Does Over-eating just make you want to eat more?

Hey everyone.  I seem to be a having a bit of trouble with binging - it really seems to be all or nothing for me:

I've been really good and healthy the last few days (and not hungry either - really satisfied), but at lunch today for some reason I ordered a thai green veggie curry with brown rice (not too creamy - a relatively healthy choice) and then I added on some chicken soup and the wholewheat wrap bread that comes with it.  

I planned to space these foods out over the afternoon, but I ate them all within about half an hour, and it suddenly made me want to binge like crazy...so I did...

now I've also had two slices of (absolutely amazing) cake with creamy frosting and a "low-fat" cream cheese and pepper wrap.   And this is all before I'm supposed to go out for drinks and dinner!

I feel absolutely stuffed to the gills and disgusting - and I'm wondering why - when I was already really stuffed I felt the need - the complusion even - too eaten even more?   It's like an eating switch went off in my head...

anyways, sorry for rambling, just wondering if this happens to anyone else, and how they try to stop it?

 

For me the answer is definitely yes. Once I feel like I've eaten too much I feel almost compelled to do it more. It's like a loss of control thing, I've already blown it and it made me feel good while I was doing it (no matter how rotten I feel after) let's do it MORE, MORE happy food feelings!

Happily the longer I stay on this healthy eating plan the less I binge but it's taken a long time of brain reprogramming and of course I still slip up, I'm only human.

I think I must be same way ... I dont feel physically out of control, I just love eating and want more! 

I think it happens for me when I eat something I cant calculate calories-wise (e.g. a restaurant-bought thai curry) - I think to myself "if I cant calculate the calories how can I eat 1200 per day" so I go crazy and eat other things I can't calcalate (e.g. cake!)

And I agree, one slip up isn't such a bad thing - I usually have about 1 (day) per week (plus I dont count calories on the weekends), which is probably too much...

I am totally like that too. When i start to over eat its like you said a switch goes off and i am completely uncontrollable. I am on South Beach and i find that the restrictions help a ton. If i make the choice to eat a healthy meal in the first place it wont lead to a binge. Also veggies and meat are supper filling.

Also, when i work out i am less likely to bindge because i know all my work will go down the pooper if i ate bad stuff.

Hope that helps!

I know this feeling exactly! It shouldn't happen, because I eat enough calories for my height and weight. I'm 5'5'' 125 lbs and eat anywhere from 1200-1900 calories per day.

I'm usually quite satisfied with my whole grains and golden delicious apples, but once I get started on cookies and/or chocolate I turn into this ravenous animal and have a hard time stopping the sugar fest. It's very similar to your situation: every once in a while I will eat a healthy last meal, like a salmon sandwich, but then destroy it with a sugar binge. And it'll all get started with like 1/4 a cookie, just enough to get the taste in my mouth and the cravings in motion. Because after the 1/4, I think "oh, well another 1/2 of a cookie can't hurt," and so on and so forth.

I'm sure the cake you ate was amazinggg, and it's good to indulge every so often :D   Make sure you're staying within your healthy caloric range, as you may be bingeing to overcompensate from too much restriction. However, I have found a way to quell the sugar beast inside me when it begins to take over my body...I tell myself that after every excessive cookie, I must eat a carrot or portion of cucumber equal to the size of whatever sugary treat I consume. The introduction of veggies stops the big craving for junk food and is sometimes enough to make eating the cookie less optimal in the first place

Good luck and don't give up!

I'm well acquainted with this feeling. It seems like as soon as I allow myself to have a little bit I just can't stop myself anymore. I want more!

haha, kaylahelena I do the same thing! If im craving for dessert i always tell myself for each one you have u need to eat veggies after and just because of that my cravings sometimes are curved easier.

Sorry but... isn't everyone like this!?? I don't know anyone who doesn't have an occasional bingefest, lol. Usually once or twice a week for me, I try to tell myself to eat a small amount or until I am no longer hungry, but I slip up and eat and eat until I just can't anymore. We are human, and I know we all do it, I think it's ok to slip up now and again, aslong as it's not a habit, then you will gain weight eventually.

I can so relate to this!

Here's a few things I've learned about binges:

Eating too many different foods or flavors in a meal will trigger that desire for me.  If I'm at a potluck and a try a little of everything, I end up wanting to overeat (usually dessert) soon after the meal.

 

I deserve dessert every day, damn it! I will not live in a world without dessert.  Skinny Cow Ice Cream really helps me not feel deprived.

 

There a few day before my period every month, where I feel a need to gobble lots of carbs.  I just give in to it, but do my best to make the carbs complex (baked sweet potatoes, whole wheat toast with peanut butter are my favorite).

 

One more thing that I read that I'm trying.  Low vitamin D can trigger cravings for carbs.  I've been taking a supplement for about a month and so far, so good.

 

Angela

this is so me.  i think it's because it tastes so good that at the moment i have to finish it until it's gone.  Sometimes it's also because i think i messed up and mind as well blow it off.  that's not good.

I too can relate.  I won't binge in front of other people but if I eat alone then I usually end up craving one treat after another.  Even when I'm not hungry I sometimes feel consumed by thoughts of what's in my fridge, freezer, or pantry.  I've been doing better lately since I started a new exercise plan and I don't want to blow it!

