Avoiding Binges
MaddieRainbowHealth
Posts: 81 Member
Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any tips for keeping binges at bay.
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Replies
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There are TWO elements in the diet that help in making you feel full and can provide more time between foods, so helping in avoiding binges:
- Protein: it takes more time to digest prots that carbs and fats.
- Fiber: fiber is an element associated with carbs.
So my recommendations
- Try to keep protein consumption at the MFP suggested levels (around 1 gram per pound)
- Eat fiber rich carbs: whole breads, fruit WITH peel, vegs, etc.5 -
@Cialgle Ah, okay, I'll try that! Thanks for the suggestions! Do you have any tips for when a craving to binge hits suddenly? I typically will have a harder time stopping a binge at night...0
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Eat enough. Eat nourishing food. Eat food you like. Enjoy your food. Then stop using food to manage stress, anxiety, depression and boredom.12
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I have to just not buy it in the first place. If bad food is in the house I will eat the entire pack so I make sure not to buy it in the first place. Also, drinking water helps me feel full between meals.4
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@kommodevaran Very good and practical advice there! Thanks. It's definitely easy to use food as a distraction from other feelings, but it's important to fight the urge and examine why it's there to begin with. And obviously, if you enjoy the food you eat, that probably helps as well.1
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...Try to keep protein consumption at the MFP suggested levels (around 1 gram per pound)...
The "official" MFP protein recommendation is simply that 20% of your calories should come from protein. But you can make adjustments. The RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Don't forget to convert your weight into kilograms if you use that recommendation. The RDA is probably fine if you're sedentary, but it's a little low for me, IMO... Many fitness/nutrition "experts" suggest 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass, not per pound of total mass. You probably don't need that much if you aren't weight training or athletic. You need to know your body fat % in order to calculate your lean mass to figure out your protein needs if you go by that recommendation.
I agree with the advice of making sure you are getting adequate protein and fiber.
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Don't let yourself get really hungry..if I miss lunch or don't eat dinner till too late I will binge. It's like my body goes mental and wants all the fat and sugar. I've started carrying fruit and cereal bars with me, in case I'm busy and can't stick to a certain meal.4
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I have to just not buy it in the first place. If bad food is in the house I will eat the entire pack so I make sure not to buy it in the first place. Also, drinking water helps me feel full between meals.
I do this, and it works great most of the time.
The problem is when I stay at my parents' place. I sometimes rent out my flat on airbnb when they are away, and stay there. Their house have lots and lots of food and always some candy/snacks available. Practically every time I end up binging and hate myself for the next few days. It's like I go into 'vacation mode' when I am there
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@HM2206 I know what you mean. I currently live with my parents, and they control what groceries come into the house, so it's a constant battle of temptation and not giving in for me too.0
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@FruityFridays Good practical idea there! I do think that sometimes it's easy to let yourself get hungrier than you realize, so carrying around healthy snacks is a really good tool that I can use to combat those pesky binging urges! Thanks!0
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...Try to keep protein consumption at the MFP suggested levels (around 1 gram per pound)...
The "official" MFP protein recommendation is simply that 20% of your calories should come from protein. But you can make adjustments. The RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Don't forget to convert your weight into kilograms if you use that recommendation. The RDA is probably fine if you're sedentary, but it's a little low for me, IMO... Many fitness/nutrition "experts" suggest 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass, not per pound of total mass. You probably don't need that much if you aren't weight training or athletic. You need to know your body fat % in order to calculate your lean mass to figure out your protein needs if you go by that recommendation.
I agree with the advice of making sure you are getting adequate protein and fiber.
Sorry my mistake in the grams per pound, I should state "by kilogram", thanks for noticing.0 -
Maddiebubbles23 wrote: »@Cialgle Ah, okay, I'll try that! Thanks for the suggestions! Do you have any tips for when a craving to binge hits suddenly? I typically will have a harder time stopping a binge at night...
Difficult question, I can provide my advise regarding how to reduce the frequency on craving. But once the fact is evident ... is hard ... in my case I split. Sometimes I surrender, sometimes the craving surrended
It's always a question of balance.
