Am I looking at this realistically???
kristinhull1
Posts: 294 Member
Hey MFP peeps. I have been here twice before. Lost 30lbs both times but gained it all back. I am 25 years old 4'11 and weigh 195lbs. Ive lost 5lbs in my first week. Most likely water weight I know. This week. I have been replacing 2 meals with protein bars or smoothies. Then I eat whatever my boys want for dinner. I am a binge eater. If we'd order food id eat it all till it was gone. I had my first break through this week when my Fiancee ordered Papa Johns pizza and I ate only one slice. Where before I would eat 4-5 slices with a bunch of ranch and a 2 liter of pop. I couldnt believe I didnt binge this week. But people tell me to realistically make my goals. Am I going to be able to never binge eat again? Probably not. So my question to you is is it okay to binge eat once a week and still lose the weight you want to lose? Is it even possible for me to lose weight if U binge eat once in a while. I want to get to 130lbs. Im scared ill never get there.
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Replies
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It is purely about your calories and being in a deficit if you keep track of how much over you binge eat and make up for that in the week to maintain a deficit you'd still lose.
You're weight would fluctuate a fair amount but the overall trend would be downward. Also I can't speak for how good it'd be for you in overall health but in terms of weight if there is a deficit for the weekly total you'll lose.5 -
It is possible to reduce binge eating to the point that it rarely happens. Binge eating once per week will most likely destroy your deficit for the week and result in frustration. There are a variety of ways to get better control over binge eating and you'll have to find the one that works best for you. Here are a few that I know of:
1. Setting your goal to lose less weight per week (give you more to eat and feels less like restriction).
2. Eating at maintenance once per week.
3. Planning a small treat for the end of the day.
4. Eliminating treats completely.
5. Planning a treat once per week, but setting a calorie limit for it.
You may find something else that works much better than any of those. Ideally you want to find something that you can keep up forever. The biggest piece of advice that I can give is to not try to make up for a binge by starving yourself the next day.13 -
Eat more satisfying, fiber filled and whole foods throughout the day and hopefully you won't be in a binge mindset. If your binges are emotionally triggered, then you'll really need to work on your mental well being.2
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tillerstouch wrote: »It is purely about your calories and being in a deficit if you keep track of how much over you binge eat and make up for that in the week to maintain a deficit you'd still lose.
You're weight would fluctuate a fair amount but the overall trend would be downward. Also I can't speak for how good it'd be for you in overall health but in terms of weight if there is a deficit for the weekly total you'll lose.
How do I count my weekly total?
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It is possible to reduce binge eating to the point that it rarely happens. Binge eating once per week will most likely destroy your deficit for the week and result in frustration. There are a variety of ways to get better control over binge eating and you'll have to find the one that works best for you. Here are a few that I know of:
1. Setting your goal to lose less weight per week (give you more to eat and feels less like restriction).
2. Eating at maintenance once per week.
3. Planning a small treat for the end of the day.
4. Eliminating treats completely.
5. Planning a treat once per week, but setting a calorie limit for it.
You may find something else that works much better than any of those. Ideally you want to find something that you can keep up forever. The biggest piece of advice that I can give is to not try to make up for a binge by starving yourself the next day.
Thanks for the advice
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melonaulait wrote: »Eat more satisfying, fiber filled and whole foods throughout the day and hopefully you won't be in a binge mindset. If your binges are emotionally triggered, then you'll really need to work on your mental well being.
They are emotionally triggered.0 -
kristinhull1 wrote: »tillerstouch wrote: »It is purely about your calories and being in a deficit if you keep track of how much over you binge eat and make up for that in the week to maintain a deficit you'd still lose.
You're weight would fluctuate a fair amount but the overall trend would be downward. Also I can't speak for how good it'd be for you in overall health but in terms of weight if there is a deficit for the weekly total you'll lose.
How do I count my weekly total?
Idk that you could do it on mfp you might have to just track another way, how much you eat each day. For instance if maintenence is 2000 calories a day to maintain weight, for a week you would eat 14000 calories. Keep track of daily calories and at the end of the week make sure you are under 14000 and you'll lose weight depending on how under you are.
