Help! I binged.....again....
peanutcats
Posts: 14 Member
I've had such an awful few days. You can see my food diary, my goal is 1200 and I never make it. Especially this week. On Wednesday night I ate 3100 calories, next day ate 1800, Friday was ok (1500) then today I ate 3100 again. I feel so ashamed. Why do I do this??? Just a little while ago I was in pain from eating like 5 peaches (when I'm in binge mode im kind of unstoppable....) then just now I ate 2 big pieces of chocolate??? What the heck?? I'm not HUNGRY AT ALL!!! And I tell myself but yet I can't stop!
I know tomorrow i will be horribly depressed, I look in the mirror and I know I've gained and I feel all fat and puffy and guilty and then spend the day crying, which just makes me want to binge again. I had lost weight previously so if I go back to my last "good" day of eating then I have an excess of about 2300 calories. Which is nearly a pound. Should I just fast or something? Or is that not a good thing to do?
I'm just in a bad place and I'd really really appreciate some help. Also if anyone could advise me on how to not hate myself the next day that'd be great! I love MFP, really, I don't know what I'd do without the support you can get here. Thanks everyone!!
tl;dr: I binged and I feel like poop, send help
I know tomorrow i will be horribly depressed, I look in the mirror and I know I've gained and I feel all fat and puffy and guilty and then spend the day crying, which just makes me want to binge again. I had lost weight previously so if I go back to my last "good" day of eating then I have an excess of about 2300 calories. Which is nearly a pound. Should I just fast or something? Or is that not a good thing to do?
I'm just in a bad place and I'd really really appreciate some help. Also if anyone could advise me on how to not hate myself the next day that'd be great! I love MFP, really, I don't know what I'd do without the support you can get here. Thanks everyone!!
tl;dr: I binged and I feel like poop, send help
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Replies
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a 1200 calorie diet is way too restrictive for a normal adult trying to lose weight. I eat 1500-1600 a day and have lost 23 total pounds since Jan. I know that is a slow rate, but I can live with it every day...To keep from overeating, I get away from the food. Brush your teeth, drink some water with lemon, eat some gum, do something else or go exercise...Control those portions and you can eat anything you would like with some sense and moderation without the religious...I have sinned, now I need to repent, I'm not worthy syndrome...0
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What are your stats? With 4kg to lose it's unlikely you need to eat as little as 1200 cals.0
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What are your stats? With 4kg to lose it's unlikely you need to eat as little as 1200 cals.
QFT
You're probably restricting too much, which sets off the binges.0 -
a 1200 calorie diet is way too restrictive for a normal adult trying to lose weight. I eat 1500-1600 a day and have lost 23 total pounds since Jan. I know that is a slow rate, but I can live with it every day...To keep from overeating, I get away from the food. Brush your teeth, drink some water with lemon, eat some gum, do something else or go exercise...Control those portions and you can eat anything you would like with some sense and moderation without the religious...I have sinned, now I need to repent, I'm not worthy syndrome...
This x1000. You're starving yourself, so you binge. I can have a deficit eating over 2000 calories; I'd gnaw off my own arm if I tried to live on just 1200 every day.0 -
You're not alone. I have a hard time stopping myself once I start binge eating. I've been doing ok this past week but I know I'm susceptible to binge eating once I'm stressed out. I know this may sound silly but what really helps me from binge eating is to actually get out of the house and hit the gym. This really helps me because physically being away from food usually helps me. Also, working out helps me decrease my appetite. After working out and seeing myself in the mirror, I feel the need to lose weight and get fit, which makes me even less tempted to binge eat. This works for me because i live in an apartment complex and going to the gym is very convenient - just step outside of my house and the gym is literally a minute away. If this is not the case, I know it may not be as easy to hit the gym every time you're tempted to binge, but maybe start running outside instead of hitting the gym? Do an exercise video from Youtube? Drinking water helps but let's face it, when we want to eat something, drinking water won't do it. I personally find ways to get myself away from the physical temptation and found it to be the most effective. Good luck!! You're not alone and you can do it!!0
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I have this same exact problem... I'm sorry just know you're not alone in this. I feel so good when I make it under my calorie goal and then BAM the next day or next couple days I just can't stop sabotaging myself .... I know actually keeping track of the calories honestly is a good step though, and I would probably eat more if I didn't have this app to help keep track. The best advise I can give the both of us is to just stick with it, don't give up and try again the next day....0
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What puts you in binge mode. With me it was just boredom, sat at home on my own, food in the house, had to eat it. You have already made a good start in that you are putting it all in your food diary. Try putting it down in the diary BEFORE you eat it, it makes me think twice and if nothing else stops me eating for a little longer.
