Binging HELP!

I had so much food today it was ridiculous! It was because i had a minor binge and a major binge and than i ate some more at 1 in the morning. HELP I ALWAYS feel so crappy right after and i just wanna exercise and i always think i gained it right away. So I try to restrict my calories for the week, so it always cycles somehow. Please help me I do'nt know what to do and I have a huge fear i'm gaining weight.

So what, you ate a lot today!  I just did that recently as well (last Monday (7/27/09) I ate a whopping of 4 days of my normal intake of calories).  It was GOOD and I enjoyed it immensely.    I just weighed myself and I lost 1.5 pounds since Sunday. 

It's really okay to pig out every so often.  We're human and many of us enjoy eating too many calories...probably the main reason diet companies and sites like this are so popular.

I only sweat out my first lapse which was in June.  When I saw that I didn't gain weight, but actually lost after the binge I learned something.  Your body is averaging your caloric intake and burn rate over a period of time (days???).  I am sure if I didn't binge, I would have lost more weight (but just ounces more), the bottom line is that I didn't suddenly weigh 100-lbs more for pigging out at my favorite fast food place.

My advice to you:

• Brush the crumbs off your chin and look up at the sunrise.  It's a new day and a fresh start.  We get one of those every 24-hours and we have the opportunity to apply all the wonderful things we learned from previous days.

:)

Original Post by iloveducky:

 So I try to restrict my calories for the week, so it always cycles somehow.

There's no 'somehow' about it, really.  Restriction almost always leads to bingeing. 

How to get past this is what was suggested above.  Relax, shrug your shoulders and move on as if nothing had happened.  Make sure that your regular calorie allowance is a sensible one for your age, size and level of activity and go back to that rather than thinking you have to exercise or starve to compensate.  

It could even be that you need to maintain your weight for a time.  Get off the starve/binge merry-go-round & rediscover the pleasure of eating.  Go back to weight-loss (assuming you actually need to lose weight, of course) once you have a better balance.

 

 

 

personally if i try to restrict after a binge i end up failing more.  deep breath and just get back on track tomorrow.  for me if i forgive myself for the binge and move on i do way better than trying to punish myself or overcompensate.

1 binge will not destroy you.

I totally understand! I went through the exact thing in the late stages of my recovery from anorexia. I used to restrict during the day and then feel entitled to eat tons at night- a horrible cycle, as it's difficult to stop eating when necessary after your body hasn't been receiving enough nourishment. For just one week, try to plan out your meals ahead of time. Spread out your calories throughout the day and make you sure you're eating sufficient amounts. You'll find that at night, you won't be as ravenous anymore. After a while, it will be easy to control the binge urge and you'll feel energized all throughout your week.

Just remember:

• Eat enough calories. Restricting will get you nowhere, as you've discovered on your own.
• Don't restrict during the day. You'll only be tempted at night.
• Do some moderate exercise. It will make you feel better about yourself, as I'm guessing some of your bingeing may be emotional (?)
• Give it time. Your body and mind will need a few weeks to adjust. Just trust yourself; you can do it.

I hope this has been some help. I know you can do it! Don't let your latest binge encourage the cycle you're stuck in- one day won't matter in the long run. Learn from it and move on. Good luck! PM if you need support or just a friend =]

I have the same issue and was actually going to start a thread like this on here.

Lalalaurennn- I'm in recovery from anorexia as well, and I really appreciate your suggestions. I have tried so many things, but I always end up bingeing, well eating in the night. I wouldn't always call it a binge; most of the time it's a pretty normal amount of food. But, it's weird combinations of stuff and things I don't normally allow myself during the day (PB especially). I know that if I allowed myself a reasonable amount of it each day, I would be less likely to crave it at night, but I can't buy it because before I get a chance to allow myself a little each day, I eat a whole bunch in the night. I like the idea of planning out what I'm going to eat for the next week. I have thought about joining something like nutrasystem and just eating the amount of food with it to maintain my weight. I feel like if I was on a set meal plan I would be less likely to binge. I don't know though. I think at this point it has become a habit. I do it automatically, without thinking. Any more suggestions??

Original Post by meganwilliams2:

I feel like if I was on a set meal plan I would be less likely to binge. I don't know though. I think at this point it has become a habit. I do it automatically, without thinking. Any more suggestions??

You have to start thinking. The reason you're in recovery and not yet recovered is because you're not taking control- you're letting your ED control you. Everything about anorexia is automated. We have lulled ourselves into an autopilot mode where our eating disorder is first priority. Everything revolves around it. By not stepping in and taking command, you're letting the old habits work away at your health. In order to further you recovery, you have to form new habits. Habits such as consuming sufficient calories, eating when you're hungry, appreciating your body, and distributing your calories evenly throughout the day, to name just a few. It may seem that you have improved at this point, but your life is still controlled by ED and the same dysfunction continues from day to day.

I understand the difficulty; to consciously work against anorexia is something terrifying and alien to you. But you can't blame your actions on habit. That's not an excuse- it merely proves what you're already aware of, the fact that you do have an eating disorder and that you haven't overcome it yet. I don't mean to sound harsh, as I truly do empathize with everything you're going through. But you need to take responsibility for all of your actions. You can't let anorexia be your excuse, you can't fall back on it. You can't let your ED win out.

You're brave enough and strong enough to do this. Trust yourself and trust your body. Learn to love it again. Don't let the habits of anorexia destroy your life anymore. You can do it =]