WHAT TRIGGERS YOUR BINGES?

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  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
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    I feel like I have to have food to relax, the same way a smoker needs a cig. The hardest for me is right after I put my kids to bed and my husband isn't home. Food is like the signal that I can finally start my ME time. It doesn't even have to be special or anything. I think the fact that I get to eat it and no one else does is the treat for me. :blushing: Ridiculous huh? I have it pretty much under control now but sometimes the temptations are too much.

    This pretty much sums it up for me. I don't have kids, but that moment when I come home from a really tough day, drop my bags, and head straight for the fridge is danger time for me. Especially because I live alone, so it's like I look forward to eating as "me time."

    I've been working hard to change this but it's one day at a time for me. My first step was to stop all eating in front of the TV. This was a hard habit to break.

    I also had to learn that I really cannot cook sweet stuff for myself (even diet pop cake!) because there is just too much chance that I'll want to eat the whole thing.
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
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    Oh another trigger, visiting my sister and her family. There is no junk food in my house, and her house is FILLED with bad food, as well as tons of delicious home-cooked meals, the likes of which us single people never make for ourselves (mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, homemade brownies).

    I almost never get out of there without eating something I shouldn't. I wish I was able to just visit her and NOT be thinking in the back of my mind about what's in her fridge but it's really, really hard especially because she cooks the comfort food that we grew up eating.
  • briblue72
    briblue72 Posts: 672 Member
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    I haven't had any binges alone since I joined MFP in January, but they usually came on out of boredom/loneliness.

    Now, the only times I really go over my calories by a substantial amount are days I go out with friends. Like yesterday after work we went to happy hour, I had a sweet spiked lemonade drink, a miller light, and a lemon drop shot.... oh, and southwest egg rolls! :explode:
    Then after the cocktails, we decided to go to the casino, where I had a couple more mixed drinks and beers, and by the time I got home it was 10:30 and I was starving, and I actually made a good choice and had a bowl of raisin bran to hold me over til breakfast.

    I didn't EAT a ton of food, but I drank a lot of calories - probably about 800 or so. And the southwest egg rolls were totally not healthy. But I just can't resist a chance to socialize!
  • beep
    beep Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I dont think breaking rules (binging) every once in awhile is too bad either. As long as you keep it to once or twice a month. There has to be a point in which your body just CANNOT use all those calories at once. I would like to see a study done on that!

    I think there has been one, and I'm trying to remember the doctor's name, has a book out. It went something like: a carb load (should be good carbs though i don't know if it matters) will raise your blood glucose level up, but it will then come down... the second carb load will up your glucose level and it will not come down as quickly. So, they were saying if you pretty much eat your carbs at the same time, the damage will not be as bad to the fat storage.

    Now, having said that, I'm sure there's plenty of disagreement out there!
  • abbychelle07
    abbychelle07 Posts: 656 Member
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    Oh another trigger, visiting my sister and her family. There is no junk food in my house, and her house is FILLED with bad food, as well as tons of delicious home-cooked meals, the likes of which us single people never make for ourselves (mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, homemade brownies).

    I totally agree. I have no junk food in my house, so when I go to my in-laws I am SO tempted. One night we were going to watch a movie a few hours after dinner. I wasn't even hungry, but then they got out snacks, drinks, Cheetos, Doritos, Sun Chips, pretzels, candy, etc. Next thing you know, I have a huge bowl in my lap while I am watching a movie, ahhhh!

    I figure it's not as often since I don't have that stuff at home. But when I see it--watch out!
  • SunnyInBuffalo
    SunnyInBuffalo Posts: 58
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    I think I may have mentioned before.....my weakness is peanut butter :brokenheart:
  • FitJoani
    FitJoani Posts: 2,173 Member
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    stress and my special visitor every month sometimes
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    Stress, travel, my "special lady time" and anytime there is cake. . .so I guess celebrations involving cake?

    I just went on a mini-road trip, and. . .it was not a nutritionally sound experience, let's just leave it at that.
  • beep
    beep Posts: 1,242 Member
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    Stress, travel, my "special lady time" and anytime there is cake. . .so I guess celebrations involving cake?

    I just went on a mini-road trip, and. . .it was not a nutritionally sound experience, let's just leave it at that.

    But you're doing sooooooooooo awesome! I know, that cake gets me every time.
  • bleachcse
    bleachcse Posts: 148 Member
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    It's always hardest for me when my husband isn't home for the evening. I get so lonely and just want to eat-food is always the best friend! And weekends are also hard.


