How do you avoid a binge????

I struggle with this too. I usually do well at breakfast and lunch - allowing about 500 calories for each meal, trying to incorporate protein, fiber and a little fat so I don't get hungry right away. Still, come dinner I'm usually really hungry, and it's easy to overdo, especially if I've done any resistance training that day, or pushed hard on my workout. I do allow myself to eat back calories spent during my workouts, but I sometimes still think I'm 'hungry' after all my alloted calories are spent. For me, anyway, I think it may not be real hunger - more that my 'full button' is desensitized. Distraction , (like knitting or going for a walk), doesn't always make it go away completely, but it helps me get through it.

Eat "healthy" (whatever that means to you) 80% of the time. Fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to bingeing.

Set a healthy, realistic, sustainable weight loss goal. (With 24 lb. to go, anything higher than 1 lb. per week is way too aggressive a goal.)

Identify any "trigger" foods, and don't keep large amounts of them at home.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I don't.

The last few nights I've been eating Reese's pieces pastel eggs! They are like these giant sized reese's pieces and are amazing. The serving size is 12 pieces and I try to limit myself to that amount, otherwise I would go over my calorie, carb, and sugar allotment for the day. Not that this is advice that really helps you with your question, but even though I've been pretty diligent in the last month or so, I still get tempted and struggle to control my own urges to binge eat.

Anyway, doesn't it always seem like the cravings come at night? What is that about? I've found that drinking Sleepytime Vanilla tea helps keep the binge tendencies at bay. It has some sweetness to it, so if I lie to myself enough, I can convince myself I'm having a treat! Also, the longer I eat healthier and the more I lose weight, the less I find myself wanting to eat junk food. Hang in there the first few weeks and it'll get better, I promise!

I had a bad binge day not too long ago. I am trying to figure out what my triggers are. How do I feel when I want to pig out? Bored? Stressed? Anxious? Am I really even hungry?

I am learning that how I'm feeling has a lot to do with how much I eat. If I'm stressed, worried or depressed, or even lonely, I want comfort and food equals comfort.

So when those cookies look especially tempting, I try to take account of how I'm feeling and whether there's another way other than breaking my diet that I can deal with it. A hot lavender scented bath. A phone call to my mom. Yoga. A walk with my dog. These are some of the things that are working for me. I also love to surf these forums (and others). Read success stories here, they make you feel good and give you inspiration.

Coming from a notorious former binge eater, whenever I feel an insatiable craving coming on these are some strategies that I have found helpful for me so far:

1.) Recognize why I want to binge. Am I procrastinating something? Bored? Anxious?

2.) Address whatever problem I'm avoiding, and recognize that eating won't solve anything. Eating will not make my paper write itself. It won't make my life more interesting, only fill it with even more negative feelings such as disappointment and regret. It won't "solve" my relationship problems, etc. Change whatever needs to be changed. Eating isn't helping you. Are you mad at someone? Who are you hurting by eating? You, or them? Talking is key. When you can't talk, jog. Find something else to do, ANYTHING else. Distracting yourself from the thought of food is helpful, but solving the issue is more efficient.

3.) INDULGE. If the above suggestion still isn't helping, and you simple CANNOT stop thinking about food, EAT. Are you maybe not eating enough? Starving yourself will naturally make you crave food, you know. Are you still eating enough, and will overeating only hinder your efforts of weight loss or maintenance? Then seek out lower calorie options that will satisfy your craving and fill you up. Diet hot cocoa and unsweetened almond milk was my best friend for a long time (20-25 calories per pack, and 30 calories per cup of milk). However, with it getting warmer out I can feel my ice cream cravings kicking in. For this, I seek out Arctic Zero's 150 calorie Cookies & Cream Frozen Dessert Pints. Honestly, that thing will fill you up, and is wonderful for allowing you to eat the entire thing without hating yourself. It also fills you due to so much fiber as well, so don't worry about still being hungry. If you have more calories than that, though, So Delicious has a No Sugar Added Coconut Milk Ice Cream line which I am addicted to (especially the vanilla!). 400 Calories for the entire pint isn't too bad, or you could be good and measure out a 1/2 cup portion for 100 calories, as it suggests for those with more discipline.
You may not like either of the above options I listed, but that's a whole part of this journey. Finding options that work for you, and narrowing down the ones that don't. Once you find something though, it gets a lot easier!

But you have to remember, everyone is different. What works for me, may not work for you, and vice versa. Overcoming a binge can be done though, and you can do it! Even if you start slipping and find yourself in the middle of one, you don't have to finish it. I know it's hard. Once you're already binging, it's way too easy to get into the mindset of "oh well, I may as well finish, nothing I can do now." That is the FIRST thing you need to change! Putting down that last cookie DOES make a difference! You can save yourself some serious calories just by forcing yourself to leave a binge.

Not sure what is meant by "binge" here.
If you are really struggling with food, maybe just set your calories to maintenance and eat that amount. Try to get in a little extra exercise. On days when you feel strong, eat at a deficit. Then at least you will be stabilizing your eating habits/drives.

I plan my day, and log my food in the morning before breakfast, with my morning coffee.
That way, I know exactly where I am.

I can change things throughout the day, but I know that if I add something, I have to take something else away.

Here is one of my blog posts. Not sure if it will help, but I am a fully recovered binge eater and no longer struggle with food at all.



Human nature is to avoid pain and seek pleasure. When we restrict food and become hungry....it doesn't feel good. By nature....we then move towards pleasure. This is where the binge comes in. The binge becomes our body's natural solution to this painful, joy-less restricting of food.

To overcome binge eating....we must not bring ourself to a place of pain such as restricting food. When hungry.....EAT! Just stop eating when no longer hungry and do not fill emotional hungers with food.

Restriction = bingeing. Eat what you truly desire, stop eating when you are no longer hungry, and you are well on your way to overcoming binge eating.

I managed to get over binging, I think I just got distracted with everything else like work or a hobby, I drank lots of different teas, added fibre and proteins to my diet and I just basically stopped obsessing over food. I know it's a real struggle and it doesn't go away in a week, but it is possible to fight it just be strong! I don't know if you're anything like me, when I used to start eating a lot early in the day, there was no chance I stopped no matter how hard I tried, but if that happens just get out of the house and go for a walk or visit a friend, anything not to be in that control-free zone. I really hope you do well

When you feel like gorging! Just get really naked and stand in front of the mirror with the treat you want to eat... Sounds silly Sure, but i bet it will work!

I don't have any advice to add, but I also really struggle with binge eating (not an extra piece of bread, like an extra 1000-2000 calories of junk food) and will be trying out this advice! Thank you!

By not over-restricting food groups. Allow yourself reasonable treats so you don't feel deprived.

My go to snack to stave off binge urges was cheese.

I love cheese.