I have struggled with binge eating for decades. I am getting help, which has made a big impact, but I have recently had a couple of setbacks. Fortunately I haven't put on additional weight due to the binges; a couple of weeks of going back on plan and I am back to where I was. Which surprises me, because when I binge I absolutely stuff myself. It is unhealthy to behave this way.

But the most recent event has me baffled. I'm embarrassed to write out what I ate, but I need help explaining the human body.

Last Monday, after recovering from a binge a few weeks previously and getting back to normal, I was at 172. I exercised and stayed on plan, and the next day I was 173. No biggie, just fluctuation. But I ended up binging that day:

4 pieces French toast plus syrup
3 pancakes plus syrup (approx 3" in diameter each)
chicken biscuit
3 Kit Kat bars
2 1/2 breakfast tacos
Doritos Loco Taco Supreme
Doritos Cool Ranch taco
Black bean burrito
King size Kit Kat
King size Reese's Cups
A big slice of cheese pizza
A big slice of pepperoni pizza
A tall mocha cookie crumble Frappucino
Half a slice of German chocolate cake
Long John chocolate glazed custard filled donut
Glazed donut
Bowl 1 1/2 cups or so) Caesar salad
Big slice of pepperoni, mushroom and ground beef pizza w/extra cheese
Small brownie
3 more slices of French toast with syrup
6 more pancakes with syrup (approx 3" in diameter each)

Shocking, huh? Don't judge

Anyway, I felt stuffed and of course started drinking tons of liquids. On Wed-Fri, I stayed within 1200 to 1500 calories. I didn't exercise Wednesday, ran 35 minutes Thursday, and did some incline treadmill stuff for 90 min Friday.

I just decided to check the scale today to see how much more water weight had to come off. The scale said 171.

How is that even possible? How can I eat one weeks' worth of food in one day and not gain? And other times, exercise and stay under 1500 cals and not lose for a week? It makes me wonder if my body needs extra food once in a while - not like I did on Tuesday, but just a bit once in a while?

Very confused.

No judging. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you have been dieting a long time. Our bodies are primitive. They don't like to lose weight....it means famine. Our brains send all kinds of signals to eat....physical hunger...cravings, etc....they are worse when hormones are out of whack from too low fat, etc. So, these feelings lead to binges. Not all off days lead to weight gain. Many "diets" out there advocate a free meal, free day, weekly, to compensate for that. My theory with you, is that your body needed it and move on. Maybe not that extreme, but still....you've probably ignored it for a long time. It may still catch up with you. Probably when you've had 2 or 3 "perfect" weeks. Doesn't that just suck?! Also, the first weigh in showed a "fluctuation"....they really gave you a green light mentally to binge....you didn't see an immediate consequence so you sabotage another day to punish yourself? Just a thought there. Anyway, that's my opinion....I lost 40 lbs by going out to eat once a week (always fit it in my high calorie day). Sometimes, healthy meals, other times not. Binges have been non existent. Good luck!

I don't know how it's possible either, but I wouldn't argue with it!

You'll get absolutely no judgment from me. I understand and have lived the binge mindset.

One thing that strikes me is that your binge list is heavy on so-called junk food. It makes me wonder whether you've found healthy foods you enjoy at least as much as these junk foods. Once you find healthy foods that actually taste better to you than junk food (irrespective of nutritional value), the junk may start having less appeal. I could be way off the mark, but it's just a thought.

If you read my "need strategic help" thread, you'll know that I've also been struggling. Let's motivate each other to stay on track over the next few weeks!

Freelance

No judgment from me either lol, I've had bigger binges than that in my life.

Re the scale, I love my weigh-ins for the data they give me & think it is good to analyze these seeming anomalies. I don't have an answer but if you look at your weigh-ins & measurements (assuming you measure, which is really important to know what is going on), you might learn something about where that food & water weight went from this particular high day.

I no longer have binge mentality, btw; I do have high days & sometimes eat more than my body likes, but I no longer think of myself as a person with a binge disorder. This helps me a lot in fighting the good fight.

You are doing great.

Well, I find sometimes it takes a while for the weight to show up on me after a binge. I am not sure why. I am guessing that we do have hormonal fluctuations in our weight. So for instance right before my period I have a massive hormonal drop in weight. So, if you happen to be at one of these time periods on your body, it won't show up.

