water every day. It's really the mentality of it but drinking out of a Camelbak water bottle is more fun so even when I'm just watching a movie or doing some work, I just sip on the waterbottle and that makes me less hungry. You can also try brushing your teeth when you feel hungry. This makes your taste buds nice and fresh and not crave food. Also, have healthy snacks around you -- fruits, grapes, raspberries, etc. Also, some great snacks that are healthy and will make you feel full -- hummus and pretzels. Specifically, Sabra hummus and pretzel packs-to-go --- these come with the right portion size that will help you feel full when you're looking to snack between meals.
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
    It happens. Try adjusting your diet day to day to include foods that you think might help to fill you. Experiment and change things up. That's what I do. I still binge on vanilla creme doughnuts and mocha coffee from time to time. Ok about once a week. And chinese food. And possibly pizza. I struggle to, it's ok, it's not a big deal. Don't dwell on it because that just gives it more power over you. Are you trying to be fit for the rest of your life or for one day? One day is nothing. A week is nothing. Let it go and keep trying. When I have bad hunger pangs and feel low, I sometimes just exercise right where I am. Anything I can do to get my heart rate up and move. It kills my hunger. I find that running is another appetite killer. Sometimes I'll run and not be hungry for dinner even if I was starving before hand.
  • sassafrascas
    sassafrascas Posts: 191 Member
    I think the key is to be mindful when you are putting things in your mouth. Like what was going through your mind when you ate the first and second Ice cream? When I binge sometimes I am like "F it I just want to eat". Other times its gradual and as I reach for the next item I think about it, I try to resist, and sometimes I do and sometimes I lack the will power and still eat it. But if you think before the eat it may lessen the binge. Another thing is are you depriving yourself? are those things you were craving earlier in the week and didn't eat? On past diets when I was deprived of yummy things it took about 5 days for me to loose control and binge. The difference this time for me is no deprivation and working on self control. All I am saying is that there was a reason for the binge and I think you need to dig deep to discover what it was.
    Forget the last 5 days. Today is a new day and you can always start over.
    Do not give up!
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Binging is an eating disorder, something that you could get help with, so that you learn to meet your emotional needs, period, as well as losing the weight that you want to lose. I'm not trying to be judgmental. I've been there.
  • DanielleHinkle24
    DanielleHinkle24 Posts: 29 Member
    It's okay. Don't beat yourself up about it. It happens to the best of us. Tell yourself you are going to start fresh today. We can't dwell on what has happened in the past - but we can choose to react differently next time. We are human - not perfect robots with no flaws. You can do it!!!!!!!
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    What's the worst part of bingeing? Not the weight gain - it's how I feel the morning after: miserable, depressed, full of remorse and hating what I do to myself and the way I destroy all my efforts. I was doing so well, eating enough, and then I just go and lose all control. Always seems to happen on the 5th night. I overate by 1500 calories - enough to undo what I've done for the last 5 days.
    Does anyone else have the same problem, or can you just give me the courage to go on?


    You have to forgive yourself and move on - learn from your error.

    Reality check: 1500 calories too much in a day is likely less than your weekly deficit (many eat 3500 less than TDEE for the week - if you also do, you are still at a 2000 calorie deficit for the week). Try to keep it in perspective...
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
    I went over for the first time last night too and felt really guilty.I ate the pizza the babysitter left ( and then had a dream that I fired her for it)

    Posted it on my page and my MFP helped me feel better.

    Todays a new day!
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
    what's your calorie goal? If it's too low, then your body's normal survival responses will kick in and you will get a very strong desire to eat all the food you can lay your hands on. This is because that is what enabled our evolutionary ancestors to survive food shortages. They didn't have enough frontal lobes to think "hmm I'm not getting enough calories, better stockpile for the impending food shortages" so their body and mind responded to insufficient food intake by making them want to eat all the food they could lay their hands on. We have inherited this survival response, whether we like it or not.

    Some binge eating is purely emotional and not from any survival response, however you need to rule out normal physiological responses before trying to use psychology to fix a problem. Also, if you typically experience this on day 5 of a diet, rather than in response to some kind of emotional stress, then that really strongly suggests it's your physiological survival responses kicking in.

    advice: eat more. Look for the "in place of a road map" thread (do a search for it) so you can work out how many calories you can eat and still lose weight, while feeding your body enough so you don't feel deprived or wind up bingeing.
    That's not true. Binge eating has nothing to do with survival. Your body isn't physiologically "starving" until your body fat is below a certain point and you literally have no more stored energy. A person isn't "starving" because they've been eating a few hundred calories below maintenance for five days. Binge eating is psychological. Also, people rarely binge because they're hungry. When you have specific, uncontrollable cravings for foods that are void of nutritional value, you aren't hungry. It's to fulfill a psychological need.

    And she said her 1,500 calorie binge was enough to set her back five days. A simple calculation would tell you she's probably doing a 300 calorie/day deficit which is not too little at all.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I understand how you feel. It sucks. I've been fighting it for years, just going nuts and having an awful binge. One of the only things I can suggest that helped (but still didn't fix the problem), is reminding yourself that you're only so many calories into a binge, and it doesn't have to ruin everything as long as you stop right now. I know it's emotional, but sometimes when I'm about to binge, I remind myself that eating that whole pack of Fun Size Kit Kats isn't going to change a thing. I actually was really upset and reaching for food when I said "That Twix will only make you feel worse." Do I need to be emotionally distressed and nauseous from cramming all that food in?

    Believe it or not, the best thing for me was actually joining the zombie outbreak challenge. We're supposed to stay within calories 6 days of the week, and even if I feel the urge to go hog wild on food, I don't want to let my teammates down. I eat a lot on Sundays, but probably only go over by 500 calories max. If you're a team player, maybe try joining a challenge?

    Anyway, one thing to make sure is not to punish yourself for a binge. Try to get over it and move on, when it comes to the next day of food. But do try to deal with the reasons why you're binging.
  • lollayk
    lollayk Posts: 1 Member
    I just finished yet another binge. I feel awful and like my body is expanding as I type. I do this in secret and I feel so bad that im letting myself down in such a destructive way. I want to lose weight and im doing the exact opposite.
    Too guilty to enter into my diary what I've just consumed. Would love this to be my last binge...how do I stop?

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