PD: please see in my first reply I made a mistake, when it reads:
Try to keep protein consumption at the MFP suggested levels (around 1 gram per pound)
Should read
Try to keep protein consumption at the MFP suggested levels (around 1 gram per KILO)2 -
The biggest thing that helps me is following a 'clean eating' diet. before I consume anything I read the ingredient list and nutritional facts and if there are things I can't pronounce or tons of calories/fat/sodium ... I just won't eat it! But that said always keep acceptable snacks with you ... this helps control what I feed my body. Good luck2
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The biggest thing that helps me is following a 'clean eating' diet. before I consume anything I read the ingredient list and nutritional facts and if there are things I can't pronounce or tons of calories/fat/sodium ... I just won't eat it! But that said always keep acceptable snacks with you ... this helps control what I feed my body. Good luck
I'd think this feeds into a restrictive attitude which in some people could lead to worse binging. But that's just my opinion.5 -
@sunfastrose I think that's a good point! Eating healthy is good, but we also don't want to deprive ourselves of so-called "unhealthy" food to the point where it actually increases our desires to binge. It's a balance.2
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I've struggled with binges pretty much since I hit puberty, and 15 years on I'm finally starting to get help with it.
The most important thing is to work out why you binge, because there can be a multitude of reasons. Keep a food diary - not just for calories, but note down how you feel at the time, and you'll start to notice trends.
If you find you binge because you've let yourself get too hungry, then plan regular meal times. If it's because you're bored, look at the trigger - often sitting in front of the TV can lead to mindless eating, so call a friend, or pamper yourself for a bit (face mask, paint nails, etc), go for a walk, even do some housework!
If you eat it just because it's there, then make sure it's not in the house.
If you do fall off the wagon, don't hate or be horrible to yourself. Take the motto of if you wouldn't say it to your friend, don't say it to yourself. People with binge eating problems often suffer with low self esteem and we can be our own worst enemies.
Lastly, if you do really struggle, get some help. It's not so taboo any more and I'd starting to become more understood. Don't be ashamed to go to your doctor. Good luck.4 -
@lauren3101 Thanks for the tips! I have struggled with food issues in the past, but I'm doing much better now.0
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Maddiebubbles23 wrote: »Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any tips for keeping binges at bay.
Stop the restriction cycle and the binge cycles tend to go away.1 -
@Hello_its_Dan Thanks, that's a good tip there. I actually don't restrict, so no worries there. For me, binging typically hits late at night, and I'm currently dealing with a very stressful situation, in which I don't have a lot of control. So I don't struggle with the urge to binge every day, just typically when I'm stressed.1
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Maddiebubbles23 wrote: »@Hello_its_Dan Thanks, that's a good tip there. I actually don't restrict, so no worries there. For me, binging typically hits late at night, and I'm currently dealing with a very stressful situation, in which I don't have a lot of control. So I don't struggle with the urge to binge every day, just typically when I'm stressed.
You know the cause of your binges and when they are likely to hit, so you can work to avoid them.
1) reduce the stresses that cause the binges
2)If Option 1 is not realistic, then figure out other coping mechanisms
3) Remove all "binge" food and stock up on zero calorie drinks and snacks.1 -
It's good that you've identified stress as a trigger. I ask myself "am I really hungry?", or do I just want it because I see it's there? I often find that if I see the food I want all the time, then I'm going to constantly struggle with the desire. So, for me, it's important to put the peanut-butter jar away where I won't see it every time I come into the kitchen,lol. Out of site, out of mind. I also have some low calorie options available and lots of water.1
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I'm sorry for in advance for repeating others as I'm most likely about to do. I struggled with binging for many years during a really bad period of my life. I now only do it once in a blue moon and no longer feel guilty as it doesn't get the best of me.
My tried and true techniques:
- Drink water, mineral water or tea, my fav is roibos tea which doesn't contain caffeine so it's great for night time (though caffeine is good during the day as it's an appetite suppressor).
- Don't keep junk or packaged food in the house. If all food needs to be prepared you can't binge on it, unless it's fruit & veg then go for gold! (Also great for the environment).
- Try mindfulness activities, listen to music or go for a walk. (TV tends to make me want to binge).
- Sleeep! Zzzz Don't stay up late (like I'm doing now eek!)
- Shower & brush your teeth then use mouth wash (if you're at home) no one wants to binge with a minty fresh mouth!
- If you're genuinely hungry, make a smoothy or protein shake and do it quickly.
- Don't starve yourself or you'll be more likely to want to binge.
- Figure out your triggers (1 word Hormones!)
- Care for your mental and physical health.
- Exercise, it's amazing!
- Go Vegan, but first research the ethical and environmental reasons 1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »Maddiebubbles23 wrote: »@Hello_its_Dan Thanks, that's a good tip there. I actually don't restrict, so no worries there. For me, binging typically hits late at night, and I'm currently dealing with a very stressful situation, in which I don't have a lot of control. So I don't struggle with the urge to binge every day, just typically when I'm stressed.
You know the cause of your binges and when they are likely to hit, so you can work to avoid them.
1) reduce the stresses that cause the binges
2)If Option 1 is not realistic, then figure out other coping mechanisms
3) Remove all "binge" food and stock up on zero calorie drinks and snacks.
