Breaking the binge habit (help!)
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Sounds like you are on the right track because you recognize a need to switch your eating reasons - and open to suggestions.
Nutrition dense foods kill cravings for me. If I eat lean protein, fat free yogurt, but also add in Avocado at lunch and a 100 calories worth of almonds as a snack later, it really keeps hunger at bay. I sip my water all day but make sure I get in 8 8 ounce servings.
I also find clear broth soups with no noodles or rice help. I am the crazy lady at the mexican food restaurant ordering the tortialla soup, no tortillas!
Keep going, you will find the right food at the right number of calories that gets you where you want to be.0 -
My doc had me cut out all wheat and other grains - and increase the fat - he wants me at 70% of my calories being fat. I'm finding that's hard to do in this day and age of low fat foods every where but I'm up to about 50%. It's the wildest thing ever but I don't have the cravings like I use too. Your description sounds just like I use to be. I do eat a bit more than you - around 300 to 400 calories for meals with smaller snacks between but I exercise a ton in the evenings and if I don't eat, I hit a wall and can't perform. Amazing for me is that without all the bread, cereals, and pasta in my diet, most of my cravings are gone. I am a chocaholic and I do eat my dark chocolate in small amounts to keep that craving in control. For that I use portions and eat very mindfully and slowly so I know I have had my craving satisfied. And I drink water - about 70 oz a day. If I don't drink, I'm 'hungry' more often.0
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i stand by what I said. You are not eating enough during the day so you binge at night as you said to the tune of 1000-4000 calories. 1200 is NOT enough especially since you appear not to eat back any exercise calories. This has nothing to do with improving your self-control! I stopped bingeing when I learned to feed myself properly and I lost the weight and I'm not feeling like *kitten* anymore from bingeing.No, you're not a Binge eater. It's normal that your body wants to eat until you hit your calorie count for the day. If you have a large deficit, it's most likely the cause with the combination of nibbling on 200-300 calorie foods a day. Your body naturally wants to eat until it's full when you first start eating in the morning because your stomach doesn't have a built in calculator. Your stomach literally does not know how to divide your calories throughout the day. Tricks that a lot of fitness pros use is drinking 2 full glasses of water before each meal to trick your stomach into thinking that it's full, but I hate using that trick because you just pee it out 2 hours later and become hungry again. If you like spending all day in the bathroom, by all means drink drink and DRINK! There is something else you can do that is more natural. Skip breakfast, lunch, and only eat dinner. That way you won't be hungry every 3 hours. Count your calories just for dinner and you should be fine.
I'm not talking about eating until I'm full. I'm talking about 1,000-4,000 calorie binges until I feel like I want to throw up. And then eat more. I think that probably counts as binging. Lol. Especially when done multiple times a week. Unfortunately, I cannot skip breakfast and lunch... I become light headed and dizzy after a few hours (and have no energy for my training sessions), but I think the water thing might do the trick. I don't mind being hungry after 2-3 hours, I'll need to eat again by then anyway. I'm trying to break the binging habit to help stabilize my metabolism, so I think the one meal a day thing would be counter productive for me. I appreciate your suggestion though, thank you.
Eat lots of veggies, especially filling ones like broccoli and cauliflower. Eat good proteins like chicken, fish, eggs, beans, nut butters and some beef. Eat some fruit. Eat some olive oil on those veggies! You started this thread to get some advise. What you are doing is obviously not working for you and yet you will continue doing what isn't working. Makes no sense to me.
