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Binge Eating Is Letting Me Down - Male

HDCANDYZ

Hello everyone. I am a Male, 30 years of age and I'm at wits end at this point and don't know what to do after binge eating. I will be seeing a Dr. on Monday. I am active, I CrossFit, and today I didn't do anything in the gym. During Summer, I did a lot of running, got my weight down to about 160 and saw definition in my abs, which was my goal. Here's the problem, running took a toll on my legs, my CrossFit performance suffered greatly, like lifting weights, going from a 405lb. Deadlift to almost 300lbs. now. Over the last several weeks, I have been noticing that when I get home late, and I do eat periodically throughout the day, I tend to eat and call it good. That is until I crave more food and then just go for it, like anywhere from 1000-2000 extra calories. Granted, I have gained some fat/weight back.

What do people generally do after a binge episode? I have tried fasting, and people tell me it's not a good way to go, and I have tried it, and hated it. What do I do?? I'm reaching out because I haven't really taken the initiative to do so. I know there are others that experience the same problem, but everyone has their own story. I over did everything pretty much, carbs, fats, protein. Right now, I'm feeling "good", it was relatively clean food, but not 100%, as expected with a binge episode. I know many will say to wait till Monday and talk to your Dr., and this is a new Dr. for me so I haven't met in person yet, but in the meantime, WHAT THE HECK DO I DO NOW?

Like I mentioned, this happens alternating nights or so. I'm in the gym the next day typically, but with so many carbs and fats and proteins, and on a day I just went to work and didn't even work out, I feel "meh" about it. I don't want to continue running, it just hurts me more, so what am I looking at to get back down to 160lbs.? I think I'm at 165lbs., but I'm afraid to step on any scale at this point.

Replies

linz2348

Have you tried less cardio and more abdominal exercises? That would help shape your stomach if that's what you're aiming for and give your legs a rest. By the way how tall are you? Because you look healthy in your picture and if your 165 it sounds like your in great shape already. With the binge eating, I would just say start the next day over. Don't freak out and over do it at the gym or just starve yourself. Just start fresh. And if one night you get that feeling again you can do 3 things. 1. Eat a lot of healthy food that will make you feel full but won't make you feel bad in the morning. 2.Eat one or two not so healthy things but just smile cause they taste delicious and know a 100-500 extra calories is still less then adding 1000-2000. Or 3. Remember the feeling you had while typing this post and be hardcore and deny that craving. I have cheated and enjoyed the deliciousness and denied myself they each have their pros and cons.

Patttience

Well i wouldn't be pinning my hopes on your doctor having the answers. You might get lucky but generally doctors are not well educated in nutrition and diets. You are better of talking to a dietician.

But I do have some experience with this question and i also read a book earlier this by a woman, a scientist who has worked in this area and has some answers and explanations. You could track down her book its called The Don't Go Hungry Diet Dr Amanda Sainsbury Salis. Some of her approach is a little outdated now but the essentials of the key concepts are correct and there's no problem with them. She also has some useful strategies.

Anyway, there are couple of key things that could be affecting your appetite in this way.

1. You got down to really low glycogen levels and you are not on a low carb diet. if you were on a low carb diet this wouldn't be an issue. Usually when your glycogen levels get low you end up being really hungry. Without knowing the detail of your diet its hard to make suggestions beyond eat more regularly or eat after exercising. Protein and some carbs.
2. Generally by avoiding hunger you can prevent these ravenous hunger issues and therefore binges. If you eat before you are really hungry, you usually make better food choices and can stop before you start over eating. what i mean by avoiding hunger is to eat your meals regularly. Don't allow yourself to get famished between meals. A little appetite is fine.
3. Your mood has dropped? or you are stressed? Both these things trigger carb binges in some people but generally it causes an increase in appetite. The solution is to deal with any problems asap. Resolve the problems and get your mood back to optimistic and your stress completely gone.
4. Finally, and this is the issue dealt with in the book, if you have gone to a low body weight and find yourself below your bodies' set point, you will find yourself continually fighting to keep your body weight this low. Your body will make it hard for you by causing strong hunger, lethargy, and other physical symptoms even low mood. If you have this combination of symptoms its possible you are experience a famine reaction as discussed by Dr Amanda.

