Stopping binges once and for all...

aliceclutz90
aliceclutz90 Posts: 151 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I know bingeing is quite a popular topic on here but I really need to find a way to stop them,

Basically, I eat "well", "properly" whatever, all week, generally all the way up to Saturday afternoon when I normally allow myself a "treat" meal... Only it is never just one meal, it's like once I start I can't stop, it's wine, and eating until I feel sick. I don't understand why I keep doing this and I wonder if anybody has succesfully "broken the cycle" and has any tips?

I wonder if maybe incorporating treats into my calories each day may make me feel less "deprived" come the weekend and less likely to binge. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 639 Member
    My advice is to go to the gym on Saturday or a long bike ride, burn 1000 calories, then you can enjoy your binge.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You only stop binges by stopping binges. There's no secret to it. Quit doing cheat meals, incorporate things you like into your daily budget and stick with it. There's no reason to be good all week then blow it off the rails on the weekend. You only cheat yourself, no one else cares if you blow it.
  • Allterrain_Lady
    Allterrain_Lady Posts: 421 Member
    I never have a treat meal, EVER. Nor do I have a cheat day.
    I keep a few calories almost every day for something sweet that I really like (most of the time, chocolate).
    Sometimes it's up to 300 calories of chocolate.

    I never feel deprived and it's easy to tell myself: "I'm done for today, calorie wise, but I can have it tomorrow. First thing in the morning if I want". If it's not forbidden, it's easy to fit it into your daily/weekly allowance.

    Hope it helps!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    If you'd open your diary we could offer better advice. What does "eat properly" mean?

    And yes, afford yourself a treat each day, or eliminate them altogether (if it's not working for you).
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    if you find it that hard to control on the weekends, I suspect you're undereating during the week. What's your calorie target?
  • SilentMelody
    SilentMelody Posts: 57 Member
    if you have a problem, portion out your "cheat meal" and then only eat that or try not to keep those kinds of bad things in your house and you won't be tempted. If your problem is sweets or chocolate find a good alternative, I keep all natural fruit snacks or brookstones dark chocolate covered pomegranate for those moments, ice cream: a 120 calorie swiss miss fudge bar is there to save my day, if you want something salty and crunchy some edamame is great whether steamed in the pod or baked out it. Just have to find whatever is going to work for you and figure out how you can best control yourself. If you have no self control, then get rid of what makes you lose it.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    I wonder if maybe incorporating treats into my calories each day may make me feel less "deprived" come the weekend and less likely to binge. Any thoughts?

    Try it. Depriving yourself rarely helps. Cut down, not out, as my profile suggests!

    Bingeing is always psychological, though. Work out the underlying reason. Why do you overeat on Saturday afternoons? Only you really know the answer to that one.
  • Wendysworld13
    Wendysworld13 Posts: 225 Member
    Sounds so familiar it is almost scary. For me it is a compulsive eating disorder - once I stray off my beaten path then I am like a boulder rolling downhill. I would say that until you can totally control it, give it up. Because most diets don't work, my suggestion is a lifestyle change rather than a diet. For me, my change was to start eating breakfast and a reasonable lunch so I wasn't starving at dinner time. I also allow myself one to two pieces of chocolate a day. Deprivation makes me crave and craving makes my crash and burn so why go there. I had to learn to be moderate!

    Good Luck
  • SchroederNJ
    SchroederNJ Posts: 189 Member
    have a cheat meal but don't go overboard --- eat something you might normally not eat but don't overdo it to the point you feel sick
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    Easier said than done for some people.

    have a cheat meal but don't go overboard --- eat something you might normally not eat but don't overdo it to the point you feel sick
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    if you find it that hard to control on the weekends, I suspect you're undereating during the week. What's your calorie target?
    This was my thought as well.
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    Be sure you don't overstrict during the week or over exercise. Since I started eating more, and limiting my workouts a bit, I haven't had a problem with binging anymore.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    I never have a treat meal, EVER. Nor do I have a cheat day.
    I keep a few calories almost every day for something sweet that I really like (most of the time, chocolate).
    Sometimes it's up to 300 calories of chocolate.

    I never feel deprived and it's easy to tell myself: "I'm done for today, calorie wise, but I can have it tomorrow. First thing in the morning if I want". If it's not forbidden, it's easy to fit it into your daily/weekly allowance.

    Hope it helps!

    THIIIIIIS...I have treats nearly everyday. If I know we're going out for dinner or I REALLY REALLY want that fried ice cream for dessert, I work for it by doing extra exercise or limiting calories for the rest of the day. If I denied myself, I'd not last a week.
  • aliceclutz90
    aliceclutz90 Posts: 151 Member
    Thank you everyone! I will open my diary!

    I set myself a 1800 calorie target (for maintenance as I got to the BF% I wanted, but now unsurprisingly I've put a couple of percent back on) - but I very rarely eat this. I normally eat 1400 at the most and then exercise on top. I think I am going to try incorporating the smaller treats into my daily life, as I think I can afford to up the calories a little. Hoping this will help me not to feel out of control at the weekend! It feels weird to say that I may undereat during the week as I've always thought of myself as quite a greedy person, but I think maybe it's true! I'll open my diary anyway, see what you guys think. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Allow yourself treats within your calories... but one a day. And stop the cheat meals, if it's what's causing you to binge (and I can totally see why, I had a cheat entree last week and ended up getting dessert too. Slippery slope).
  • aliceclutz90
    aliceclutz90 Posts: 151 Member
    Thanks, yeah its a shame you can't just enjoy what you planned to enjoy and not go overboard. I am going to try upping my calories slightly each day to allow a daily treat, see if that works :)

    Thanks all
  • LoisHendrikse
    LoisHendrikse Posts: 8 Member
    Have your cheatmeal really late at night and sleep right after,
  • drop_it_like_a_squat
    drop_it_like_a_squat Posts: 377 Member
    You only stop binges by stopping binges. There's no secret to it. Quit doing cheat meals, incorporate things you like into your daily budget and stick with it. There's no reason to be good all week then blow it off the rails on the weekend. You only cheat yourself, no one else cares if you blow it.

