binging and when to eat

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tartansheep
tartansheep Posts: 122 Member
in Food and Nutrition
so yesterday I ate double my calories and today I was about 500 over
(I've now eaten allll the binge food in my house haha)

but: I was wondering, if I know I;m going to binge

say I have 200g of chocolate, about 1100 calories. Is it better to eat it all in one day, or to try to save any of it for another day, and only have 500 extra calories on two days, rather than on one day? Does it make a difference?

Thanks
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Replies

  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Well, it's obviously making a difference to you. Being over 2 days in a row is setting yourself up. The most important lesson I have learned is how to moderate what I eat. My husband is not overweight and I'm not going to force him to give up the foods he likes. The only thing I could do was start weighing/measuring all my food. I eat all the foods I love but stay within my calories for the day.

    The risk in just eating it all at once is that you are not training your brain to accept a smaller portion. Work on doing that for a few weeks. You're not going to be perfect, but every day that you are able to just have 2 cookies or 2 squares of chocolate or a handful of chips - is a victory. Keep at it and pretty soon you will get the binging under control.

    Good luck.
  • tartansheep
    tartansheep Posts: 122 Member
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    thank you ~!! need to work on that (and stop buying cheap chocolate)

    see the thing is that today and yesterday I probably had not far off 2000 extra calories? which is almost a pound

    but as far as weight gain is concerned: would i gain more eating 200g choc in one day, or more if i ate it over the week?

    if its calories in vs calories out is that per day or is it weekly?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    say I have 200g of chocolate, about 1100 calories.

    Seems to me the first step is understanding that that's a **** load of chocolate.

    Once that is well and truly understood, the choice becomes clear.
  • tartansheep
    tartansheep Posts: 122 Member
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    say I have 200g of chocolate, about 1100 calories.

    Seems to me the first step is understanding that that's a **** load of chocolate.

    Once that is well and truly understood, the choice becomes clear.

    yeah, bought it for cooking -- forgot to eat lunch and didnt have time for dinner so had most of my calories from that which is HORRIFIC oh god i mean ive not finished it bc i feel sick but i didnt get round to food shopping the other day either, apart from soya milk which im apparently allergic to :(
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,082 Member
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    thank you ~!! need to work on that (and stop buying cheap chocolate)

    see the thing is that today and yesterday I probably had not far off 2000 extra calories? which is almost a pound

    but as far as weight gain is concerned: would i gain more eating 200g choc in one day, or more if i ate it over the week?

    if its calories in vs calories out is that per day or is it weekly?

    A calorie SURPLUS (going over) will result in weight gain, whether it is 2000 calories in one day, or spread out over three days.
  • tartansheep
    tartansheep Posts: 122 Member
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    thank you ~!! need to work on that (and stop buying cheap chocolate)

    see the thing is that today and yesterday I probably had not far off 2000 extra calories? which is almost a pound

    but as far as weight gain is concerned: would i gain more eating 200g choc in one day, or more if i ate it over the week?

    if its calories in vs calories out is that per day or is it weekly?

    A calorie SURPLUS (going over) will result in weight gain, whether it is 2000 calories in one day, or spread out over three days.

    :( okay thank you. need to stop buying rubbish! any hints to stop myself? its just when its so cheap ? i'm useless i wil l be fat forever
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    i don't think planning for a "binge" is going to lead to long term healthy eating…

    It sounds like you may need some kind of help, as you have a strange relationship with food...
  • Frittycat
    Frittycat Posts: 51 Member
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    I binged and ate around 4,000 calories yesterday. I tend to just eat everything in one go rather than moderate, which doesn't work for me. It is easier for me not to have it in the house altogether. I am getting back on track this week. I've been very stressed in trying to find work, which has lead me back to unhealthy eating patterns. I know not to use food as a reward or for emotion, and stopped doing that for many years. It is crazy how easy it is to slip back into bad habits.
  • tartansheep
    tartansheep Posts: 122 Member
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    i don't think planning for a "binge" is going to lead to long term healthy eating…

    It sounds like you may need some kind of help, as you have a strange relationship with food...

    it's not planning, it's more - buying the food for other things, and then caving in and eating
    I am always on my feet so I tend to exist on rubbish, which is why I'm here in the frist place hahaha -- but my boyfriend wanted to make brownies and I bought the chocolate and then he said he'd got some so I Just... ate it.. UGH I have no willpower
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    I would say to start focussing on hitting some macros rather than just calories.

    If you require a minimum amount of protein then you sure as hell aren't going to be getting that from chocolate. Plus protein is more filling and less likely to overconsume. Aim for 5 servings of veggies a day.

    If you have no willpower with junk foods then don't buy them. If you don't know how to eat in moderation with them then it is setting yourself up for failure by buying them. This is basically a trigger food it seems.

    I'm all for flexible dieting but if you can't control the amount then it is impossible. My own trigger food is cashew nuts, so I just don't buy them. Pretty simple :smile:
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    You have to get yourself mentally ready. Take some time and think about the reasons you want to lose weight, even write them down and keep them somewhere you will see it on a regular basis (like the fridge, lol).

