Avoidance or moderation?

Emtabo01

I'm so upset I've let this become yet another addiction in my life I have to overcome. I'm so sick of the mental aspect of trying to stop an addiction, it's so tiring, mentally exhausting. Yet here I am again....

So, what do you find works better for you? Avoiding binge triggers or having them in moderation? It seems neither is working for me, I'm at a loss.

Also, do most of you feel like you know why you binge? I started binging for the first time ever, after 4 months of MFP's standard 1200 cal diet. I started binging this past December, have since upped calories and started lifting, but continued to binge, I barely go two days now. So it started from deprivation, I believe, but has just become a habit I can't break. But why am I doing it now? I'm trying to figure out what my " root cause" is, that's what everything I read says I need to do, I just really can't figure out what my reason is, the food tastes good, that's all I got.

Graelwyn75

I find healthier alternatives that taste good to tide me over during the weekdays, then on Saturday, let myself have a portion of things I would not usually have. Healthier alternatives for me include 81% dark chocolate, nature valley bars, roasted chickpeas, fruited greek yoghurt and popcorn(not the cinema type). Also doing intermittent fasting which seems to take away the urge to binge, hard to crave a load of junk when you are eating large meals with plenty of variety and learning to not be controlled by the food for a period each day puts you back in control. It does for me and some other binge eaters anyway.

skylarloses

I just recently started actively working to stop my binge eating, so for now I'm going with total avoidance of trigger foods. Maybe once I get to a point where I haven't binged in a while (6 months?) I'll try trigger foods in moderation. Since I'm still in the beginning of my journey I'm not sure.

ChaleGirl

I find that the in moderation mindset does not work for me at all.
If I eat bad foods, I don't stop and the. I binge on them.
I do much better when I just cut the, put and get to that place where I don't need them!
During lent I did really well, I cut out the bad foods and got to the point when I didn't even crave them
When I reintroduced at Easter I have tried to have them in moderation but it hast worked and I feel like it has been a major set back
So back to avoidance I go!!!

jinna86

There's been times in my life when I've used moderation and times when I use avoidance, and personally, I find that avoidance tends to backfire when I let myself have just a tiny little treat which then spirals out of control into full weight gain. Getting used to moderation might be harder, but I think that it pays off in the end by giving me a more balanced mentality. Also, I don't think I have the discipline for full avoidance, but I admire anyone who does have that level of discipline

Springfield_Rocks

getting the right amount of calories helps me alot. i am eating at a deficit, but not too low as to feel hungry all the time.

some foods i avoid as they send me off to the races.

if you need help getting your calories figured out, this group helped me A LOT. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/7965-in-place-of-a-road-map

it's hard, but manageable.

karendee4

I have to avoid certain foods sometimes. Like when I am emotional, stressed, lonley (my usual binge triggers I avoid any foods that are not healthy). Otherwise I can have a small amount of something less healthy on a good day. There are a few foods I stay far away from because they trigger binge eating in me.

It is a balance. Maybe someday I can eat in moderation but for now I have healthy alternatives for most foods and very rarely allow the binge triggering foods.

greekygirl

I do much better avoiding than trying to moderate. I have certain binge foods that I just KNOW I won't stop at a serving. Sometimes I still try to fool myself that I can have just one but it never turns out that way, unfortunately.

wllwsmmr

I tend to avoid buying any of my binge trigger foods, especially if I know I'll be alone. I binge in secrecy so I tend to do ok eating my binge trigger foods in moderation in public, but I still try to abstain just in case it triggers my desire for more of it when I get home later. If I really need it I'd still buy it though and if it was a planned binge i'd make allowance calories wise and pray I don't end up too over my caloric goal...

If you want to have your binge trigger foods then I'd say buy those that come in 1 serving. So even if you end up eating it, you'll only have 1 serving. They usually cost more but way better than consuming 1000000 calories. I try to never have binge trigger foods at home though.

I WISHED I could practice moderation. I'm working towards it

ETA: I've kinda accepted the fact that I'll never be able to eliminate binging (emotional and habit) so I focus on having binges as rarely as possible. And that one binge day doesn't turn into a streak.

If you can afford it, you could try counselling. Yes finding the root cause will help.

98777

Hey,

I know exactly how you feel. My heart goes out to you.

I have a huge binging/overeating problem, too, that has been the main reason I've been struggling to lose weight (and why I gained it in the first place...).

Just recently I've started to change my mind-state. I have been telling myself that this way of healthy eating is not just a temporary thing I have to suffer through while obsessively weighing each day desperately anticipating my weight to drop. This method seems to cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety in my already stressful life. Instead, I tell myself that this is a lifestyle change, something that needs to be sustainable in the long-term.

Therefore, I should be moderate. I can have sweets in moderation, or unhealthy meals occasionally, using portion control. Instead of being overwhelmed by not being able to eat everything good in sight due to calorie control, I now tell myself I can just wait and have it tomorrow. You'd be surprised at how effective this is.

I didn't think I could be moderate and pull myself away from the unhealthy things, so I tried complete avoidance in the past, and it was my downfall. I couldn't stay on track and gained all the weigh back, falling off the diet plan. Now, I realize there's no guilt in rarely eating unhealthy things, because this actually keeps you on track for weight loss in the long-term!

I don't know if this is the case for you, but a large part of my binging problem is because of anxiety. I have this strange mind-set that for some reason creates anxiety. For example, I feel as though I am not getting to enjoy my life as much because of the way I eat. I feel like I am missing out by not getting to constantly eat whatever I want. However, this is DEFINITELY the wrong state of mind and is not true! Things have gotten so much better for me ever since I realized I can have anything I want, just spaced out and in moderation. I now realize I don't need to obsessively check the scale. I eat moderately, exercise, and have a sustainable. long-term plan for once, and over the coming months, my weight WILL drop. This way of thinking has reduced my anxiety and life is so much easier. I didn't ever even think it was possible for me to overcome my emotional binges before, but now I definitely feel I have so much more control. Maybe you should give it a try. Best of luck!

yoshna

At this stage, moderation doesn't work for me. One bite becomes another and another and another; I have to avoid. I'm hoping that in time that will change - it's a process! So much light and luck to you xx

shannongoneau

I find that I have to occupy my mind with something else, so I'll go to the gym, play with make up, go outside and do something, just to get me out of the mind frame of wanting somthing before I give into temptation. Its not easy and I don't think it ever will be. Good luck hope you find what works for you soon

mom2izzyandallen

Every.Single.Time I trick myself into thinking that I can have "just a little" of xyz...I'm in a full out binge. Avoidance is the only thing that works for me at this stage.