One binge SERIOUSLY can't make you gain weight, it's all in our head right?
So how much damage can one day of bingeing really do? It can't be that much can it? Think of how many calories it takes to gain one pound. Here's my story, aka confession from yesterday.
The day started out great. Went to the gym and did 80 minutes of high intensity cardio and then weights, was eating very good, had a fiber one bar, a bowl of special k, apple, and 10 almonds. Then around 4:00 I get into a little fight with my mom, she hurt my feelings and upset me, that coupled with a bit of boredom and presto a binge was born yesterday.
I had been so good for six weeks, i keep track of all of my good days and yesterday was day 44. And here is what i ate:
It started with candy, stupid Air Heads and tootsie rolls, then i had peanut butter straight out of the jar, probably like 10 spoonfuls, then 3 homemade valentine sugar cookies with frosting, then pretzels dipped into more peanut butter, then 2 pieces of cinnamon raisin bread, then about 8 herseheys kisses, then a huge piece of chicken with barbeque sauce and a string cheese, 2 more valentine sugar cookies, 3 starbursts candies, then a mini bag of jelly beans, then 2 sugar free puddings with cool whip and sprinkles. UGH!
I am feeling so guilty right now! But i am trying to rationalize. To gain 1 pound you would have to eat an excess of 3500 calories. I doubt that my binge added up to that. I doubt that that was even my total caloric intake because prior to the binge i was at like 675 calories. But even if it did add up to that I burned close to 900 calories at the gym yesterday (although i don't really know how accurate the machines are i know i burned alot) so that would help with some of those calories. I guess i am trying to talk myself into believing that one night of bingeing really doesn't matter in the long run. It makes you bloated and you feel awful but one binge is not going to make someone gain 10 pounds overnight even if you feel like it did. It most likely does not make you gain even one pound or two or five or ten. That is if you only do it one night and then get right back on the plan. That is what i am telling myself. Does anyone agree?
I am trying to fix things right now. Today I went to the gym for an hour and a half of cardio. I ate a fiber one bar for breakfast and made tuna with pickles and a teeny tiny drop of mayo and two tomatoes, i am trying to avoid carbs so no cereal today. I am drinking ALOT of water right now, on my second huge bottle. I am eating a salad later on tonight with more protein and another piece of fruit and then i am done for the night. Going to try to stay at 1200 calories today.
Tommorrow i am basically going to follow the same menu and run/walk for an hour and drink my water. Please tell me i should be back to normal and free of any water weight gain by Monday morning when i go back to work. Please tell me i can make up for a few bad hours of eating on Friday with two great days to undo that little damage.
I am trying to convince myself it will be okay but again right now feel so guilty and am hating myself. Trying to tell myself the spike in calories will even do me good now that i am going back to a low number today and tommorrow and for the rest of the week. Thanks for listening to me ramble!!
Good luck on not gaining. Have you sat down and figured out something you can do besides eat your emotions so this doesn't happen again or you can get it under control sooner? You do know Fiber One bars are carbs, right. A little more protein might keep you satisfied longer.
I really hope you figure out another way to handle your emotions besides junk food, maybe a punching bag? What if that 1 binge yesterday, turns in to another binge tomorrow or 2 days from now? How many do you think you can have? I'm not sure about your height and weight but WOW what low calories you seem to have. I would be starving and that would defiantly make me binge.
Firstly, no matter what the "bad news" you do not have to feel guilty, and you definitely don't have to hate yourself. You made a mistake, regardless of the consequences, there's no reason not to start fresh EVER. It's important to remember that after the first candy bar you could have started fresh. Before you start "shoulding" all over yourself, you also need to know that candy or any high glycemic carb can trigger cravings and intense urges to eat in some folks (this is biochemical, but it can have mental side effects - you think you made such a horrible mistake that you might as well keep eating everything in site - learn to recognize this so that if you experience it again you can talk yourself down from an even bigger binge).
Now the bad news, it's hard to say what damage a single day of binging can do. It really depends on how many calories were in that binge - but do realize that it takes about 3500 calories to make a pound. Eating 3500 calories over and above your maintenance calorie range is possible, some people can eat that and more in a binge. Regardless, the binge is over, you can only move on.
You can't and shouldn't (and we shouldn't either) tell you that it's not going to show up on the scale, or how long it will take you to undo. We don't know that, but all you can do is move on.
