Binge. What am I missing?

I have no idea what forum to post this in, so I'm sticking it here. I may move it later.

So I've been trying really hard to keep my binging under control in order to maintain my weight, but it seems as though they're only getting worse and more frequent. I cannot go more than two days without binging! The longer I wait, the more food I eat during my next binge. Could there be something missing in my diet? Here was my menu plan for today:

Breakfast: (Almond butter and cottage cheese spread on toast)
1 slice light bread, toasted
1/2 tablespoon almond butter (organic)
1/4 cup lowfat (1.5%) cottage cheese
1/2 cup egg whites (liquid, Allwhites brand), scrambled

Snack (This was sort of like a mini wrap):
1 small La Tortilla Factory whole wheat tortilla
1 tablespoon fat free cream cheese
4 slices 97% fat free smoked deli turkey breast

Lunch:
1 easy open cup albacore tuna, mixed with
1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1 small La Tortilla Factory Tortilla, cut into triangles and baked to make chips
1 small Fuji apple
1 lowfat mozzarella string cheese

Snack:
1 Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt

Dinner (chilled, all ingredients mixed together):
1 package tofu shirataki noodles (spaghetti shape)
1 tomato
1 small zucchini
3 oz. chicken breast (raw weight)
1 cup fat free feta cheese

I drink plenty of water and other fluids. Today, I stuck to my meal plan all the way through lunch and then I lost it. This is what I had after lunch, about 2 hours later:

8 cups frozen strawberries
2 Extend bars
AB&J sandwich (2 slices light bread, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 tbsp sugar free preserves)
1 Healthy Choice fudge bar
1 giant cereal bowl (1 cup Kashi GoLean, 1 cup Fiber One, 1 cup Almond Breeze unsweetened)
2 more cups Kashi GoLean cereal
1 Western Bagel Alternative Pita, spread with 1 tbsp almond butter
1 large La Tortilla Factory Tortilla
3 Light Rye Wasa crackers, each spread with 1 tsp almond butter
2 MORE cups Kashi GoLean cereal

...and I STILL feel like eating! Has anyone else gone through this? By looking at my meal plan, do you think I'm missing anything in my diet that could be causing me to binge? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

By the way, I am almost 19 years old and 5'9", if that helps.

Bubububump.

Pathetic, I know.
But PLEASE! I'm desperate! I NEED ADVICE!!!

How many calories are you taking in every day?

I try to keep my calories to around 1500 per day. I am very sedentary (living the college life).

It could just be a combination of boredom and stress and dieting. Personally I bascially have to keep EVERYTHING tempting away from me because I'm in college as well. Stress makes me want to eat and so does bordeom so that combination absolutely destroys me. Before I know it I'll have eaten five brownies and a tub of ice cream without thinking about and still feel like I could eat more.

I would recommend uping the protein (although it seems you get enough of it, maybe not for your body? I can't imagine 8 cups of strawberries!) Maybe keep some of those protein shakes on hand. First of all the taste won't leave you craving more so if you sip on it slowly it might keep you from downing all the rest of that.

Also, and this might go against what some people tell you, I CANNOT snack. If i have a snack between meals I simply eat more. It's better for me to eat a light breakfast and lunch and then allow myself to eat most of my calories around dinner and save 100 for a little sherbert before bed or some other small, sweet snack. I start snacking and then I lose it and feel I must continue to eat. =/ It really blows but it's better for me to feel starving than to binge. Also, if you cut your snacks, you can allow yourself a bigger, more satisfying lunch. If my lunch is especially unsatsifying, I'm definitely going to lose it afterward.

Also, do something to distract yourself. If you feel yourself getting hungry, go take your studying outside in a park or something where you can't easily reach food. Or go take a jog and then allow yourself a slightly bigger snack because of the calories burned.

I hope some of this makes sense to you!

At 5'9 and 19 you're still growing and likely need more than 1500 calories a day. Sometimes our body cries for binge because we aren't eating enough to sustain our hunger. I disagree with Tincognito in that I think snacks are important, but to make sure you take them out of the kitchen and the way of food when you eat them and don't go back for more than you want. Walking to a park is a good idea - you can always take your lunch out somewhere with you, or your snack, or what have you.

