One of the guys I work with was eating Triscuits (tomato and basil flavored) and he offered some to me. I took 3 and, OMG, it was so good!! A little while later I came back to my desk and the box was sitting there with a note that said, “Have the rest”. I open up the box and there was maybe 10-12 Triscuits left. Without even thinking I cut down the empty part of the plastic bag (a binging habit because I hated putting my hand through empty air where food used to be) and started shoving them in my mouth. I didn’t even bite the Triscuits, I shoved them in my mouth full. Heck, I don’t even think I tasted them!

One-two-three-GONE.

This wasn’t a binge by any stretch of the imagination but it simulated one. The mindless eating, the temporarily satisfaction of feeling good and not having consequences and, of course, the shame that comes afterwards.

I know that if the box was full, I would have gone through it all. And after my Triscuit trance, I suffered. I was in grazing mode the rest of the day. I thought about running out to the store to buy more of these things – and getting a cheese spread to go with it. I sort of made it through. The only bad thing I did afterwards was eat a cartridge of grape flavored pez.

I don’t know. I just hate that I was able to go to that mental place again. I thought I got past it.

I understand your fear that this was unhealthy...but i think it's MORE unhealthy to dwell on it. I strive to eat like a "normal" person, and i think that's what most of us are here to do...and "normal" people occasionally eat something out of haste and look back and think "why did i even eat that"? But that doesn't make them spiral out of control or even get upset...it's more like "oh probably didn't need to eat that, but oh well whatever" and it's no big deal.

I would call that a binge, but the good news is you can stop right there and not do it again.
PS if someone hands you a bag , bowl or whatever with unwrapped food in it,ask yourself, whose hands have been in here and what have those hands been doing before they dived into this bag of goodies.

Oh, god, really? Even though I only ate about 15 and it was within my calorie allotment for the day?

Well, that sucks..........

That is nothing like one of my binges! I would call that a minor slip, or nothing at all. If I were binging I would have eaten them, bought a new box, cheese or dip, had it with beer or wine before dinner, eaten dinner, and then started on any sweet I could find....ice cream, VitaTops, even Special K with strawberries if that was the sweetest thing I could find. I have even eaten most the chocolate chips and walnuts I had bought for holiday baking during a binge. I say, "Forget it and move on."

You know Shan, I was thinking about whether or not I would call it a binge.

I think there is a difference between staying on plan and staying away from binging, though often one is linked to the other.

I would say this is a case of staying on plan because it didn't affect your calorie alotment, but because the mental trigger and physical reactions were exactly that of a binge, and had the box been full...

I initially didn't respond to this thread because the thing that bugged me about it is that it's so demoralizing and a bit of a self confidence killer to say you've binged. And, you didn't go off and find other foods afterwards - which is definitely a plus.

I think you can call it whatever you want to. There are some good things that came out of this episode, though. You didn't make things worse, you didn't really go off plan, and it gives you an experience to learn from so that next time maybe you'll think before cutting off the top of a box and going at it. Next time maybe the box will be more full. Lucky this learning experience was not a high damaging one!!!

I have done this!! I swear to you guys, I never realized I had a binging problem until I came to this board!

at least triscuits are supposed to be considered relatively healthy and you didnt eat a whole box of cake!

if you do want to eat more triscuits tho (make sure you only take a couple!) the pepper olive oil ones are good. but everything only in moderation.

good luck!

Personally I don't think that was a binge but I am thinking maybe Bargoo said it was a binge because the way you said you ate them- "mindlessly/"autopilot", you know?

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've done that a few times.

A binge would have been going out to get the other box, a can of cheese whiz and a cheesecake chaser.

I feel your pain. I hate mindless eating. It's one thing to overeat when you let yourself get too hungry or thirsty, but another to eat without thought.

You are not alone. We've all been there.

Yeah, I don't think it was technically a binge from a food standpoint but it was only by the grace of god because I was limited to a certain amount. And I am proud that I didn't run out and get that can of cheese whiz with a cheesecake chaser tho! (Ha, that was funny!). But it had other binge characteristics for me such as the mindless eating, cutting the bag down, feeling guilty afterwards. It really concerned me but thankfully didn't scare me!

I was faced with a thin mint challenge today but I restricted myself to 3. I ate them nice and slow and they were GOOD!

Thank you guys for your input! xoxo

I am pretty sure once you know what binging is, the tendency will always be there somewhere in your subconscious. Hopefully you are doing better today, and you really did curb-stomp a potential disaster by holding strong against the desire to go out and buy more!

Shan, I just NEED to thank you for putting the part in where you said you cut the bag down!! OMG, I SWEAR I thought I was the only person in the world who did that!!!!!!!!!! You don't know how happy it made me to read that someone else actually does that. I know it sounds stupid, but it made me feel less of an outcast binger or something. LOL

But, yeah, at least it was triscuits that you ate, and not frosting or something too terribly bad. And, you recognized what you did and learned from it. I think that's all we CAN do.

Yay for you, for controlling yourself with the thin mints!!! That is HARD!!

I hear ya -- I can't have Triscuits in the house anymore because I love them too much...and put some cheese on them...oh goodness. I have eaten two full boxes by myself over the course of a day before. I always try and look at the sides to see which has more salt or flavor (if I'm eating the flavored ones!) and I eat that side down so it hits my tongue first...

Even thinking about it is making me crave those dumb things! Love them!

OMG! LOL I had to chuckle because I do the same exact thing with potato chips!! And with BBQ one's, if there are some that do not have flavoring, I decide to crush the whole bag into crumbs so the more flavored chips get mingled in with the non-flavored chips and then every bite is salty and delicious.

I'm hoping this isn't a binge behavior but something that is simply just a good idea!