Also, I find sometimes (not always) eating more can actually make you lose weight. Like your body is holding on to water until you tell it you aren't starving and then once you do.. you drop the water.

Personally though... what typically happens to me is that I cheat, don't see anything show up... get cocky and then get on the scale one day and find I gained 10 lbs. Then kick myself for thinking I could do that.

Any time I have had a binge like that (or worse...so no judging from me ), sometimes I have been lucky like you for the scale to not show it. But the important thing for me to do is say "Phew, you got away with it this time!" and then make a conscious decision to not let it happen again for a very long time. In the past I always got a false sense of security thinking I could get away with a big binge like that. Then I woke up one day at 330lbs.

Sometimes I go over my calories and end up losing weight so I'm not sure if my body was hungry because of exercise, etc. but weeks I am perfectly low on calories, I don't lose. This weightloss thing is a big mystery to me!

Get back on plan today and say your thanks for avoiding the gain!

Talk about living in glass houses -- just had a binge yesterday and woke up this morning swearing to myself I wouldn't weigh as I was walking towards the scale. Same thing as you had -- actually lost weight.

Who knows what drives this. My binge was popcorn, almond M&Ms and ice cream. Today I'm doing IF on the 5/2 plan. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

I noticed that I left two slices of pizza and a Frappucino off the list so I added them

It is frustrating because I have gotten help and definitely am trying moderation rather than intentionally restricting. And I am getting better; a mid-week binge would normally have made me think "keep eating; you can get back to being good on Monday." But now when I make a mistake, I go right back to not binging. And I do enjoy healthy foods; I think the problem is that I deny myself "bad" foods for so long that I go overboard.

I sure hope the weight doesn't all of a sudden show up one day next week . I have never had that happen before. I will often gain 10 pounds from the water retention, then in 7-10 days I am within a pound or two (or even right back to) where I was pre-binge. I wasn't going to get back on the scale because that triggers a restrict mentality for me and I want to get to a point where I am eating intuitively and in moderation. I guess I will have to keep checking daily..,

The main thing is to forgive myself and get back on plan. I had trouble last year when a binge wouldn't lead to weight gain, and it led to complacency - and a 30-lb relapse. I just thought this incident was weird.

Whoa! That is weird! You dodged a bullet. Be grateful and keep working on avoiding that because no way will that keep happening.

I think the idea of integrating a free meal into your plan might help. I know if I know I'll be able to eat my cheetohs on Monday then I'm cool.

It's bad that your binge looks yummy. I'm like some junkie licking my chops hearing another junkie talk. Oh I need to go do a head check.

Yeah, I'm gonna consider myself lucky that I didn't do lasting damage. I'm trying to get away from checking the scale so often because that can trigger behavior in me, so I didn't track each day post-binge. But based on Emma4545's response, I wanted to check the scale today to verify that I haven't suddenly gone up. Nope. Said 170 today. How do I go from 173 on Tuesday to 170 on a Sunday after a major binge? I know it could fluctuate back up based on sodium intake, that time of the month, etc. But still! So confused.

I don't have an answer. I just know I'm grateful and that I need to push for moderation...maybe not one special, bigger meal weekly because I have found that any overeating opportunity can lead me to a binge. But just trying to up my calories and reduce my exercise little by little.

Sorry I didn't mean to worry you.. maybe that is just me. But, I suppose we all feel you shouldn't push your luck.

The scale is tricky.

The additional food in your stomach may have signaled for better, um . . . bathroom breaks.

Sometimes that motivates your bowels, and it's pretty much just allowing things to happen.

At lower weights (relatively speaking) I have to cycle really lower end calories to see any loss, and sometimes I simply am not eating enough 'real' food to keep things moving in the right direction.

I am a calorie counter, so while I try to eat healthy, if I'm in a 'lull' I just go by sheer calories, and not make sure to eat in any quantity and I will realize that I've gone a couple of days since I had a real BM (sorry if that's TMI)

In normal life that is odd for me, b/c I really don't have any 'issues' in that department.

But I'll cycle in some more food, either by volume or simply adding some calories, and I notice that I'll 'go' several times in short order.


Probably wayyyy more than you wanted to know . . .