Today was a good day, but it started off all wrong because of this morning. I got up late this morning, so I rushed out the door for work. I ended up not eating breakfast, and I was by myself at the office so I could not go get anything. I had a frozen dinner (280 calories) and have had nothing all day! Its almost time to go home, and I am so hungry I feel a binge coming on. What do I do? What makes u not binge I know I have several calories left for today but I feel like I could go nuts. Help me out!

I'd swing by the grocery store on the way home and buy a one pound bag of baby carrots. The whole bag has under 200 calories, and you won't eat the whole bag. This will take the edge off your hunger before you get home.

More importantly, don't do this again. I bet you took a shower this morning even though you were running late, because, no matter how late you are, it's just unthinkable to go to work greasy. Your food plan needs to be the same way--if you're late, you're late, but that 5-10 minutes to grab breakfast and lunch are non-negotiable.

Make the choice not to binge.

Drink a glass of cold water and find yourself something healthy to nosh on until you're 80% full. Then wait 20 minutes and see if you're still hungry.

If you binge you'll hate yourself later, there's no need. You are more powerful than that urge, so do what you know to be best.

I usually keep some quick, low cal. items around to prevent bingeing in these situations. Things like fruit strips, water, non-dairy soups, and coffee w/ cream do wonders for satisfying my hunger for the 20-30 minutes it might take to cook a healthy meal.

I would definitely avoid the supermarket while you're hungry though. I am way more likely to buy binge fuel when I'm hungry while shopping.

Other things I do when I feel a binge or idle eating coming on:
a) Take a shower. I don't know why, but I always forget about eating when I'm in the shower.
b) Challenge myself to drink a glass of water every 30 minutes/hour/etc. I usually do this when I eat poorly, get hungry around 3 PM, am already high on my calories so far, and do not want to eat dinner early. Remembering to drink every 30 minutes or so until dinner time ends up being a real chore. I also tend not to drink enough water every day so I'm not in danger of overdoing it with this.
c) Go to the movies. I hate concession stand prices so I never buy anything there when I go alone. And, if the movie is good, I've got 1 1/2 to 2 hours of not thinking about food.

YMMV of course, but, yeah, take the edge off the hunger and try to get your mind off of bingeing. All of this only works for me if I have something healthy and satisfying planned to eat in the end though.

I keep canned food at my desk for emergencies like this. A can of tuna is better than no breakfast. And when you are desparate, that can of tuna really does help.

But for tonight - you've taken the first step in posting that you know something is up. So, keep this on your mind all night and don't binge.

Eat a normal planned meal. If you are still hungry, drink 32oz of water and wait 30 mins. If you are still hungry then, then have something healthy again. Make sure you get some protein and good fats in what you eat tonight, they will help satiate your hunger.

On days like this, I find that if I start out with a quick snack on an empty carb (crackers, pretzels, etc) that it will just set off the binge. But if I have a couple pieces of delimeat and cheese rolls, that will sit better in my stomach and allow me to make better choices later.

I actually ended up not binging.. I ate 1210 calories today, so I didn't go over. I actually landed under : )2a

Good Job for staying on plan. I usually keep protein bars at work for an emergency food supply. I also try to keep some frozen vegetables or popcorn at work as well. You just never know when you might need them.

Cool, way to make it pass a tough spot.

I keep EAS Myoplex Lite ready-to-drink shakes in the 'fridge to grab instead of skipping breakfast. They are nutritionally balanced, and help me stay on plan.

Can you make a lunch the night before so you can just grab it on the way out the door when you're running late?