I do the same thing...unfortunately.

I found the best way to avoid this is to get your mind off food by doing random things like:

- getting out of the kitchen

-surrounding yourself with people (which keeps me from eating mindlessly)

-going for a walk

-log in to calorie count and see how many calories you are eating, and how much you would have to do to burn it off

-go to the library and read a magazine or a book (it's away from snacking food and it takes a significant amount of time, plus it's a relaxing place to go)

-try not to watch T.V. if you have a routine where you seem to always want to snack in front of the tube, it's not going to change anytime soon. that is always my downfall.

-imagine your next meal and how satisfying it will be on an empty stomach.

i don't know if you are this way, but anytime i catch myself binging also find myself feeling anxious. like i need to finish eating before someone catches me or something equally neurotic. i have found the best way to stop binging is breathing deeply, telling myself to calm down, and analyzing my situation. i know this sounds crazy, but it makes me feel more content than food does (which i feel better about)

i don't know if any of this helps, but good luck. you are doing such a great job eating well!

I've read that salt and sugar increase your appetite, as well as high levelsof  vitamin B. (Which is weird because vitamin B is also supposed to aid in weight loss. How can you loose weight with vitamin B if it makes you hungrier??) Copy & paste the following link into your web browser so you an see some examples of what this person claims increases appetite: http://loseweight.haktanir.org/2007/02/foods- that-increase-appetite.html 

Are you getting enough healthy fats in your diet?  It seems like a lot of your items are low-fat/fat free items.

here's my input, and im pretty sure Im close to the real answer.

You are lacking fat in your diet. This is what happend to me when I was eating too little healthy fat...I just craved and craved like a maniac. A combination of lack of fat in your diet, 1,500 cals daily, plus going on and on with dieting sets off your brain to crave for food. You should first of try adding more cals to your diet, and second, more healthy fats, like olive oil....its ok to have low fat, fat free dairy since its the healthiest, but if you choose to do so then add some sort of fat to each meal...that way you make sure you are eating balanced meals....each meal should contain prontein, cabrs and fats...that way you'll be able to control your cravings a bit more..specialy allow yourself to have a day off your diet each 2 weeks or so....so that you break from the habbit and get back ont rack the next day with a fresh start.

gl-xo

Wow, we overeat on the same things! Nut butters, cheese (yay, feta!), and any grain or pastry product. For me, this started in August and I frequently eat thousands of calories more than I burn. If you figure out how to curb this I'd love to hear about it.

(I also do the giant cereal thing: Kashi honey almond flax, corn flakes, wheat puffs, and almond breeze!)

Sounds like your body doesn't like this whole 1500 calories a day thing. Looked at your profile pics, and I think you're just plain hungry, my friend. Binge eating isn't a good way to put weight on, but definitely increase your caloric intake.

up your calories to 1800-2000 i know this is scary but you have to do this to stop the binging. I binged for many months when recovering from anorexia because i kept restricting.  Are you still underweight? if you are then your body may still be wanting calories! Please feel free to message me, if i can help in any way. Here is my meal plan i had followed to stop the binge eating:

b: Kashi go lean crunch, latte, berries

s: banana tbs peanut butter and granola bar

l: turkey and cheese sandwich, apple, crackers or baked chips

s: carrots with ranch, wheat thins, babybel/laughing cow cheese

d: big piece of grilled chicken, steamed veggies and a carb: noodles, rice or potatoes

before bed snack: big glass of milk and natural/organic cookies.

I was always full and never felt and the urge to binge.

According to your height of 5' 9" your ideal healthy weight is 152 pounds. Your recommended weight range is between 135 and 168 pounds.

How much do you think I could increase my caloric intake while still maintaining?

I want to eat enough to control my cravings, but I would like to maintain my current weight. 1500 calories currently lets me do that, but I always hear of people upping their calories and giving their metabolism a kick. I'm not looking to lose, I just want to stay the same.

Any advice?

P.S: Is almost 19 considered still a "teenager", as in still needing calories to grow? I'll be 19 on the 14th of October.

i eat 1800-2000 cals daily and maintain my weight of 110 at 5'4...im very tiny but am always eating. Are you still underweight? if you are you need to address that issue before you think about maintaining...