Finally, get on that scale and face the truth. Even if its bad, you know where you are and can deal with it. Avoiding the truth is a type of denial. And you will do more damage by not knowing. Get on that scale first thing in the morning. Do it!

HDCANDYZ

linz2348 wrote: »

Have you tried less cardio and more abdominal exercises? That would help shape your stomach if that's what you're aiming for and give your legs a rest. By the way how tall are you? Because you look healthy in your picture and if your 165 it sounds like your in great shape already. With the binge eating, I would just say start the next day over. Don't freak out and over do it at the gym or just starve yourself. Just start fresh. And if one night you get that feeling again you can do 3 things. 1. Eat a lot of healthy food that will make you feel full but won't make you feel bad in the morning. 2.Eat one or two not so healthy things but just smile cause they taste delicious and know a 100-500 extra calories is still less then adding 1000-2000. Or 3. Remember the feeling you had while typing this post and be hardcore and deny that craving. I have cheated and enjoyed the deliciousness and denied myself they each have their pros and cons.

Hi, thanks for the reply. I'm 5'11". I'm honestly not feeling "quilty" per se about eating that much, and that was a lot, of everything, but I feel satisfied. Right now, my body feels like it's trying to figure out what to do with everything. I have stress and anxiety and I think that's part of my problem. I keep striving for "perfectionism" with my body, and that's what I overly focus on. I have OCD, so I get hung up on 1-2 things more than what is deemed "normal". I should add that I used to weigh about 300 pounds and then lost about 130 pounds in 10 months through a lot of cardio and a 1200 calorie diet. This change took place at the beginning of 2010 and then up until October 2010. I then found CrossFit

.

The funny thing is, well not really, is that I do overcompensate the next day at the gym, like doing a CrossFit class and then running for miles. I really don't want to run anymore then what we already do in our classes. Yes, the extra running got me to my goal faster, but I also had to stop running and then my eating went to the crapper. I do eat healthy, I don't do a Paleo diet or any absurd diet, I just pick cleaner options and go from there and log as much as I can.

I'm just concerned. I know there is no such thing as fat spot reduction, and I do lots of abdominal exercises as is, but I really am trying to get rid of it. After the huge weight loss, sure, I had loose skin, but that didn't mean it would fill up a little bit again. I don't want cardio to be my best option, running that is.

So, I'm guessing it's back to dieting to make those abs show again?? And this is excluding all the extra running and just doing CrossFit? I go about 5 times a week.

GertrudeHorse

Find out what causes your binge eating and work on resolving that. Binge eating is a symptom of something. It could be boredom, stress, anxiety, sadness, rebound response to restrictive eating, compulsive behaviour, avoidance. Figure that out and then you'll be able to take steps to address those issues.

As for what to "do" after binge eating. The answer is get back on track. Binges happen. Just keep going with your plan. Don't try to compensate for your binge because that sets up a destructive cycle which is utter hell.

HDCANDYZ

Patttience wrote: »

Well i wouldn't be pinning my hopes on your doctor having the answers. You might get lucky but generally doctors are not well educated in nutrition and diets. You are better of talking to a dietician.

But I do have some experience with this question and i also read a book earlier this by a woman, a scientist who has worked in this area and has some answers and explanations. You could track down her book its called The Don't Go Hungry Diet Dr Amanda Sainsbury Salis. Some of her approach is a little outdated now but the essentials of the key concepts are correct and there's no problem with them. She also has some useful strategies.

Anyway, there are couple of key things that could be affecting your appetite in this way.

1. You got down to really low glycogen levels and you are not on a low carb diet. if you were on a low carb diet this wouldn't be an issue. Usually when your glycogen levels get low you end up being really hungry. Without knowing the detail of your diet its hard to make suggestions beyond eat more regularly or eat after exercising. Protein and some carbs.
2. Generally by avoiding hunger you can prevent these ravenous hunger issues and therefore binges. If you eat before you are really hungry, you usually make better food choices and can stop before you start over eating. what i mean by avoiding hunger is to eat your meals regularly. Don't allow yourself to get famished between meals. A little appetite is fine.
3. Your mood has dropped? or you are stressed? Both these things trigger carb binges in some people but generally it causes an increase in appetite. The solution is to deal with any problems asap. Resolve the problems and get your mood back to optimistic and your stress completely gone.
4. Finally, and this is the issue dealt with in the book, if you have gone to a low body weight and find yourself below your bodies' set point, you will find yourself continually fighting to keep your body weight this low. Your body will make it hard for you by causing strong hunger, lethargy, and other physical symptoms even low mood. If you have this combination of symptoms its possible you are experience a famine reaction as discussed by Dr Amanda.

