binging

K

kariev

Cathlete
Hey ladies, i just had a really bad binge. Its only 9 in the morning ad i've already eaten like 3,000 cals!!!! I wanted to know who struggles with this and how you can overcome this bad habit. I've wanted to binge for the past 3 days and i just couldn't take it anymore. I also wanted to know if you think small meals help control binges or does it make you feel more obsessed? Its unfortunate that i did this as i have to go out to a nice dinner tonight with my family and i'm going to feel miserabel due to this binge. It seems lately i dont want to workout or diet and i just don't want to do it anymore. i was thinking of doing weight watchers online as it teaches you that you can eat anything you want in moderation. I think i'm too restrictive on myself. this is what i eat everyday:

breakfast: egg sandwich made with 2 kashi waffles, 1 whole egg, .5 cup egg white, 1 slice reduced fat prevolone, coffee with a splash of fat free milk

lunch: huge salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, yellow peppers, onions, sprouts, 4 oz turkey, .5 cup fat free shredded cheese, 2 Tbsp reduced fat rance dressing, 1 medium appe

dinner: same as lunch but with chicken

dessert: 1 medium apple, 1Tbsp peanut butter

I do really like salads which is why i eat them so much. i just recently cut back on exercise to 3 intense metabolic circuit workouts per week. i need to get my diet in check but it seems that i end up bining every 2 weeks and it makes me feel so bad.
 
The first thing that comes to mind is that you are not getting nearly enough fat or carbs in your diet. Chances are, not enough calories either. I could totally cut out all of the reduced fat and fat free stuff and go for the real stuff in moderation. You actually benefit more from salad dressings with fat - they help you absorb the nutrients of the salad. Your body is probably craving more than what you are giving, hence the binge.
 
Yes I know exactly what you are going through. I had a mini binge last night. After doing so well that last 3 weeks. I think what happens is that we are so restrictive with ourselves and eventually we just give in and over do it. I didnt have binge in 3 weeks which is pretty good for me. I would usually have one once a week. What I've been doing is allowing my self something that I really want in little bits. Like my weakness is cheese nips. So the other day I wanted some really bad. So I had 2 handfuls instead of almost the whole box which I would normally do. But I know after the binge you feel really really horrible right? So did I last night. But I noticed that after I had 2 handful of cheese nips I didnt feel bad at all! So maybe dont deny yourself just little bits.
 
I also binge. It's a lot better now, but there was a time not too long ago when it was a very serious problem for me. I saw a doctor and a shrink. I know that the more I give into those urges, the harder it gets to resist the next time. Fortunately it works the other way too - that is, everytime I resist the urge, the easier it gets to resist it again. So it takes less self-control over time. You just have to white-knuckle your way through at first.
 
Hi kariev - ITA with moewracer. Just based on what you posted about your diet, I'd ditch the low fat/fat free versions of the stuff your eating (cheese, dressing, etc) for the full fat versions and see how you feel. I know this goes against what a lot of us are told about eating, but I think "low fat diet is best" theory has its flaws.

Just a thought.
 
meowracer said:
The first thing that comes to mind is that you are not getting nearly enough fat or carbs in your diet. Chances are, not enough calories either. I could totally cut out all of the reduced fat and fat free stuff and go for the real stuff in moderation. You actually benefit more from salad dressings with fat - they help you absorb the nutrients of the salad. Your body is probably craving more than what you are giving, hence the binge.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I think you need to eat more fat and more carbs. One of your meals should probably be something like rice or quinoa, some vegies and a salad.
 
thank you all for the support. i finished out the day with a steak and lobster dinner for my mother-in-laws b-day. so i probably topped out at 4,000cals today. i can honestly say though that i'm not terribly stuffed which is weird though i know i will be soooooo swollen tomorrow from water retension. it was actually hard today to not punish myself with cardio. tomorrow its back on track. whats done is done. i do have a party to go to tomorrow but i will eat a healthy dinner before i go as to not be stuck eating fried chicken fingers and baked zitti. all this binging started when i tried the body for life program years ago. once that program gave me the "free day" i took binging to a whole nother level. i wish i never found that program. Before reading that book i had lost 35lbs just by cutting back on junk food but would eat pizza or dessert on special occasions without this all or nothing thinking. sucks!
 
