Reached goal but now binging

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donuts and cheesebuger last nite, 4 donuts 3 days ago and ice cream with brownies 2 days ago -- advice...
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  • starfruit132
    starfruit132 Posts: 291 Member
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    I like cnythiaschoice idea of eating an "all-meat day" to stop carb cravings and overeating from too much sugar. It's hard to stop those cravings because like the previous poster said, "just once won't matter". But those cravings can turn into days, weeks and months. A nice juicy steak makes a nice alternative to sugar, and it is not something that you can gorge on all night and eat in the car and cram in between appointments. Thanks for sharing the tip.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    I can't tell you how many times that happened to me! Sometimes for days, and other times for months and a huge disastrous weight gain.

    I found my answer, and it may or may not work for you. If I've had a lot of sugar or carbs, my willpower gets hijacked and it starts to snowball and I have thoughts like, "just this once won't matter, it will be easier to eat right later." But for me, later is always going to happen later, in some fictional ideal version of my future.

    So I've learned I can put the brakes on by having an all-meat day. And lots and lots of water. Anyone can do that for a day, right? I don't even limit how much meat either. Eating this way for a day heals my willpower, or supercharges it somehow. I'll always have to keep my carbs low if I want to eat like a sane person.

    Good luck getting back on track. It takes years of practicing good eating habits consistently before it becomes second nature.

    I'm curious about the "all meat" day. Do you literally have nothing but meat? Any meat, including fish, shrimp, etc, as long as no carbs? What about things like eggs and cheese? Do you get full enough to stop eating easily without going over calories for the day?

    I'm wondering if this would help me with PMS. But I don't know how I'd feel the next day? Perhaps all stopped up? :scream:
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited March 2017
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    It's totally okay to eat those things, but eat them in moderation and keep logging. Log at maintenance to make sure you don't go too far over or at least that you don't make a habit of it. Also, that isn't "binging". Binging is eating a few thousand calories worth of food in one sitting. Even 4 donuts isn't really a binge. More like a big cheat meal.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    I can't tell you how many times that happened to me! Sometimes for days, and other times for months and a huge disastrous weight gain.

    I found my answer, and it may or may not work for you. If I've had a lot of sugar or carbs, my willpower gets hijacked and it starts to snowball and I have thoughts like, "just this once won't matter, it will be easier to eat right later." But for me, later is always going to happen later, in some fictional ideal version of my future.

    So I've learned I can put the brakes on by having an all-meat day. And lots and lots of water. Anyone can do that for a day, right? I don't even limit how much meat either. Eating this way for a day heals my willpower, or supercharges it somehow. I'll always have to keep my carbs low if I want to eat like a sane person.

    Good luck getting back on track. It takes years of practicing good eating habits consistently before it becomes second nature.

    I'm curious about the "all meat" day. Do you literally have nothing but meat? Any meat, including fish, shrimp, etc, as long as no carbs? What about things like eggs and cheese? Do you get full enough to stop eating easily without going over calories for the day?

    I'm wondering if this would help me with PMS. But I don't know how I'd feel the next day? Perhaps all stopped up? :scream:

    The idea came to me to do this because I remembered a dietitian telling me (in 1996!) that sugar cravings can happen if you need more hydration and protein. I've only done it twice, and both times I did have a bit of steamed green veggies too. But the focus was on enjoying the meat. I think the free-for-all attitude towards the meat distracted me from the sweets long enough to stop the blood sugar roller coaster. I wouldn't want to "prescribe" anything too particular because everyone likes/needs different things. Anything high protein, low carb would work for me I think, as long as I'm really loving it and it seems a little naughty and fun. What I'm doing essentially is trading one vice for another to help transition back to a saner way of eating. The sweets vice leads to repetitive cravings though, and the meat vice restores my self control.

    I don't know if I went over calories on those days, but if I did it wasn't by much. Meat is very satisfying and filling and stays with you a while.

    I don't think I'd approach PMS the same way, but I'm certainly not an expert to be advising on that - sorry! Before I started eating low carb, I craved sweets all the time and couldn't detect more intense cravings during TOM.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    sam6403 wrote: »
    donuts and cheesebuger last nite, 4 donuts 3 days ago and ice cream with brownies 2 days ago -- advice...

    Stop bingeing.

    Just have one donut or one brownie or a reasonable serving of ice cream. Maybe not all in the same day, at least not every day. Not sure what is wrong with a cheeseburger, just make sure it's a proper size (portion) for your size and diet.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Are you still checking back in Sam? If you are, maybe it would help you to launch into a new mission that supports what you already learned and keeps you focused on health and good decisions. I would recommend "The Brain Warrior's Way" by Daniel and Tana Amen. I find it very tough and challenging, but super inspiring.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    creyes4182 wrote: »
    Cut that crap out man. That weight comes back super fast. Find out what your maintenance is and try to stick to that. Have a cheat day once a week and just hit the gym like crazy that day.

    Hah, good point! Excellent advice and well said!

    Eating now and planing to work it off later doesn't always work. You can fall into thinking you'll work it off tomorrow... tomorrow... tomorrow...

    I can't talk, since I've had to go back on weight loss in Jan for the past 3 years. This year, I'm hoping to find a maintenance rhythm that works continuously. Some thoughts are

    - Find non-food pleasures. (Think hard, I'm sure you can think of a few.)

    - Take pleasure in the foods you do eat. (Don't get all your calories from protein smoothies.)

