Best thing to do after binge eating?

Magenta96
Magenta96 Posts: 11 Member
edited November 16 in Motivation and Support
I was doing so well, I hadn't binge ate in months, today I wasn't even craving junk food but I genuinely just missed the taste of it and there were some new products in my house that I really wanted to try, so I ate them. I then ended up being way more relaxed and indulged in pizza for dessert, ice cream after etc, I ate too many things I shouldn't have.

A part of me really wants to get on my treadmill or exercise bike right now and burn what I can off, but people say this is bad? As in not to exercise after binge eating or it could make me binge again tomorrow, what's so bad about exercising a lot after binge eating? If I can undo some damage then why not?

Replies

  • Magenta96
    Magenta96 Posts: 11 Member
    edited April 2015
    I'm just worried because I weigh myself on Sunday mornings and I REALLY want to see the number go down but I think I've hindered that, should I just add some extra exercise to my other workouts? Also, I rarely EVER touch junk food (maybe once a month, I'll have a piece, but I normally don't crave it so don't eat it), not sure what got into me today.
  • laura3977
    laura3977 Posts: 191 Member
    Personally, I just log it and move on. If you can do some exercise and try to burn some calories go for it but don't stress about it too much. Make sure you stick to your calories for the rest of the week and continue to exercise as you normally would. The scale may go up, it may go down or it may stay the same but don't focus on one week's results, try to remember the bigger picture :smile:
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I agree- with Laura3977 and herrspoons-- log it and move on. Now, you COULD spend hours and hours beating yourself up for your behavior, but that's not a terribly productive use of time. If you feel obligated to brood and contemplate, why not do it in a positive way by considering the "behavior behind the behavior" . WHY did the binge happen in the first place? Was it really "taste" you were looking for, or were you feeling deprived of some of your favorite things (so maybe you need to budget for some of them in your food plan)? Were you bored and alone and so what you were really looking for was some company and so you turned to food? If you understand what led to the behavior, maybe you can better deal with it if the circumstance happens again.
  • Allterrain_Lady
    Allterrain_Lady Posts: 421 Member
    The 'damage' you're talking about is barely related to the amount of calories you ate. Or the amount of calories you will/would burn if you work(ed) out.
    Binge eating is not about food. At all. It shows you how you feel.
    My advice: log it (acknowledging what happened is key) and move on. It's done, your next decision will be better.
    BUT, try and go to the roots of the problem: identify the triggers that make you binge (mine is boredom and the feeling that sometimes kicks in that I will never do anything worthy with my life). It is really important to know this so you can work around it in the future.
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  • MisterZ33
    MisterZ33 Posts: 567 Member
    i binge on occasion as well. i log it and move on.

    i used to think the way you do. having the urgency to burn off the excessive calories i just consumed after a second serving of birthday cake or a few extra beers here and there. but i dont want to "punish" myself for the occasional binge, nor do i was to associate exercise with any kind of "punishment".

    just move on and eat to your calorie goals for the rest of the week.
  • erinelizabeth882
    erinelizabeth882 Posts: 102 Member
    Agreeing with everyone's "log it an move on" attitude. I feel better by going for a good long walk (not a run or an intense workout, not because it's "bad" but just because that doesn't sound nice on a full belly). Lots of water for the rest of the day too. On days when I binge early on, I will sometimes just have a protein shake for dinner, so i'm not going to bed hungry, but I'm not eating another big or heavy meal.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    Move on.

    Tomorrow is a new day.
  • abetterluke
    abetterluke Posts: 625 Member
    If it's not a normal thing for you then I'd say chalk it up to a good day and get back on the horse tomorrow. I struggle with the same thing but it's more of a daily occurrence. If I could limit myself to once or twice a month I'd probably drop weight pretty quickly. I'd say good job to you for being able to control it that well. Don't let it bother you.
  • DearestWinter
    DearestWinter Posts: 595 Member
    Log and move on. If it happens regularly then evaluate what's triggering the binge and address it.
  • TheRoseRoss
    TheRoseRoss Posts: 112 Member
    My alarm clock goes off and I need to get up to head to the gym. "Screw it! I'm gonna sleep in." Except I can't get back to sleep. By the time I'm almost there, it's time to get up and get ready for work. "I should have just gone to the gym."

    I went wild on the weekend, eating a whole bunch of stuff that I shouldn't have, because of dumb peer pressure. You know how people have friends that smoke, but feel bad about smoking by themselves, so they always ask "anyone wanna go for a smoke?" because somehow smoking with others makes them feel better than if they did it alone? I have people in my life that are like that with food.

    The next time I don't want to get up for the gym, I think back to how crappy I felt about the last time I skipped. The next time I want to binge on pizza, cheesy bread, and cinna stix*, I think back to, and look forward toward, the times I'm going to stare at myself in the mirror, clinch my stomach and ask "was it worth it?"

    The mistake has been made. Try to figure out why you made it, and remember the feeling so that the next time you're tempted, you will be stronger than you were the last time.

    *I read that cinnamon is supposed to boost your metabolism. So if you think about it, cinna stix are actually "good" for you :smiley: That's sarcasm btw
  • newport3158
    newport3158 Posts: 75 Member
    I have battled BED for the majority of my life. I can remember my first binge at 8 years old. I know that my binges came from being lonely. My dad would leave me home alone and I'd run to the kitchen when he left and eat anything I could get away with hiding. I also understand that my binging was from trying to be secretive and hide it from him, like haha I got away with something.

    Unfortunately this turned into a habit that progressed into adulthood. I still binge and my binges are pretty bad, and sometimes I over exercise to compensate. But the biggest thing I've learned from living with these demons is that your body can control your mind. Your mind may tell u "go eat", but if you don't physically get up and go into the kitchen, you won't eat.

    I highly suggest the book "brain over binge" it's really a great book to helping discover the brain-body connection.
  • NeliusPT
    NeliusPT Posts: 34 Member
    Don't worry or think about it to much. we all slip up! What I recommend is instead of clean eating for so long which will end up increasing your chances of binge eating, add small things you actually wanna eat to your eating lifestyle!

    I actually have one or two small snacks I actually wanna eat every other day, just not in huge amounts and keep up with your workouts if you do. Just don't overthink or judge yourself when you do binge, if you were eating clean for so long you probably deserve one nice big meal of whatever you want to have anyway! Good luck!
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