I can stay within my calorie range for 6 days . . .

AJinBirmingham
AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
in Health and Weight Loss
Unfortunately, I'm not joking. I can manage about six days and then I overeat or worse, binge.

I get tired and . . . "I'll just start over tomorrow."

Does anyone else have this problem/chronic bad habit? How can we break it?

Replies

  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    How can you break it? By having a net goal that's above 1200. You exercise a lot (I hope with a HRM so your burn is accurate?), so you get to eat a fair amount, but your net on the days you don't go over is still usually 1000-1100. What tells me that isn't enough is that you can't stick to it. Your body needs more, so you "overeat" (actually probably still well at a deficit to your TDEE most of the time).

    Try calculating your actual TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), then setting a goal that's about 200-300 calories under that, since you have so little left to lose. Full details here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
  • jffrydale
    jffrydale Posts: 32 Member
    An idea would be to adapt this way of eating to your lifestyle. Don't think of it as a failure. I eat this way always. Pick your cheat day and eat disciplined the rest of the time, keeping your calories coming from healthy sources. When you have a weakness for something make a note of it for your cheat day. Just watch your total number of calories for the week including your cheat day. A good read would be "the Four Hour Body" You will find over time that by eating healthy the rest of the time your body will adapt to the healthy diet and will tolerate less and less cheating but also cravings will go down...plus the added benefit that you will no longer feel as if you are failing, and attitude makes all the difference in the world...
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    Depends on how much you're going over on that one day.

    Lots of us have "free days", set up specifically so we can eat without calorie counting. I have one a week, where I eat whatever the hell I want and don't worry about fitting it into my goal. Some people do them once a month, or they have a free "meal" instead of a whole day. (Depending on how much you over eat, say to the excess of thousands of calories, a free meal could be a better choice.)

    And definitely up your calorie intake. It helps. It helps A LOT.
  • jffrydale
    jffrydale Posts: 32 Member
    and majope is right, you are eating too little calories. shouldn't get below about 1200 at the minimum and a TDEE -20% recommended
  • Aquarii
    Aquarii Posts: 71 Member
    Had this problem a few weeks ago, but am over it for now. What worked for me are the following:

    - Set a short-term goal to work towards. Personally, my short-term goal is to be able to breeze through a physical fitness test coming up on May 11th (stopped binging on April 10th).
    - Find out what triggers your binging episodes. For me, it was idle time/boredom while in the kitchen. Thus, I now plan most of my meals and leave the kitchen once I've consumed what I planned to.
    - Have a food that fills you up yet isn't calorie dense. My personal favorites to gorge on when I feel really hungry are boiled cabbage, cauliflower, pak choi, and mustard greens. I usually cook them with seasonings to make them easier to eat as well (chili powder, garlic, etc,).
    - Don't give up the foods you enjoy. Instead, eat them in moderation.
    - If you have a sweet tooth, chew some gum. I think I go through 1 pack of Orbit every 3 days. I loveeeee spearmint. :laugh:

    Hope this helps, and good luck!
  • Armyantzzz
    Armyantzzz Posts: 214 Member
    Have you considered making salads your binge food?? Plenty veggies and vinegar...or small amounts of dressing.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Question:

    Do you "binge" on food items that you don't let yourself have during the 6 good days?
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,571 Member
    Eat more on a regular basis. You are setting yourself up for failure by netting so low. By the time you've done that for 6 days, you really ARE hungry. Don't think of the process as a diet, think of it as a lifestyle change.

    Good luck figuring it out (goodness knows it took me 50+ years) . :flowerforyou:
  • julie781
    julie781 Posts: 221 Member
    I go a little crazy once a week too. Not really a binge just a little cheating, I'd be at my goal if I didn't. I read your profile and you should seriously consider eating a lot more if you want to bench press your own weight and be a ufc champion.
  • SprinkledWithEmotion
    SprinkledWithEmotion Posts: 67 Member
    I'm trying something new. For every 5 lbs lost, I'm treating myself to a maintenance week. Whatever weight I'm at, I'll eat at maintenance level for a week and start again. That way I get to 'cheat' without blowing everything I just worked hard to do. Not for everyone but I think it will work well for me.
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    Being tired and hungry at the same time is my worst trigger. I don't like preparing food (chopping veggies for a salad, TEDIOUS) let alone cooking it (boring, messy) even when I'm full of energy - and when I'm tired I'm even more likely to go for something processed.

    I'm also one of those people whose body sends mixed messages regarding hunger and fatigue - I crave carbs when I'm sleepy, and too often keep eating instead of just going to bed.

    I do exercise a lot, so on days I can't get to the gym, I'd have to eat several hundred calories less than usual - it's hard.

    Thanks for the help/advice . . . I'm always collecting ideas, and I'll keep trying.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    I'm not a fan of having days that you don't track your calories - a person can have a 5000 calorie day easily if they do not track.

    Instead, I like to have days where my calorie goal is higher than others. It keeps me satisfied and helps keep the metabolism revved at the same time.
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    Question:

    Do you "binge" on food items that you don't let yourself have during the 6 good days?

    I usually binge on the same things I eat normally, when I'm in control. For example, I woke up in the middle of the night and binged on . . . oatmeal.

    Every once in a while, I'll have an "accidental" milkshake or donuts, but it doesn't happen often enough to worry me.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I don't use the "cheat" word (because my @ss knows everything I eat whether I like it or not), and I don't take "free" days because logging is the way I keep honest with myself about everything I put in my mouth.

    But what I DO do is "save" calories through the week and "spend" them on the weekend.
  • Aleysia87
    Aleysia87 Posts: 14 Member
    Some people (myself included) actually do this on purpose. It goes by a lot of different names/variations: refeed days, cheat days, calorie cycling, Lyle McDonald's UD2.0, Russell Branjord's spike diet, etc.

