hey all! wondering what to eat today. i'm not hungry right now, but i know i will be soon despite the week's worth of food i consumed this weekend and my angry belly.

i want to stave off another series of bad decisions. fruits, veggies, drink water. does anyone have any more substantial tips?

does anyone know what our bodies NEED after binging? it's such a shock to our systems...i don't know what chemically happens during and after, but i imagine there are certain foods that really help us recalibrate, feed our needs.

right now i'm working on water.

I can't speak from a scientific perspective about what our bodies need, but after a high calorie/processed food kind of day I go for light fruits and veggies (bell peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, oranges), lots of green or black tea with little or no sugar, and of course lots of water. Protein helps me feel better, such as shrimp, protein shake, egg whites. Basically just significantly reducing carbs, fat, salt, sugar, and NOTHING PROCESSED of course

I like to up my water intake and protein intake if I've overdone it on carbs. It helps fight off any carby cravings.

I used to go for vegetables & fruit with high potassium levels, or high water & fiber content. I have no scientific basis for this, but I thought that things that were considered diuretic would help flush the excess sodium from my system.

So breakfast would include grapefruit, lunch would be lots of raw veggies with the most plainly cooked protein possible, and dinner would be lots of asparagus & other plainly prepared veggies & again a very plain protein. Yes, and coffee would be involved, or green tea. No soda. I'd be eating apples & oranges & pears as snacks. This doesn't describe my total intake but it will give you a general idea.

But I'd just do a day like that & no more, because I found that the equivalent of putting myself on bread-and-water, you've-been-a-bad-girl rations was psychologically unhealthy for me & would set me up to crave something with more flavorful seasonings. I tried to get away from the idea of punishing or reacting. Every action brings a reaction. I tried to avoid any action that would reignite the reaction of bingeing.

The thin commandments book is one i like and it outlines a whole plan for the 24 hours after binging. From what i remember it is high protein ( to help even out blood sugar levels ), alot of water and fiber. Generally speaking he promotes cinamin and seafood so those may be some good things to work in. He also suggests writing down what you will eat for the next 24 hours and drinking water.

Hope that helps a little bit! -fm

you guys are great! this is exactly what i was looking for -- and new information too!

i'm eating a really big green salad for lunch with half a hard-boiled egg and a relatively small grilled chicken breast. salsa as dressing (which i've been loving lately btw)

i hadn't even clicked in about needing protein until i read your replies. i feel so strange and fuzzy today -- and that's prolly a carb-hangover!

i've had lots of water and now onto after-lunch hot tea. i think tonight i'll steam some veggies to eat with chicken, or shrimp if the double dose bores me later.

and saef, right on re: do-it-for-a-day only! i would definitely backslide. and be even worse off!

After a binge, I wake up feeling like I'm pregnant with a food baby. Like I'd been guzzling cement the day before, not food. So my first thought (and this is TMI, lol) is "I need to get this out!" In other words...lots of fiber. Hehehe...

I also crave clean foods. After a day of eating all that junk, I crave the crisp clean fresh taste of fruits and veggies. A lightly seasoned chicken breast. I want everything to be simple and fresh. No fancy cooking or anything.

I don't have a specific meal plan for post-binge days, but I eat light, clean, and simply. Then I resume regular on-plan eating the day after.

I used to go to a nutritionist that said to eat clean and food from the earth for a few of days after a binge to flush toxins from your body. I never asked her for the science behind this so for all I know it could be a bunch of crock. lol

Basically, lots of raw or lightly cooked vegetables and fruits from all the colors, eat until your are satisfied, not full. No meat, only fresh fish & poultry and no more than 4-6 oz per day. Drink water or water with fresh lemon.

I know I always feel way too guilty after a binge to keep eating the way I did. Unless I'm going on an epic multi-day binge, I usually keep it simple the next day. Normally my stomach feels horrible (gassy, bloated) and I didn't sleep well the night before.

I try to drink a ton of water (like everyone else said) and stick to oatmeal, or plain chicken/plain pasta, or veggies. Fruits are usually a no-no for me. Then I try to ride it out, and mentally try to forget about what I did the day before, otherwise I may binge more.

Personally- I think the mental anguish is worse than the physical symptoms. I try to stay out of the house and try not to think about anything. Maybe I go to the mall or wal-mart just to walk around.

i would usually go light on the breakfast after a late night binge or skip it out of guilt..i wouldn't suggest the latter..

after a binge (unless its a few day event) i just go back on plan and drink lots of water. i normally don't eat a lot of processed foods anyway (except the occasional snack), so its pretty wholesome. i also try to eat citrus as my only fruit, as its a diuretic and, well, you know why...sorry for the TMI. but like others have said, i just want to get it out!

if i've binged for like a few days, i used to punish myself and do a three day cleanse. no carbs, no dairy, just leafy green veggies, protein, water, and citrus. but i stopped doing that.