3000 Calorie Binge

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.

I;ve had some pretty good binges myself (thank you extra large Sonic chocolate shakes, pie, and soda!). I don't worry if it happens every so often though. No shame in enjoying life too. The key is to moderate binges and eat healthy a majority fo the time. And when you do binge, try to compensate with a bit more exercise or a few less calories that week.

Otherwise, it will all work out in the end (another pun for me!)

Seriously the next time you have such a craving, buy the stuff, just buy small quantities. Or put the bags in the kitchen, go to another room with a handful of doritos and one orea, and take tiny bites to make it last.

The key IMO is to not make it go so far that you end up binging. So if you want doritos, buy a single serve packet of doritos and make it fit in your calories.

I always overeat and binge. I used to eat 4000 calories in a day because I binged so much over the holidays, but now it's gotten slightly better and seems to stay around 2500 when I binge (give or take a few hundred calories). I always pack on the pounds though and can never seem to get rid of them!! Does this happen to anyone else? I've gained all 15-20 I lost last year!