Diet, exercise, or both?
Options
inked1013
Posts: 18 Member
I’m a recovering binge eater. It’s a huge work in progress right now. But since I feel like binging when I restrict a lot I’m going the route of eating more (closer to maintenance) until I can get some sort of control of myself. My question is, is I used to be an avid gym goer. Now I can hardly walk without getting winded and I’m not obese. Should I focus on both the gym and the eating? Or go slow and focus on eating first and then add in the gym? Advice from anyone who struggles/struggles with binge eating would be helpful
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Replies
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This would be a good thing to discuss with your therapist/team treating you for you BED.6
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Do you have professionals involved in your recovery? If so, what are their recommendations?5
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It's a good question.. some people say "You can't outrun a bad diet." Depending on how you feel about a relapse, try just managing th eating first so you don't have too much on your ...plate. /no pun3
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You’re taking one of the most important steps, allowing yourself to eat without restriction. This can be a prison for binge eaters that trigger them the most.
My personal experience- I didn’t eat at maintenance. It was territory I wasn’t prepared for. However I ate a small deficit (maybe 300-350 cals), had NO off limits foods, and made sure I had chocolate everyday if I wanted it (my favorite treat I never allowed myself to have without insane guilt).
I logged everyday, and it didn’t take long for the psychological hold food had on me to dissipate, because I never felt restricted. And as I slowly lost weight, I realized I CAN do this in a practical way without strict rules and deprivation. Very empowering.
ETA- sharing so you know you’re not alone, but not advising you how to handle your treatment. Clearly not a professional here
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Ok, so I’ve been in therapy dealing with my issues related to binge eating. I totally hear you.
Do both, but don’t go nuts (which can be characteristic to those of us who binge and restrict in a disordered way). Just start with walking every day. Start with just 15 mins a day and move up. Same with food, be mindful but not restrictive. You want to change thought process and your relationship with exercise and food. For me, overdoing it too intense early in n has always resulted in a binge/failure/restrict/punish cycle.5 -
Go slow and focus on eating first. From what I've seen here, a lot of people try and do everything at once, jumping in with an over-the-top exercise routine, and then they get overwhelmed and frustrated.3
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IDK...I look at these things as two completely different things. Diet for weight control, exercise for fitness and overall health and well-being. I've been in maintenance for years...I still exercise regularly because it's very good for me...I maintain because my diet consists of the calories required to maintain weight.
If you're getting back into exercise, ease into it...there's zero reason to go from 0 to 100 overnight.2 -
Depends on your goals. If you're only after weight loss focus on diet. If you want improved health and tone, adding exercise will help with that. I don't exercise to eat more as it takes a lot of exercise to burn through calories!0
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I would do both. It can be as simple as walking 15 min in the morning. Just do some kind of physical activity in addition to nutrition.0
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I would also do both. Exercise can help you feel better emotionally as well as physically. Just don't go overboard. Start easy and gradually increase the duration or intensity.0
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Both! Exercise is insanely good for your mental state. Even if I just jog in my living room for 30 minutes, I feel better about things that would normally lead me to binge.2
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if you have an eating disorder, the only people you should be speaking about recovery options with is your medical team.2
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Thank you for the insightful response! And yes you have helped me with your response. Personal experience is what I was asking for in this post because I am not seeing a therapist for my recovery. So a useful response is much appreciated!❤️You’re taking one of the most important steps, allowing yourself to eat without restriction. This can be a prison for binge eaters that trigger them the most.
My personal experience- I didn’t eat at maintenance. It was territory I wasn’t prepared for. However I ate a small deficit (maybe 300-350 cals), had NO off limits foods, and made sure I had chocolate everyday if I wanted it (my favorite treat I never allowed myself to have without insane guilt).
I logged everyday, and it didn’t take long for the psychological hold food had on me to dissipate, because I never felt restricted. And as I slowly lost weight, I realized I CAN do this in a practical way without strict rules and deprivation. Very empowering.
ETA- sharing so you know you’re not alone, but not advising you how to handle your treatment. Clearly not a professional hereYou’re taking one of the most important steps, allowing yourself to eat without restriction. This can be a prison for binge eaters that trigger them the most.
My personal experience- I didn’t eat at maintenance. It was territory I wasn’t prepared for. However I ate a small deficit (maybe 300-350 cals), had NO off limits foods, and made sure I had chocolate everyday if I wanted it (my favorite treat I never allowed myself to have without insane guilt).
