Intoxication + Binge Eating

Okay I have this weird problem where whenever I drink my eating habits go crazy and I binge. Example no.1: I was out with my mates, slightly intoxicated, we stopped in at mcdonald's and I ate 2 large fries, with every sauce imaginable. Example no.2: went to a party, got boring near the end so I consoled myself by single handedly emptying the chip basket, then going home and feasting on every item in my pantry. Example no.3: we got on it at a friends house, and within the hour I was munching down on brownies and cereal. Anyone have any ideas on this? or suggestions? cheers!

i'm the same- i loose track and forget whats important when i drink... i still havent foudn a way to get around it, ive just been trying to drink a little less. try water, sometime si can fill up on water and eat less, even though i still eat too much i can reduce it somewhat.

Hi claire24246,

    My reason why you are binge eating while you are drinking is because you are relaxing your body and mind enought that you are just not caring too much at that moment when you are eating. You have will power, USE IT!!!! You are getting board and eating, try eating a meal before you go to a friends house, then when you get there you should not be hungery. But if you want to munch anyway grab s  ome water and drink a lot of it and then go join in on some conversation away from the food. I hope this will help a bit!

Haha I have this problem somewhat. I helped this by making food LESS available to me when I drink...like when I go to a party I DONT bring money in case the friends want to stop by jack and the box or something...when I go frolicking and come home I try and go right to bed, and sometimes I just say to hell with it and eat ONE bad thing...which I wouldn't eat sober, but is still not as bad as say...like fifty cookies...I'll have like two...which I shouldn't...but at least im less inclined to go overboard.

Also when I drink I want really really bad like Carls Jr burgers/things I never eat sober. It's really weird. Thankfully I have a low tolerance for drunk driving so even if I have one beer/shot I don't drive, so I can't make it to Carls jr :)

Sugar makes me go nuts. Alcohol is full of sugar. Basically first my sugar soars, and shortly after it plumets. Then I start eating. Alcohol makes me make bad food choices. I try to only had wine with a meal, and never anything stronger.

Weirdly, beer is worse than wine, in my case. I start eating the table, if there is nothing else.........

It's called the beer munchies!

I always eat loads of junk food when I'm on a bender >.<

be careful with not bringing money as misspriss316 suggested. i tried this once and ended up stranded with friends who did the same thing as me :/

I have this problem sometimes too. Usually I can control it but when I get out of control it's bad. I was at a party last night and it was getting late. Me and a couple other girls single handedly ate almost a whole tub of potato salad, along with a mound of tortilla chips, pita & hummus, and some cream puffs. I don't even know how to begin to log that disaster!!! I'm so feeling it today :(

Oh, I so totally do this, too. It's always strange for me. It's never like "oh, I'm drunk, how 'bout a pizza" (though I've done it), it's more "hmm, I seem to have ate all the giardina in the house."

I think a lot of people have experienced the same thing.  It's not a weird problem--alcohol lowers your inhibitions so you normally do things you wouldn't do if you were sober (e.g. dancing on tables, feasting on chips and brownies).  It also does a number on your blood sugar.  Don't forget--alcohol is not calorie-free!  1 gram of alcohol contains 7 calories... it really starts to add up after a while!

My first suggestion is to eat some lean protein before you start drinking.  For one, drinking on an empty stomach isn't great, and for two, the protein will slow down the alcohol's rate of absorption.  It'll make you feel fuller.  Drink water in between drinks and afterwards--sometimes, your "hunger" is really just dehydration masking itself.

My second suggestion--if you can eat it with your hands, don't eat it.  That gets rid of a lot of unhealthy food options (pizza, chips--all the "good" stuff)--plus, if you're drunk enough, you may have trouble holding a utensil in the first place, preventing you from excessive noshing.

Third--and I wouldn't really suggest this often--if you know you're going to get drunk and eat like crazy afterwards--plan for it.  I'm not saying you should deprive yourself of food all day long, but at least for the day before and after, you should watch your food consumption.

 

Hope that helps a little!

You can't binge drink that often and be serious about losing weight and certainly not about being healthy. Just ask yourself whether you really want to be a fat drunk next time you go out.

Original Post by chris1208:

You can't binge drink that often and be serious about losing weight and certainly not about being healthy. Just ask yourself whether you really want to be a fat drunk next time you go out.

that is 100% not true.

I agree argylsweater. I think people are too judgmental about certain activities and foods that makes weight loss unsustainable. It is NOT good but it won't kill you in moderation (and assuming you don't drink to the point of danger). I see people on this site advising NOT to go out to dinner with friends and NOT to go to parties where there will be unhealthy food.

I am living my life, not living a diet. 

I'm with ya! I love a good, stiff drink and I'm not going to give it up completely, because it's unrealistic.  I have been drinking less and sticking to hard A which has less calories (if I mix I use diet soda or club soda).  I brink a healthy snack with me if I go out.

Original Post by chris1208:

You can't binge drink that often and be serious about losing weight and certainly not about being healthy. Just ask yourself whether you really want to be a fat drunk next time you go out.

 Just because we're trying to lose weight doesn't mean we cannot enjoy ourselves. I go out and get bladdered (more than likely eat some junk food afterwards) almost every Saturday, but I'm still losing the pounds. One bad day a week isn't going to absolutely ruin the other six days of good healthy eating and exercise.

I'm totally there with you.

My problem is that, since I don't drink often, when I do drink I get plastered. Majorly plastered. And then there's chips around... I can go through loads of calories every time I do it. And there's a part next friday... I'm toast lol

But, I figure as long as it's only... maybe once a month or so, it's not horrible. I'm pretty good with my diet the other 29 or so days of the month, and I work out considerable, I can have my one night of fun. I don't think it's a bad thing.

Tbh, if I didn't have my one night of drinking per month, my one night of indulgences and doing something 'bad,' I would probably hold up all my 'bad girl' intentions inside of me, let it build, and do something really really stupid to get it all out, something that could hurt me much more than my one night of drinking (it's happened before; I was really lucky enough to get through it unharmed).

So don't bet yourself up, just try not to make it an all the time thing. :)

Yeah, I've decided that I can't be around alcohol and really NOT eat so I'm notgonna be drinking for awhile until I've got weight down to an acceptable level.  I think for every 6 pounds, I will reward myself with a night out (if need be, that is).  Plus with the way my friends and I drink, I'm drinking over 1000 calories in a night!  Ugh!!

I leave about 300 cals for when i get home from drinking expeditions and prepare a snack of 300 cals before i go out. that way, it's right there when i get home, i inhale it and go to bed. 

I don't drink often, but when I do, I do it right and therefor loose all inabitions and eat everything I can.  So....I try to stay at home or a friends house when a do drink and then I buy pita chips or low fat chips, frozen lean cuisine pizzas, and/or veggie burgers and pack my fridge or my friends fridge.  Because I know I will binge, but it is amazing how many calories you save if you try lower cal foods.  If I have nothing else, I'll make the pizza guy bring it to me, or beg someone to run to McD's.  If I have to go out, well, I don't loose any weight for the week, like last week due to a Saturday night football game and my number one enemy, COLD DRAFT BEER!!!