3000 Calorie Binge

Don't put yourself down! I think when one chastises ones self, we get depressed, thus wanting to feel better through eating - not good!

I watched this documentary about food (can't remember the name of it at the moment!) that said when someone puts themselves on a "diet" it's like their body puts itself into a mode that does not want to cooperate - meaning they're always hungry, craving the wrong things, etc. etc. So they recommended not calling it a "diet" at all, just a way to make yourself healthier. And to also say a quick mantra to yourself everyday, especially when you're feeling down about yourself: "I completely and unconditionally accept myself." Or something along those lines. And say it repeatedly, consistently for 30 days at least.

The main thing is keep your head in the game and NEVER put yourself down. No one is perfect, no one expects you to be perfect. Be yourself and love yourself at ALL times.

Hope this helps :-)

It's not your fault for being hungry. It's your body responding via hormones to being in a deficit - and trying to get you out of it.

Sit tight, try not to keep trigger foods within a room's reach, and increase your calories a little so that binge eating is not as likely.

The less you eat, the more you are likely to binge and overdo cheat meals / days.

I binged a few weeks ago to the tune of 3,500 calories. It happens.

By eating more and going after high protein, high fiber and high nutrient whole foods, I don't have binge cravings. There's a delicate balance to make between staying in a deficit and making good nutritional choices.

I do the same I went to buy a bar of chocolate at work because i told myself i wasnt going to restrick my craving too badly... they didnt have the bar i wanted... so i bought a block. i ate a serving size... then shortly after ate the rest of the block!! i felt sick even before i finished it. but kept eating. dont know why...its clearly a mental thing that i dont understand. i just know the important thing is to not beat yourself up! the next time i do it, I am going to write down how i feel after i do it. and make a promis to myself that i will read it the next time i want to binge.. maybe that will deter me. someone also suggested to me when you crave something naughty to have a spoon ful of peanut butter and then get away from food all together! go for a run or take a warm bath and listen to soft music

Don't put yourself down! I think when one chastises ones self, we get depressed, thus wanting to feel better through eating - not good!

I watched this documentary about food (can't remember the name of it at the moment!) that said when someone puts themselves on a "diet" it's like their body puts itself into a mode that does not want to cooperate - meaning they're always hungry, craving the wrong things, etc. etc. So they recommended not calling it a "diet" at all, just a way to make yourself healthier. And to also say a quick mantra to yourself everyday, especially when you're feeling down about yourself: "I completely and unconditionally accept myself." Or something along those lines. And say it repeatedly, consistently for 30 days at least.

The main thing is keep your head in the game and NEVER put yourself down. No one is perfect, no one expects you to be perfect. Be yourself and love yourself at ALL times.

Hope this helps :-)

^^ This sounds a lot like "Hungry For Change". It's an excellent documentary, I think most people would benefit from watching it.

How much are you eating on your normal days?

3000 in one day is not enough to put you above maintenance for a week if you normally eat a 500 calorie deficit.

Also, you should probably put the scale away. The only reason anyone weighs every day is pure curiosity. Anyone who has negative reactions to normal fluctuations should weigh at most once a week, once a month is even reasonable.

Hi MFP people. I've never posted to the message boards before. I'm here now because I want to acknowledge what I've done. I've eaten in secret but I'm hoping that sharing it may deter me from doing it again.

I want to specify that I am not looking for sympathy. I'm not looking for someone to tell me that its okay. Its not. I'm also not looking for negativity. If you have advice on over coming a situation like this please share.

The truth is that this is okay! Of course you cant do this every day but an occasional "binge" wont hurt your long term progress. I met my weight loss goal last fall with a day like this at least once every week or two. I just made up for it on other days and focused on my weekly (instead of daily) calorie and macro nutrient targets.

Don't get too down on yourself. Try to keep days like this to a minimum, but don't get too upset if they occur on occasion.

I binged on a box of munchkins from dunkin donuts just a few days ago...1600 calories in one sitting. It happens.

The important thing is, you need to stop putting so much on what the scale says. I frequently go through periods where the scale won't change for weeks! It is frustrating...but you should take measurements as well because sometimes your body will be changing and the scale won't reflect that. Just remember that you're putting the hard work in and doritos definitely won't get you to where you want to be, but hiking and eating healthy will. The occasional binge won't ruin everything unless you keep doing it.

I agree with the above. You acknowledge that it is a problem and you took a step towards trying to combat it by posting this. A lot of us go through this, so you are not alone. Remind yourself of the work you've done-the hike, the steps you've taken in eating toward your daily calorie goal. The scale does not always reflect our efforts. Remember what it feels like after you binge-the guilt and anything else and the next time you think about binging, ask yourself if the instant gratification is worth feeling 'bad' afterwards.

This is what I do. People are different, but I hope it helps you in some way. Good luck and hang in there.

You're starting your journey. First if it was easy everyone would do it. So, you stumbled on the road, no big deal. Clean yourself off, hit the gym, or go on a walk and move on. We all have days we wish back in terms of nutrition. Writing it down was a very healthy step, oh, and I agree weigh your self sporadically--going a week or two with no weight loss is frustrating but not worth quitting the journey. Good luck.

DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY! Our bodies fluctuate each day because of eating, how much water we drink, sodium intake, and even waste in our bodies. The body can hold up to 10 pounds of waste. Pick one day of the week and on that day each week, get up in the morning, go to the bathroom, and step on the scale wearing near to nothing. Put in a good effort to work out several times a week, if you need something to satisfy your cravings, eat a small amount of vanilla greek yogurt, or weight watchers chocolate, but stick to serving sizes. Then, when you crave junk food, go for a walk, do jumping jacks or push ups or crunches... anything to take your mind off of it. If you still crave, drink water and eat a small HEALTHY snack. Keep trying, you can do this!!!

