Mini-binge eating... Every. Single. Day.

Okay I honestly never thought this would happen to me. I have been on CC since April and have been losing weight slowly and steadily (like 4-5 lbs/month) and never had a problem binge eating. I am a 23 year old woman, 5'8, around 157 or so right now (kind of don't want to weigh myself right now), started at 173.

I moved 2 months ago and no longer have an office job that keeps me out of the house (only a part-time work at home gig) and I have found that I have developed ridiculously unhealthy eating habits. I will eat normally throughout the day and be at around 1500-1600 calories by the end of the day... and then I binge! It's not like empty-the-whole-fridge bingeing, but it's probably at least 1000 calories, maybe as much as 1500 sometimes.

I read on this forum about people having problems bingeing every once in a while, but for me this literally happens every single night. EVERY NIGHT. I cannot think of the last night it hasn't happened in at least a month. Every morning I wake up and think, "Okay today is a new day, just eat normally, forget about last night, it's fine"... and then it's not fine!!!

I have tried eating maintenance, eating more than maintenance, not exercising, exercising a lot, leaving the house when I feel a binge, emptying my house of all the foods I tend to binge on, eating a wide variety of foods I really like during the day... nothing works. I still find myself in the kitchen every night, eating the randomest food that I don't even really want. I will be stuffing my face with like, dry All Bran or something and I am thinking, "Why am I eating this? Honestly, it doesn't even taste good." But I keep eating it, until the box is gone!

I am really freaked out and I really do not know what I can do to stop this. I have gained at least 5 lbs in the past month, probably more. PLEASE HELP

I wonder what foods you're choosing through the day.  Are you really getting the 1500-1600 cals as a first stop?.... Weighing and measuring foods or just guessing.   And are your food choices as nutritious and wholesome as possible?  Are you getting a good balance across food-groups and plenty of variety?  A big cause of bingeing is 'lack of nutrition'... and if your food choices are just slightly down then that can lead to overeating in an attempt to catch up.

I'd also suggest that you rearrange your food day such that you leave yourself 300 cals or so to deliberately eat in the evening.   And turn those 300 cals into something as filling and as comforting as possible...  a chunky lentil soup, for example.  Hot, takes time to eat, is very filling....

Ultimately, it does come down to just 'not doing it'.  You're currently at a healthy weight for your height so I'd suggest stopping actively trying to lose weight for a few weeks.   Maybe if you stick with a maintenance level of calories, aim to get maximum nutrition and satisfaction from your food and also plan some later snacks as part of the mix that would help.

Thanks for the advice jane! I have been eating enough, but maybe you are right about variety. I've just gotten so lazy lately and not wanted to stray from what is quick, easy, healthy and filling, so I eat a lot of the same foods every day.

I noticed that I tend to binge almost exclusively on carbs, so I'm not sure that it's my body crying out for nutrition... maybe just for something yummy and comforting. I like your advice about leaving 300 calories for something filling and will definitely try that tonight.

Ultimately I think it is really just that I am sick of always thinking about food! I feel like it takes up a lot of mental energy to watch what I eat and count calories. I have been doing this pretty consistently since April and had lost around 20 lbs before I started this unhealthy eating pattern, but I was always frustrated that the process was so slow! I know it is stupid but I was jealous of people in the forums who would be like "I cut out soda and lost 13 lbs in 2 months!" I make really healthy food choices, rarely overeat (until recently), and get good cardio in 4-5 days a week (which I accommodate for in my daily caloric intake). But I still was losing max 5 lbs/month. And now 5-10 of that has come back in a matter of weeks. Ugh.

So maybe you're right and I need to take a break. I am just nervous that my weight will continue to go up. I weighed myself this morning and my weight has actually gone up 8.5 lbs. I hope part of this is because TTOM is coming soon and I tend to retain water.

There is something about "the binge" and carbs. SO many people will binge on carbs, including my former self (a recovered binger). Cereal, even healthy cereal is bad, bad, bad news at night. There is something about it that just makes you want to keep eating it. If you don't burn off those carbs (night-go to bed) they will turn right into fat on ones *ss.

I best tips: Never eat carbs alone, always with protien. Try not to eat carbs at night. If you are truely hungry, reach for protein instead (string cheese is an excellent choice or one 100 calorie pack of almonds). Drink water.

Trouble is... if you carry on with your diet that's so boring and frustrating & you spend all evening eating thousands of calories of something more interesting then your weight will go up anyway.  BTW if you're bingeing on 'carbs' the nutrition you're missing is 'energy'.. pure and simple. 

So do take a break from 'dieting' & thinking about calories all the time and give yourself chance to reconnect with food positively.   You know how much to put on a plate these days so presumably you've got a grip on portion-control.  Even if the items change, you're not going to mess up.   Things I do to keep life interesting include 'a new recipe every night week'.... or 'vegetarian week'.... or 'food from a different continent week'.    I get out some cook-books or trawl the net and deliberately try a new dish every night of the week.  Savour what you eat... enjoy new flavours... make some new favourites.

A personal favourite of mine when 'dieting' gets dreary is this simple Indian dish of Mushroom Curry with Rice!   I happen to think spicy food is a real indulgent treat.

I'm sure you'll be just fine.

You said that you have not been eating as nutritiously as you could be, and that you reach for "quick and easy" foods (I'm guessing that means processed foods). Processed foods not only often lack in vitamins and minerals, but they also often lack fiber and are loaded with salt. Excess salt/sodium makes you feel thirsty, which people often mistake for hunger.

Try keeping lots of fruit and vegetables in bowls around the kitchen. That way if you get the munchies you can always grab a piece of fruit. Also, always keep fruit and veggies chopped and ready to eat in the fridge in some tupperware.A great snack before bed is a plate full of veggies with some low-cal dip or hummus!

Also, I would really recommend lifting weights to maintain and even build new muscle. The more muscle you have in your body, the more calories you burn. Dieting for a long period of time, especially without keeping a strength training routing, can reduce the amount of muscles in your body and make weight loss even slower.

I go through cycles of night binging also...when I'm laying low in front of the TV or something. 

What I've found works, is budgeting the extra indulgence into your daily intake as GI mentioned, and simply making better, lower calorie decisions when the urge comes.  When I sit down at night I grab a light and fit yogurt (80 cals), a rice cake (60 cals), and a bowl of grapes (50 cals).  It fills you up, and reaching into the bowl and grabbing each grape feels like "snacking" and is more satisfying than reaching into a bag of chips or cookies.

i literally have the SAME EXACT PROBLEM.   I've gained about 25 lbs, no joke.  I mean im hoping that SOME is water weight....but really.  My clothes dont fit and I feel awful.   It sucks because I've lost 65 lbs and now I feel like half of my hard work (over the last year and a half)  has completely gone to waste.  I really dont know what to do about it either.  If you find anything that works for you to stop bingeing at night, please please let me know. 

I've done better the past two weeks but it's still not perfect.  I used to have SUCH amazing willpower now i feel like my body refuses to even try to resist. 

and if you're looking for something filling to keep around in case you end up eating late at night, try sugar free jello.. whole box=40 cals.  It works for me sometimes. other times its still hard to make myself eat that over the other foods in the kitchen.

good luck, keep me updated.  I wish the best for you since I know how horribly it SUCKS :(