I can TOTALLY relate to all of you! Veryvegan, I also will not binge in front of other people, and can share in the feeling of visualizing what is in the pantry and fridge even when I'm not hungry! I find that on the days I wake up and dedicate myself to being healthy and active, if I stay busy, I'm less likely to over eat. Also, if I eat my meals around people and do not give in to temptations to snack, I will not over eat. Frankly, it's embarrassing to stuff yourself around other people! Doesn't the pressure of someone watching you over-indulge yourself take away from the pleasure? Or am I just extremely vain?

A few tips for all of us:

-Turn the lights on, open windows, make it as bright as possible in the room when you eat. This takes away from the "privacy" feeling and makes you want to eat less.

-Eat in front of a mirror if you have to eat alone. Watching yourself chew is not very appealing, especially if you're trying to watch your waistline!

-Exercise! Nothing beats a cookie craving like a two mile run. If you're still craving the cookie when you're back from the gym, eat one. At least you've already burned it off.

-Brush your teeth instead of giving in to a craving. It will send a "stop eating" signal to your mouth and brain. Or put on a Whitestrip. Anything that otherwise occupies your mouth for long enough for the craving to pass.

We're all in this together, so don't give up!

Original Post by octopusqueen:

Sorry but... isn't everyone like this!?? I don't know anyone who doesn't have an occasional bingefest, lol.

You know what? I so used to be like this—but I'm not anymore. Ever since I cut all artificial sweeteners and all but trace amounts of refined sweeteners from my diet, it hasn't happened to me. And that was almost five months ago now. Now I have no cravings for sweets; and if I choose to eat some, I can stop at 1/2, or even 1/4, of a cookie without a problem. Or I can choose to have the whole cookie and then say I'm done. And I am.

In the past I was always able to cut sweets out of my diet for a time, but eventually they crept back in, resisting could be hard, and if I ate something I was pretty much doomed to keep eating junk throughout the day. But now I really do have total control. It was surprisingly easy, too. I eat the same foods as I did before, but I choose versions of those foods that have no artificial sweeteners and no refined sweeteners or very, very little.

I'm still compelled to have sweets in the house, though. It's odd. They usually go bad before I ever get around to eating them, but they have to be there.

I think everyone is like this, but some people seem to be able to control it better.  and it's totally true - one binge is not going to kill me or make me gain 10 lbs.  I've generally been pretty good at sticking to my healthy eating plan.

But sometimes I just really lose it...

... the cake was AMAZING by the way.  I dont even usually like cake but I'm still fantasizing about this one.  I feel a bit better now after someone else in my office told me they ate 3 slices!

Original Post by petite_powerhouse:

Original Post by octopusqueen:

Sorry but... isn't everyone like this!?? I don't know anyone who doesn't have an occasional bingefest, lol.

You know what? I so used to be like this—but I'm not anymore. Ever since I cut all artificial sweeteners and all but trace amounts of refined sweeteners from my diet, it hasn't happened to me. And that was almost five months ago now. Now I have no cravings for sweets; and if I choose to eat some, I can stop at 1/2, or even 1/4, of a cookie without a problem. Or I can choose to have the whole cookie and then say I'm done. And I am.

In the past I was always able to cut sweets out of my diet for a time, but eventually they crept back in, resisting could be hard, and if I ate something I was pretty much doomed to keep eating junk throughout the day. But now I really do have total control. It was surprisingly easy, too. I eat the same foods as I did before, but I choose versions of those foods that have no artificial sweeteners and no refined sweeteners or very, very little.

I'm still compelled to have sweets in the house, though. It's odd. They usually go bad before I ever get around to eating them, but they have to be there.

I totally agree. When I'm able to be very firm with myself and not have refined carbs/sugars, I have ZERO cravings. This is saying a lot for me. But usually I break down and have some, and that's when I binge.

And same as lots of the above, when I overeat, it seems to trigger more and more overeating! It actually happened today too, but not that badly fortunately... I understand where you're coming from, because not too long ago I had some serious bingeing problems... eating 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day. Well, today I had about 400 extra calories of chocolate and cereal after dinner. I think the important thing is to force yourself to step away from the food! Or take a little bit and a large glass of water and then step away. Then go do something for a bit. Maybe write yourself a motivational list and post it somewhere and go read it. That is what I did. I have this printed out piece of paper that says all the reasons I should stop eating out of boredom/ try to keep on track and lose weight. It reminds me things like "Calorie are REAL!!" because however silly this sounds, I often can't believe that calories are real when I'm in a bingeing mood. Anywayyyy, hope that helps!!

ug yes. i hate binging so much. i had gotten down to almost my goal weight, then i started picking up binging...i've gained 15 lbs. BUT that's gonna change.

i suggest  the self-help-type book "taming of the chew"...it's funny, sensible, and helps.

A great big emphatic YES!!!  The more I eat, the more I crave!!  I am TOTALLY an everything or nothing kind of girl.  I was stuck on a plateau a few weeks ago and I had claimed that if the scale didn't move by the next day, I was going to go inhale the biggest Chocolate Lovers Blizzard I could get my hands on!!  Several people told me I should, as it might "shock" my body back into losing.  I actually got the medium, planning to eat some and freeze the rest.  WRONG!!!  I scarfed down the whole thing, and then I CRAVED another for DAYS!!!!!  

As long as I'm eating "clean," I'm okay - very RARE cravings that pass.  But the moment I allow myself a social cocktail, naughty appetizer, fat laden entree, or decadent dessert - I'M SCREWED!!!  I absolutely writhe with cravings for days afterwards, AND I seem to develop an insatiable appetite that lasts for a couple of days, too.