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  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    For me it goes both ways, unfortunately!!! I binge if I am stressed out by family issues or work OR I also binge when I am happy, around family. So I always have to be aware of my feelings and try to control myself. Sooooooooooooo hard!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • pmkelly409
    pmkelly409 Posts: 1,653 Member
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    MY *kitten* BOSS!! He can trigger a chocolate binge in seconds!!


    after that it is just boredom....
  • hmmmm
    hmmmm Posts: 607 Member
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    I think the worst is when I actually see the food. Whenever I visit my moms, all the junk food is on the counter, or the candy dish, so every time I need to use the bathroom I walk by chips, pretzels, granola bars chocolate, and all kinds of boxed baked goods (they get them free). If I am watching tv the candy bowl is on the entertainment center so it kind of draws me in. She doesn't have much cabinet space left in her house or I would try to hide everything. It works in my house, munchies can stay in the cupboard and unless I have a rare craving that's where it stays because I am not constantly reminded of it!
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
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    I'm going to have to start thinking of my sister's place like it's a grocery store, applying the same willpower that I do to walk PAST the junk to get to the healthy stuff.

    I don't have a lot of problems bypassing the bad stuff in the store, nor is it hard for me to drive past fast food restaurants, so I don't understand why it is SO hard to walk past it in somebody's house! The same box of cookies which sits on HER shelf vs. the grocery store shelf yet I'm only tempted by it at her place. Why is that??!!
  • beep
    beep Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I'm going to have to start thinking of my sister's place like it's a grocery store, applying the same willpower that I do to walk PAST the junk to get to the healthy stuff.

    I don't have a lot of problems bypassing the bad stuff in the store, nor is it hard for me to drive past fast food restaurants, so I don't understand why it is SO hard to walk past it in somebody's house! The same box of cookies which sits on HER shelf vs. the grocery store shelf yet I'm only tempted by it at her place. Why is that??!!

    That is so funny. Yet, so true. Maybe it's because we don't just go open boxes of cookies on the shelves at the grocery store no matter how tempted.... we know we have to pick it up and carry it to the front and buy it (although there are some that don't bother doing that and dive right in on the shelf.)
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
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    BAH!

    No sooner did I post, clearly outlining the fact that I have a hard time staying in control at my sister's place, than I went to my sister's place and totally ate a bunch of crappy food. I'm so uncomfortably full right now.

    I went over there to cook her and her family dinner -- which was nice and healthy -- but then we ended up making stovetop s'mores and i just couldn't say no! Then I was nibbling the whole time I was cleaning up -- a few bites of pasta here, a piece of cheese there, a leftover crust of garlic bread. Ugh. I never do that when I'm at my home! I don't know why I do it there.

    The only consolation is that I used to eat like this all the time. At least now I'm much more aware of the triggers, and what I need to do to get back on track.

    But still.

    ANGRY at myself.

    :explode:
  • HisJinxy
    HisJinxy Posts: 6
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    Hardest times for me are weekends when my husband's home and of course, the three days of PMS. Then I want cookies. Not just any cookie but the big ones from the bakery with that butter cream frosting.
    For the longest time, I ate mindlessly. For no reason, just for something to do I ate. It could be something healthy or junk food. Didn't matter, just there was food there, I was there, so I ate. Now, I am conscious of what I eat. I am making better food choices, but still, I find myself thinking about food all the time. Scares me a bit. I am planning my dinners for the week, what to have for breakfast, what time to have a snack...it seems my life is wrapped around food or something regarding food. Is it just me or does anyone else feel like no matter what else they're doing some thought of a food related topic pops into their mind?
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    Dinners at my mom's house. She has this terrible misconception about portions, and gets upset if you don't eat an entire portion. She also likes to cook for a small army. On top of that, its a really stressy environment and in general its a recipe for disaster.
  • MontanaGirl
    MontanaGirl Posts: 1,251 Member
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    Ohhh - good question stress - being tired (who isn't with a full time job and 2 kids) - PMS. That pretty much covers it!! If baby girl is sick during the night or having troubles with her teeth coming in - I'm a gonner the next day. Just because I'm soooo tired and eating basically to stay awake!

    Gotta go work now . . . boo hiss :cry:
  • flcaoh
    flcaoh Posts: 444
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    Frustration and stress always triggers a fast food binge. And ice cream and chocolate chip cookie dough, or a combination of the two. I can pretty much control myself around any food substance except Ice Cream and choc chip cookie dough. Those 2 things ARE NOT allowed in my apartment LOL. I have no self control!!!!

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