Most importantly if you find the trigger that starts the eating and we'll come up with ways to help yo avoid it.0 -
If you are the kind of person with some sort of emotional connection to food (and it sounds like you do, given you are eating because of how you feel) then a calorie count of 1200 is not the way to combat the bingeing. You need to find a way of moving to a balanced, healthy diet including some of the things that you like.
I started out on MFP to try and address my binge eating, and not specifically to lose weight, (although was overweight) so set me weight loss goal at the smallest amount. This gave me 1800 calories per day and I found this was absolutely fine and allowed me to eat a 'lot' of food, but didn't make me feel like I was missing out on anything specific. Still had room for a bar of chocolate, a doughnut, a meal out here and there.
I haven't binged in 8 weeks and I've lost 5kg. It works but you do need to be in the right place emotionally to want to give up on binge eating. I focus on how much my stomach used to hurt and how much I hated myself afterwards. That stopped me time and time again when I was upset, or disappointed or unhappy.
It takes a huge amount of self control but also a way of rethinking your eating. I would much rather go over my calories eating a nice meal out with a friend then sitting at home stuffing biscuits down me and not enjoying it..
Feel free to add me if you would like some support. I log every day!0 -
Hi
In some ways reading your post helped me, I understand the cycle you're in so well. I've never participated in anything like the MFP community before, but even just having virtual friends to talk to is a big help. Next time you go to binge - chat to us. I'm not entirely sure why I binge, I suspect that there have been people in my life that made me feel worthless and by binging it's as if I am proving them right and trying to fill a void. Finding something that makes you feel good about yourself is important to help keep things in perspective - for me it's been finding my self respect again and valuing myself before expecting anyone else to value me. By changing my attitude, I'm finding it easier to do something like this .......talk to you instead of listening to the biscuits that are calling to me from the kitchen!::happy:0 -
You're not alone. I have a hard time stopping myself once I start binge eating. I've been doing ok this past week but I know I'm susceptible to binge eating once I'm stressed out. I know this may sound silly but what really helps me from binge eating is to actually get out of the house and hit the gym. This really helps me because physically being away from food usually helps me. Also, working out helps me decrease my appetite. After working out and seeing myself in the mirror, I feel the need to lose weight and get fit, which makes me even less tempted to binge eat. This works for me because i live in an apartment complex and going to the gym is very convenient - just step outside of my house and the gym is literally a minute away. If this is not the case, I know it may not be as easy to hit the gym every time you're tempted to binge, but maybe start running outside instead of hitting the gym? Do an exercise video from Youtube? Drinking water helps but let's face it, when we want to eat something, drinking water won't do it. I personally find ways to get myself away from the physical temptation and found it to be the most effective. Good luck!! You're not alone and you can do it!!
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I do the same thing. You are not alone.0
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Aside the 1,200 comments, I can tell you that I've been in your situation many times and trust me, in a week or two of trying to reach the target, you will get close to it. This might help you, I have a colour-coded graph of my calorie intakes. When I tracked everything even on binges, I could clearly see how much I overeat a week. When you highlight good days green, you can then see that you have actually managed to stay strong even if it was for a day.
There's things you can do to curb your appetite; drink LOTS of water and tea, cook more so you're not tempted to snack, focus on other things, go outside more often and more fibre and protein in your diet.
I know you feel angry with yourself but tomorrow is another day, you're stronger than this!
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Thanks a lot for replying so helpfully!! Now I just need to focus on NOT being depressed tomorrow!0
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Thanks a lot for replying so helpfully!! Now I just need to focus on NOT being depressed tomorrow!
