Stuck in a binge/healthy eating cycle

Maybe don't be so restrictive with your eating.

Do something more sustainable. I like my treats and indulgences, if I had to eat 'clean' I'd fall off the wagon and binge too.

It's perfectly possible to be in a calorie deficit, hit all your micro and macro goals, and still have calories left over for treats.

What does a typical "eating healthy and clean" day look like for you?

WBB55 wrote: »

My guess is when you're restricting, your calorie goal is simply too low overall. Shoot for a 500 calorie per day deficit from your TDEE (or fill in your info on the MFP app and set your loss to 1# per week as a goal and follow what the app recommends).

This is good advice. 1200-1300 calories is too low unless you are very tiny and close to your goal weight.

You should be eating now like you plan to eat for the rest of your life, just fewer calories. Otherwise, you'll reach your goal weight, go back to the way you used to eat and gain all of the weight back. Now, if you're planning to eat "clean" and "healthy" from this point forward, then that's what you should do now, but it doesn't sound like you're really on board with the plan if you're stating that you're avoiding the foods you really want to eat.

You have two options here: one is to simply remove all of the foods you actually like to eat and will end up binging on from the house. If it's not there, you can't eat it. The other is to eat the foods you like in moderation rather than making them off limits and therefore starting a binge cycle. In either case, I'd suggest eating more and losing a little slower. That alone may help to stave off the binge cycle.

TremendouslyMagnificentYouth wrote: »

I'm really restricting myself, I've replaced most of the food I "crave" with healthier options. The only food I've cut out is bread. I never skip meals, and I smack throughout the day. I manage to stay with a calorie range of 1200-1400, but when boredom/stress/etc sets in, I'll eat anything in my path

You may find the parts of this thread that mention behavior useful: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226257/food-addiction-a-different-perspective/p1

TremendouslyMagnificentYouth wrote: »

I feel like it's a habit more than something I do because I'm hungry because I eat A LOT since my diet is mainly organic food which tends to be on the low side of calories. My problem is getting out of that habit it turning to food as a solution to negative emotions, you know?

Write out a list of things to do other than eating when you're bored, lonely, anxious, stressed, sad, mad, etc. try to include quick things and longer activities. Put it where you won't forget it and use it.

It does sound like you should raise your daily calories too.

TremendouslyMagnificentYouth wrote: »

I'm really restricting myself, I've replaced most of the food I "crave" with healthier options. The only food I've cut out is bread. I never skip meals, and I smack throughout the day. I manage to stay with a calorie range of 1200-1400, but when boredom/stress/etc sets in, I'll eat anything in my path

I've similar problem, but what's kind of funny I don't binge due to craving foods I don't eat anymore (junk, sweets, bars, chips, pastries) I don't mind not eating them anymore... I binge with food I eat every day which is quite healthy I would say but the amount of it is just scary... till I feel sick... I've been challenging myself several times with marking days in my calendar as breaking that habit. I've reden You need 21-28 days to break it and it really helps me. I do this every time I'm back to 'that' day and after 28 days it's way easier to stay on track. Unfortunately as human being we have these days and to me mindless eating goes back. Now my stomach is quite small and it's easy to make me feel sick so when that day comes I eat popcorn/nuts/granola and drink whole 1l of unsweetened almond milk. I know it might sound ridiculous for some but it keeps me stay not as much over my calories with feeling sick. I know it's bad but still fighting with it over and over again.
What I do also to distract myself is my designing, sewing hobby, online shopping, writting on MFP

Serah87 wrote: »

That's what happens when you restrict yourself, it's not sustainable.

I eat everything in moderation. Basically 80/20.

This

TremendouslyMagnificentYouth wrote: »

I'm really restricting myself, I've replaced most of the food I "crave" with healthier options. The only food I've cut out is bread. I never skip meals, and I smack throughout the day. I manage to stay with a calorie range of 1200-1400, but when boredom/stress/etc sets in, I'll eat anything in my path

I was never able to conquer binges until I figured out a way to eat foods that I love each day. This doesn't mean you have to eat hundreds of calories of ice cream or pizza daily. But for me, I have to be excited about something that I am planning to eat. The foods I crave are mainly salty, so I will plan to have a few olives before dinner, some peanut sauce on cucumber noodles for lunch, a portion of tortilla chips and salsa for a snack . . . whatever it is, giving myself leeway to have foods I love makes it easier for me to hit my daily goal.

kshama2001 wrote: »

TremendouslyMagnificentYouth wrote: »

I'm really restricting myself, I've replaced most of the food I "crave" with healthier options. The only food I've cut out is bread. I never skip meals, and I smack throughout the day. I manage to stay with a calorie range of 1200-1400, but when boredom/stress/etc sets in, I'll eat anything in my path

You may simply be not eating enough. What's your height and weight? Are you set to lose 0.5 pounds per week? With only 28 pounds to lose, creating a deficit of more than a few hundred calories per day may be too aggressive.

This as well.