Have you stepped on the scale or are you afraid to look? I can only tell you what works for me (and others will say it's the worst thing you can do - so you've got to know yourself before attempting). For me, getting on the scale immediately after eating something I shouldn't helps me focus on getting back on track. A pound of food rarely translates into more than a pound of weight gain (high sodium foods being the exception, but water weight I can usually get to disappear in 48 hours or less by drinking extra water).
Since most of the binge food was sugar or starch (which turns into sugar in the body), I think you need to be aware that you might be very prone to carb binges. Sugar makes many people want more sugar - it's not unlike a narcotic addiction. The more you eat, the more you want, and the more it takes to get the "high" you associate with it. For you, you may find that you get to eat a lot more calories and still lose weight if you restrict carbs (I'm not recommending a low carb diet per se, but avoiding flour and sugar and if that's not enough possibly reducing starchy grains and high carb veggies may drastically reduce your cravings, hunger, and therefore binges).
Another strategy I use is to always count my calories (I use exchanges, but the calorie counts are similar, so it amounts to the same thing), even of binge food. This helps me avoid paranoid math. Since it takes 3500 calories to make a pound of fat, I can't gain one pound from a 2.5 ounce candybar (280 calories). Keeping track of your calories is the best way to learn about how many calories you can eat and still lose, and what effect certain foods have on water weight, etc.
I'm trying to pay attention to what's going on in my head when I binge and when I'm on plan. I've been binging off and on lately. When I'm on plan, the correct food choices slide easily into place in my head, almost like I'm fitting puzzle pieces together. When I binge, it's as if my brain has been hijacked -- there's nothing but static going on. The first feeling is much better than the second.
Bellastar, I know what you mean, what harm can one binge do. But I imagine it's like Russian roulette. One might not hurt, but do you want to take the chance that the next one, or the next one, will hurt.
Maybe journaling will help you recognize the signs?
All I can do is speak from experience, as someone who is prone to bingeing. A single binge has never ever caused me to gain weight. The problem for me, however, is that it almost never stops at just one binge. As soon as I overeat, I can count on feeling absolutely famished for up to two days afterwards. My guess is that this has to do partially with my stomach being stretched, but mostly I think it's due to a sugar/carb addiction. Just one taste and I will be craving the stuff for days. If you're like me, then goofing up just once can throw you off-track for days.
All I can do is speak from experience, as someone who is prone to bingeing. A single binge has never ever caused me to gain weight. The problem for me, however, is that it almost never stops at just one binge. As soon as I overeat, I can count on feeling absolutely famished for up to two days afterwards. My guess is that this has to do partially with my stomach being stretched, but mostly I think it's due to a sugar/carb addiction. Just one taste and I will be craving the stuff for days. If you're like me, then goofing up just once can throw you off-track for days.
Your first sentence is what i really wanted to hear, i know a single binge cannot cause one to gain weight, real actual weight, not water weight that would show on the scale.
Like you i am a binger who has been bingeing for years. I know that it is easy to allow it to turn into more than one day so easily, it's like you break that cycle and with me i disregard all the good i had been doing and focus on that one bad day. Luckily my binge was Friday and i was very good and made up for it these past few days so i think i am okay. But the feelings of guilt take longer to go away.
Have you stepped on the scale or are you afraid to look? I can only tell you what works for me (and others will say it's the worst thing you can do - so you've got to know yourself before attempting). For me, getting on the scale immediately after eating something I shouldn't helps me focus on getting back on track. A pound of food rarely translates into more than a pound of weight gain (high sodium foods being the exception, but water weight I can usually get to disappear in 48 hours or less by drinking extra water).
See that is one thing i won't do, especially after a binge, because you know you couldn't have gained that much in one night, i used to do that and after really bad binges i swear to god the scale would be up like 17 pounds after a few days of bingeing.
On a side note , i no longer ever weigh myself, i haven't weighed myself since Oct 29, 2007 but i understand your point, if that helps you get back on track by all means do it, for me though i know it just used to make me feel worse about myself, more guilty, and then i would eat even more.
I really hope you figure out another way to handle your emotions besides junk food, maybe a punching bag? What if that 1 binge yesterday, turns in to another binge tomorrow or 2 days from now? How many do you think you can have? I'm not sure about your height and weight but WOW what low calories you seem to have. I would be starving and that would defiantly make me binge.
One binge SERIOUSLY can't make you gain weight, it's all in our head right?