Finally, get on that scale and face the truth. Even if its bad, you know where you are and can deal with it. Avoiding the truth is a type of denial. And you will do more damage by not knowing. Get on that scale first thing in the morning. Do it!

Hi, yes, I tend to consume a lot of protein bars, notably, Quest Bars, which are protein and fiber and fats. So at the end of the day, my NET carb count may be around 60 grams. I also eat meat, veggies, some starches, and nuts. But I do like those protein bars

Also I have had a discussion about "body set point" in the past. I'm not sure if 160 pounds should be my ideal weight for my larger chested body frame. I am 5'11", and 30 years old. I just want those abs to show, and I only thought getting smaller meant that would happen, so I ran a ton and got there. Now, weeks, months later, it's looking flabby. I really don't want to run anymore than what we do in our CrossFit classes. All that extra running is causing my performance to suffer. Also, yes, my mood has been more depressed, lots of mood swings and tiredness.

GertrudeHorse

HDCANDYZ wrote: »

I have stress and anxiety and I think that's part of my problem. I keep striving for "perfectionism" with my body, and that's what I overly focus on. I have OCD.

Those are likely to be the issues you need to work on there. Find non-food ways to manage stress and anxiety. Get help for your OCD as well, because that likely contributes a compulsive element to the binge and your desire to overcompensate at the gym the next day. Good luck!

HDCANDYZ

GertrudeHorse wrote: »

Find out what causes your binge eating and work on resolving that. Binge eating is a symptom of something. It could be boredom, stress, anxiety, sadness, rebound response to restrictive eating, compulsive behaviour, avoidance. Figure that out and then you'll be able to take steps to address those issues.

As for what to "do" after binge eating. The answer is get back on track. Binges happen. Just keep going with your plan. Don't try to compensate for your binge because that sets up a destructive cycle which is utter hell.

I agree, so, resume normal eating the next day? I would think that I should eat less...

GertrudeHorse

You would think so, but eating less makes your body it's being deprived, which makes you much more likely to rebound by binging again. Deprivation will not stop you binging.

The best strategy is to resume normal eating. If your "normal eating" is a slight calorie deficit then it will even itself out within a few days. If your "normal eating" is at maintenance then just deduct ~100 cals per day for a week and you'll be back on track.

linz2348

Hey no problem,

Running- I have a Treadclimer and it's not hard on my legs but I get a good workout. Perhaps an elliptical or a machine like that at the gym would be less stressful on your legs. Honestly though, you seem like your getting enough exercise.

Stress- What do you do to relieve stress? Can you find something social/active that can help reduce your stress and help burn calories?

OCD- What if you put focus on something new that could also aid you in your healthier lifestyle. Like perhaps a cooking class?

Dieting- Continue eating how you are now, healthy and often. If you binge, relax and try again.

Personally, I think you look physically healthy and you should give yourself a break.

squirrelone

I'm going to have to tell you what you probably don't want to hear. And I would be very surprised if I don't catch flak for it.

You are asking for a way to deal with the symptom while ignoring the problem.
If you are binge eating an excess of 1000-2000 calories on a regular basis, you should NOT be looking for a way to "fix" the consequences but rather stop doing it.

It seems to me that you are really looking for a way to excuse your habit, when what you should be doing is change it.

The cold, hard truth is that it is basically a matter of self discipline.
There are several factors that can and should be addressed, that will make it easier. Such as balancing and structuring your diet in a manner that does not leave you starved and controls what cravings you may have.

But ultimately the single most important factor is discipline. You have to WANT to change and have the will to follow through.
Will is want. If you don't have the will to do it, you don't want to.

cmazurek85

I went to see a counselor who specialized in eating disorders for almost 2 years, until I finally was able to exert some self control and truly understand what I was doing. I haven't binged in a year (since i've stopped counseling.)

Have you considered counseling? A doctor will just tell you to eat less and maybe send you to a dietician. It seems like there's something else going on, something you may not fully understand or realize.