    The most popular reasons for doing this include
    - minimizing metabolic damage by having some high calorie days sprinkled into your diet
    - the psychological benefit of having something to look forward to just around the corner
    - (carb) refeeds that replenish muscle glycogen, because you can't lift heavy without fuel in the tank

    I'm personally doing ~5 days of eating very low calorie (50% of TDEE or even less), then ~2 days of fairly high (like TDEE+25%) every week. Granted, I haven't been doing this long and don't need to do this for months, but I want to put it out there that this is actually a thing some people deliberately do.

    Maybe you won't feel as bad and won't go as crazy if you make it a part of your plan. Just a thought. ;)
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    How can you break it? By having a net goal that's above 1200. You exercise a lot (I hope with a HRM so your burn is accurate?), so you get to eat a fair amount, but your net on the days you don't go over is still usually 1000-1100. What tells me that isn't enough is that you can't stick to it. Your body needs more, so you "overeat" (actually probably still well at a deficit to your TDEE most of the time).

    Try calculating your actual TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), then setting a goal that's about 200-300 calories under that, since you have so little left to lose. Full details here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0

    Thanks. I tried calculating my TDEE, but it's tricky because my days are so very different. Some days I spend three hours at the gym and then run around constantly for the rest of the day, and some I'm almost sedentary.

    The good news is that according to a few of these calculators, my TDEE is 1750-2005, which is about what I eat when I get to the gym, have an active day and eat the activity calories I'm burning, so myfitnesspal is good at getting me in the right range.
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    An idea would be to adapt this way of eating to your lifestyle. Don't think of it as a failure. I eat this way always. Pick your cheat day and eat disciplined the rest of the time, keeping your calories coming from healthy sources. When you have a weakness for something make a note of it for your cheat day. Just watch your total number of calories for the week including your cheat day. A good read would be "the Four Hour Body" You will find over time that by eating healthy the rest of the time your body will adapt to the healthy diet and will tolerate less and less cheating but also cravings will go down...plus the added benefit that you will no longer feel as if you are failing, and attitude makes all the difference in the world...

    This might work! I can't do "free days" or "cheat days" because I will make sitting around the house eating junk my hobby for the day, but I can do 1200 net for 2-3 days, then 1500 net for a couple of days. If I'm doing it on purpose, I'm less likely to lose it.

    Thanks.
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    I'm not a fan of having days that you don't track your calories - a person can have a 5000 calorie day easily if they do not track.

    Instead, I like to have days where my calorie goal is higher than others. It keeps me satisfied and helps keep the metabolism revved at the same time.

    I agree - I could easily pack away 5000 calories or more in one day and ruin an entire week's worth of hard work.
  • dotamy
    dotamy Posts: 16
    Just to add -- EAT MORE PROTEIN!

    Looking at just the face value of items recorded, you're consuming tons of sugar. What happens when you eat that much sugar? You eat more! Your body is running a constant up and down cycle of sugar dose...sugar crash...sugar dose...etc. Protein will help you combat that cycle. One calorie is not equal to another - your body is desperate for nutrients. Binging is your body's red warning light - you just misinterpret that as a personal failing, when it ISN'T. It's your body pissed that its malnourished.

    EAT YOUR PROTEIN
    EAT YOUR VEGGIES.
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
    The things that jump out at me looking at your diary are the carbs and protein. You seem to be low on protein and high on carbs most days, which for me will lead to trouble regulating my intake.

    If you really enjoy a moderate cheat day psychologically, I would rearrange your calorie goals to support that (a few less the 6 days, more the 7th to balance out).
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    Just to add -- EAT MORE PROTEIN!

    Looking at just the face value of items recorded, you're consuming tons of sugar. What happens when you eat that much sugar? You eat more! Your body is running a constant up and down cycle of sugar dose...sugar crash...sugar dose...etc. Protein will help you combat that cycle. One calorie is not equal to another - your body is desperate for nutrients. Binging is your body's red warning light - you just misinterpret that as a personal failing, when it ISN'T. It's your body pissed that its malnourished.

    EAT YOUR PROTEIN
    EAT YOUR VEGGIES.

    Absolutely true! (I don't like protein, but I'm trying . . . )
  • akilahleemarie
    akilahleemarie Posts: 80 Member
    OP:

    yes!! I used to do this all the time....my pattern was 4 days of following my plan to the t...and then on day 5..BOOM!! at the time my plan was 1 cheat day a week...so 6 days on 1 day off...cheat day and binging are two different things...on a cheat day I would plan to go maybe 500 calories over maintence calories...but instead on day 5 I would end up going 2,000+ calories OVER...so now I do two cheat days a week...I do 3 on 1 off...so that way i end up only going over 1,000 calories for the week vs. 2,000 calories due to having a binge. Just accept your behavior and learn to work with it...2 cheat days a week may seem like alot..but its better than having a crazy binge where you eat so much you can't move and feel physically and mentally awful
  • Aleysia87
    Aleysia87 Posts: 14 Member
    Absolutely true! (I don't like protein, but I'm trying . . . )

    Hm, can you elaborate? There's a lot of different types of protein out there! Do you just not like animal protein, etc.?
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    Absolutely true! (I don't like protein, but I'm trying . . . )

    Hm, can you elaborate? There's a lot of different types of protein out there! Do you just not like animal protein, etc.?

    I don't like a lot of meat or fish and a little bit goes a long way with me. They also seem like a waste of calories - of course they aren't, but I can't help eating a piece of tilapia and thinking, "I could have a Twizzler for the same calories." I do get some protein from dairy (love it) and nuts, which are also "expensive" calorie-wise, as well as high in fat, but I like them.

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