Intermittent Fasting Turned to Binging

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I don't know how to start this off. . . I heard about intermittent fasting, and it's sort of turned itself into binge eating, I think. See, I'm graduating in May30-I've always been bigger and thicker than most girls. At 5 foot 10, I weighed 145 to 155 during basketball season. With the season over, I sort of panicked in Februrary. The thought of putting on a swimsuit for our senior pool party literally nauseated me. I feel disgusting every time I look in the mirror. I've used my fitness pal before, and it's helped me lose weight but I wanted to jump start it. So I did the 8 hours eating, 16 hours off. I don't know how, but I've suddenly gone to eating ALL of my 1200-1400 calories at 6 in the morning. I wake up, and the first thing on my mind is to eat. And not good calories, fatty calories, mostly all carbs, but Ive stayed within the limit most of the time. . .

And I know it's wrong, and I've tried to eat cleaner, but I end up binge eating for that one hour and then restraining myself for the next 23 hours with gum and diet coke. I used to get very, very hungry throughout the day, but I don't notice it anymore until I wake up. And now I'm panicking, and freaking out, and getting really stressed because at 3 this morning I was so hungry I rampagde the pantry for honey nut cherios, rice, granola bars and anything that was in sight. And I totally exceeded my calorie limit by at least 1500. I've done this a couple times, but more in the last month, and now I'm terrified that I can't stop this because I know it's unhealthy but I like the feeling of being so stuffed you can't move and then falling asleep super hungry.

And this pisses me off, to say frankly, becase Im stitting through family meals and I wont eat with them.And my friends want to go out for ice cream, and I won't have any. And I won't allow myself popcorn at the movies. And when someone offers me something I get really mad because I know I cant have it. And deep down I know that its wrong but when I tried to change I got super irritable and pissy because I felt I was losing this control, and to me it is so much easier to just get everything counted and done for without worrying about calories throughout the day. Right now, the scale says I am 135.6. I have 12 days until the pool party, and normally I'm this rational, sane person but the thought of going there terrifies me.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rant. It's just that this morning I overate so much. And to top it off and make me more disgusted and angry at myslef, I'm having friends over for a bonfire/smores/Disney movie sleepover. Like my old friends, the original group from freshman year, and I'm just so angry that I didn't have any self control, that I'm ingrained in this ruthless cycle eating just for one hour. And now I can't eat with them, because I already exceeded by so many calories.

What can I do?
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Replies

  • adamitri
    adamitri Posts: 614 Member
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    Maybe so much restriction isn't working for you? Why not try eating regular meals if fasting isn't working. Can you prelog a menu for yourself and eat through out the day instead of restricting. And why can you not have a treat here and there? For me, restricting so hard led to binges so now I have a little bit here and there when I'm craving it. I find if I eat a it I don't binge on it. Also 135.6 sounds like a healthy weight, what weight goal are you trying to reach?
  • JenniferIsLosingIt
    JenniferIsLosingIt Posts: 595 Member
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    Get counseling for one. It may seem like a trite response but your behavior is so self destructive. Cut yourself some slack and think of what you would tell your best friend if shetold you what you just told us. at 135 you are a small person unless you are 3 foot tall. Learn to love the skin yuo are in. I would chance to say that you wouldnt let one of your frinds or family members talk to themselves the way you are...Hope this gets better for you. :)
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    I do the 14/10 IF too, only I don't eat much until dinner time. I explicitly save the bulk of my calories until the evening so that I can eat and be social with my family and friends and not really have to worry about logging until after the fact, and the thing is, that with my exercise calories and a smaller sized lunch, I really am too full to eat much past maintenance.

    For today, decide if you WANT to eat with your friends or if you WANT to stick to your eating plan. Make a conscious decision one way or the other and stay in control of doing what you WANT TO DO. On purpose. With forethought instead of panic.

    And maybe modify your schedule in the future so that your eating and your social time coinside, if you enjoy eating as a social activity.

    ONE day of over-eating won't kill you. It will barely set you off course. So take that into account and then in the future, think about when you WISH to eat and WHAT and aim for that. Or perhaps IF is not for you and you need to consider a different feeding plan. Good luck.

