Binging - daily

nikkiparker25
nikkiparker25 Posts: 1
in Motivation and Support
Hi all,

I'm new here so please be nice!

A bit about me - I've lost 99lb in just over a year. In that time I've gone from being married and trying for a baby to divorced and in a new relationship... I've kept up the weight loss throughout. I started at 17st 7lb.

I lost weight by cutting out junk food (i was a big takeaway junkie) and now I cook proper meals. I go to the gym 6-7 times a week. I'm a stone away from my goal of 9st 7lb.

I haven't used a diet plan (WW, slimming world) i've lost 40% of my starting body weight all by myself. Now i'm facing a couple of big challenges and i'm struggling -

I'm just starting the process of quitting smoking, weight gain is a huge concern.

The second - and topic of this post - binge eating:

For a while i completely cut out chocolate etc, wouldn't eat the work treats. Now if there is something nice around (cakes, chocolate, jelly sweets are my weakness) i can't just have a little, i go totally overboard and end up on 2500 against a 1200kcal goal.

Sometimes it starts out as genuine hunger, but once i start i cannot stop. This is the last couple of months, not every day but the risk is always there. Its like now i'm so close to my goal (and getting lots of compliments/positive feedback) my focus and drive have deserted me and something in my brain is saying it's ok to treat myself - because everyone else thinks i'm slim now. But i know my goal, i'm not there yet and i'm not happy with my body, yet.

Ii just don't know how to get back my focus and stop myself from these binges. Any advice would be so welcome.

Thank you :)

Replies

  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
    Since you know that those foods are trigger foods for you (they make you want to binge), since you can't have just a little, you'll have to skip them entirely. Unfortunately, that really sucks, but that's just how it goes for some foods.

    You know how to cook, which is good, so why not make your own low calorie treats? This website has some nice options: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/healthy-recipes/ and this one does too http://www.skinnymom.com/2014/01/27/skinny-mini-red-velvet-cupcakes/ (those cupcakes are actually pretty good!)
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    Perhaps 1200 is too low a daily goal for you.
    Do you eat back exercise calories. Perhaps you should either eat back some exercise calories or slowly up your daily calorie goal.
    You will still lose if you eat more than 1200.
    I have completely eliminated bingeing by eating enough food and having a good nutrient balance.
  • pipertargaryen
    pipertargaryen Posts: 303 Member
    I'm on day 88 smoke-free and I've been consistently losing weight the entire time. I know weight gain is a massive concern for a lot of people when quitting, but I promise you - you will not gain weight if you don't allow yourself to. Though, at the end of the day, even if you did gain a teeny-tiny bit, the health benefits of quitting smoking are SO worth it.
    But again, a gain is absolutely not a guarantee. Congrats to you for making the decision to quit :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

    I can't offer any advice re: the bingeing because I've been lucky in that my 'binges' seem to involve me eating like 1700 calories total instead of 1300.
  • go2grrl
    go2grrl Posts: 190 Member
    If you're binging I'm guessing that 1200 is merely a suggestion and not what you're actually eating. And that number seems incredibly low for someone who is exercising 6-7 times per week as you state. Try creating a spreadsheet and seeing what your average intake has been for the last couple of months and make a very modest cut and shoot for that as a daily total. And if you're only a stone overweight, it will be that much harder to lose weight no matter how low you cut cals. Try to eat a bit more and not knock yourself out with exercise. Your body just might thank you!
  • Happyirisheyes
    Happyirisheyes Posts: 121 Member
    I agree with the others, maybe up your calorie intake by a little. I think you've done fantastically well and you will get back on track.
  • DooDooDooDooDooDooDoo
    DooDooDooDooDooDooDoo Posts: 11
    I have issues with binging as well. The past couple weeks have been my first binge-free in a very long time. For me, I have to ask myself two questions before I eat:

    1.) Is there something that I need to do that I'm avoiding? (Chores, errands, etc.)
    and
    2.) Would I eat a big bowl of veggies right now?

    Usually these two questions are good enough to pull me out of my food hypnosis (but not all the time).

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