Just had a binge :(

anna_louise90

Title says it all really, so disappointed/annoyed with myself for eating up almost the entire day's calories by 9am without even particularly enjoying it. Just getting frustrated as the scale hasn't moved for 3 weeks, and I feel like being "Well I guess I will always be this way". Tips on avoiding binges in future? (Btw I had a proper breakfast, muesli and banana)

jamiek917

i know binges all too well, and its a damn hard habit to break. ive gotten SO much better, but i want them to be gone 100%- so i know how you feel!!

why did you binge? boredom? lonely? stressed? its important to know why- so you know how to fix it.

i binged when i was super stressed at work, and when i socialize (i stay by the food table and graze as i talk).

if you tend to do it at home- you need to find substitutes. gum, get out of the house (work out, see friends, walk...whatever).

what did you binge on? if its pointless carb stuff- when u buy food, automatically pre package it into serving sizes, rather than eating straight from the bag

KANGOOJUMPS

just go work it off,

Warchortle

Lift something heavy

mockchoc

How many calories are you on net? You'd have to eat a LOT of muesli and banana to eat what you should be eating in a day.

Care to share your height, weight, goal too so someone can help?

SenseiCole

I love quotes they keep me on track

"Failure does not exist unless YOU let it."

I understand you just had a binge go for a walk or do some exercise, have some water and remmeber it is now in the past

It comes down to a simple question: what do you want out of life, and what are you willing to do to get it?

'It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe' you just have a pebble in your shoe, shake it our and carry one

if anyone wants to add you feel free

mazdauk

If I fancy something I shouldn't, I log it on here, and really look at it. I think about how many calories I have left for the day, and what I did to earn them (like if I've just worked out). Like yesterday I really wanted a packet of crisps, but I looked at what was left for the day and decided that actually I'd rather have the choc bickkie with my cup of tea later, as it was not long til dinner.

Other times I do a longer workout so i have the calories for what I want.

But to eat ALL your calories by 9am -are you on a very low level? You might be getting fed up because you're not getting enough variety within your allowance. Think about upping your calories a bit, trying different exercises (which give you more calories to eat) or going down the TDEE route.

anna_louise90

i know binges all too well, and its a damn hard habit to break. ive gotten SO much better, but i want them to be gone 100%- so i know how you feel!!

why did you binge? boredom? lonely? stressed? its important to know why- so you know how to fix it.

i binged when i was super stressed at work, and when i socialize (i stay by the food table and graze as i talk).

if you tend to do it at home- you need to find substitutes. gum, get out of the house (work out, see friends, walk...whatever).

what did you binge on? if its pointless carb stuff- when u buy food, automatically pre package it into serving sizes, rather than eating straight from the bag

Thanks for this reply! It really helps to know that others understand this.

Yeah I think it was due to stress, have exams coming up and I feel like I'm running out of time to get anything done, as I'm also trying to juggle research atm. I binged on peanut butter, fruit loaf bread, chocolate, raisins, cheese - eurgh its horrible even thinking about it.

Part of the reason why I'm so annoyed about it is I don't have time to work it off - not until the weekend anyway, as I'm commuting to oxford for work, which takes 2.5 hours each way.

Jo5ie

I also binge and I worked out that it's because of stress and boredom and I'm self destructive. I now try to pause and check with myself that I'm hungry. If I know I'm not and feel a binge coming on I get up and do housework to distract myself. Sometimes this means I don't allow myself to sit down and watch tv because I know I will eat. If you can you should restrict the food you keep in the house which would tempt you to binge. I keep a large bar of dark chocolate and eat 4 chunks (125 calories) to satisfy my sweet cravings but you might have other cravings. The most important thing you need to do after a binge is forgive yourself and start a new day.

anna_louise90

I just upped the calories yesterday for the TDEE to 1524(I did it as sedentary, as when I commute to oxford, i plonk myself on the train for 2,5 hours then sit at a desk 10-5). It wasn't just the muesli and banana, that was what I had before the binge!