    If you have the mindset that you're depriving yourself, rather than trying to IMPROVE yourself, your attitude towards any 'healthy' vs. 'unhealthy' choices are going to feel like you're never giving yourself any leeway.

    Wake up everyday and tell yourself you're going to make good choices. Chocolate can be a good choice, in moderation. You CAN have it everyday, honest! Just not loads of it.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    i don't think planning for a "binge" is going to lead to long term healthy eating…

    It sounds like you may need some kind of help, as you have a strange relationship with food...

    it's not planning, it's more - buying the food for other things, and then caving in and eating
    I am always on my feet so I tend to exist on rubbish, which is why I'm here in the frist place hahaha -- but my boyfriend wanted to make brownies and I bought the chocolate and then he said he'd got some so I Just... ate it.. UGH I have no willpower

    then I would go with what chris said and don't keep trigger foods in your house..then you can't binge on them….
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    i don't think planning for a "binge" is going to lead to long term healthy eating…

    It sounds like you may need some kind of help, as you have a strange relationship with food...

    it's not planning, it's more - buying the food for other things, and then caving in and eating
    I am always on my feet so I tend to exist on rubbish, which is why I'm here in the frist place hahaha -- but my boyfriend wanted to make brownies and I bought the chocolate and then he said he'd got some so I Just... ate it.. UGH I have no willpower

    It's not so much about will power as it is learning to eat in moderation. It's a learned skill for most people on MFP. Normal weight people do it all the time. They have learned how much they can eat to maintain their weight. I lost that skill along the way and began to believe that eating a bag of cookies one day and then starving myself the next was okay. It is NOT.

    Binging is more about emotional eating than about willpower or being hungry. Work through those issues and if you can't on your own, get help from your doctor.
  • mariskaS86
    mariskaS86 Posts: 17
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    I have a rule, where no matter how small or insignificant a snack might seem, it has to be weighed and placed in a bowl, and then I sit down and I eat my snack. Over eating is usually the result of "eating on the go" or "just grabbing a bite". Even if its "just" 2 squares of chocolate or "just" 20g of mixed nuts or "just" 1 biscuit allow yourself the time to enjoy it for what it is, cause if you don't, 2 squares of chocolate really just leaves you wanting more! Good luck!
  • tartansheep
    tartansheep Posts: 122 Member
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    I have a rule, where no matter how small or insignificant a snack might seem, it has to be weighed and placed in a bowl, and then I sit down and I eat my snack. Over eating is usually the result of "eating on the go" or "just grabbing a bite". Even if its "just" 2 squares of chocolate or "just" 20g of mixed nuts or "just" 1 biscuit allow yourself the time to enjoy it for what it is, cause if you don't, 2 squares of chocolate really just leaves you wanting more! Good luck!

    this sounds pretty good, thanks so much! gonna try it -- I only have about 15lb to go now (20lb down!!!) so not too much, but hit a plateau recently.. apparently a binge can sometimes get you pastthe plateau ?
  • katznkt
    katznkt Posts: 320 Member
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    It can. But I usually just take the cals to maintenance. Not past. And I usually do it for 3-4days and then go back into loss mode.

    But that is only if I'm stuck for a few weeks and 100% sure of my cal counting and not already binging.
  • blackberrymuffintop
    blackberrymuffintop Posts: 28
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    It's different for everyone, but for me i find it best to binge on sugary foods, and then make up the surplus with a deficit the following week, rather than eat a little bit every day. Whenever I eat sugar, I crave more sugar, so having a little every day is impossible -- I just wind up binging every day. If I can go a week or so without eating sugar, I no longer crave it. So when I decide to have something sweet, I'll eat a lot, like everything in the house, but then I won't have it again for several weeks. I know this probably isn't the healthiest option but it works for me
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    It's different for everyone, but for me i find it best to binge on sugary foods, and then make up the surplus with a deficit the following week, rather than eat a little bit every day. Whenever I eat sugar, I crave more sugar, so having a little every day is impossible -- I just wind up binging every day. If I can go a week or so without eating sugar, I no longer crave it. So when I decide to have something sweet, I'll eat a lot, like everything in the house, but then I won't have it again for several weeks. I know this probably isn't the healthiest option but it works for me

    That's exactly me the above!!
  • MissBabyJane
    MissBabyJane Posts: 538 Member
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    Just don't buy it. Buy some fruits instead.
  • SilverRose89
    SilverRose89 Posts: 447 Member
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    then I would go with what chris said and don't keep trigger foods in your house..then you can't binge on them….

    This. I am a horrific binge eater. With some things I just cannot do moderation. The only answer for me is to simply not have them in my flat and then it's ok. I am jealous of people who can have one cookie or square or chocolate and put the rest back for another day but unfortunately that just seems to be not how my brain works right now.

    Maybe, when I get into the habit of healthy eating long term, staying under my allowance and seeing proper results, then I will be able to be one of those people but for now my best option is just not giving myself the option.

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