I binged last night

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MichelleF115
MichelleF115 Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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?
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Replies

  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
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    Have you looked into the Whole30 program?

    perhaps you need to reprogram your relationship with food? I am almost through with the book and it has really opened my eyes.

    I can;t see your diary so can;t give too much input. What did you binge on that was so bad?

    My problem is alcohol. When I party I will usually go 1000-2000 calories over. It's frustrating because it cancels out all your hard work.

    I get really depressed when I party and go waaaay over. I drink my calories but don't often go over with food. I just have to dust myself off and keep focusing on the goal. Don;t be too disheartened. We all do it from time to time.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    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.
  • happyheathen927
    happyheathen927 Posts: 167 Member
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    Did the same thing last night. I wasn't even that hungry! I've done a Whole30 and cannot TELL you the last time I ate like that. It was tasty, but not the least bit worth what I'm gonna have to do to make up for it. :(
  • jennacollette
    jennacollette Posts: 16
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    Even the greatest successes of fitness slip ! The most important thing with dieting is if you do slip and end up cheating, you need to forgive yourself and move on. After all, we're only human and it's bound to happen. If you don't think that binging will never happen to anyone, you are sadly mistaken. Forgive yourself for what you have done and tomorrow is a new day ! A good detox tip from all of that nasty food you ate.. drink LOTS and LOTS of green tea ! You might look bloated for a day, but it will cleanse yourself. Good Luck !
  • MichelleF115
    MichelleF115 Posts: 20 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your words of understanding and encouragement. One of the worst parts of being a 'binger' is having no one to talk to about it, who would understand - so it's great that I can tell other people and not feel so isolated.

    My plan:
    I'm going to check out 'Whole 30'
    Eat a bit more on a daily basis, in case I'm just not eating enough
    Forgive myself and move on
    Drink green tea!

    Thanks, and good luck to all of you too, on your journey.
  • Slowcala68
    Slowcala68 Posts: 1
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    I'm not saying this right but keep track of when you binge and make a effort to stretch out the days between binges. Add a day every time. Give yourself a cheat day. So you don't drive yourself crazy always on a diet. When your ready you can give up that day.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    Establish a healthier relationship with food.

    When you do "binge" track it.
  • MichelleF115
    MichelleF115 Posts: 20 Member
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    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.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    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.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    Sorry about the above^^

    You can try shifting your meal times to later in the day. I usually get the urge to munch at night also.

    Therofore I tend not to eat much during the day and then have a big dinner and evening snack.
  • kpstacy
    kpstacy Posts: 41 Member
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    Keep your head up! One of the downfalls to the word "diet" is it automatically makes us feel deprived. Are you depriving yourself of the little things? It is okay to reward yourself. Binge eating is usually emotional eating and the connection we have to food. (Trust me on this one... I used to weigh a little over 230 pounds!) One of the first steps is going to be able to recognize why you binge. In my own 96lb weight loss and being a personal trainer now, is getting my clients to understand that their addiction to food starts with emotions. This journey is not just physical.... you have to get real with yourself. In order to make a "lifestyle" change, not just dieting to get skinny, you have to understand that you will have to look deep inside and start asking yourself why... and then everyday make those little changes. I am still working on my food, and I have been on this journey for 8 years. I have maintained a healthy weight (actually had to put some back on because I became unhealthy skinny at 5'9" I got down to 128lbs.) So, the question is, are you doing this to change your life? Understand you are going to have bad days, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over! Good luck!
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
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    Sorry about the above^^

    You can try shifting your meal times to later in the day. I usually get the urge to munch at night also.

    Therofore I tend not to eat much during the day and then have a big dinner and evening snack.

    ^This works for me as well.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    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.
  • annanderson77985
    annanderson77985 Posts: 57 Member
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    I didn't exactly binge yesterday, but I did attend a pot-luck lunch with friends, and indulged in things like potato salad, cheesecake and custard.. I figure a 'free day' every once in a while is not going to cause weight loss catastrophe.. as long as I don't make a habit of it..
  • bupthagrove
    bupthagrove Posts: 11
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    I like to go crazy one weekend every 2 weeks. Your body needs to think you aren't starving and trying to store fat anyway. But it is a nice reward and something to look forward to. I wouldn't feel guilty about it, today is a new day, find something you like and save your cals to eat it at the end of the night. Also eat what you want, McDonalds, pizza, just as long as you stay within calories. Remember this is a Calorie diet, not a health food, watch your carb intake, style diet. My friends lovingly tell me to stop eating crap food like an egg Mcmuffin meal in the morning and a happy meal for lunch. I have lost 40 lbs, it works and I don't punish myself with a 500 calorie breakfast of cereal and milk. I don't like granola bars but if I want that many calories I will eat a Hershey bar.

    This is the way I look at it and it works for me. I have business events I go to and will go over 1800 calories, if I am back on track the next day in 3 days of a good diet you would never notice. So that is my take for what it is worth.
  • AngelicxAnnihilation
    AngelicxAnnihilation Posts: 336 Member
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    Knowing is half of the battle.. I ate enough to make myself sick with heartburn last night, now I just have a tummy ache so I think I learned my lesson. make little goals
  • PosterPens
    PosterPens Posts: 172 Member
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    honestly, 1 cheat day a week tricks the body that youre not in starvation mode. ITS OK, dont focus too much on it to bring you down with all the progress youve already had with your other days. what you ate wasnt a house, so its fine. forgive but dont forget your trigger points, and make today a better day by continuing what youve already been doing so well!!

    and ice cream sandwiches... i literally have 1 a day as a snack. the weight watchers ice cream line is seriously to die for, and i look forward to one or two of those a night. dont deprive yourself of anything, cause thats when the binges usually occur. trust me, im a total emotional eater and i didnt get to this weight by not binging....so i get it. keep it at and keep going! youll succeed!
  • kge0891
    kge0891 Posts: 276 Member
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    To all those bingers out there: join the group! We are all going through the same thing, and support each other through it!

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/726-binge-eating-support-group
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,097 Member
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    I like to review my diary the previous days after a binge night. Usually means you are eating too few calories the other days. Something else is wrong. If you notice a pattern, change it. Eat more on the other 5 days, or just understand that this is going to happen on the 5th day. Do you still lose weight?

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