As far as what to do the next day, eat normally. don't overdo it. also, if you're able, when you want to binge on foods, look up the food online and see what your body is actually asking for. For example, i've read that if you crave ice cream, it means you're dehydrated. Whenever I crave ice cream, I drink a big glass of water first, to find out if I just want some ice cream! This is working for me, and it could be mental, but i'd rather drink a big glass of water and eat 1 scoop of ice cream than eat a pint.

good luck!

Liftng4Lis

You're going to have to decide if you want this and exercise some self control.

gbel1975

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

You're going to have to decide if you want this and exercise some self control.

I can appreciate and understand where the above comment comes from. But for someone with compulsion disorders (i.e. eating), the "self control" part is much easier said than done.

I suffer from compulsive overeating. You can chalk it up to an illness or say it's just a lack of self control. But if you've never experienced it, you truly don't know what it's like. For me, when you put a compulsion on top of bi-polar disorder it's a terrible, terrible way to try to live. Self control is not the issue. Trust me.

I have suffered from other compulsions, including gambling. The thing is I can survive and live without gambling. It's been a little over 10 years since I last gambled (Oct, 2004). It's a black and white situation; I either gamble or I don't. I've never had an issue with alcohol or drugs (thank God) but it's similar. You either use them or you don't and you can live without them.

Food is different. I can't live without it, so it's not like I can stop eating. There are definitely certain trigger foods for me...peanut and almond butters, peanuts in general, chips (of course), and gluten-containing things. I can avoid those things, but if I let my self-control down and have one, it's disastrous.

To the OP, I get what your saying. I indulge then try to make up for with fasting and/or exercise. The problem for me is that fasting seems to lead me to the binges. I'll go all day and eat virtually nothing. Then come 5:00 it's like the floodgates open (i.e. my mouth) and everything pours in. It is compulsive as I will hide it from my wife (I recently confessed this to her).

OP, if you want to send me a friend request, I'm happy to try to be an accountability partner to you. I'm in no way at a place where I've conquered this. It's been a real struggle for me the last few months and I've put on 10-15 pounds, which I hate. Self-loathing also doesn't help.

gbel1975

The other thing that I find frustrating for me is that I can go 2-3 days doing "well." That is, keeping my calorie intake under my goal. But let's say that's a deficit of 400 calories a day. After three days I've managed a deficit of 1,200 calories. One binge session can be 1x, 2x, or even 3x that amount and I feel like I've lost all the ground I made and then some.

queenliz99

I think your calorie goal is too low and maybe your body is telling you to eat more.

healthygreek

queenliz99 wrote: »

I think your calorie goal is too low and maybe your body is telling you to eat more.

THIS!!!
Too large of a deficit is a major factor in bingeing!!!!

jemhh

queenliz99 wrote: »

I think your calorie goal is too low and maybe your body is telling you to eat more.

This.

I looked at your food diary. It looks like your calorie goal without exercise is 1890. Even when you add back the calories, it doesn't seem like much for a guy your size. If I were you, I would consider figuring out my TDEE and then eating according to that. I just ran your numbers on the IIFYM calculator and it looks like your TDEE is around 2382 to maintain if you exercise 3x/week and 2533 if you exercise 5x/week. You are super close to your goal of 165 so I'd just eat maybe a 10% deficit every day (if that, to be honest I think at your size I would just eat maintenance for awhile.) Right now it looks like you have really low days and then high days. You might do better by evening it out.

gbel1975

jemhh wrote: »

queenliz99 wrote: »

I think your calorie goal is too low and maybe your body is telling you to eat more.

This.

I looked at your food diary. It looks like your calorie goal without exercise is 1890. Even when you add back the calories, it doesn't seem like much for a guy your size. If I were you, I would consider figuring out my TDEE and then eating according to that. I just ran your numbers on the IIFYM calculator and it looks like your TDEE is around 2382 to maintain if you exercise 3x/week and 2533 if you exercise 5x/week. You are super close to your goal of 165 so I'd just eat maybe a 10% deficit every day (if that, to be honest I think at your size I would just eat maintenance for awhile.) Right now it looks like you have really low days and then high days. You might do better by evening it out.

Sorry...noob here. Can you explain what TDEE and IIFYM are?

TIA. LOL.

jemhh

TDEE = total daily energy expenditure. The number of calories your body burns in total, all day long (calories it takes to breath, to eat, to take a shower, to exercise, etc. Everything.)