Just go to the gym and do some kind of physical activity. It will make you feel better. Sweat it out! I'm not a gym lover by any stretch of imagination but being active helps when you feel crappy about your eating. You'll be alright!!0 -
Hey there!! I totally get what you're saying. I "binged" on about six brownies this morning. The usual response is to say, "well, I messed up so I might as well continue eating whatever I want." But, I know this is not the answer. SO, I went to the pool with my daughter and swam some as I normally do. I had my water with me so I drank water as I normally do. I got home and I needed to go to the grocery, but I was starting to feel hungry so I had a protein shake as I normally would. Now, I'm waiting for some chicken to thaw out so I can bake it for dinner along with some cauliflower for dinner. In other words, what I have been doing lately after "binging" or eating more than I wanted to or eating something I didn't want to eat (yesterday I ate Taco Bell and felt ill), is continue to do the things I normally would, like exercise or drink water, wait until I get hungry and then eat what is on my program for the next meal. Just know that continuing to hate yourself is not going to help you; it is just going to continue to hurt you and make you want to harm yourself by eating too much. You are doing the right thing, IMHO, to come here and share and vent. What I, personally, am trying to do is to come here and unload before I eat emotionally. Try to get at what sets you off. What is troubling you that causes you to want to overeat. Yesterday, for me it was feeling overstimulated by too much noise and too many people; today it was just the presence of the brownies and being impulsive. Finally, the next time you make a choice you are happy with, acknowledge it and make a big deal out of it!!0
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I know that one thing that has helped me and to me this sounds odd...is to look at myself in the mirror and realize I still have more weight to lose. I think I have avoided the mirror for a long time, so actually facing the truth that I am overweight and still have more to lose helps me to stick to my program!0
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I agree....I know I would definitely be eating more without using the app on my phone. I force myself to add what I've over eaten on as well!!0
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Was skimming, i'm sure others have already mentioned this, or asked this. But your best most permanent solution is to find out what sets you into those modes, Like, is it stress induced, boredom, etc... Try treating yourself. I may not mean food-wise, though, with too low of a calorie restriction, success in your head seems impossible, so people tend to "quit" before trying. By that, I just mean that they figure there is the same fix to those extra calories, as there is to the weight already carried. Diet and exercise. Vicious circle, no? But, by making sure you do something *time consuming* during your "free time", you may be less compelled to veer off track, or at least you may not have the chance! Something that mentally helps me is doing something I REALLY like, that may or may not be anyone else's idea of "something to do" but you enjoy it... (window shopping, lunch at new park, library, movies, etc...) and make the time for me to just indulge. And I tell myself I'm indulging. Tell myself I am specifically excluding any other input except my own, and what I'm in the mood for. One rule, just don't un-diet as your treat! I also set myself little goals throughout the day (I am a "stay at home gf", and have too much time on my hands. Too much time for temptation) So maybe I will Tell myself, "Ok, by at least 10 am today, I want to do at least 5 full push ups, and learn a new stretch..." and it turns it into a little game for yourself. Beat yourself. Keep it a challenge, and not a burden!0
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I'm glad that you are at least logging the binges and being true to yourself.
A few days will not hurt in the long run. It's okay. You'll be alright. That being said, maybe 1200 is too low? Perhaps be more lenient with your calories.
I also noticed in your diary, your breakfast/lunch/dinner calorie allotment are very tiny (or you were restricting) and often they consist of fruits and sometimes candy. Fruits and candy won't keep you full for long as they are simple sugars and are digested very easily and quickly so your body will get hungrier faster, resulting you to turn to other high calorie foods as "snacks" aka binges. I've done this before; I'm a fruit addict but I realize it will not keep me full unless I eat way over 2000 calories of them. And even if I think I was "full," this is not always the case according to the body.
I suggest you bump up your calories to maybe 1400-1500 and eat three actual 400-500 calorie meals with good fats, proteins, and complex carbs to keep you full throughout the day. You can still eat fruit but use them as snacks instead! Meal planning will help you achieve this; try not to skip meals either.
Do this temporarily for about a week or two to keep your recent binges under control. Afterwards, decide if it is working for you, and if it does, great or if you'd rather lower your calorie intake again, then you can. The purpose of this is to get back into control of your binges and find out why you are binging and what will work to help you lose weight in a more effective manner.
If something is not working, why keep doing it? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So, make a change. Hope this helps!0 -
Starving doesn't lead to binged, if it did, I would of stopped starving myself months ago. I lost 75 lbs. in 6-7 months with extensive exercise included. If you eat like a pig, YOU ARE NOT READY TO FIGHT YOUR DEPRESSION AND LOSE WEIGHT.
So in other words, your a loser. Get used to it now, OR FIGHT BACK. Look at yourself and ask, what do you want? Stop the excuses and do what is necessary. Otherwise you will always go backwards. Get to exercising and mentally train your brain what you want. If you cannot be mentally strong, you will fail. You want our help but we cannot tap into your brain, YOU HAVE TO.
I'm sorry if I misinterpret your reply but from what I can see, are you calling me a "pig" and a "loser"? Thanks :-) :-) :-) oink0 -
Make a rule: every time you binge, you have to increase your calorie intake by 200-500 calories every day for a week. And it's true, 1200 could be too low in general anyway.
Ditto what the previous person said about eating good protein at every meal. Our bodies need protein and fat, and protein and fat provide satisfaction. You are doing great to continue logging your calories even during binges !!!0 -
I'm in the same boat. It's when I feel sh*tty about myself and my life that I stop caring about my goals and my health and I eat whatever I want and drink myself into oblivion haha.
It's always just a phase that you need to break out of yourself. I always go long periods without feeling like this, but they come back now and again to haunt me (like now lol).0 -
Whoa! I'm sure ZaCk would call me a pig and a loser too!!