1. I am vegan. I don't eat meat/animal products. 2. I am 5' tall and 113 lbs... I am still trying to cut fat and drop a few lbs so my calorie count is fine at 1200. I do eat my exercise calories back, even though I may not log them (sometimes if 'm only going to have another meal or two, I just keep a mental note)... I am lazy at night with the posting my food thing so my diary isn't very accurate. I eat Broccoli pretty much everyday. I drink protein shakes. I really do think that what I'm doing is working fine, I was just trying to get some help to get past the cravings/bad habits while my body adjusts. I promise I eat enough, I'm not starving. If I'm truly hungry, I eat. Most of the time, when I binge, I'm not even that hungry. Just bored and it's a habit. I really appreciate your advice, but I'm going to stick with what I'm doing for now. I'm happy with my weight loss/ body fat loss pace, just trying to re-train my brain. Also, you told me that I'm not eating enough during the day but then suggested that I eat NOTHING all day... I don't understand how that is supposed to help.0 -
Are Wednesday and Thursday in your Diary completely filled out? Do they represent typical days for you (you don't seem to have many days logged)?
Because if you answer "yes" to both of those questions, then the answer is simple: you're binging because you are hungry.
If you truly want to break the habit, try the following:
1. Log everything, even the binges.
2. Log your hunger levels at night. After you've done this for a week or two, you can see how your calorie intake affects your hunger level more reliably.
3. Eat 1200 calories at a minimum and eat back your exercise calories. MFP is already set up at a deficit and expects you to eat back those calories.
4. Concentrate on foods with high protein, high fiber and healthy fat to fill you up and stay within your calorie allotment.
You said your trainer has a specific plan for you, but if it was working, you wouldn't be here asking for advice. Eat more and you will be in control of your diet instead of your hunger being in control.
I have 12 years on you and yet I'm eating 1800-1900 calories a day and losing weight.0 -
If it seems to happen every day, and at the same time of day, it might help to change things up during that time of day - where you are, what you're normally doing during that time, who you're usually with, especially if it requires your body and brain to focus on something other than food - like ride a bike, take a bath, go for a drive, take a walk, listen to a meditation tape, call someone. This helps me about 90% of the time.
I think this will really help. At night I just sit in front of the tv for hours. I need to change up my routine and keep busy. 0 -
last few days you have eaten between 500 and 800 calories.... your body wants and needs more food.... its not a binge... its your body trying to get nourishment!0
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i am not the one to suggest u eat nothing all day!!!!!!
i stand by what I said. You are not eating enough during the day so you binge at night as you said to the tune of 1000-4000 calories. 1200 is NOT enough especially since you appear not to eat back any exercise calories. This has nothing to do with improving your self-control! I stopped bingeing when I learned to feed myself properly and I lost the weight and I'm not feeling like *kitten* anymore from bingeing.No, you're not a Binge eater. It's normal that your body wants to eat until you hit your calorie count for the day. If you have a large deficit, it's most likely the cause with the combination of nibbling on 200-300 calorie foods a day. Your body naturally wants to eat until it's full when you first start eating in the morning because your stomach doesn't have a built in calculator. Your stomach literally does not know how to divide your calories throughout the day. Tricks that a lot of fitness pros use is drinking 2 full glasses of water before each meal to trick your stomach into thinking that it's full, but I hate using that trick because you just pee it out 2 hours later and become hungry again. If you like spending all day in the bathroom, by all means drink drink and DRINK! There is something else you can do that is more natural. Skip breakfast, lunch, and only eat dinner. That way you won't be hungry every 3 hours. Count your calories just for dinner and you should be fine.
I'm not talking about eating until I'm full. I'm talking about 1,000-4,000 calorie binges until I feel like I want to throw up. And then eat more. I think that probably counts as binging. Lol. Especially when done multiple times a week. Unfortunately, I cannot skip breakfast and lunch... I become light headed and dizzy after a few hours (and have no energy for my training sessions), but I think the water thing might do the trick. I don't mind being hungry after 2-3 hours, I'll need to eat again by then anyway. I'm trying to break the binging habit to help stabilize my metabolism, so I think the one meal a day thing would be counter productive for me. I appreciate your suggestion though, thank you.
Eat lots of veggies, especially filling ones like broccoli and cauliflower. Eat good proteins like chicken, fish, eggs, beans, nut butters and some beef. Eat some fruit. Eat some olive oil on those veggies! You started this thread to get some advise. What you are doing is obviously not working for you and yet you will continue doing what isn't working. Makes no sense to me.
