WTF is wrong with me???

AMANDAJOY1104

Why do I binge? Today, I had yogurt and cheerios waiting for me at work for breakfast. But what did I do? I had to stop for gas, so I went in and bought 2 bakery donuts and stuffed them in my face on the way to work.

Last week, I brought a box of Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies to work. Thinking I would keep them in my desk and eat ONE when I had a craving... NO.. They were gone in two days.

I am learning from my mistakes.. I know now that I cannot bring an entire box/bag of anything to work... I portion everything and only bring one portion...

But what gives?? Why oh Why am I like this? Why can't I just STOP eating!!!!

Textmessage

Are you unhappy with something in life? Are you using food to fill a void of some sort?

AMANDAJOY1104

I'm unhappy with my weight! I'm semi unhappy in my relationship but how would I know or how would I tell if I'm using food to "cope" I don't feel like I am...

tamrod2

That is a hard one. I know there are groups on here that address BINGE eating, not sure if that is what you mean. I know that when I cut out sugars for awhile ALOT of my cravings and impulses went away. It is hard and the key is to plan ahead and made sure that I had snacks and desserts on hand that I made with splenda (not a huge fan of this HOWEVER it has saved me from eating tons of sugar)I sat in a meeting yesterday with a HUGE box of doughnuts in my frickin face and seriously I really could care less. There is nothing wrong with you, you are human.:flowerforyou:

pyrowill

I do the same. It rarely comes down to actual hunger and more to do with emotional eating. Work out why you are eating and then you might be able to free yourself from it .

diannethegeek

There's nothing wrong with you! This is a normal and very human thing to do. One thing you can try is to really figure out how you're feeling when you eat. It sounds silly (and sometimes it feels silly) but when you're going in for those donuts, instead of focusing on how much you shouldn't eat them, try focusing on why you feel like you need them.

I'm an emotional eater. I eat when I'm stressed or unhappy or just bored. I eat to feel better. Sometimes it works, sometimes it just makes me feel worse. Try journaling if that's something that works for you.

Or you may just be on too strict of a diet and your body is telling you it needs a change. Experiment. See what works for you.

Annerk1

I would suggest joining a support group. It sounds like your binging is emotionally related. My only other advice is to avoid temptation. Pay at the pump for example.

thrld

Why do I binge? Today, I had yogurt and cheerios waiting for me at work for breakfast. But what did I do? I had to stop for gas, so I went in and bought 2 bakery donuts and stuffed them in my face on the way to work.

Last week, I brought a box of Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies to work. Thinking I would keep them in my desk and eat ONE when I had a craving... NO.. They were gone in two days.

I am learning from my mistakes.. I know now that I cannot bring an entire box/bag of anything to work... I portion everything and only bring one portion...

But what gives?? Why oh Why am I like this? Why can't I just STOP eating!!!!

Sometimes knowing that you do something doesn't translate into knowing why you do it, or translate into an easy answer to stop/prevent it. Could be that you got the message somewhere along the line that good things don't last,, or that opportunities are fleeting, so you need to take advantage now. Or could be that you feel that no matter how hard you work, you won't get the prize, so you might as well get consolation where you can find it. Not consciously underming your efforts, but subconsciouly trying to undermine any possible disappointment (I didn't really try).

Perhaps the problem is not that you need to admit that you are too weak -- it's that you are afraid to admit that you are strong.

Hoosier96

I am an emotional eater as well...and sometimes I will just impulsively make a bad choice, and then figure the whole day is shot so I may as well just eat whatever I want and go crazy with it. I think minimizing temptation is key, as is making healthy swaps when you can. Instead of the donuts, have an entire pint of fresh ripe strawberries. Instead of the fiber one brownies, have one square of dark chocolate and let it melt slowly in your mouth instead of chewing it up. There are groups here you can join as well for additional support. I also think planning my meals ahead really helps. I try to plan a day ahead on here so I know what I am eating the next day. It's a little obsessive, but it prevents me from being too impulsive.

ellen_kay

Only you can figure out why you binge. Look at the situation when you do, how are you feeling, what is happening etc. Dig deep and you should be able to find the answer.

AMANDAJOY1104

I'm not convinced that it's emotional eating... Maybe it is... Why do I eat?

I'm going to focus on only eating when I'm truly hungry. Sometimes I just eat because something looks good and I know it's gonna taste sooo good! Like a donut or cookie or cake...