I logged everyday, and it didn’t take long for the psychological hold food had on me to dissipate, because I never felt restricted. And as I slowly lost weight, I realized I CAN do this in a practical way without strict rules and deprivation. Very empowering.
ETA- sharing so you know you’re not alone, but not advising you how to handle your treatment. Clearly not a professional hereYou’re taking one of the most important steps, allowing yourself to eat without restriction. This can be a prison for binge eaters that trigger them the most.
My personal experience- I didn’t eat at maintenance. It was territory I wasn’t prepared for. However I ate a small deficit (maybe 300-350 cals), had NO off limits foods, and made sure I had chocolate everyday if I wanted it (my favorite treat I never allowed myself to have without insane guilt).
I logged everyday, and it didn’t take long for the psychological hold food had on me to dissipate, because I never felt restricted. And as I slowly lost weight, I realized I CAN do this in a practical way without strict rules and deprivation. Very empowering.
ETA- sharing so you know you’re not alone, but not advising you how to handle your treatment. Clearly not a professional hereYou’re taking one of the most important steps, allowing yourself to eat without restriction. This can be a prison for binge eaters that trigger them the most.
My personal experience- I didn’t eat at maintenance. It was territory I wasn’t prepared for. However I ate a small deficit (maybe 300-350 cals), had NO off limits foods, and made sure I had chocolate everyday if I wanted it (my favorite treat I never allowed myself to have without insane guilt).
I logged everyday, and it didn’t take long for the psychological hold food had on me to dissipate, because I never felt restricted. And as I slowly lost weight, I realized I CAN do this in a practical way without strict rules and deprivation. Very empowering.
ETA- sharing so you know you’re not alone, but not advising you how to handle your treatment. Clearly not a professional hereYou’re taking one of the most important steps, allowing yourself to eat without restriction. This can be a prison for binge eaters that trigger them the most.
My personal experience- I didn’t eat at maintenance. It was territory I wasn’t prepared for. However I ate a small deficit (maybe 300-350 cals), had NO off limits foods, and made sure I had chocolate everyday if I wanted it (my favorite treat I never allowed myself to have without insane guilt).
I logged everyday, and it didn’t take long for the psychological hold food had on me to dissipate, because I never felt restricted. And as I slowly lost weight, I realized I CAN do this in a practical way without strict rules and deprivation. Very empowering.
ETA- sharing so you know you’re not alone, but not advising you how to handle your treatment. Clearly not a professional here
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For those saying speak to your medical team... no question is a dumb question. Maybe I should have been more clear with my background. My medical team has suggested that I do whatever I feel like I mentally can take day by day. Explaining I can do a little of both or focus on one or the other. which is why I asked for opinions of those who have had a binge eating disorder. If you don’t personally have an experience with this eating disease then no response is appreciated as I have already have sought medical advice from professionals0
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For those saying speak to your medical team... no question is a dumb question. Maybe I should have been more clear with my background. My medical team has suggested that I do whatever I feel like I mentally can take day by day. Explaining I can do a little of both or focus on one or the other. which is why I asked for opinions of those who have had a binge eating disorder. If you don’t personally have an experience with this eating disease then no response is appreciated as I have already have sought medical advice from professionals
If your treatment team's advice is to do what you can mentally take day-by-day, what are the obstacles to trying that? Or asked another way, what are your thoughts on what is the best fit for where you are right now?2 -
For me, mild exercise keeps me busy without making me appreciably more hungry: walking, stretching/light yoga, splashing around in the pool with no real purpose...1
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I’m a recovering binge eater. It’s a huge work in progress right now. But since I feel like binging when I restrict a lot I’m going the route of eating more (closer to maintenance) until I can get some sort of control of myself. My question is, is I used to be an avid gym goer. Now I can hardly walk without getting winded and I’m not obese. Should I focus on both the gym and the eating? Or go slow and focus on eating first and then add in the gym? Advice from anyone who struggles/struggles with binge eating would be helpful
Focus on diet 80% and exercise 20%. Go slow until new habits stick.1 -
Thanks! I just recently started swimming just because. Doggy paddling is about all I can do!0
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I knew from experience that exercise made me hungrier, so I did 2 weeks with diet only, then started exercising (by that I mean trying to survive a 5 minutes exercise video warm up. BABY steps lol).1
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Whatever you do take this slow and be patient. Never tackle more than one bad habit at a time. You must replace each "bad" habit with a "good" habit...just how our brains are wired.2
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