Need some help with the binge!!!!!

hdheicf
hdheicf Posts: 6 Member
I started this low carb diet since the end of last year. I lost quite a significant amount of weight and i wasnt craving food. I felt like i was in control. I worked out regularly. In fact, i pushed myself really hard, working out at least an hour everyday. But since the start of this year, i decided that i would eat clean 6 days a week and have a cheat day on Sundays.but this did not work out. The first week, i binged huge amounts on my cheat day, until i felt like puking. Subsequent weeks, i would be obsessed with counting down to the cheat day and my mind was almost totally just occupied with food. Then i started allowing two cheat days, then it became three and so on. This week, i couldnt control myself at all. I binged continuously for 6 days. And i gained 11 pounds in total. Feeling really disappointed and horrible. Told myself i would stop this binge and continue my exercise routine but these 6 days of excessive sugar junk made me feel like i had no energy to do anything at all. What can i do to stop the binge and eat normally and not feel so horrible!! Also, how long would it take for me to shed off these pounds that i put on during these 6 days of binging!!!

Replies

  • kge0891
    kge0891 Posts: 276 Member
    I know how this feels.

    Since you spoke of low carb diets, and clean eating, I feel you may be restricting yourself too much. For me, my bingeing began after several months of restrictive (and what I thought was successful) dieting. But of course I gained it all back and felt out of control.

    I aim for 1800-2000 calories total a day (I don't eat back exercise). This gives me SLOW weight loss, which I now realize is the only successful weight loss I will ever have (when I lose too quick, its because I am restricting too much, and then I binge and gain it back). More food daily makes me feel like I'm not deprived and I feel in control. This takes time and practice. Unfortunately, you can't conquer your BED overnight, but it is a start. It's a learning process. Try increasing your daily intake a bit, but be cautious. The first couple days/weeks of breaking the binge cycle will be the hardest. I hope this helps, message me if you want to talk more.

    Hope you find what works for you!
  • WillLift4Tats
    WillLift4Tats Posts: 1,699 Member
    ^^ This.

    Also, I think one of the biggest pitfalls is trying to be perfect, then panicking when you can't live up to that perfection and having that "F*** it" moment. Don't over-restrict food or over-exercise thinking you can do that forever. Take it one day, even one meal, one workout at a time. It's so tempting to just jump back in gung-ho so you can "shed off" those binge pounds, but unfortunately, that only leads into the vicious cycle. Trust me, I know. It NEVER ends how you want it to.

    Eat to a smaller deficit. Eat good, filling, and yummy! foods. Work out for fitness, endorphins and sexy muscles!, not for punishment. Be good to yourself. And when you have a slip-up, forgive yourself and move on :).
  • escapepod
    escapepod Posts: 68 Member
    I know lots of people find it works for them, but I wouldn't be able to successfully manage "cheat" days myself. I'm too sensitive to certain foods, and they'll pull me back into a cycle of binging. It takes me a good 5 days to get the sugar out of my system and start to feel sane about food, so if I was eating that stuff once a week or more, I'd never reach an even keel, I'd always be cycling through sugar detox. My life is MUCH easier if I eliminate sugar. The binging stops, and I don't spend all day thinking about what I can eat next, or planning what I'm going to munch on when I get home. Like you, when I'm binging I'm depressed and have no energy for exercise, which makes things even worse.
    I still enjoy sweets, but I use sugar substitutes and non-flour grains like almond meal, which helps me avoid the blood sugar spikes. I've found substitutes for nearly all my old favorite foods, and I'm much happier these days.
  • hdheicf
    hdheicf Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for the advice! I really hope i could get back to eating normally again soon... I told myself that i will start fresh today but thr moment i got to school and saw those donuts, the binge came back again.... How can i stop myself from being tempted by all these junks