I know I eat when I'm bored... I don't think that's "emotional" tho...

How do I stop the cravings? When I am actually hungry I want something dense that will fill my stomach. Not an apple... When I wake up in the morning I'm hungry and I crave carbs!!

I'm rambling...

cmriverside

A couple things:

If you are eating enough and eating good nutritionally dense foods, you will not be nearly as hungry. Choose protein and foods with fiber.
So maybe you need to recalculate your calorie intake to something a little more reasonable right now. Set it for "Lose one pound a week" and don't use "Sedentary". If you have ANY type of job or care for children, Sedentary is too low. Lightly active will give you more calories. Undereating frequently causes people to eat outside of their plan, because they're hungry!


Secondly, habits are just that. If you've stopped and bought donuts in the past, you'll have to break that habit. There is a learning curve. Don't beat yourself up. The first step is recognizing the problem, then try to change the habit.

auddii

I found I was prone to binging when I didn't eat enough (both total calories and throughout the day). Make sure you're getting enough at breakfast to keep you sustained until your next planned meal/snack. Also, if you have a drastic calorie deficit you might be more prone to binging. Personally I ate "healthy" and it was about 1000-1100 calories a day, and then I'd binge on the weekends. Huge binges, and there was no weight loss. I then did some research, started eating 1500 calories, the binges subsided, and weight started to come off. I'm now eating 1800, still losing, and I haven't had a binge in a long time.

bethlaf

what REALLY works for me is a little patience.
for example, i log before i eat, most of the time .
Right now, for ex. i pulled out some carrots and p butter and a yogurt, i kind of knew i wouldn't eat all of it, but hey
it feels better to think calorie wise i can have ALL OF THIS.. ya know ?
so i waited a few minutes, did some more database stuff , went down to the copier, picked up some forms, reloaded a website that is seriously slow... logged the peanut butter and carrots
then got up got some more water, reloaded paper in my printer, checked my refreshed website, made a couple comments on another thread,
then i popped open the peanut butter and carrots, after about 15 minutes..
wow its been about a half an hour or so and i still have 3 more carrots in front of me,
and i know i am not going to have the yogurt,
so i will go back ,
and put it in the fridge,
then come back to the puter,
most likely do some more database work ,
and then i will finish the carrots..
so my morning "snack" has now lasted an hour,
and since one of my "Rules" is not to drink within a half hour of eating,,, i will be full for a while ..

for me , the slowing down is SUPER important , its about impulse control.

and gas stations and convenience stops and fast food and ALL "car food"
had to stop , completely, its a big big weakness for me as well

fitprincess80

I feel you girl! I do the same thing and then I feel so gulity and upset with myself. We just have to focus on our goals!

melindasuefritz

HA S NOTING TO D O WITH BEING UNHAPPY IN LIFE
IT HAS TO DO WITH IT TASTES GOOD AND ITS THERE

lightdiva1

For me, I make bad choices because i feel like I am depriving myself. I used to eat whatever i wanted, in abundance. Now I watch how many calories are in everything, I log everything, I measure everything, I watch my macros, it is exhausting and at times tedious.

I started telling myself I could have whatever I wanted. I was changing my life, and I will eat pizza and ice cream, and donuts when I hit my goal weight. So why not incorporate them now and learn how to eat those yummy treats in a way that doesn't make me HUGE again.

So here is how I still get treats without eating the entire box. I have a treat every day. Sometimes two or three. I just have them in small portions. I know I can have some tomorrow, so there is no need to eat them all right now. I eat pizza once a week. I make allowances for it by eating a lot of salad and fiber for breakfast and lunch so when dinner hits I can have three pieces and a bread stick and still come in within my calorie goal and hit some of my macros. The key for me is to not only plan ahead, but also remember this is a lifestyle. If I want a donut, I will eat a donut. Like yesterday I ate a donut. I told myself that I needed to drink an extra bottle of water to have it. So I ate that yummy donut, slowly and savored it. Than chugged a bottle of water.

