So depressed after a binge. Please help

This morning I woke up, ate my usual bowl of oatmeal, and for some reason I just could not stop eating after that. I ended up eating an embarrassingly huge number of calories before 9 am. I was so upset, and then for lunch I had 2 huge slices of greasy pizza and a bag of peanut butter m&ms. I am so disgusted and disappointed with myself, and Im afraid Ill have another day like this again soon. For anyone that has struggled with food bingeing, how do you recover from it? I am so mad at myself and I'm so afraid of what the scale is going to say tomorrow morning :(

It may not show up on the scale at all, depends on a lot of factors. Have you been to any type of counseling or therapy for this? How long have you done it? Is it something that started happening after you started restricting calories? Maybe you are not eating enough daily and it is triggering this habit. The best thing for you to do is forgive yourself and move on. Don't keep that stuff handy to make it easier, and make sure you are eating enough healthy food so you don't get hungry. I know it isn't as simple as that sometimes but you cant get upset with yourself over this because it just makes you reach for more food if you are an emotional eater.

ETA: BTW, is it that time of the month or close? You know we do these things when it is around the cycle time. At the very least there are cravings- how much water are you drinking?

I never had a problem with bingeing until I started dieting. It's so frustrating because I'm so happy about the weight that I've lost, so I dont know why I sabotage myself by having these binge days. Once I start, I feel so out of control. And every time I binge, I swear I'll never do it again because of how terrible I feel, but it still keeps happening. I've never been to any type of counseling or therapy about it, but I'm starting to think it might be a good idea because I'm not sure I can get over this on my own. Thank you for the response and for your concern :)

Original Post by arizona928:

I never had a problem with bingeing until I started dieting. It's so frustrating because I'm so happy about the weight that I've lost, so I dont know why I sabotage myself by having these binge days. Once I start, I feel so out of control. And every time I binge, I swear I'll never do it again because of how terrible I feel, but it still keeps happening. I've never been to any type of counseling or therapy about it, but I'm starting to think it might be a good idea because I'm not sure I can get over this on my own. Thank you for the response and for your concern :)

If the only time you binge eat is when you're dieting, it's possible you're cutting back too much on fat or carbohydrates in your diet. Do you have certain foods that you consider "off limits" when you're dieting? 

Yes I do, pizza, peanut butter, chocolate, fries are all off-limits. Maybe that's why I binged on pizza today

Original Post by arizona928:

Yes I do, pizza, peanut butter, chocolate, fries are all off-limits. Maybe that's why I binged on pizza today

That was exactly what I was going to say. For me, if I think of anything as "off limits," it's like stretching out a rubber band. Every day the rubber band gets a little more stretched...and a little more...and a little more...until WHAM-O! -- binge. And guilt.

This time around, I'm trying to practice moderation. If I want french fries or chocolate or something else that isn't particularly "diet friendly," I answer the call. I just answer it in moderation. And I have not had the urge to binge once this time around. And NO GUILT! (And I'm consistently losing weight.)

Do you think allowing yourself some flexibility will help decrease the likelihood of a binge for you, too?

Pizza can be good for you too. You can make it yourself with veggies and lower fat cheese, thin crust etc. It tastes awesome because it is fresh and it doesnt have all the grease that your take out or even frozen pizzas have. After you take the time to make it you will appreciate it more, too.

As for peanut butter- I don't get why people put it off limits. It does have some sugar, but the fat is a healthy kind. You can measure out only one tablespoon to limit the intake and pair it with something healthy like banana or another fruit.

Make your own "fries" in the oven with regular or sweet potatoes. You just brush a little olive oil or coconut oil on sliced up potatos and bake them .

Give yourself an allowance on chocolate if you really cant live without it. I gave up most of my carbs and sweets, and I did suffer for a bit, but it went away. I don't crave sweets now. I dont think this is true for everyone. Maybe a pudding cup, chocolate soy or lower fat milk, or some chocolate flavored yogurt would be a good replacement. If nothing else, just have a square of dark  chocolate and let it melt on your tongue. You get less sugar than milk chocolate, iron, and another healthy chemical I cant remember (found in red wine).

well i am a recovery bulimic so binging i know what you mean. did you starve yourself for dinner the night before? or have you been restricting certain food that you crave and replace it with something else instead? if you do happen to binge dont fret! negative thoughts will make it worse think positive that tomorrow is a new day and you can restart. 

all you can do is take a breath and go to bed. tomorrow is a new day and your slate is clean. a hiccup won't make you gain ten pounds. you're not back to the start of your weight loss. you need to forgive yourself for slipping and move on!