This being said I would really look more at USMCMP advice and try to cut out/reduce the binge eating as much as possible.1 -
Remember you need a 3500 calorie deficit in one week in order to lose a pound a week. If you binge eat just make up for it with exercise and a deficit.2
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I binge eat, at night after dinner most of time, not sure if its emotional though most of the time its out of boredom for me. What I did when I was really motivated to lose weight was set my mind up that dinner was over the kitchen was clean and closed for the evening. Not sure what time of the day you may binge though. Its tough why not have a cheat meal each week and plan for it like do an extra 30 minute cardio session that day.0
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It is possible to reduce binge eating to the point that it rarely happens. Binge eating once per week will most likely destroy your deficit for the week and result in frustration. There are a variety of ways to get better control over binge eating and you'll have to find the one that works best for you. Here are a few that I know of:
1. Setting your goal to lose less weight per week (give you more to eat and feels less like restriction).
2. Eating at maintenance once per week.
3. Planning a small treat for the end of the day.
4. Eliminating treats completely.
5. Planning a treat once per week, but setting a calorie limit for it.
You may find something else that works much better than any of those. Ideally you want to find something that you can keep up forever. The biggest piece of advice that I can give is to not try to make up for a binge by starving yourself the next day.
This lady right here ^ knows what she's talking about. I'd heed her advice and make it happen.
Also, depending on how much you eat when you 'binge', you could very VERY easily destroy an entire weeks deficit (or more) with one day/night of 'binging'. My personal advice is to eat the foods you like, but make them fit into your allotted daily calories. Take it ONE day at a time. Don't look at it as "OMG I have to eat like this for a year or more? WTF" - look at it as one day at a time. Just for today.
Best of luck! :flowerforyou:1 -
girl_inflames wrote: »Remember you need a 3500 calorie deficit in one week in order to lose a pound a week. If you binge eat just make up for it with exercise and a deficit.
That's disordered advice.
There is no may to "make up" for a 6k binge and creating a 3,500 deficit on top of that. You just have to continue you regular program the next day and realize it was a set back and not a road block.18 -
I was a huge binge eater prior to MFP which I started in January 2016. Mostly that is gone and when I do have more to eat than I normally do at those times when I need a little extra it is usually on better food. ie instead of potato chips and cream cheese I will eat an extra skinless chicken breast and fruit still keeping well within my calorie intake.
I haven't taken all of the foods off the menu as a possibility. If I want to have my favorite pizza, I will let myself have it (hasn't happened yet in 6 months but its a possibility), I just figure that moderation will now come in to play so instead of eating an extra large pizza all by myself over the course of a weekend a small should suffice for even longer than that.
I hope that helps and I have lost 77 lbs so far but I still have about 186 still to go so hitting my ultimate goal is still a long time in the future. I was 378 and now I am on the brink of breaking the 300 mark. I am proud of myself but I still have a long way to go4 -
Plenty of people on here will stay strict for 6 days, then have just one eat-what-I-want day or meal. You can still lose weight that way. One meal won't wreck your week, you'll still show some weight loss, and you won't feel like you're depriving yourself of things you like. You may find that after a great week, you're not willing to go all out and eat your face off.2
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If binge eating is a destructive (to your overall weight and health) behaviour then yes, you need to stop it. I know that I cannot go out and eat a Chilli Cheese A Plenty and maintain my weight so I had to give them up. This is more about lifestyle change than diet and the change has to be on the good side. I used to eat the pizza until it was gone to and it was a large. Now I eat at most 2 to 3 slices of a 10" Gluten free pizza.0
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I hoping after a while this wanting to binge thing goes away. Or ill never make it.0
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kristinhull1 wrote: »tillerstouch wrote: »It is purely about your calories and being in a deficit if you keep track of how much over you binge eat and make up for that in the week to maintain a deficit you'd still lose.
You're weight would fluctuate a fair amount but the overall trend would be downward. Also I can't speak for how good it'd be for you in overall health but in terms of weight if there is a deficit for the weekly total you'll lose.
How do I count my weekly total?
MFP will give you a report that you can break down for a week but it won't break it down from specific dates, just one week back from the date of the report.0 -
What (or should I ask, how much) are you considering a binge? And what is your Calorie goal?0
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My calorie goal is 1200. Im 4'11 and 195lbs. A typical binge would be around 1900-2500 calories.0
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Well, it seems like you should be able to lose weight, if you were to eat at 1200 for 6 days and have one 3500 day.