    On a side note, 155 sounds like a great weight if you're 5'10... I'm 5'5 and I'm only aiming for 145 for now. What is your body fat percentage? Have you done that calculation?
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    5'10 and 136 is small. I honestly think you need to seek help before this becomes a bigger problem than it is. 145-155 is average for your height. Any doctor will tell you that's where they want you to be.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Find something that is sustainable for you. Clearly, this isn't.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
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    IFing (in your case 16:8) isn't for everyone. Some people react as you did. You can always go back to daily restriction or try another type of IF. I follow 5:2...2 days a week at 500 and 5 days at TDEE. Might be better for you, might not. You'll know, when you've tried it.
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    5'10 and 136 is small. I honestly think you need to seek help before this becomes a bigger problem than it is. 145-155 is average for your height. Any doctor will tell you that's where they want you to be.

    This is so true! It sounds like you're falling into eating disorder territory....please seek help. Your school will have resources for you to get back in balance. In the meantime, please don't keep with the intermittent fasting--it's not working for you. You're binging because your body is starving. I don't think that this is what you wanted to hear, but I think that deep down, you know that this is what's happening. Like jenjay said, if this were your best friend posting, what would you tell her?

    Best of luck!
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
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    5'10 and 135 isn't even overweight, more on the lower end of your weight range.

    As said maybe this way of eating isn't for you. I don't think I could do this because I'd probably have the same issues. Maybe you need to find another way of eating.
  • JoeyFrappuccino
    JoeyFrappuccino Posts: 88 Member
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    I've heard that intermittent fasting isn't recommended for women, but never that it could cause binging. One instance of binging is not a disorder, but it really sounds like you should stop your IF. You sound miserable, and you don't have much weight to lose, so just eat like you were before with a small deficit. You're going way too hard when you only have a couple pounds to lose.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Find something that is sustainable for you. Clearly, this isn't.

    +1

    Find a way of eating that works for you since it comes across IF doesn't.
  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
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    Oh, honey.

    1. 145-155 is a great weight for your height. Don't stress so much. You're beautiful.
    2. Just stop the IF. Eat when you want. This is definitely encroaching on ED territory and that's not healthy.
    3. Seriously, stop. 136 is probably too low for you. At the very least, you're already at your goal so don't torture yourself any more.
    4. Did I mention you should stop? Stop dieting, stop stressing. You're gonna be fine.
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,117 Member
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    5'10 and 136 is small. I honestly think you need to seek help before this becomes a bigger problem than it is. 145-155 is average for your height. Any doctor will tell you that's where they want you to be.

    This. I thought she was fine at 155, being 5'10. Then i read she is at 136... something is not good.

  • QueenKnightess3
    QueenKnightess3 Posts: 3 Member
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    5'10 and 136 is small. I honestly think you need to seek help before this becomes a bigger problem than it is. 145-155 is average for your height. Any doctor will tell you that's where they want you to be.

    This is so true! It sounds like you're falling into eating disorder territory....please seek help. Your school will have resources for you to get back in balance. In the meantime, please don't keep with the intermittent fasting--it's not working for you. You're binging because your body is starving. I don't think that this is what you wanted to hear, but I think that deep down, you know that this is what's happening. Like jenjay said, if this were your best friend posting, what would you tell her?

    Best of luck!

  • QueenKnightess3
    QueenKnightess3 Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi you guys. I just wanted to say thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate your feedback and responses.

    And I guess I do know its unhealthy, and I know IF isn't for everyone, and even though it makes me miserable I can't seem to get any control over it. Ive somehow engrained this huge breakfast into routine, and any change. . . I had told myself last night to keep a light breakfast so I can have fun with my friends tonight, but then I woke up at 3 and I kept telling myself not to eat and I did and I kept eating and it sucks. And it was the same thing about two weeks ago when I went to my grandparents, and the special curry dinner Gramps and I made was scheduled for 6. I tried to eat a light breakfast but then 2 hours before dinner I couldn't stand it and I ate 5 cookies sitting on the table. And that was my food for the day, and I couldn't eat dinner with them because I couldn't stop crying. Having curry is like a family tradition, and I blew it. Any change that I do makes me miserable.

    And part of me agrees with all of you; it's not for me and its not working for me. I just. . . I've never. . . I don't even know how I got to this point.