For me it wasn't cravings it was feeling like I couldn't ever have that food again, so i would eat it like there would be no more ever again. Now, I tell myself I can have whatever I want. I just need to figure out how to make it work into my calorie and amcro goals.

thrld

Sometimes people get cravings when they are bored because they want to feel more energetic - but a fast walk can give you that.
The cravings for carbs in the morning - try eating a high-fiber cereal for breakfast, like fiber one, or something warm like homemade oatmeal.
Also look at food pairings -- I know that when I crave pizza it's actually just because I want a soda. The same goes for oreos and milk - if I avoid the milk, then I don't crave the oreos. So I don't drink soda, which cuts down on my cravings for salty snacks. And I only use milk in my cereal (goodbye cookies)

Behxo

This might sound silly but maybe even try buying sweet or candy flavored chap stick lol. I have a chocolate flavored chap stick that I put on sometimes and it surprisingly helps me out with temptations, sweetness flavor and no unnecessary calories.

wykyd

I have two suggestions beyond trying to figure out the emotional/boredom part of it. First, keep healthier sweets at your fingertips. I really like pink lady apples so I HAVE to keep them very close at hand. I know everyone says to keep healthy snacks but it didn't start working for me until I figured out those things that I really WANT to eat and kept those things close. Second, I eat what I want. What I mean by that is when someone in the office brings something I just can't resist, I don't. BUT I play a game with myself. Before I allow myself one crumb, I log it and I figure out how much exercise I need to "buy" it. I don't go so far as to make myself do the exercise first but if I needed to, I would. I can buy a piece of cake if I spend X amount of time walking or on the cross trainer. I also have to figure out how I'm going to fit that exercise in THAT day. If I'm going to eat this cake today, I have to pay for it today. No "credit cards" purchases.

lunamo14

Hi Amanda,

I feel your pain as I do that once in a while. Try not to look at food as "have" and "have not" but more you can have anything you want but all in moderation. Don't beat yourself up as we all had a bad day and grabbed a something "forbidden" to make ourselves feel better.

try logging your food daily (including the comfort food) and see if there is a patern emerging or trigger as to why you feel the need to binge (stress, work, family, etc...) and what you can do to minimize the damage to your health (maybe go for a walk instead of sitting in front of tv and eating, change job, swap food or portions, etc...)

Good luck and I'm here for you. Send me an-email.

Behxo

I have two suggestions beyond trying to figure out the emotional/boredom part of it. First, keep healthier sweets at your fingertips. I really like pink lady apples so I HAVE to keep them very close at hand. I know everyone says to keep healthy snacks but it didn't start working for me until I figured out those things that I really WANT to eat and kept those things close. Second, I eat what I want. What I mean by that is when someone in the office brings something I just can't resist, I don't. BUT I play a game with myself. Before I allow myself one crumb, I log it and I figure out how much exercise I need to "buy" it. I don't go so far as to make myself do the exercise first but if I needed to, I would. I can buy a piece of cake if I spend X amount of time walking or on the cross trainer. I also have to figure out how I'm going to fit that exercise in THAT day. If I'm going to eat this cake today, I have to pay for it today. No "credit cards" purchases.

Wykyd that is awesome advice! definitely would help keep me on track

AMANDAJOY1104

All of this advice has been helpful. I'm appreciative that no one has been mean! Keep the advice and encouragement coming!

deksgrl

Obvious question, but are you starving because you are trying to adhere to a 1,200 calorie diet?

youareorange

I'm like that too. If I have a whole bag of chips or a box of cookies then I will continuously eat them. I have learned to not buy those items and if I do have them, definitely portion it out. Allow yourself to have a bit at a time - it sounds like you already recognize that.

Also keep healthy snacks nearby helps. It might sound over the top but it keeps me on track - have an idea of what you're going to eat throughout the day and plan ahead of time. I actually use a lunch bag regularly and keep my foods in there. I might look odd, but it helps in the end! And it saves money.

otrtrack

I have only been on MyFitnessPal for a couple of weeks - just getting started... but when I am feeling like I'm going to eat something I shouldn't, I tell myself "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!" I can't remember where I saw that the first time, but it helps to keep me headed down the right path and keep my focus on the prize! I WILL get back in my clothes - comfortably! Hang in there - you can do this!!!

AMANDAJOY1104

I have another question, I'm going to post it in a new thread "How to ration calories" Please advise!

Dragonwolf

How do I stop the cravings? When I am actually hungry I want something dense that will fill my stomach. Not an apple... When I wake up in the morning I'm hungry and I crave carbs!!

One thing that might be worth trying is to cut out the high-carb stuff for a while. On the "extreme" end would be something like the Whole 30 Challenge - for 30 days, you cut out grains and dairy, and eat only meat, fish, nuts, vegetables, and fruit (you know, real foods).