Hey there, Miss Rosie.

What you've just described is something we all might experience at some point or other. For some of us, it's happened a lot! It can feel so weird and even scary, because it's as if you're watching yourself as some kind of disembodied out of control thing. It seems to happen after spells when you're especially strict with yourself. Over time, the more strict you are, the more 'hair trigger' you get with that curious alter-ego rebellion.

It's weird, because we learn so much these days about food science and physiology. There's a ton of information out there. Lots of success stories on these boards. But, what seems to be less available information-wise -- probably because it's harder to define -- is the head game involved with making changes.

You may be cruising along successfully for a while. Follow 'blah blah' food plan and 'XYZ' exercise and there you are, Bob's your uncle, you have your ideal body. Anyoyone can follow a program and see results. But, following something that is sustainable for a lifetime requires something more than brute force will power. It means finding that balance between what you want and the **timing** of getting there, and what you're likely to do in a realistic context.

I say all this because you seem up upset about 3000 lousy calories.

I'm not trivializing this. What I mean is, yes; 3000 calories is likely over your BMR /TDEE / WTF. But it's also a simple thing to smoothe out over the course of a week, and you need not feel any real difference in your weekly or monthly progress. UNLESS... you really are feeling that weird out-of-control thing that happens sometimes. (Girl, I've so been there. It's been a good long while, and it seems like it ought to be some forgettable hiccup, but it just messes with your mind. Even years later I shiver and am grateful for having worked past those head games.).

I realize you posted that thing about Doritos and Reese's as an accountability exercise. I'm just thinking you might find more long term satisfaction (both in physical results and peace of spirit) if you give that sweet girl (i.e., you) a break. Studies show people who take deliberate one- to two-week breaks every month or two during long term weight loss are more likely to stick with it and keep it off. There's a *physiological* benefit to your metabolism by interrupting calorie restriction, but there's also that ever-so-undervalued benefit to the psyche-- a *psychological* break. No one thinks they need this. But probably most of us do.

So my vote is: hang in there, maybe read The Four Day Win, and take a breath. And know that beating yourself up for things you've done that you wish you hadn't may not be as effective as rewarding yourself when you nail the little day-to-day successes.

Rosie,

If I restrict myself, I set myself up for failure. A couple weeks ago I had a massive chocolate craving. I went next door (I work next to a grocery store), bought a giant slice of cake (which was 3 servings of 350-ish calories each), sat down, and went to town during my lunch. The next day I had lost a pound.

Know what you can do? Instead of a 30 minute walk tomorrow, go on an hour walk, or two 30 minute walks. Do another workout DVD at night or in the morning. You binged. So what? We all do it.

The important thing to remember is your body has no freaking clue what day it is. That's what's awesome! Don't think of your body as something with a 24 hour clock. Think of it more as a week-long clock. Pick a day to weigh yourself and stick with that. The other day I was 220 pounds. Today I was 223. Yesterday I was 221.5***. My body is retaining water because I'm strength training. I also ate too much sodium, so it retained from that (just random examples - I can't really remember what it was from). What you're seeing is normal weight fluctuations. If you weigh yourself in the morning and then mid-afternoon you might see as much as a FIVE POUND difference (yep, I've tried it and seen it!).

Some people even advocate for "cheat days" as a way to trick your body and "re-set" your metabolism. I dunno if it works, and haven't done my own research, but it's a thought.

So, like I said, pick a weigh-in day and stick with that. Don't weigh yourself every day or you might find yourself doing this more often, then shaming yourself, and eventually possibly giving in. Been there also.

Edit: ***I'm weighing every day for a couple weeks to see fluctuations for my own amusement

The only thing a 5,000 calorie meal did was caused me to get physically sick.

Honestly, **** like this isn't even worth getting upset about.

I am so very familiar with your situation, and well done for sharing. I have the tendency to not log things when I'm ashamed of what I've eaten, so I'll usually be gone for a few days or a week, and then I'll pop back up on here again. Which I suppose is the reverse of the accountability that MFP is supposed to bring! I'm going through a cruddy patch right now so a friend suggested that I make my diary private for a while so that I get back into the habit of logging again, and so far it seems to be working well. Once I'm back in control I'll make it public again.

The only peice of advice I can give you in this situation is to keep yourself busy. It looks like being at home watching TV doesn't make you happy and it personally makes me feel quite agitated. And if it's common for you to feel bad when you weigh in then weigh in less often or chuck the scales out and rely on how your clothes fit.

Good luck

First of all- don't panic EVERYBODY goes food crazy every now and again. Anyone who says they don't is a liar, whether it be out of emotional eating (like you) or at a celebration (from just not paying attention to consumption), we ALL do it, we're human.

Be proud that you can admit it. Most people will deny doing any wrong when trying to lose weight. I think you're more afraid that it'll happen again and jeopardise your diet. I have a two pieces of advice and I've successfully reached my diet goal:

1- Don't panic if the scales go up unexpectedly! There are plenty of reasons for this and here are the most common for me- You're a woman and hormones can play havoc with weight loss. No matter how hard I try, at certain times of the month my weight only shifts in one direction-UP! Exercise, although key to weight loss can also create two issues which can confuse matters- muscle mass and the fact I drink LOADS of water meaning most of it is water weight.

2- If you do give in to temptation it's natural to feel guilty- embrace it and move on. If you think you've failed you will continue to do so. No matter how many times I tell myself I won't eat takeaway at the weekend- I do and I go to town about it BUT the key is enjoy it, box it off and then get back on the horse. If you're not enjoying it what's the point in the first place!

I know not everyone is the same so feel free to discard what I've said but if it helps anyone reading this to feel better about themselves I'm happy.