1 Week of big binging - Any help?

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Lanea_read
Lanea_read Posts: 3
in Motivation and Support
I know I binged and at first I felt bad about it and decided to start a new day but my binge was really horrible. I probably ate 3000+ calories for a week and I think most of it was carbs and I am afraid to step on the scale. I just need some advice. What do you guys do after a serious binge? Do you fast? Do you cut out carbs for a couple of days? how long do you exercise the next day.

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  • Lanea_read
    Lanea_read Posts: 3
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    Bump
  • RichardFL
    RichardFL Posts: 44
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    I don't significantly cut back on calories I eat for the first day back to exercising. I find that just saps me of energy and leaves me unable to push as hard while exercising, so it's counterproductive for me. I do go heavy on protein the first day back, but I still have some carbs and fats at least 2 times during the day (out of 5 or 6 meals/snacks). And I make sure I drink tons of water since sodas and salty snacks during the binge leave me prone to dehydration. I usually exercise a little more, and try to push 45 minute workouts into an hour. I try to get an extra workout or two in during the week too, but usually not the first day.

    For the scale, it looks way worse the first day back to exercising than like 2 days later. No matter what happens, the main thing is to get back on track. Even if you don't look at the scale, you can still get back on track with exercising and eating right and logging your food and exercise. And tell your support system when you get back below your pre-binge weight. Setbacks are inevitable, and it's nice to hear when your friends overcome those bumps in the road. If you need support, add me and/or ask others on MFP.

    Good luck.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
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    I just get back on my healthy eating plan.

    If you fast or cut anything drastically, you're just setting yourself up for another binge cycle.

    One of the reasons that I've been successful is that I re-start my plan every Monday with a positive attitude and a determined spirit. Now that I'm in maintenance, I allow myself some treats and cheats on the weekend, and I'm not the best at logging on the weekends, but every Monday, I'm back to it 100%.

    One week is nothing in the big scheme of things. Just go back to whatever you were doing that worked for you to begin with.
  • dcc35
    dcc35 Posts: 1 Member
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    Just be gentle to yourself. All or nothing is the enemy of health (mental and physical)- and fasting just feeds back into that. (I actually think fasting is a great tool for resting your body/cleansing, but NOT losing weight). I like to keep my focus on what I plan to add- not take away. Add water, add veggies, add fruit, add some great workouts and you will be back on track before you know it.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    It happened. You can't change it, it's in the past.

    Move on and do better. I'm not going to tell you it's okay that you didn't exercise control in willpower, but you can only do better in the future so quit worrying about what you can't change.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    And then what do you do after your fast? Binge again?
    The best thing to do is Eat Normal. Every Day. If you f$ck up, even for a week, then you fix it by Eating Normal again starting ASAP. You never compensate shtty eating with more shtty eating. That is the cycle of the loser.

    Let's give some examples:
    Situation: You overate by 5000 calories one day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Situation: You underate by 1800 calories one day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Situation: You had the perfect day of eating and absolutely hit all your macros and felt great all day
    Next day: Eat Normal
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    And then what do you do after your fast? Binge again?
    The best thing to do is Eat Normal. Every Day. If you f$ck up, even for a week, then you fix it by Eating Normal again starting ASAP. You never compensate shtty eating with more shtty eating. That is the cycle of the loser.

    Let's give some examples:
    Situation: You overate by 5000 calories one day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Situation: You underate by 1800 calories one day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Situation: You had the perfect day of eating and absolutely hit all your macros and felt great all day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Great post. I agree 100%.
  • katorihanzo
    katorihanzo Posts: 234 Member
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    I feel ya, I binged hard over the last 4 days. It was a long weekend, I was staying at my boyfriends place so I had no regular groceries and there were Natal Day celebrations - but those are just excuses, I could have done better.

    Anyway, the MOST important thing, more important than anything else, is to remember: that was then, this is now. Don't ever let your past mistakes dictate how you live today. Get back on track, eat your calorie goals, keep exercising, don't try to cut extra calories this week. Just eat at your regular deficit and look to the future.

    My other two pieces of advice: drink way more water than normal, and don't weigh yourself for a week or so. If you have been binging like I know I do, I ate way, way more salt than I ever normally would. If I were to step on the scale right now, I know some of that weight would be gained back from my binge, but I also know a lot of it would be water weight from the excess sodium. If you drink a ton of water, and stop eating the excess salt, your body should stop retaining that water. I find this is the easiest way to get back on track scale-wise.

    For the next week, I will eat at my goal, drink 8 - 9 glasses of water a day, and I won't weight myself until Saturday morning. There is no need to weigh yourself right away.

    Good luck, stay strong!
  • callas444
    callas444 Posts: 261 Member
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    Make sure once you get on track that you are honest with yourself about why you had a binge week. Binge eating is more psychological than physical. There is a reason it got out of hand and you need to make sure to figure it out so it doesn't happen more times. Remember that a splurge does not need to turn into a binge. A binge doesn't need to turn into a day of binging. And a bad day does not need to turn into a week. Find out why it did. Forgive yourself for what you did but do not forget it. We must learn from those mistakes in order to be successful in our weight loss/ healthy eating plans. (I am a binge eater myself who has not binged for 2 months now. You can change!)
  • downsizinghoss
    downsizinghoss Posts: 1,035 Member
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    A one week binge won't ruin you any more than one week of "being good" would make everything better.

    Just stick to the plan. If you mess up, come right back. If more weeks are good than bad, you win.
  • shutupandlift13
    shutupandlift13 Posts: 727 Member
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    You establish normalcy and stop the binge/fast cycle.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    And then what do you do after your fast? Binge again?
    The best thing to do is Eat Normal. Every Day. If you f$ck up, even for a week, then you fix it by Eating Normal again starting ASAP. You never compensate shtty eating with more shtty eating. That is the cycle of the loser.

    Let's give some examples:
    Situation: You overate by 5000 calories one day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Situation: You underate by 1800 calories one day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Situation: You had the perfect day of eating and absolutely hit all your macros and felt great all day
    Next day: Eat Normal

    Great post. I agree 100%.

    As brutally honest as it is, this.
  • redladywitch
    redladywitch Posts: 799 Member
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    Just eat normal. Don't worry about it.
  • Chickychick18
    Chickychick18 Posts: 16
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    It happened. You can't change it, it's in the past.

    Move on and do better. I'm not going to tell you it's okay that you didn't exercise control in willpower, but you can only do better in the future so quit worrying about what you can't change.
  • dbrightwell1270
    dbrightwell1270 Posts: 1,732 Member
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    Some times I avoid the scale and pretend everything is fine. While I'm in this denial phase, I usually keep binging intermittently and know that I am postponing facing up to it, holding myself accountable and getting back on track. Once I face the scale, I am no longer beating myself up. I am just assessing the "damages" and acknowledging that it is going to take longer to reach my goal than it otherwise would have. I don't "punish" myself by eating less or exercisng more as I see this as being sort of like bulimia. That is, exercise to compensate is sort of like a purge. My ultimate goal is to lose weight for health and functionality reasons. There is a bit of vanity to it but not much. When I reach goal, I still fully expect to have days where I hangout with friends, over eat and drink excessively. Any binges now are just practice for what to do when I reach my goal weight.

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