...But...
It seems you have MFP set up for a 2 lb per week loss? If so, maybe try changing it to a 1 lb per week loss - which is #1 on usmcmp's list. You might find that you don't feel the need/desire to have a "big" day.0 -
This calorie counter says I need 2,339 calories a day to maintain my weight. So in order to lose weight I need to take 3500 from that number right? So 2339-3500=12873 is how many calories im supposed to eat in one week. Am I doing this right?0
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In order to lose about 1 lb of fat in a week, yes. That should be correct. Just realize that weight loss isn't linear. You'll sometimes retain more water, so you'll lose less than a lb. Then, a week (or 2-3) later, you'll lose more than what you might expect. Also, you'll occasionally (every 5-10 lb is generally a good idea) need to recalculate your Calorie goal.
Also, that 2339 number is just an estimate. Barring any particular medical conditions, it should be pretty close. So, don't worry if you lose a little less or little more. You can always adjust, as necessary.
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Eat real food. Replacing meals with smoothies or protein bars is 1) not sustainable, 2) not giving you the nutrition that you need, 3) not teaching you how to eat properly.4
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I didnt know where to start usually I eat pancakes or toast for breakfast. So I just started using protein bars and shakes.0
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Can you pick an activity that you can do to get your mind off of binging? Maybe in time you could build a habit that you will go to instead. Could you remove some of the temptation to make it easier on yourself? I'm not sure how successful you can be with a healthy lifestyle while binge eating. Best of luck to you. I hope you find something.0
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I find binging to be a set up for failure. But that's me. You may have better self control. Although if you had self control, I don't think you'd be here. So rather than 1 "blow it" day a week, set your calories for the day at a reasonable level, and eat what you want within that goal. If you want ice cream, eat it. Just make sure it fits. If you are close to your daily calorie goal and just can't resist that cupcake....better get to walking for an hour or two while you enjoy every crumb!
Will it be easy? No...if it were easy, there would be no fat people. It's a commitment. A lifestyle. Embrace it.
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Eat real food. Replacing meals with smoothies or protein bars is 1) not sustainable, 2) not giving you the nutrition that you need.
^ Agreed. Find nutritious REAL food that fits your calorie goals. For example, my lunch today was this:
4oz canned chunk chicken breast
1 mini babybel cheese
1 cup whole strawberries
~1 cup whole green grapes
360 cals , 33g protein, 38g carbs, 9g fat - very VERY filling!
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With bingeing it's not so much the calories (though 2500 calories is well on it's way to destroying a week's deficit) as the behavior. That out of control eating is what got most of us into trouble in the first place. It creeps from one meal on one day to "I'm not losing any weight anyway so I give up" and you go back to a life of bingeing.
I have a Bonus Meal which is very controlled. Once a week, if I eat out no taking home leftovers. Any food (fried chicken, pizza, BBQ, Mexican) is fair game. I never have to have the pity party for myself that I can NEVER have that food again. I just save it for the Bonus Meal. It's not cheating so I don't have to punish myself for it afterward. It's just part of my ongoing lifestyle. That's something I can live with. (And have lost 37 pounds thus far this year)1 -
I am so thankful for all the replies and helpful tips and motivation. Ive been logging for a week with no binges. Its just sometimes I worry I will binge. I dont want to but my mind says eat. Eat alot. I started gaining weight 3 years ago when I lost my Dad. No bashing please but I am a recovered cutter. Cutting was my go to for any type of negative emotion. I finally got over that and havent done any cutting in 4 years. After my Dad it was either cut or eat. I chose eating.2
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I'm not sure how good this advice will be but maybe you could look into intermittent fasting. I follow a VERY loose interpretation of it by eating lightly during the day and eating most of my calories at night. I call it "binging within my calories".
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I'm sorry for what you've gone through. Excellent job as far as overcoming the cutting, though! You CAN overcome binge eating as well. Give it time. Be patient with yourself and don't worry or dwell on it.
As far as your other post about not knowing where to start with food, if you like toast or pancakes for breakfast then that's what you should have. Just eat less than you normally would. Eating the things you enjoy but in smaller quantities is a good place to start.5
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