1. I am vegan. I don't eat meat/animal products. 2. I am 5' tall and 113 lbs... I am still trying to cut fat and drop a few lbs so my calorie count is fine at 1200. I do eat my exercise calories back, even though I may not log them (sometimes if 'm only going to have another meal or two, I just keep a mental note)... I am lazy at night with the posting my food thing so my diary isn't very accurate. I eat Broccoli pretty much everyday. I drink protein shakes. I really do think that what I'm doing is working fine, I was just trying to get some help to get past the cravings/bad habits while my body adjusts. I promise I eat enough, I'm not starving. If I'm truly hungry, I eat. Most of the time, when I binge, I'm not even that hungry. Just bored and it's a habit. I really appreciate your advice, but I'm going to stick with what I'm doing for now. I'm happy with my weight loss/ body fat loss pace, just trying to re-train my brain. Also, you told me that I'm not eating enough during the day but then suggested that I eat NOTHING all day... I don't understand how that is supposed to help.
I didn't realize u were a vegan and I can only go by what you log.
I hope you find a way to get your bingeing under control.0 -
I am the same way. I started my journey a few months ago. I have/had a bad relationship with food. I need that stuffed feeling to be happy. Sometimes my craving are so strong it's a battle to not pull into the fast food driveway. I am happy to say that 95% of the time I am successful. So, I try not beat myself up over a few small oops. At least the stuff you "binge" on is not chicken wings etc. It's special K cereal or peppers.
I do weight watchers, so I eat an insane amount of fruit and veggies all day, because they are point free. That does help me to get that super full feeling. As I keep working towards a better relationship with food I am hoping to be okay with not feeling stuffed.
You're doing okay. One step at a time a time. Be kind and patient with yourself :flowerforyou:0 -
Are Wednesday and Thursday in your Diary completely filled out? Do they represent typical days for you (you don't seem to have many days logged)?
Because if you answer "yes" to both of those questions, then the answer is simple: you're binging because you are hungry.
If you truly want to break the habit, try the following:
1. Log everything, even the binges.
2. Log your hunger levels at night. After you've done this for a week or two, you can see how your calorie intake affects your hunger level more reliably.
3. Eat 1200 calories at a minimum and eat back your exercise calories. MFP is already set up at a deficit and expects you to eat back those calories.
4. Concentrate on foods with high protein, high fiber and healthy fat to fill you up and stay within your calorie allotment.
You said your trainer has a specific plan for you, but if it was working, you wouldn't be here asking for advice. Eat more and you will be in control of your diet instead of your hunger being in control.
I have 12 years on you and yet I'm eating 1800-1900 calories a day and losing weight.
I am bad about not finishing my food logs for the day.. they are not accurate. I eat my 1200 calories, then I eat back my exercise calories. If I am truly hungry, even after I've hit my calorie cap, I still eat. I promise I'm not starving, just a bad logger. Either I'm at work at night, or I'm just sick of being on the internet. I didn't post this because what I'm doing isn't working, it is. I binge when I'm bored. It's a very old habit, I've done it since childhood. It's a hard one to break and I didn't know if anyone else had some tips. If 1800 calories works for you and helps you lose weight, that is awesome! It doesn't work for me though.0 -
There is something else you can do that is more natural. Skip breakfast, lunch, and only eat dinner. That way you won't be hungry every 3 hours. Count your calories just for dinner and you should be fine.
[/quote]i am not the one to suggest u eat nothing all day!!!!!!
I didn't realize u were a vegan and I can only go by what you log.
I hope you find a way to get your bingeing under control.
[/quote]
??? You posted this. Haha. But thanks for your input anyway, I do appreciate you taking the time to respond.0 -
last few days you have eaten between 500 and 800 calories.... your body wants and needs more food.... its not a binge... its your body trying to get nourishment!