You are not alone in dealing with binges and having to figure out how to stop or prevent them. For a lot of people, this is something they face during their weight loss journey. You haven't given up, you're logging the calories, and you're on here looking for solutions. That kind of attitude WILL lead you to your goal weight.0 -
I'm not trying to be the jerk here. I am telling you what works. We choose to be losers. I was the same way. I stopped myself and I said NO MORE.
If you want to lose weight you have to fight for it or you won't make it. Everyone is different and everyone can lose weight differently but you cannot cheat the game of calories in and calories out. So my point is, STOP and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Every time you grab food, you are allowing yourself to not lose weight, you are accepting that you are a loser.0 -
all these people claiming 1,200 is not enough - really??
I have lost 2 stone eating 1,200 - I now have slightly higher cals now but only slightly and I haven't binged once so all this that's why you binge is just foolish talk!
OP: yes you have had a little extra - these things can happen - just forget about it and don't dwell on it and you will get back in the swing of things - if you constantly are need to binge then either your not serious enough about losing weight or your deficit is way to high! eat a wee bit more and find the balance right for you!0 -
Starving doesn't lead to binged, if it did, I would of stopped starving myself months ago. I lost 75 lbs. in 6-7 months with extensive exercise included. If you eat like a pig, YOU ARE NOT READY TO FIGHT YOUR DEPRESSION AND LOSE WEIGHT.
So in other words, your a loser. Get used to it now, OR FIGHT BACK. Look at yourself and ask, what do you want? Stop the excuses and do what is necessary. Otherwise you will always go backwards. Get to exercising and mentally train your brain what you want. If you cannot be mentally strong, you will fail. You want our help but we cannot tap into your brain, YOU HAVE TO.
Love it0 -
Starving doesn't lead to binged, if it did, I would of stopped starving myself months ago. I lost 75 lbs. in 6-7 months with extensive exercise included. If you eat like a pig, YOU ARE NOT READY TO FIGHT YOUR DEPRESSION AND LOSE WEIGHT.
So in other words, your a loser. Get used to it now, OR FIGHT BACK. Look at yourself and ask, what do you want? Stop the excuses and do what is necessary. Otherwise you will always go backwards. Get to exercising and mentally train your brain what you want. If you cannot be mentally strong, you will fail. You want our help but we cannot tap into your brain, YOU HAVE TO.
This advise seems so confusing to me.
I would say that starving (among other things) DOES lead to binging. It's why people rapidly gain weight back and more after crash dieting, or why bulimics starve then binge then repeat.
The OP is not a loser and is not making excuses...0 -
Just know that you are not alone. I've been doing really well… running a few times a week and lifting weights. I have not overly restricted myself, just been eating wholesome foods that I prepare myself. Then I got really stressed at work today (i found out that i had to work all night) and I just blew it. I literally ate 2300 calories today, which is so not okay and now i obviously want to cry.
The thing is, i know that it's stress eating. I know i'm not hungry. I have to switch my thought process when this happens. Maybe keep tea in the office so that i get up and get that to calm me down instead of vending machine madness.
What's more frustrating is despite increasing my workouts exponentially, i'm just not losing weight. My clothes fit better, i'm stronger and faster, but the scale isn't so convinced. This leaves me feeling hopeless and helpless. I can't convince myself that the issue here is muscle weighing more than fat. I see my stomach jiggle still.
Feeling sorry for myself. No, wait, that's what leads to the binging …I think this is the only place where i can admit that that's actually what i'm doing. Thanks for support.0 -
Drink lots of water and get some exercise! The puffiness will go down within a day or two and a week from now you won't been remember you screwed up. We all have days like this! You're not weak or horrible. You're normal. You're like all of us. And ya know what we do when we screw up? Get back on the wagon with an even more intense motivation to kick butt than ever before! You got this0
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Probably what's worse than the binging, which doesn't sound too bad in your case if i'm honest, is the way you beat yourself up about it.
This is a big problem. Perhaps its time to read a book like mind over binge. Or other books that tackle binge eating.
I used to be a binge eater, But i'd eat a 2 litre tub of icecream followed by anything else i had bought with sugar in it. Once i start eating sugar i can't stop. But i gave up beating myself up long ago.
now i've given up eating sugar. I'm not saying you should do that too. However it has helped me a lot.
Probably why you are wanting to binge is located in your mood, stress levels, fatigue or even seratonin levels which will be below conscious awareness.
So to make sure you get plenty of sleep at night time, eat regular healthy meals maximising vegetables and fruit, include protein in at least 2 out of 3 meals. Do not over eat high carb foods like pasta and bread. Moderation is key with those foods. Try to be aware if you are stressed and learn skills to deal with it. Often its about better communication and nurturing self talk. Sometimes you may need to find a counsellor.
look after all aspects of yourself.0
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