Height = 5'4''

Weight = 149 lb

Goal weight = 135 lb

jamiek917

Thanks for this reply! It really helps to know that others understand this.

Yeah I think it was due to stress, have exams coming up and I feel like I'm running out of time to get anything done, as I'm also trying to juggle research atm. I binged on peanut butter, fruit loaf bread, chocolate, raisins, cheese - eurgh its horrible even thinking about it.

Part of the reason why I'm so annoyed about it is I don't have time to work it off - not until the weekend anyway, as I'm commuting to oxford for work, which takes 2.5 hours each way.

ive done that before on stuff like dried fruit and PB.

ive come to the conclusion that there are things i cant keep in the house, because when i get in those binge moods- i cant stop. cereal, dried fruit, gummy fruit snacks, cookies, pretzels...i cant stop. so i dont keep pointless empty carbs like that in the house.

since my binge issue is typically at parties- i recently decided i want to try to only eat food that i can track at parties (i.e. avoid the homemade stuff when i have no clue how it was made)- and TRACK AS I GO. thats huge. seeing the numbers as its happenig is sometimes enough to make me stop.

jdhoward_101

I've always been a bit of a binger which has always hindered my process. However, now i've learnt to control it and i'm finally losing weight. I've found what works for me is to eat little yet often; instead of having a certain amount of calories for breakfast and then a certain amount of calories for lunch, i spread them out over the day, so i'm eating every hour or two. Dinner is the only one i have an actual, big meal for, and that's only because i eat with my boyfriend. Also, when i feel a binge coming on, i try and get out of the house; even if it's just to walk to the shop for a can of diet drink for later, it means i'm not eating and i'm actually burning calories. Good luck!

mazdauk

Try walking up and down the train (if you have a booked seat) or go into the loo and do a few squats

Maris_Swan

Regroup. It happens to the best of us. Dwelling on it can only make you feel worse. Sometimes we cannot take things day-to-day and we need to take them meal-to-meal. This is just one moment in your life. Keep moving forward!

EvelynBfly78

At least you were able to pinpoint why you binged. So stop beating yourself up. I also binge when stressed. I can't have those foods in the house because I'll definitely find an excuse to eat them...pretzels, dark chocolate, dates, cookies. It's hard to stop once I've started.
Try to have a non-binge plan. When you feel it coming on go for a walk, meditate, call a friend, drink some water, have a non-food distraction. Those are some of the things I do. You get the idea.
I belong to a group on here "Food and Feelings" for emotional eaters. Try it. Feel free to friend me.
Good luck to you.

RllyGudTweetr

"The one who doesn't fall, doesn't stand up."

You binged. Congratulations; you proved to be as human as everyone else.

Now, move past it, learn from it, and continue toward your goals.

Remember, we the MFP community, are here for help.

BeachIron

Stop beating yourself up. I swear some people treat their health like a religion where they need to serve some type of penance for screwing up. You're human. You are going to have cravings and there are times when you will go overboard in satisfying them. I find that eating food I truly enjoy every day helps me keep my sanity, and when life is stressful, denying myself things that I enjoy just isn't a good idea. Just watch the portions.

anna_louise90

Thanks very much to everyone who replied, everyone gave such useful ideas/support and motivation. Getting back on the bandwagon thanks to you guys

lbesaw

It's really hard to address our "food demons". Put a period on it and start over. Don't get caught up in beating yourself up for it...that's the short path to repeating it---getting caught up in the anxiety and guilt. We all have our weaknesses or else we wouldn't be overweight to begin with. Keep calm and carry on. Good luck

lambchoplewis

I am also a binger. I have gotten better at it but I know when I have some wine, I will binge. I love to drink and only do this now and then. I have tried not to drink and binge but this is my trigger. I love salty nuts, chips etc and then sweets. I don't drink during the week and if I do on the weekend, I really try to stop the eating. If I do slip, I get right back on track the next day even if I feel like crap. It takes 3-4 days to get the water weight gain off.