You know what? I TOTALLY appreciate you posting about your binge and how many cals you estimated you ate that day. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one out there who has days like that. I've been there with the 4,000 cal thing. It is such a horrible feeling. Rationally it seems like we should be able to control ourselves and I think that's part of why we beat ourselves up so. I read something the other day on a website about binge eating that was really helpful for me. It said that when a binge happens, draw a mental line in the sand and move on. For some reason that image was really powerful for me and it helped ease my anxiety a bit after a ridiculous binge.

Thanks again for your post. Good luck to you!

--Jen :)
 
I don't know if what I do is actually considering "binging" or not but I do get carried away with sweets at times. That is my downfall. I will lose control and eat several cookies or pieces of chocolate or whatever it is in one sitting and then feel terrible both physically and mentally when I'm done. The thing of it is that I don't AVOID sweets either. I have dark chocolate in the house 24/7 and will eat a piece every single day! I'm not afraid to have a cookie after lunch or dinner if I'm craving sweets either. That being said, I don't understand what makes my body crave sweets soooo badly that I go off the deep end at times!? GRRRRR!
 
Is there a specific reason you are binging...is it stress, sadness, a feeling of deprivity, or just plain old hunger/cravings??

I've been a binger for years. For me it's mostly due to stress, but definitely the week before TTOTM, I truly believes it's all hormonal.

I've done programs where you eat many mini meals a day and for me that never works b/c I crave that feeling of satiety which I never achieve with mini meals so by the day's end I've end up eating a huge dinner and dessert even if I'm not ravenous...it's just that I have no sense of fullness.

I do believe that it gets easier resisting the more you do it. I've found drinking a glass of water and then chewing gum helps, especially during those times when I'm truly not hungry. What has also helped is what others have suggested and that's eating more.

Do you take vitamins? I dont see much dairy in your diet. I know some say it's not good, or maybe you have food allergies. You could add a glass of milk to your lunch, that seems to help me. I agree with going back to fuller fat dressings which are oftentimes lower in sodium than the fat-free versions. You could possibly add some whole grain bread or rice to your dinner.

Good luck to you, it's definitely a long struggle! But, you're not alone!
 
hi ladies. I'm soooooo swollen this morning. My DH even commented on how puffy my eyes are. I'm chugging the water. I even have a slight headache. I'm holding my ground though to not over exercise to compensate. I will do my regular workout either today or tomorrow. I had recently cut back to 3 intense workouts per week so i do ave some guilt about no cardioing myself into the ground. I agree with you stacy, i feel unsatisfied with mini meals which is why i do 3 meals but mabe i need to add some cals to that. When i plug my food in the daily plate it comes to about 1400cals per day which i think is enough for me since i don't workout more than 3 days per week. Yesterday i just wanted to feel full. Sounds weird right? I just wanted to eat until i felt that fullness and wanted to do so without caring how many cals, carbs, or fat was in each item. I know that i just have to move on but its the lingering effects now that make me dwell on the binge. I can honestly say that this binging pattern started when i read about the body for life program with the free day. before reading that, i was just fine and had a healthy relationship with food. because of that program, i restrict and then if i have 1 cookie i decide its free day and eat the whole bag. sucks~
 
Binging happens a lot if you feel deprived. Try to eat everything you want in moderation and you will feel satisfied - there won't be the need to binge.

Foods do not make you fat. Yes, there are foods that have more nutritional value than others but only the amount of food is what is packing on the pounds. Just track your calories, no fancy diet needed. If people would stay withing the 2000/2200 recommended calorie range, the overweight/obesety range would disappear.
 
Stacy said:
Is there a specific reason you are binging...is it stress, sadness, a feeling of deprivity, or just plain old hunger/cravings??

I've been a binger for years. For me it's mostly due to stress, but definitely the week before TTOTM, I truly believes it's all hormonal.