Halo Top!!!1 -
I used to binge a lot, which led me to bulimia when I was teenager. I got help with bulimia but binging stayed with me for years. The thing that helped me the most - seriously, I think it was 90% of success- was to start eating more nutrient dense food. I don't mean "clean eating", whatever that means, but focusing on whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean meat (when I was eating meat, now I'm vegetarian, but that's completely personal choice). I think when I was eating lots of fast foods, sweets and things generally viewed as "unhealthy " my body was lacking nutrients and that was leading to binges. I still eat sweets, pizza and anything I like, don't get me wrong, but now those are "additions" to overall healthy, nutrient dense diet. So maybe focus more on nutrient value for now more than on calories until you feel more stable and when you'll have binging under control. Oh and restricting on next day after a binge is a bad idea, this will lead to next binges creating cycle. You have to silence that little voice in your head that tells you to starve to make up for a binge.4
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Maddiebubbles23 wrote: »@Hello_its_Dan Thanks, that's a good tip there. I actually don't restrict, so no worries there. For me, binging typically hits late at night, and I'm currently dealing with a very stressful situation, in which I don't have a lot of control. So I don't struggle with the urge to binge every day, just typically when I'm stressed.
In a way, by not allowing yourself to eat what you want when you're feeling that way, you are feeding (no pun intended) into the restrict binge cycle. Maybe on those days you allow yourself to eat late at night up to your maintenance calories? So, you might be at maintenance for several days when you're stressed, but that's better than a binge. When eating isn't labeled as "bad" (eating at night when you're stressed) you may very well find that the "need" to binge goes away.0 -
@ACHynson Thanks for all the tips! Those are great suggestions! I'm actually an animal rights activist and would like to go vegan, but I'm living at home, with my parents, so that complicates things a bit, unfortunately. But it's cool that you're vegan, and I hope to be able to go vegan as well eventually!0
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My tip is to not eat so little every other day that you feel so hungry that you need to binge. This is the typical cause of people "binging" I've heard.
Other tips are to incorporate all the foods you love into your diet, but making sure to have appropriate amounts of them. A small scoop of ice cream a day is ok! A whole tub a day... probably not.
If you find you need to eat at night... how do you feel in the morning? I always felt that I needed more food at night and I could get away with either an apple or a glass of milk only for breakfast - leaving more calories for me to eat at night.0 -
There are TWO elements in the diet that help in making you feel full and can provide more time between foods, so helping in avoiding binges:
- Protein: it takes more time to digest prots that carbs and fats.
- Fiber: fiber is an element associated with carbs.
So my recommendations
- Try to keep protein consumption at the MFP suggested levels (around 1 gram per pound)
- Eat fiber rich carbs: whole breads, fruit WITH peel, vegs, etc.
I also find fat goes very far in helping me feel full. For me, fibre does diddly squat. However, it works for many people, so it's worth experimenting to see what works for you.0 -
Unfortunately I have a lot of experience with binging, and people that haven't ever had the issue don't understand how HARD it is to stop or redirect when the urge starts. It's not just a matter of self control.
I started out losing weight by only counting calories when I was 300 lbs, and I was eating 1500 calories a day. Then I moved to only counting calories and eating 1200 calories a day. Then I plateaued and added exercise. Eventually I moved to eating around 1000 calories and working out for around 3 hours a day when I could manage it. I thought, well, if a little exercise is good, more must be better. And if 1200 calories was good, less must be better. On top of that, I was eating very little fat. I was good for about a year, and ended up losing down to around 110. Then, out of nowhere, uncontrollable binges would start. I would go crazy with anything that contained carbs and fat. And then after my binges, I would go crazy again with over restricting and over exercising to "make up" for those binges. I got desperate because I was gaining weight back, and I just couldn't get out of the cycle, so I decided to get help (with the strong urging of several friends).
I ended up seeing a nutritionist that specialized in eating disorders. She taught me several things that were a BIG help. The first thing was that I was sleep deprived because I was getting up at 4 am to work out, but going to bed around midnight (I had just started dating my boyfriend). Being sleep deprived can make you crave carbs. The second was that my body was going crazy craving carbs and fat because I was expending energy like crazy, but never replenishing. I needed to start eating more, and working out less.
It's still hard to find a balance, but as long as I listened to her AND listen to my body, I have very little issues now. The below is what I try to keep in mind, and what I suggest for anyone else having problems:
1) Make sure you get enough sleep
2) Make sure you are eating enough (especially enough fat)
3) Don't over exercise, and make sure you eat enough for you level of activity
4) DON'T try to "make up" for binges.
Also, I've found that as long as I keep my fat high, I am generally good.4 -
Don't have food in the house0
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