how to prevent binge eating?

Assuming "well don't binge eat, duh" doesn't help. I would suggest stocking up with something you can binge on that isn't very calorie dense. Vegetables, popcorn (NO BUTTER), sugar-free jello...etc.

SLLRunner wrote: »

katelynneelswick wrote: »

So I have a problem...
I keep binging.
I go all day, eaying good and clean, making sure I'm eating enough calories and hitting my macros, then as im starting to fall asleep my stomach is growling. All I can think about is food. Not just any food. I'm thinking about the junk food my parents have in the kitchen and then next thing I know I'm in a trance like state in the kitchen shoveling down food.
I get so mad at my self that I start to panic and cry.
This happens about every 4 days.
What are some things I can do to prevent binges in the future?

Save some calories for a late night snack.

Exactly what I was going to say.

Katelyn, you're setting yourself up to fail if you deprive yourself of things.

Just eat whatever you feel like eating all day, within your calorie limit.

Plan what you eat before you eat it. Even if it's over your goal and even if you still eat it, it's a step towards controlling binges. I don't struggle too badly with "actually" binging but I do often fight them in my head. I have found that foods that take some effort to eat work really well for night-time cravings. Big bowl of popcorn, bowl of 0% fat yogurt and my new favourite, frozen fruit puree (the squeezy pouches they make for kids). The frozen fruit puree takes me a good 10-15 minutes to eat but for only 64 calories - makes me feel like i've had a big meal at night.

katelynneelswick wrote: »

So I have a problem...
I keep binging.
I go all day, eaying good and clean, making sure I'm eating enough calories and hitting my macros, then as im starting to fall asleep my stomach is growling. All I can think about is food. Not just any food. I'm thinking about the junk food my parents have in the kitchen and then next thing I know I'm in a trance like state in the kitchen shoveling down food.
I get so mad at my self that I start to panic and cry.
This happens about every 4 days.
What are some things I can do to prevent binges in the future?

Maybe try re-adjusting your calories for a larger dinner or a late night snack? Yoghurt, cottage cheese, air popped popcorn, jerky etc are all quite filling. If you're restricting yourself too much, you're setting yourself up. You don't have to eat 'clean' (which means different things to different people) or deprive yourself of foods you love, work it in to your calorie allowance.

One of the things I do to prevent a binge is to log what I want to eat before I eat it. I also try to wait a few minutes and distract myself. Anything to slow myself down and actually think about what I want to do and whether it's worth it. I know it's hard, I really have to fight the urge a few times a week. My actual bingeing has dropped to maybe once a month or so. I also make a huge effort not to let myself get too hungry because that will set it off!

I wonder if it would help to do two things.

(1) increase your daily goal by about 100-200, so in general you're less hungry

(2) save 200-300 calories each day for an evening snack.

You may still have an urge to binge, but if you do both of those things above, you should be more able to fight the urge if you want to.

Reduce your calorie deficit to something you can manage, even if that means 0.5lb/week instead of 2lb/week (that ends up being 0lb/week). Slowly grow your calorie deficit if you want to lose faster (like 100 calories per week you successfully don't binge), but reduce it again if you binge. Large calorie reductions can lead to too low leptin levels which can trigger binge eating. Another thing is lowering insulin levels reduces leptin resistance, so try cutting out extra sugar.

Plan some calories for a snack at night, and keep the snack small and portioned out. My nightly snack is a single fudge bar for 100 calories, it works for me. I've also planned calories for buffalo style rolls (I found some small ones where I can eat 4 for 220 calories. Find something that works for you and work it into your plan.

Plan ahead and don't forget to incorporate the snacks you like into your plan. I found in the past when I binged, it was usually because my plan was a tad bit too aggressive, and because I was too restrictive.