Maybe I should block my diary.. it is NOT accurate. I log most of my day but don't log a lot of my stuff at night, either because of work or laziness. I eat 1200 on days of rest, and when I exercise, I eat my calories back. I promise I'm not starving! Haha. Just trying to break an old habit.0 -
i am not the one to suggest u eat nothing all day!!!!!!There is something else you can do that is more natural. Skip breakfast, lunch, and only eat dinner. That way you won't be hungry every 3 hours. Count your calories just for dinner and you should be fine.
I didn't realize u were a vegan and I can only go by what you log.
I hope you find a way to get your bingeing under control.
[/quote]
??? You posted this. Haha. But thanks for your input anyway, I do appreciate you taking the time to respond.
I will say it it one more time. LOOK BACK!!!! I did not post that message!!!!
I think you may need some professional help with your bingeing among your other issues.
[/quote]0 -
AbsoluteNG posted not to eat until dinner! And I DON'T enjoy having quotes attributed to me that I HAVEN'T posted!!!!
Have a nice life0 -
In that case, I still recommend logging your nightly binge/snacking calories. It's amazing how accountability can force change.
And, I have certainly been in the "I can't eat that much and lose" camp before. I started in January at 1300 (did WW countless times at 1200), and slowly I've been upping it and still losing. It's not rapid weight loss, but it's still coming off, and I feel so much more in control at a higher calorie intake. Anyway, I know you didn't ask about that specifically, but just thought I'd share. ;-)0 -
i am not the one to suggest u eat nothing all day!!!!!!There is something else you can do that is more natural. Skip breakfast, lunch, and only eat dinner. That way you won't be hungry every 3 hours. Count your calories just for dinner and you should be fine.
I didn't realize u were a vegan and I can only go by what you log.
I hope you find a way to get your bingeing under control.
??? You posted this. Haha. But thanks for your input anyway, I do appreciate you taking the time to respond.
I will say it it one more time. LOOK BACK!!!! I did not post that message!!!!
I think you may need some professional help with your bingeing among your other issues.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Whooooaaaa, I'm really sorry. I got a little mixed up.... this is the first time I've ever posted in the forum, or any forum, so I got a little confused. I thought you were the one that suggested that, but I see now that you are not. I do apologize.0 -
Apology accepted, no hard feelings.0
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Eeeep. My intentions were not to argue or bicker in this thing, maybe I should have provided more information from the beginning. I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond, and all of the advice you've given.0
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Hi - was looking over your posts and had a few thoughts....
I went to another site to get a calculation on how many calories you should be eating.
Info I entered was 5' tall, 27 year old female, at 113 pounds.
Got two numbers...
Sedentary activity level 1562 calories
Moderate activity level 2018 calories
Your diary is closed - but you said you didn't log well anyway, so it wouldn't be accurate.
What I think I'd do is this....
Get a notebook and jot down an outline for a daily menu, fitting your eating style....you say you eat several small meals a day...so plan out a day that would meet your daily caloric total. I can't offer any suggestions in that regard as you are vegan and I'm really not familiar with what types of food you would eat for protein.
Analyze your night-time eating....If you're eating because you're hungry, try to figure out ways to bulk-up your evening meal(s).. maybe by adding vegetables - I make pasta and mix in my protein, and add peppers, mushrooms,and tomatoes--that will give me a two-plate meal, and I feel stuffed. Some people will have a cup of soup ahead of time, and others drink tea or water.
If you eat out of boredom, either get on the computer and read, or get some puzzle books, or go for a walk, read a book, etc.
I'd also journal--I'm always writing in my notebook - venting about work, relationships, budget, etc. Makes me feel better.
Changing our eating habits takes real commitment; it's not an easy task. I've been doing a lot of reading - I'm always checking out the forums for info and I've read a few books - about eating styles such as Intuitive Eating, Fasting, Low-Carb, etc. Trying to get info/ideas.
Hope you can get a handle on things and find the answer as to what works best for you. Good luck!
Mary0 -
Struggling with binges0
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