    And again, thank you for your responses.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    This book might be extremely helpful for you: http://www.amazon.com/Intuitive-Eating-Revolutionary-Program-Works/dp/0312321236

    The direction you are heading is going to cost you a lot of happiness. You have a chance to make peace with your body and learn how to eating in a healthy way. I would suggest talking to some people in your life who can help you to get out of your head a little bit and give you support :)
  • JoeyFrappuccino
    JoeyFrappuccino Posts: 88 Member
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    Hi you guys. I just wanted to say thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate your feedback and responses.

    And I guess I do know its unhealthy, and I know IF isn't for everyone, and even though it makes me miserable I can't seem to get any control over it. Ive somehow engrained this huge breakfast into routine, and any change. . . I had told myself last night to keep a light breakfast so I can have fun with my friends tonight, but then I woke up at 3 and I kept telling myself not to eat and I did and I kept eating and it sucks. And it was the same thing about two weeks ago when I went to my grandparents, and the special curry dinner Gramps and I made was scheduled for 6. I tried to eat a light breakfast but then 2 hours before dinner I couldn't stand it and I ate 5 cookies sitting on the table. And that was my food for the day, and I couldn't eat dinner with them because I couldn't stop crying. Having curry is like a family tradition, and I blew it. Any change that I do makes me miserable.

    And part of me agrees with all of you; it's not for me and its not working for me. I just. . . I've never. . . I don't even know how I got to this point.

    And again, thank you for your responses.

    I wasn't too worried about your first post, since it sounded to me like a one-time slip after trying something knew, but this really does sound like something for which you should seek professional help. If it's been an ongoing thing, please get help before this gets out of hand.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    ... I think that perhaps you might pick someone who you see every day, in your real life, and talk to them about what you're trying to accomplish and how. They may be able to help you in a way that we on the internets cannot.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I would agree with not doing this anymore. That's not a solution that will work for everyone. There are other things you can do besides just CICO. One that works for me is spreading out my calories over the day. I'll eat smaller meals, but more of them. Doing that over time decreased the size of my appetite, so now, I can't actually eat large meals anymore. Kinda sucks at restaurants (i never have room for dessert *lesad*), but it worked for me. Now, this might not work for you at all, but it looks like intermittent fasting isn't working for you either, so time to change the game plan. You may have to try several methods to find one that works for you, which is kinda a pain to do, but once you find your method, it will help IMMENSELY.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
    edited May 2015
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    You talk about wanting control, losing control, getting frustrated by your lack of control . . . Maybe you're scared about your future (graduation and all that, changes ahead) and are grabbing on to your diet as something you can control the **** out of?

    You can't eat (or starve) your way to being happy if there's some other underlying issue in your life. As it is, you're on your way to an eating disorder. 5' 10" and 135 lbs and you think you need to lose weight? No. Please, seek out a professional who can help you. Talk to your family or a trusted friend. This isn't healthy.

  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Hi you guys. I just wanted to say thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate your feedback and responses.

    And I guess I do know its unhealthy, and I know IF isn't for everyone, and even though it makes me miserable I can't seem to get any control over it. Ive somehow engrained this huge breakfast into routine, and any change. . . I had told myself last night to keep a light breakfast so I can have fun with my friends tonight, but then I woke up at 3 and I kept telling myself not to eat and I did and I kept eating and it sucks. And it was the same thing about two weeks ago when I went to my grandparents, and the special curry dinner Gramps and I made was scheduled for 6. I tried to eat a light breakfast but then 2 hours before dinner I couldn't stand it and I ate 5 cookies sitting on the table. And that was my food for the day, and I couldn't eat dinner with them because I couldn't stop crying. Having curry is like a family tradition, and I blew it. Any change that I do makes me miserable.

    And part of me agrees with all of you; it's not for me and its not working for me. I just. . . I've never. . . I don't even know how I got to this point.

    And again, thank you for your responses.

    I think you need to take a day and just accept that you're going to be over calories, possibly by a lot, for that day. Go ahead and eat your huge breakfast - but then forgive yourself and still eat normally for the rest of the day. Hopefully that will help break the cycle so that maybe the next day you'll be able to return to a more normal sized breakfast. ONE DAY IS NOT GOING TO DERAIL YOU. It will be okay if you have a day where you eat a lot. Just don't go near the scale for a few days after that - there will be a weight gain but it will only be water weight. It'll even out again after a few days, but seeing it is going to discourage you so just don't go there.