Can you justify a binge now and then?

Everyday, no. But I dunno, sometimes i feel that if I have a binge day 1-2 times a month that it's ok. And will prevent me from getting to the dreaded starvation mode. It's easier to get back on track too...

Thoughts? Opinions?

Should I be cursing myself for having eaten over TWICE my cal allowance today? Or accept it, move on and not let it get me down...

*EDIT* I guess when I say binge, I don't mean to imply going out of ones way to stuff themselves silly and then some just to do it, but instead just eating how they normally would before they began watching their weight (which could MEAN stuffing themselves silly, it just depends on the person).
 For me, it still means LOTS and LOTS of BAD food....bah

I plan on visiting the All You Can Eat Chinse Buffet twice a month, maybe that counts as a binge but I feel like I get bummed at the thought of giving that up forever.

So 1-2 a month will not undo anything permanently. You cannot gain a pound from 1 bad binge. Unless you eat like 5,000 calories and sleep right after it but that would be a helluva day.

So don't beat yourself up. Just don't do it the next day and plan out your cheat days if you got to.

And starvation mode is a commonly misused term. I don't think you got to worry about that until your actually starving in the true sense.

I've been thinking alot about this the past few days, and i actually think its a pretty good idea.. i thought of also doing this like 2 times a month.. just having a day where calories dont count.. i think in the long run it will keep your diet on track..and keep you from derailing.

Maybe once a month I will have a day where I eat my maintenance calories. I'm not all that strict about eating the 'healthiest' foods, and usually eat at least a couple of things I don't normally allow myself to eat but I'm always aware that I'm still trying to eat healthily and count calories to stop myself from having an all-out binge.

Don't see any harm in a couple if binge days a month.  I'm slowly getting used to a balanced diet.  Got A everyday this week so far on my nutrition but I think that has something to do with my new smoothy addiction.  Smoothy machines are fun!!!

Planning on having a binge week in the summer.  Going to a bothy (house in the middle of nowhere) near Fort William in Scotland and will be doing shocking things like having haggis, sossages, beacon, beans and fried eggs for breakfast 3-4 days and binging on things like my boyfriends chilli and other things I shouldn't eat too often and in large amounts.  Might even be really naughty and roast marshmellows on the wood burner. 

I will also probs be getting alot more excersise than usuall cause I plan on sticking my bike on the back of the car and do a bit of rockclimbing and hiking.  I'm going to have Ben Nevis this summer and maybe one of the other Monroes

I am not sure what I do could be called a binge but I do almost weekly eat more than is in my "lose weight" mode.  For instance last night visiting a friends home I ate beef tenderloin (probably double  my usual 3oz), I had a whole baked potato (usually have a half), a tossed salad, bread (usually skip) and an average size slice of coconut cake (usually have half).  so last night my calorie intake was probably doubled.  this morning my weight is up .8 lb but that is okay. With any luck it will be gone tommorrow.

Also forgot to mention I added 15 minutes of exercise to my usual routinge getting ready for last night.

And I must say I enjoyed every bite of it!

I have gone as far as to have a "cheat" night each week - usually Friday or Saturday nights.  I count my calories and try to keep it on the light side during the day, and then at night I don't worry about it.  We'll usually go out for happy hour with friends and I can't give that up, so I chose to drink beverages that last longer (like bourbon on the rocks) and that way I don't take in as many calories as I would drinking 3 beers.  I always go to the gym first thing Sat morning too. 

I feel that even though I am watching my calorie intake,  I still want to enjoy my life - and if I don't feel deprived of the fun, I know it will be a permanant change.  It may be slower than in the past, but why race?  I'd rather enjoy and be consistent.

Cheers!

Woot for cheat days/nights.

This reminded me of the show Nip/Tuck. One of the doctors was describing soul food to a young foreign man. He's like, "Soul food tastes good, isn't healthy but it boosts your mood. So it's worth it in the end."

So a cheat day with soul food now and then might make us less moody and miserable :]

In the past, I have had weight loss plans that included a binge day every month.  I stuffed myself with all the junk food I craved, and was able to put off cravings for another month that way.

Until the binge day turned into a binge weekend turned into a binge month, year, years...

Some foods, and some ways of eating some foods, just trigger me.

This time, I do not "binge".  I do not use that word.  Instead, I plan "splurge" meals.  Christmas Day was one (well, two meals, breakfast AND dinner that day).  Typically, however, I plan a meal about once a month (never more frequently than that) when I go to a restaurant and order something I normally wouldn't have that I really enjoy, along with a dessert.  I splurge by eating out for three reasons:

1) I do not want to "splurge" on junk.  I am not saying I will never eat a Ding Dong again.  I just don't want to elevate it to the status of a splurge.  I want to reserve special meals for special food.

2) While restaurant portions are oversized in America, they are still one portion, and I can easily consume them all at once OR leave the rest for the busboy.  If I bring food home, I've got packages with left-overs, increasing the likelihood that my splurge will splash over into the next day.  Not good.

3) This time I am working on creating new habits, a lifestyle, a style for life.  If I plan and look forward to meals or days in which I eat the way I used to, I am reinforcing old behavior and leaving room for a relapse into an unhealthy way of living that will kill me.  I do not want to dream about the day when I can eat the way I used to.  I want to put my energy into developing habits I can support for life. 

We each need to find our own way.  I do not believe that my way is necessarily right for anyone else.  I am just sharing my experiences and current attitudes - take them or leave them, that's what we're all here for.  I wish us all well in our efforts!

wow!! This could be the first time I have ever seen anyone not been crucified for saying binge... lol. ;0).

Yeah I think it's fine... not justifyable; it's good to be a little harsh otherwise I will make excuses often. For me I have messed up bad and eaten 5k-8k cals in a night no prob... felt sick and even gotten sick. Yeah the next day I weight 5lbs more lol... but lemme tell yah I don't actually gain... if I stay on track I'm back to norm by the following 3-5 days.

If it helps, I justify our monthly birthday ice cream cake by doing an extra 30 mins spin class :).

G'luck!

YES!  I think it depends on the person, however.  When I 'binge' its half a medium pizza.  I've never been a huge eater.   I've also heard that increasing caloric intake one or two days a month can keep you from plateauing. 

Eating a high-calorie meal once in a while keeps me sane.  I try to at least partially balance it out by eating a little less and/or doing a slightly longer workout that day or the days surrounding it.  Losing weight is about lifestyle changes, and I don't want a lifestyle that will never allow me to eat foie gras again!

Plus, when my parents visit me at school or I'm on a date with my boyfriend, I don't want to be a killjoy by obsessing over every calorie. 

Well, for me, I wouldn't do it but only because of my own past experiences.  If I overeat one day, or even for one meal, I have a tendency to throw caution to the wind the next day.  I have a harder time going back to normal and in the past, I have totally derailed myself.  I prefer to have a small amount of something sinful, like chips at the mexican restaurant, then have a salad.  That way I got what I really wanted (love those tortilla chips!) but I still go home feeling good about my choices. 

I personally have to keep things in check BUT I never deny myself.  If I really want something sweet, I incorporate it into my intake for the day.  It may be a 100 calorie snack cake or something and then I drink hot tea or water after to get the taste out of my mouth.  Point is, no successful weight loss program requires you to deny yourself all the time.  You have to learn how to incorporate the stuff you love into your life without binging.

Having said that, my mother in law used to diet that way and she liked it.  She would count calories for six days and then have a day off to eat whatever she wanted.  I guess as a plan, as long as you can get back to normal without a problem, the only thing that will happen is that you slow your weight loss progress.  But it's still progress and you have to do what you can live with.