I've done programs where you eat many mini meals a day and for me that never works b/c I crave that feeling of satiety which I never achieve with mini meals so by the day's end I've end up eating a huge dinner and dessert even if I'm not ravenous...it's just that I have no sense of fullness.

I do believe that it gets easier resisting the more you do it. I've found drinking a glass of water and then chewing gum helps, especially during those times when I'm truly not hungry. What has also helped is what others have suggested and that's eating more.

Do you take vitamins? I dont see much dairy in your diet. I know some say it's not good, or maybe you have food allergies. You could add a glass of milk to your lunch, that seems to help me. I agree with going back to fuller fat dressings which are oftentimes lower in sodium than the fat-free versions. You could possibly add some whole grain bread or rice to your dinner.

Good luck to you, it's definitely a long struggle! But, you're not alone!
Click to expand...

I agree with all of this.
Binging can happen for a lot of reasons.

Another reason that is not mentioned is food addiction. I have trigger foods. White sugar, white flour. When I eat those foods, it's like heroin. I literally can not stop eating it. That can go on for days. I know my trigger foods and I have to avoid them.

Looking at your diet I would agree you are missing good fat. I would ditch the bottled dressings and make your own. My favorite is 1TBSP Olive oil/2TBSP Balsamic vinegar.
Also, add 6 grams of fish oil caps for your daily supplement. I would also add raw spinach to your salads and eat more nutrient dense veggies. Consider adding a green shake to your breakfast. There are a lot of great recipes on the web. Another idea would be to add a greens supplement to your breakfast.
I use Earth's Promise and it tastes pretty darn good!
http://www.vitacost.com/Enzymatic-Therapy-Earths-Promise-Strawberry-Kiwi

I know how you feel. You are not alone.
Body for Life did not work for me either. Free day was a complete disaster. One turned in the 3 for me.
 
I also forgot to add that my binges became less frequent and easier to control when I started drinking more water, which for me is a hard thing to do as I work a job that is extremely busy and in an environment that not only food is not allowed (a health violation) and taking many bathroom breaks is just simply a nuisance! Once I started drinking more water, and I trained my bladder to accomodate, it became easier and I felt full alot more often which definitely helps!
 
I've done programs where you eat many mini meals a day and for me that never works b/c I crave that feeling of satiety which I never achieve with mini meals so by the day's end I've end up eating a huge dinner and dessert even if I'm not ravenous...it's just that I have no sense of fullness.


Gosh... this sooooooooo me! It is comforting to know I'm not the only one... I have a tendency to go off the deep end too, and it feels like the "button" that signifies fullness is, well, just plain broken!

I know some of it is emotional, if I'm bored or mildly stressed.. And like some of the other posters stated, its all about carbs!

I have noticed too that I have a tendency to binge more when I'm over tired.. have you ever noticed that comes into play for you as well? I struggled w/ insomnia, and when I'm on a bad cycle of it, the binges come more frequently.

Thanks for taking the time to post... we ought to start a support group! :)

Lynn M.
 
Actually those "free days" are "free meals" in recent programs. One can totally undo a whole week of "good" eating with one binge day. The math doesn't ad up with cheat/binge/crap eating days.
 
thanks for all the support ladies. I never feel ashamed coming here and confessing to you all. I'm finally starting to feel like myself again but its been an emotional rollercoster. The sugar has really affected my moods. The bloat is making me feel terrible but i know tomorrow it will all be back to normal. I just want some balance with all this stuff. I want to be able to enjoy food without looking at it as being good or bad. I want to look forward to my workouts. I just want to be healthy both physically and mentally. I have to go to this party tonight and b/c i feel bloated and moody i just don't want to go. Not to mention the whole thing is centered around food which makes me anxious. It seems like the harder i'm trying in both diet and exercise department the farther away i'm getting from where i want to be:( why is balance so hard? I only got in a 30 minute workout today. It was intense but i couldn't do anymore since i felt so darn bloated. Sorry for this vent but i need to get this out
 
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