and what I mean is sometimes you just eat till your stuffed. Is it just as bad to eat till you get that feeling if it's on good for you foods, such as fruits, veggies, soups, etc vs chips, ice cream, stuff like that?

I think so. Even good for you foods have calories, fat, etc. If it's the lesser of two evils, I guess the good foods are better but I think it's more important to stop when you are full or have had your allowed amounts. I, for one, have been known to binge on grapes (up to a few pounds at a sitting) as well as cookies. A binge is a binge to me I'm still trying to learn to stop when I've had enough to be comfortable and not totally full.

There are a couple reasons I'd say yes...

1) You can shrink or stretch your stomach by how much you eat. If you eat smaller portions, your stomach tends to shrink making you fuller easier. If you constantly eat larger portions, then your stomach will stretch making it harder to get full.

2) What about those times when you don't feel like eating "good for you" foods? Binging or just eating way too much "good for you" foods is a bad habit. In the event when you want to eat something else that may not be "good for you", then you may way overeat more than you would if you had practiced portion control.

For me, its a constant struggle. Sometimes I fill up too much on good for you foods but I do try to eat smaller portions so that I get fuller easier. Overall, I think portion control is something good to learn and practice no matter what you eat.

Although fruits and vegis are certainly better than chips and candy, there is something intrinsically wrong with eating until you are stuffed. Your body doesn't need to ever be stuffed.

Learning to stop when comfortably full is a skill we probably all need to work on. I certainly do.

I agree with all the PP. Nelie pretty much explained all the points I would've hit on.

I think a binge is a binge, too. A binge on fruit may not affect you on the scale as bad as a binge on chicken wings - but the affect on your mind could be the same.

I disagree...after a heavy duty cardio day I know I'm going to be a bottomless pit. I plan for it by having something like a whole bag of frozen veggies with dinner. As long as I am within my calories for the day? Nothing wrong with it. IMHO.

I am mulling over the stretched stomach thing, tho. That I can't really argue with. :P

Gina,

A bottomless pit though would suggest that you are having trouble filling up. Unless you eat until you feel you are burst on a heavy cardio day?

I guess even then I probably don't eat until I wanna bust.

I guess my answer to the OP would be it's better to stuff yourself with low cal /whole foods than ice cream and chips. If ya gotta stuff yourself.

I just started on the Bob Greene diet. He has a "scale" of how hungry you are. His theory is you should always stop still feeling like you "could" eat some more. It's making me realize that I haven't done that in at least 20 years. This feeling of stomach growling is such a new unpleasant sensation to me. Which means most times I ate way too much. Or even all the time I guess.

I do think the less you eat the quicker you fill up the next time.

I know that the desire to eat until I'm stuffed means that something is wrong with my head, and I have to just concentrate on figuring out what that is. I do occasionally do as the OP suggested and binge on healthy stuff, but I don't do it because my body needs it. I do it because of the mental stuff going on. With my more active lifestyle, I have grown to detest the feeling of being too stuffed. (I still do it sometimes, but I'm disgusted when I do.) It makes it harder not just to exercise, but even to get up from the computer and grab some documents when I'm working, for example.

Thanks for all the responses, it's just sometimes you feel like you just need something, like I"m upset, I"m use to eating, well, I'm gonna grab this pear, and these carrots, etc, instead of this tub of ice cream, and cheddar potato chips.

I know it's something in my head, but it's been programmed for 29 yrs like that, it's going to be a hard habit to break.

Good for you for making the adjustment. I know absolutely what you're talking about when you say you just "need something" sometimes. And a pear or carrots certainly beats chips and ice cream! This weight loss thing is NOT about being perfect. It's about being better enough to lose the weight, and that's a different formula for everyone.

I've known there's something wrong with my head for years...

LaurieDawn just explains it better.

My question though, are you eating "around" what you really want? I've been known to want ice cream, know it's not good for me and then I eat so much "good" food that I might as well had 1/2 cup of what I really wanted.