Binge Eating

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115forlife
115forlife Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else struggle with this? Its very easy to eat up all your daily calories in a small amount of time. Its something that I struggle with and it is the biggest thing in the way of reaching my weight loss goals.
I tend to eat something "bad" then without really thinking too much grab the next thing and the next
what are steps you take to make sure you don't binge? or at least keep it to a minimum (if such a thing exists)

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  • Peep_chic
    Peep_chic Posts: 369 Member
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    I figured my weekness are sweets & most of all baked goods. When I make a baked item I try to make it low calorie as much as possible. Like corn bread.... I had 3 big pieces guiltless last time I made it because it was 130 calories each & had the calories for it. Most of the time I just don't have sweets at home 'cause I cant be trusted. My downfall has been sometimes at parties and not at home. I usually allow myself chocolate rice cake with a dollop of cool whip on top 80 cals maybe some semi sweet mini chocolate chips. I usually wont go overboard with those and feel happy, and I get to have something sweet. I guess to sum it up I dont keep the "bad" stuff and home, plan the calories for parties & restaurants, and have at home the food that I can control.
  • ImaKnitter67
    ImaKnitter67 Posts: 42
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    Log in all your food for the day ahead of the time you are going to eat it. Arrange your day to have at least 3 snacks - one after each meal, including supper. Make those snacks healthy! Frequent small meals might totally get rid of your urge to binge. It has helped me at least resist 95% of those urges.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    I have suffered from binge eating in the past... it's been many years now, but I do feel that way every now and again. I seem to be more prone to it when I'm a) tired, b) dehydrated, c) bored, and d) restricting myself too much.

    I have my weight loss goal set on MFP to lose half a pound per week. I know if I change it to 1 lb per week I could do it, but I'd feel like I was dieting. I'm better off losing slower but feeling completely satisfied each day; I just know that about myself.

    Try and stay well rested and well hydrated. Eat balanced meals and don't skip meals. That's my advice... for what it's worth.
  • slim104
    slim104 Posts: 160
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    I work in an office so i plan my food for the day. Takes me about 30 mins in the morning to prepare it all. So i know i have set things for breakfast, snacks and lunch. Not being anywhere the shops helps too.
  • lolabluola
    lolabluola Posts: 212 Member
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    Yes I do! So I just don't keep things around that I can do too bad on! For example Sunflower seeds are great - you can eat and eat and eat and think you eaten so many and you're so full of them - but it's not that many because they take so long to eat!
    Log in all your food for the day ahead of the time you are going to eat it. Arrange your day to have at least 3 snacks - one after each meal, including supper. Make those snacks healthy! Frequent small meals might totally get rid of your urge to binge. It has helped me at least resist 95% of those urges.

    AND Logging in at the beginning of the day helps me too!
  • peuglow
    peuglow Posts: 684 Member
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    I work in an office so i plan my food for the day. Takes me about 30 mins in the morning to prepare it all. So i know i have set things for breakfast, snacks and lunch. Not being anywhere the shops helps too.

    Same here. Weekends are where I struggle most.
  • phoenix8633
    phoenix8633 Posts: 137 Member
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    I plan my eating for work do I won't be tempted with the vending machine for something sugary, I tend to take pineapple pieces and carrots for snacks the carrots actually fill me up more, and a banana keeps me going in the morning. I feel like binge eating more on the weekend when I'm not at work so I've gone back to something I used to do when I was younger and that was cross stitching keeps me occupied for hours and I won't be thinking of raiding the cupboards it's worked before because I forget what time of day it is when I'm sewing!
  • Lesliecs
    Lesliecs Posts: 930 Member
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    I don't usually have a problem with it, but last week I just couldn't stop eating! And I was eating all the wrong stuff to top it off. And I gained a lb. to show for it! Not sure why it happened all of a sudden..... I've been doing MFP since last July and this was my first real to goodness week of binging!

    But I got myself together this week and am "back on the wagon" so to speak. If I were you, I'd just try to stay away from those foods that trigger binging...... mine is bread.... I am a carb-aholic! So I try to stay away from it.

    Good luck! You can do it!
  • bmarq21
    bmarq21 Posts: 45
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    I binge eat a lot on the weekends :/. Usually i'm home with family and they always want to go out to eat so I usually stuff my face with everything in sight. It's usually good to have a cheat day or two but just try to snack more during the day if you feel a constant hunger. Special K bars are pretty filling
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
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    Like previous posters, I log everything the night before I actually eat it. This helps in several ways:

    -I can correctly portion out my meals and snacks, I don't end up wasting most of my calories during one part of my day, I have a steady refueling. There is no time during the day where I am hungry enough to justify binging.

    -I can make certain I am getting all the nutrients that I need.

    -There is no worry or stress about what I am going to eat. I just glance at my log, get out my measuring cups and go to town. No stress, no obsessing, just normal eating.

    -I can account for abnormal cravings. During my "lady time" more than half my calories will be sweets and soda because that's what I crave. Because I log ahead of time I can account for the sweets and try to balance it out with the leftover calories being especially healthy. Also if I want pizza one week I can easily log the pizza and make the other meals/snacks lighter to stay within calorie goals.

    I think anyone with a binge problem should consider logging ahead of time, even the whole week if MFP allows it.
  • 115forlife
    115forlife Posts: 3
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    Thanks to everyone who left such wonderful responses. I live with 7 other people so I never really know exactly whats going to be available the next day to eat but I can see how that would be helpful.
    But I will work with what I have and try and stay focused on my goals.

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