    ^ Works perfectly fine for me.
  • tiffanydavey
    tiffanydavey Posts: 8 Member
    Just offering support. I have the same problems. Mine stems from watching other family members eating goodies that I have put on my no no list. Really hard to watch your kids enjoy an event and your not "partaking". There are some treats in my cycle, but years of food abuse has left me prone to binges. Feel your pain over here!
  • aliceclutz90
    aliceclutz90 Posts: 151 Member
    Just offering support. I have the same problems. Mine stems from watching other family members eating goodies that I have put on my no no list. Really hard to watch your kids enjoy an event and your not "partaking". There are some treats in my cycle, but years of food abuse has left me prone to binges. Feel your pain over here!

    Thanks Tiffany, it's comforting to know I am not alone. Feel completely helpless sometimes, but really want to beat this so I am going to try what others have suggested and stop building it all up to the weekend which seems to result in all out binges! Fingers crossed.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    I know a lot of folks say there is no science behind eating every few hours as opposed to whenever you're hungry or whatever, but in MY experience, I have not had a single craving or inclining to binge since I started to regulate my eating habits. I eat every three hours for a total of 6 meals a day. I drink 24oz of water in between each meal, in addition to a morning coffee, an afternoon tea, and whatever other non-caloric beverage I might want to enjoy after I've finished my water intake between the meals. I set aside one day a week where I allow myself leniency, but I don't take it to the extreme. My 'big cheat' last week was a burrito bowl from Chipotle, although I spread that out over 3 'meals' because it was simply too much to even want to attempt to ingest at one time. Along with that, I also had a few home made cookies and some wine that evening.

    In previous times, that Chipotle would have been scarfed down in one sitting, leading to a stuffed belly and the desire to gorge later in the day. Even without the Chipotle, the mere action of eating a couple cookies would have resulted in chogging half the batch.

    It just seems that by regulating my meal times to include roughly the same calories & macros at each meal, my body is on a more even keel, and the desire to overeat is gone, even in the face of goodies. It's worth trying, if nothing else. Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • CTcutie
    CTcutie Posts: 649 Member
    I only know what is working for me and that is to not do cheat meals/cheat days. I would be setting myself up for disaster. I stick to my calories, eat treats daily, and exercise. What motivated me is seeing consistent weekly losses. I had one bingey day in the last 3 months, and it was during a very emotional time and i limited the damage. Still lost during that week, actually.
  • ClaUuuUuu
    ClaUuuUuu Posts: 13 Member
    I do little steps... but mainly:

    -Avoid to all cost the triggering foods (refined carbs for me)

    -Recognize the feeling (for me is loneliness and bored) and what exactly is making me feel it.

    -What always always works is leave the house and meet friends... But that's a hard one cuz everybody is so busy.

    -Also convince your self you can stop.. Because you CAN... is not impossible.

    -If you are bingeing right now just enjoy it.... Tomorrow is a new day, and nothing really SOOOO terrible is happening.

    - Set short term goal... No more than 2-3 weeks.

    - will will will and more will...

    :)
  • krisflower19
    krisflower19 Posts: 17 Member
    I have that same exact problem except I work at an ice cream store on the week end so I can just constantly eat away. I found that having some sort of treat every day, little, is good. Like I brought a nut mix that had dark chocolate in it as my treat for the week. Makes it a bit easier to manage the weekend
  • aliceclutz90
    aliceclutz90 Posts: 151 Member
    Thank you! I have today for the first time during the week had a sweet treat after dinner which was 150 calories and I am not hungry and I feel that I have had something different and tasty today (not that the usual protein and veg, occasional porridge etc is not tasty but it's not a "treat" either). My calories came to a total of 1,406 and I exercised so I think this is still fine. Will try again tomorrow :) Happy to have a treat again come Saturday, and I'm hoping the daily changes will mean that this does not turn into a binge and is not a whole "treat meal".


    Thanks again for your support everybody, much appreciated
  • MyLuvMaya
    MyLuvMaya Posts: 23 Member
    I never have a treat meal, EVER. Nor do I have a cheat day.
    I keep a few calories almost every day for something sweet that I really like (most of the time, chocolate).
    Sometimes it's up to 300 calories of chocolate.

    I never feel deprived and it's easy to tell myself: "I'm done for today, calorie wise, but I can have it tomorrow. First thing in the morning if I want". If it's not forbidden, it's easy to fit it into your daily/weekly allowance.

    Hope it helps!

    THIIIIIIS...I have treats nearly everyday. If I know we're going out for dinner or I REALLY REALLY want that fried ice cream for dessert, I work for it by doing extra exercise or limiting calories for the rest of the day. If I denied myself, I'd not last a week.

    I agree 100 percent! I eat whatever I want in moderation so there is no need for cheat days.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Just offering support. I have the same problems. Mine stems from watching other family members eating goodies that I have put on my no no list. Really hard to watch your kids enjoy an event and your not "partaking". There are some treats in my cycle, but years of food abuse has left me prone to binges. Feel your pain over here!
    Not disagreeing, but I also watch kids playing hours of video games, and watching hours of tv. Sometimes being an adult is hard. you want to live to watch your kids enjoy events for the next 50 years. Enjoying is not limited to partaking. You know that. You can do it. (while making sure your kids develop healthy relationships with food).

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