    - Make a "just say no" list. Cheap mass-produced baked goods (anything at dunkins) should be on it.

    - Have a great meal with friends at least once a week. Spend some real $$ on it. Prep for it by cutting back a bit. Enter it as a quick add of 1000kcals (if you track it at all). When you're feeling deprived, think about that meal and what you're going to do the next time.
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 651 Member
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    Whether you binge or not - log everything, weigh yourself every day, read the "starting over" threads like the other poster mentioned, and I can't imagine you won't get your head screwed back on straight eventually.

    As an aside, you can maintain and eat donuts and cheeseburgers. I've been maintaining for a year and a half and have stayed within 10 pounds of my goal weight and they are a regular part of my diet.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    I can't tell you how many times that happened to me! Sometimes for days, and other times for months and a huge disastrous weight gain.

    I found my answer, and it may or may not work for you. If I've had a lot of sugar or carbs, my willpower gets hijacked and it starts to snowball and I have thoughts like, "just this once won't matter, it will be easier to eat right later." But for me, later is always going to happen later, in some fictional ideal version of my future.

    So I've learned I can put the brakes on by having an all-meat day. And lots and lots of water. Anyone can do that for a day, right? I don't even limit how much meat either. Eating this way for a day heals my willpower, or supercharges it somehow. I'll always have to keep my carbs low if I want to eat like a sane person.

    Good luck getting back on track. It takes years of practicing good eating habits consistently before it becomes second nature.

    I'm curious about the "all meat" day. Do you literally have nothing but meat? Any meat, including fish, shrimp, etc, as long as no carbs? What about things like eggs and cheese? Do you get full enough to stop eating easily without going over calories for the day?

    I'm wondering if this would help me with PMS. But I don't know how I'd feel the next day? Perhaps all stopped up? :scream:

    The idea came to me to do this because I remembered a dietitian telling me (in 1996!) that sugar cravings can happen if you need more hydration and protein. I've only done it twice, and both times I did have a bit of steamed green veggies too. But the focus was on enjoying the meat. I think the free-for-all attitude towards the meat distracted me from the sweets long enough to stop the blood sugar roller coaster. I wouldn't want to "prescribe" anything too particular because everyone likes/needs different things. Anything high protein, low carb would work for me I think, as long as I'm really loving it and it seems a little naughty and fun. What I'm doing essentially is trading one vice for another to help transition back to a saner way of eating. The sweets vice leads to repetitive cravings though, and the meat vice restores my self control.

    I don't know if I went over calories on those days, but if I did it wasn't by much. Meat is very satisfying and filling and stays with you a while.

    I don't think I'd approach PMS the same way, but I'm certainly not an expert to be advising on that - sorry! Before I started eating low carb, I craved sweets all the time and couldn't detect more intense cravings during TOM.

    Thank you! I'll think about trying it if things feel out of control. I don't typically have sweet cravings, more like any carbs! I've never thought about something like an all protein day. I guess that's like keto-for-a-day :lol:

    Sorry OP for high jacking the thread. I hope you get maintenance figured out for yourself--I think it's more difficult than losing for sure! Maybe just try to make more room for your favorites within your calorie goals. Or cycle your calories (some days high, some low) and look at it from a view of weekly calories.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    I can't tell you how many times that happened to me! Sometimes for days, and other times for months and a huge disastrous weight gain.

    I found my answer, and it may or may not work for you. If I've had a lot of sugar or carbs, my willpower gets hijacked and it starts to snowball and I have thoughts like, "just this once won't matter, it will be easier to eat right later." But for me, later is always going to happen later, in some fictional ideal version of my future.

    So I've learned I can put the brakes on by having an all-meat day. And lots and lots of water. Anyone can do that for a day, right? I don't even limit how much meat either. Eating this way for a day heals my willpower, or supercharges it somehow. I'll always have to keep my carbs low if I want to eat like a sane person.

    Good luck getting back on track. It takes years of practicing good eating habits consistently before it becomes second nature.

    Same. I don't go quite as far, but I still really try to up my meat consumption once I've restarted the carb/blood sugar roller coaster. But I do still have some carbs here and there or I end up with a headache and feel ready to abandon all of it. It feels like meat in particular (vs other protein sources) works to get me back on track.

    To the OP, I think I will always be a yo-yo'er to a certain extent, and that's fine so long as I keep the gains reasonably small, as in 5 lbs. I have wandered up past that point but not much past. The real key for me in keeping those gains to a minimum (vs wandering up and down 20 or 30 lbs) is that I have learned to make "dieting" much more enjoyable. Low deficit, enjoyable exercise intensity. No suffering for the cause. Versus in the past when "diet" meant periods of extreme behaviour. It's no wonder that I'd procrastinate addressing my weight gain, who wants to revisit misery? My only "trick" for not overindulging in the first place is to keep stress levels down. Easier said than done at times, I know.

    Best of luck.

  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
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    MFP does give an option to set your calorie level to maintain and still log. This could be a way for you to eat whatever you wish while keeping an eye on the calories. Many I have read who have maintained for over a year have done this. Others added a number of calories daily for a few weeks then add a few more for similar to see when they reach their own maintenance level. Giving yourself a + and - number 3 or 5 lbs to hold to may help.

    Please tell yourself you do not wish to be back where you were, or heaven forbid worse and toe the line you choose. All the very best.