I'm starting to loose control...

sibeluver03
sibeluver03 Posts: 58 Member
edited November 25 in Motivation and Support
I've lost 68lbs in one year. It's been an amazing journey. I've completed a few beachbody work out programs and am in the middle of Insanity right now. I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel great. But... more often than ever before now, I've lost control and gone on junk food binges. When I first started, I had so much control. I rarely went off track. Now it's once a week, occasionally more, and it's bad binges. Like 1500-2500 calories over my daily limit. Bad... I continue my work outs every day, so I know that helps some..... I know I'm still getting the benefit of those work outs, but I sure feel like crap when I've done such hard intense exercise and then pretty much waste it away eating junk at the end of the week instead of staying on track. I need to quit and have stronger will power again. I just needed to vent... thanks for listening.

Replies

  • nuclearblonde
    nuclearblonde Posts: 1 Member
    Congrats on the loss!

    Is it possible you are restricting too much given the intensity of your workouts? I know some of my worst binges for me came at times when I was running a lot of distance and didn’t adjust my caloric goal. You should be eating back some of those calories you burn to prevent you from dropping too low in your net calories.

    I also find I binge less if I have less of an “all or nothing” view. Allowing yourself to have more “bad” foods as part of your daily intake rather than eating like a rabbit and then having a meltdown when you taste ice cream will keep you from feeling so deprived and make you less likely to binge.

    Just my 2cents! Best of luck to you!
  • sibeluver03
    sibeluver03 Posts: 58 Member
    Thank you for such a great reply. I don't eat back any of my calories, actually... I never have so I just never started when I began doing insanity. It makes sense... it's a hard program. I think I'll look into that more... I do like the idea of allowing more snacks. I think it's definitely worth a shot!
  • JessieCanDoThis
    JessieCanDoThis Posts: 46 Member
    edited March 2018
    I've lost 68lbs in one year. It's been an amazing journey. I've completed a few beachbody work out programs and am in the middle of Insanity right now. I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel great. But... more often than ever before now, I've lost control and gone on junk food binges. When I first started, I had so much control. I rarely went off track. Now it's once a week, occasionally more, and it's bad binges. Like 1500-2500 calories over my daily limit. Bad... I continue my work outs every day, so I know that helps some..... I know I'm still getting the benefit of those work outs, but I sure feel like crap when I've done such hard intense exercise and then pretty much waste it away eating junk at the end of the week instead of staying on track. I need to quit and have stronger will power again. I just needed to vent... thanks for listening.

    I know it may not seem like a lot but I’ve been on here for 25 days and I have not binged! I added lemon water to my intake and when I find the urge I just drink water. I urinate all the time but I feel it’s better than eating all those calories and then regretting it later. I overeat, so this site has really helped me “see” what I am eating. I haven’t had a cookie or cake since I’ve started. I’m taking more steps thinking and knowing how I would feel after. I know I can’t control myself. I actually stopped buying all those snacks and incorporated more fruit and nuts into my diet. I definitely have a long way to go but maybe you can switch it up so you won’t feel the urge to binge. And congrats on losing that weight! What an accomplishment!
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited March 2018
    Thank you for such a great reply. I don't eat back any of my calories, actually... I never have so I just never started when I began doing insanity. It makes sense... it's a hard program. I think I'll look into that more... I do like the idea of allowing more snacks. I think it's definitely worth a shot!

    I almost hate to ask... how many calories have you been subsisting on while engaging in these intense workouts?
  • sibeluver03
    sibeluver03 Posts: 58 Member
    try2again wrote: »
    Thank you for such a great reply. I don't eat back any of my calories, actually... I never have so I just never started when I began doing insanity. It makes sense... it's a hard program. I think I'll look into that more... I do like the idea of allowing more snacks. I think it's definitely worth a shot!

    I almost hate to ask... how many calories have you been subsisting on while engaging in these intense workouts?

    lol I'm afraid to answer! 1400 is my current goal, previously was 1600 at the beginning of my weight loss journey. I've been doing beachbody work outs since June 2017. I have a Fitbit, and have it synced to MFP, but I don't seem to have Fitbit synced to MFP. My work outs don't register on here, and I've always preferred it that way since I've not ever wanted to eat back the calories. I'm afraid of gaining if I start eating them... obviously eating those back in a healthy way would be better than these random overly huge binges!!

  • marissafit06
    marissafit06 Posts: 1,996 Member
    Definitely start eating back your calories. Congrats on the loss!
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    MFP is set up to give you a baseline daily calorie goal, then you log your exercise, too. You'll see how many calories you've burned. Eat back the calories you've burned. You'll still lose weight!! If you're not allowing yourself to replenish your body with the exercise calories you've burned, you are in a much bigger deficit than MFP wants you to be in. I find when I skip snacking back on those earned calories, I panic or something at the end of the day and completely pig out on whatever I can find. Good luck!

    Yup..that was me today...and other days.
    I figured it has to be that I'm too restrictive in my calories.
  • sugarlemonpie
    sugarlemonpie Posts: 311 Member
    It helps to look at your calorie goal not as a 'goal' but a minimum calorie intake. I agree with eating back some of your exercise calories. Are you going through anything lately that could be triggering a binge? (Work, family, personal struggles, etc). Or is mostly coming on from you feeling starved?
  • sibeluver03
    sibeluver03 Posts: 58 Member
    It helps to look at your calorie goal not as a 'goal' but a minimum calorie intake. I agree with eating back some of your exercise calories. Are you going through anything lately that could be triggering a binge? (Work, family, personal struggles, etc). Or is mostly coming on from you feeling starved?

    No real reason I think. Just that I get a want for something sugary and can't shake it until I have it, then I can't seem to have just a little bit.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    Just start eating back the exercise calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Eat more, problem solved.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,538 Member
    Experiment. Cultivate an attitude of experimentation.

    All you can do is add some calories and see what happens. 1000 more planned calories in a week is better than 1500 or more gobbled up out of control.

    There are really 2 problems with your current situation. One is the calories. But more troubling seems to be that you’ve lost control of the process. I don’t see where you say what you current goal is. Are you still trying to lose? How far do you have to go? It can get tricky at the end. Be flexible.

    Last- maybe it’s not just exactly willpower. Read somewhere folks approach willpower as all will and no power. Power is in your plan. Sometime we need to be tough but it always pays to be smart. If your current plan isn’t working, make a better plan.
  • sibeluver03
    sibeluver03 Posts: 58 Member
    I'm actually at goal. I haven't really started maintenance, since I keep going on these binges. But I've reached my weight loss goal and don't really need/want to loose more. Since I keep binging I keep putting off maintenance. I'm afraid that with maintenance I will gain... I know that's part of the process of finding where my maintenance levels are. It's just such a scary and frightening thought for me. :( I will start adding my exercise calories into my daily intake and see if it helps me stay under control. On the weekends when I am not doing work outs, I stick to just the total calories MFP gives me, right?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    All right. You need to learn what maintenance eating feels like. You have to significantly increase your daily intake and I suggest it include something sweet, pre-measured every single day.

    How about caramel corn rice cakes?

    http://www.quakeroats.com/products/rice-snacks/rice-cakes/caramel-corn.aspx

    50 calories per serving.

    Life is not divided in to abstinence and bingeing. Life is good food and vitality. Find your happy place.
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