any good tips to deal with a binge.

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I have been dealing with horrible issues of emotional eating and binge eating.
Putting the emotional work aside, that I am gradually working through, do you guys have any tips for what to do/eat/exercise after a binge or the day after to somehow lessen the effects? like, this just happened at 8 pm so should I exercise tonight in a couple of hours or leave it for tomorrow? should I eat light tomorrow?

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  • Vtrembacki
    Vtrembacki Posts: 49 Member
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    work it off before you go to bed! The worst kind of binging you can do, it right before bed, because then it just sits in you while you sleep and your metabolism is really low, whereas if you binge earlier in the day, or workout afterwards, your metabolism gets boosted and you still burn some of it off.
  • ktc33
    ktc33 Posts: 249 Member
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    If you tracked all of the calories that you consumed during the binge you could exercise tonight and then possibly exercise extra and eat light tomorrow so that your overall calories for the week are still within limits. If not, then you could exercise tonight and start fresh tomorrow. Everyone goes off track. I fell off the wagon Sunday night and started clean again on Monday. Good Luck!
  • MissNicholas
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    I would suggest you eat lots of raw fruits and veggies for the next day
  • liscar
    liscar Posts: 311 Member
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    I have been dealing with horrible issues of emotional eating and binge eating.
    Putting the emotional work aside, that I am gradually working through, do you guys have any tips for what to do/eat/exercise after a binge or the day after to somehow lessen the effects? like, this just happened at 8 pm so should I exercise tonight in a couple of hours or leave it for tomorrow? should I eat light tomorrow?
    I would say go do some light cardio after everything has settled. Lots of water and eat light tomorrow. Try to keep binge foods out of the house as well. It's tough - I know. Try to balance it out with a positive action like going for a walk.

    Kudos for owning it on here :) good job!
  • traceyrbb
    traceyrbb Posts: 39 Member
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    I just binged and felt so guilty for a while but then kept eating. i was at a point that my stomach was growling and i just wanted to eat...so i ate, and ate, and ate....was planning to exercise tonight but doesn't make much of a dent in my calorie count. i haven't done this in a very long time so i'm chalking today up as a bad day and am starting fresh tomorrow for sure. i'm actually sick to my stomach from eating more than normal and i think exercise would make me sick. we all do it. you'll get back on track. don't be too hard on yourself...just don't give up!
  • liyahxoxo
    liyahxoxo Posts: 78
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    thanks guys! I'll exercise for an hour tonight before going to sleep.
    I did not track the food because I feel too guilty to face it but I estimated it to be at most 1,000 cals.
  • Coyla
    Coyla Posts: 444 Member
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    If I have a binge early in the day, I try to cut extra calories out later, or I go for a walk to burn it off.

    If late night binges are a problem, you may need to block off your kitchen after a certain time at night. :) Or go to another part of the house a couple hours before bed, then head straight to bed without going near that kitchen.

    I'm not a big fan of dealing with eating issue on will power alone. Sometimes you have to change the environment around you first.
  • Adsnwfld
    Adsnwfld Posts: 262 Member
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    Once you go to sleep that day is done. While you sleep your body will metabolize what is in your digestive system and if it is excess calories it will be converted to fat. You can't get rid of it by eating like a bird the next day, the damage is done. Just start new the day after the binge and in a few days the binge damage will be gone.
    I don't have any magic cures to stop you from binge eating, I fell about a week ago and while I don't count calories during the binge I bet it was around 4500...all junk food...
    Sorry I don't have any preventative advise, good luck
  • liyahxoxo
    liyahxoxo Posts: 78
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    I would say go do some light cardio after everything has settled. Lots of water and eat light tomorrow. Try to keep binge foods out of the house as well. It's tough - I know. Try to balance it out with a positive action like going for a walk.

    Kudos for owning it on here :) good job!

    Thanks for the support. :) it means a lot :smile:
    Yuh I think I'll do some zumba before bed.
    I wish I could keep binge food out of the house, I would if I could. I live with my parents and they're huge sugar addicts so every single day, all my life, we have our dining table full of cakes, cookies, cupcakes, chocolates, caramels, etc etc etc. so I do my best..
  • liyahxoxo
    liyahxoxo Posts: 78
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    Once you go to sleep that day is done. While you sleep your body will metabolize what is in your digestive system and if it is excess calories it will be converted to fat. You can't get rid of it by eating like a bird the next day, the damage is done. Just start new the day after the binge and in a few days the binge damage will be gone.
    I don't have any magic cures to stop you from binge eating, I fell about a week ago and while I don't count calories during the binge I bet it was around 4500...all junk food...
    Sorry I don't have any preventative advise, good luck

    thanks. :smile: it's true I guess. I have to realize that it's a new day tomorrow and a new battle which I'm going to win!
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    First of all, what's done is done. Trying to exercise off a binge just continues a vicious cycle of guilt, and regret that is completely unproductive. A day of overeating is not going to hurt in the overall picture of creating a healthy lifestyle. Just take it as an opportunity to learn something about how to handle the situation before you binge next time.

    As for the extra calories being particularly bad for you at night, personally I don't believe that. I puposefully eat most of my calories at nite to help prevent nitetime binging/snackin/grazing which I am prone too. I don't even eat dinner until 9pm and I have a snack before bed. I have lost a lot of weight. I believe it simply comes down to calories in vs calories ou, not the time you eat.

    So relax, get out of the kitchen, and start thinking how you will refocus tomorrow.

    Good luck.
  • liyahxoxo
    liyahxoxo Posts: 78
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    okay!
    I feel much better. Thanks for the support everyone, you guys are great!
  • Jwpawlowski
    Jwpawlowski Posts: 19 Member
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    I agree with jkesten63. Binging is so complex because it leads to a cycle of feeling guilty, then severely restricting to make up for it, and then feeling deprived and then later binging again. If this happens again, take some time and just think, why did this happen. Were you bored? Were you tired? Were you upset? Were you not eating enough before and just uncontrollably starving? Were you trying to avoid something. People binge for many reasons and it may take you a while to realize this. Maybe you just have not been having enough of the "naughty" foods that you like and you could not take the restriction any longer. My advice to you is somewhat counter-intuitive, but try and nurture yourself a little bit and don't beat yourself up. Read a book, relax, treat yourself to a bath, go for a light walk, don't think that you need to cancel out this binge. The best thing you can do for yourself is to forgive yourself and then just promise that at the next meal you will do better. The worst thing you can do is say 'oh I really screwed up, I need to only eat lettuce tomorrow". Make yourself a nice meal the next day. If you are craving a hamburger, make yourself a nice turkey burger or lean ground beef burger with whole wheat bun and some homemade fries. If you crave a salad, make sure to put some protein and fat in it to make it a complete meal. This will help alleviate bad feelings about the binge and bad feelings towards "bad" foods. This is from my own experiences.