IIFYM = If It Fits Your Macros. The idea that if your diet fits your macronutrient goals, it is fine. There is a website called iifym.com that has a TDEE calculator. It's just one of many calculators, all of which give you their best guess as your TDEE. If you use one of them, use the numbers as a starting point and adjust from there since there is no way that an online calculator can be 100% accurate for this kind of thing. Note that if you use this number for your calorie goal, it already includes your exercise calories so don't add them in again on top of it the way you do with the MFP calorie goal.

JimS2014

I basically had the same situation. I do my cardio before lifting, and then lift heavy and hard. During the day, I had no problem controlling my hunger. The issue was about 7 PM, a monster took control, and I would eat everything...mainly stuff that wasn't good for me, and my weight suffered for it.

What finally worked for me was protein shakes with psyllium husks mixed in. Ingesting the right kind of protein is important. Mid morning, I have a casein protein shake with psyllium. Casein protein takes longer for your body to digest. After workout, I have a straigh Whey protein shake...whey is absorbed quicker by your body. Then about 7 pm, I have another casein shake with psyllium husks.

This routine has stopped the crazy cravings right in their tracks. I've now been able to concentrate on eating better, and right sizing my meals.

Of course, your mileage may vary. For me, the weight has been dropping off...I was at a high 6 weeks ago of 297. I'm now at 277, and still dropping weight steadily.

LAWoman72

Aww. You look like such a cute guy. (...said in Mommy Voice, so don't be scared)

I looked a few days back in your diary and two things stick out for me:

1. Are you sure, 2000-2100-ish calories are enough on a day-to-day basis? You are working out pretty hard. You may just be HUNGRY! You'll get a bit hungrier each day until your body screams "God...just give me food right now...and lots of it" and then the eating starts and you can't stop.
2. I saw a 1200-calorie day in there...do you attempt to restrict after a binge day? That may not be your best option. You're only setting yourself up to get really hungry again. Various types of IF and periodic calorie restriction (I mean large calorie restriction) and, yes, even fasts work well for some people, but not so well for others. That may just not work for you.

It's possible you're just setting up a cycle of over-hunger from undereating/bingeing/restricting/over-hunger from undereating, lather, rinse, repeat. Yes, one does need to "undereat," technically, to lose weight (calorie deficit) - BUT - if the undereating is *too* severe, you could just be setting yourself up to overeat later. A *smaller* calorie deficit may be more do-able over time and will in fact eventually result in weight loss...just slightly slower. And it will be less likely to cause you to undo all your previous efforts by a giant *over*eating (binge).

Have you calculated your BMR? What is it? What do you have your activity level set on for MFP? Is it accurate for the amount of working out you're doing?

How tall are you?

HDCANDYZ

Hey guys, thanks for the comments. I'm 5'11" and my calculated BMR done at a local health shop gave me around 1890/day. I do tend to restrict calories (severely) on the following day after a binge, but as some have pointed out, that doesn't always work well. I've set myself at a 1.5lb loss a week to get me back on track and I just started that, before it was about 2000/day, or a bit more.

meglo91

Hey there. So I'm a noob like you, but I've been at this dieting game a while, just not always here on MFP.
I also have a problem with binge eating. I do well all day, restrict restrict restrict, I get to about 8 pm, and all hell breaks loose. I am hungry. I am without control. I can easily snarf 800 extra calories without thought. The protein powder and cucumber I ate earlier get obliterated by chocolate.
Well, I had a little epiphany. And that's that I was trying to eat too little, and it was sabotaging my weight loss by making me ravenous. I nixed the 1380 calories that MFP had given me, and set mine at 1700 per day, regardless of exercise. That number is based on my TDEE-20%. That way I have a set, sane number to eat every day, even on non-workout days. Yes, it means I'll lose slowly, but at least I'll lose. I know there are people, especially women, here on MFP who seem happy to eat 1200 calories per day while exercising for 90 minutes, but I am not one of them. Too much restriction makes me unhappy.
It seems like you have very little weight to lose. And in fact, you are at a completely healthy weight right now. You should probably commit to losing it veerrrryyyy slowly, if at all, and just eat healthfully and try to gain muscle.
You should also keep in mind that you are already a huge, giant success. 5 pounds either way will not change that.
Congratulations and good luck.