[JLNichols07]

Ok. So everyone please tell me your defintion of binging. Mine has been happening to frequently this past month! I have done so good. Hardly any mess ups since September and then I start to get closer to my GW and bam all the sudden I want to eat everything in sight! and its not just wanting to eat it I end of AUCTUALLY doing it! My weight has bounced up 5 lbs and I'm scared to death I'm going to gain the 81 pounds I lost back PLUS more! So what do I do? HELP..I really need it! Have I gone all the band wagon?

[JessLess]

My own personal definition of binging is any uncontrolled eating, particularly eating if I'm not hungry. Other people's definitions may vary, of course, that's just mine for me.

[morphomel]

I'm right there with you JL. I was so close to goal but these past few weeks I'm binging like crazy and eating things I honestly thought I'd lost taste for.

Binging to me is uncontrolled eating, where the thought of large amounts of food creates an anxious, excited feeling. Eating said food then produces either a numbed/relaxed/euphoric feeling. And one just keeps chasing that feeling with more and more food.

[jenn33082]

I too have been going through the same thing. I think its from being so strict for a year and now its all catching up to me. I'll allow myself to have one "cheat day" on the weekends and then eat really well during the week. This has kept me at maintenance. I think that once I learn how to be able to eat things in moderation, some of the binges will subside. I think 2011 is going to be a big learning year for me on how to eat like a normal person. I'm either logging every bite that I put in my mouth or I'm at the complete other end of the spectrum and eating any junk I can find. I just want a happy medium.

[curlysue82]

Oh i hear you i'm off track since Saturday and have been seriously over-eating, i think its mainly down to the mindframe.. so tomorrow i am gonna wake up and decide to be good and to cop on.. thats it!!!!

Binging is bad

[coffe3]

I had a super urge to binge yesterday in the afternoon and I realized it was because I wanted to feel 'comfortable', and that the picture of sitting on the couch and eating a pizza and ice-cream all night was comforting... So my definition of binging is just eating food to try and fill a feeling of emptiness to comfort myself.

Luckily I was too lazy to go out and get a pizza so I just bared with the feeling and by dinnertime it had disappeared. So it helps to remember that the more you obsess about 'binging' or wanting to binge the less likely the feeling will fade away, so just try and occupy yourself with another activity (e.g. going for a walk... I usually play video games that involve both my hands) and before you know it its time for your next meal or time to sleep.

You've obviously worked super hard to lose all that weight so just take a step back look at pictures of your before weight and think about how you felt when you were that weight, and how long & hard it took to get to where you are - maybe do that whenever you have the feeling the urge to binge and question whether you really do need ALL that food. You know whether you can stop at a bite or if you take that first bite you will just eat the whole thing. If you know/feel you won't be able to resist after 'sampling' a bit then at this stage it might be better to avoid trigger foods until the binge urge is over lest it trigger a whole episode and you regret it the next day.

I don't know if what I've said will work for you, but you should realize that it can be a slippery slope once you start binging, but the good thing is that you know what you have been doing and have come on here asking for some support. Binging is preventable, you just need to train your willpower and self-control, and like kicking any addiction it takes time and training.

I hope I helped you a bit. Don't give up and good luck!

[krampus]

Binging for me is when I say "AH F--- IT" and eat huge amounts of junk food, like 5000 calories at once. Binging is when I consciously decide not to "count" anything and just eat junk until I can't eat any more. It involves multiple trips to the store sometimes. The most recent binge I had was 3 chocolate bars, 2 bags of nuts, chocolate covered almonds, an entire package of cookies (I think there were 14), and a pizza.

I think "snapping" like that happens a lot to dieters and it is probably a natural reaction. There is a huge movement in favor of intuitive eating for weight management because so many people have problems with a binge/restrict cycle. I cannot maintain a steady weight, never have been able to, always had huge cheat days and strict on-plan days.

[skinnyelle39]

Originally Posted by krampus

Binging for me is when I say "AH F--- IT" and eat huge amounts of junk food, like 5000 calories at once. Binging is when I consciously decide not to "count" anything and just eat junk until I can't eat any more. It involves multiple trips to the store sometimes. The most recent binge I had was 3 chocolate bars, 2 bags of nuts, chocolate covered almonds, an entire package of cookies (I think there were 14), and a pizza.

I think "snapping" like that happens a lot to dieters and it is probably a natural reaction. There is a huge movement in favor of intuitive eating for weight management because so many people have problems with a binge/restrict cycle. I cannot maintain a steady weight, never have been able to, always had huge cheat days and strict on-plan days.

I think everyone had great definitions of what binging means to them but this one hit home with me the most. For me its also that feeling where a craving for some type of fattening food becomes a consuming thought that you cannot push out of our mind. That's the problem I have. I know a better alternative would be to take a walk or even go out on my porch with my DVD player and workout, sleep, clean, anything but.... Sometimes you just cant push yourself. Then the cannot becomes "Yea I really don't even want to push this thought out of my mind. I want to go to pizza hut and order a personal pan pizza, cheese sticks, and cinnamon sticks and eat it all while watching my favorite show. "

What messes me up also is the " there's always tomorrow theory." The number one saving grace of dieting and weight loss is the fact that you can always hop back onto the wagon if you fall off with renewed commitment no matter how far you stray. Just 2 days ago I had that EXACT Pizza Hut adventure. I comforted myself by saying " Tomorrow Ill just fast and workout for 2-3 hours to make up for this. " Never happened. Just lead to more bad food choices the next day. Binging leads to cravings and cravings leads to more binging. Such a vicious, scary, gross cycle.

I do agree that it can be controlled over time and with a strong will. But after months of dieting and obsessing about every calorie, workout, size, pound, and inch you just want a break sometimes.