Whether you go that far or not is up to you (I personally found it easier to kill the cravings by cutting out the triggery stuff entirely, but YMMV), but the idea is to cut out those triggery things for a while so that you adjust how your body uses the fuel that's given to it. By cutting down the high-carb stuff (especially the sugary, simple, "fast" carbs), you level out the blood sugar spikes that generally cause the carb cravings. Level out those spikes, and you eventually lose the "need"/desire to go buy that donut.

Also, changing how you eat and cutting out certain foods, at least for a while, can help rebalance the gut flora. Candida is a genus of flora categorized as yeast that live in our bodies. When we eat too much sugar or simple carbs, especially when coupled with exposure to anti-microbial agents (namely, antibiotics), we run the risk of their population growing too large. When this happens, we can get all sorts of symptoms, many of which would never clue us in to the possibility of Candida overgrowth ( http://www.candidamd.com/candida/symptoms.html ). One of the most telltale symptoms, though, is certain cravings - specifically for sugary foods such as bread, chocolate, and sweet fruits, or fermented foods, including alcohol and cheeses. Cutting these things out for a while should help rebalance the level of Candida and help stop the cravings for them (though severe cases may need medical treatment).

If you're craving something dense, then eat something dense! Make bacon and eggs for breakfast! Have some steel cut oats or something. Eat real food.

I used to love those Fiber One brownies, but like you, it was a struggle for me to only eat one a day. If you look at the ingredients, they're really not all that great for you, anyway. Let's stop kidding ourselves, it's a brownie. It might have a little extra fiber, but it's still not that great for you.

Also like how you sound, I can't "fill up" on vegetables. I'll get sick long before I feel "full" if I eat only vegetables. So make sure you're getting a good amount of protein and good fats. Start cooking with olive and/or coconut oil. Learn to like avocados or nuts for snacking. These things will give you good fats, which will keep you full longer, provide long-lasting energy, and can even help kill the cravings for carbs. Good quality protein will help fill you up at meals, as well (it's amazing what a little chicken or steak on a salad can do for the fullness feeling).

wykyd

Thanks! I love games and puzzles so any time I have challenges like this, I turn it into a game. That's how I keep my cals too. It is a game to see how close I can get to my calorie goal. Maybe it just keeps my mind busy! lol

I have two suggestions beyond trying to figure out the emotional/boredom part of it. First, keep healthier sweets at your fingertips. I really like pink lady apples so I HAVE to keep them very close at hand. I know everyone says to keep healthy snacks but it didn't start working for me until I figured out those things that I really WANT to eat and kept those things close. Second, I eat what I want. What I mean by that is when someone in the office brings something I just can't resist, I don't. BUT I play a game with myself. Before I allow myself one crumb, I log it and I figure out how much exercise I need to "buy" it. I don't go so far as to make myself do the exercise first but if I needed to, I would. I can buy a piece of cake if I spend X amount of time walking or on the cross trainer. I also have to figure out how I'm going to fit that exercise in THAT day. If I'm going to eat this cake today, I have to pay for it today. No "credit cards" purchases.

Wykyd that is awesome advice! definitely would help keep me on track

america_c

I am by no means an expert but I'm in the same boat as you. What has helped me ALOT is to make eating junk food an inconvenience. For example, when I go grocery shopping, I don't buy junk food but if we do get some (my husband or son) I have my husband put it away so I won't have a tally in my mind that cookies are in what ever shelf in the pantry. Someone brought a gallon of ice cream to my house, it was sent straight the second freezer in the basement, it's been there for 2 weeks now.

I would suggest to pump gas at a gasoline station with no convenience store. If you're going to have snacks at work, either take what you plan on eating every day or stash them somewhere where they are not visible to you at every moment.

Good luck to you!

cindylu35

You need to learn to associate those bad foods with what they are made of and how they will affect you after you eat them.

Donuts = fat, carbs, sugar
Chips = fat, carbs
Cake/Brownies = fat, carbs, sugar
Chocolate = sugar. fat

These items are your enemy and you should treat them as "nicely" as they've treated you!!

2 things help me snack better:

1) I envision SMEARING that donut on my butt!! Yep, why eat it? That's where it's going! Might as well save some time! lol This usually stops me from purchasing these items.
2) I don't bring the whole box/bag/container of whatever I'm eating WITH me. If you want a 100 calorie snack that day, only BRING 100 calories worth with you!

I understand an occasional binge...really I do! lol Try to not beat yourself up about them if they're a rare occasion.