Hi Casandra and everybody!
This is probably the longest post I ever wrote. I hope you can get through it!
As a person who binged her way through 52 years of life, I can tell you that I know what it's like. I used to be able to stay on a diet for a month or two, then I would be in binge mode for a month or two.
I've been in binge mode for even 6 months. I would be fine all day, then eat all night and all weekend. You're right, it's absolutely sickening.
The best thing I've ever found is low carb and this website. Over the last year I've done so much research, as questions came to my mind.
I've learned how carbs, fats and proteins affect the brain and metabolism; and what exercise can do to help us, among other things.
I suppose I should tell you now, that I no longer binge. I'm not sure if I could say I never will again, how could I, considering my history? But what I'm about to tell you will explain how I overcame it.
This is from Casandra's original post:
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and feel that i am constantly obsessing about food..and worrying about what i am going to eat..and how much i will eat..and then panic that i might eat too much....I dont' want to do that anymore...cuz even though iam on atkins...I still worry that the days will come where i fall in the hole again..
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OK. First of all, I suggest, (and mind you, I'm not telling you what to do, I'm only saying what worked for me,) to make a plan.
Not just for one day, but for every day. If you click on the link at the bottom of my post, you can see
my plan. I've worked very hard on it, modifying it over time through trial and error, making it suit my metabolism. I have enough carbs to keep me energized and able to exercise (I'll get to that subject in a minute) and allow me to sleep (I can't sleep if my carbs are too low) and enough calories where I still lose weight, yet never feel deprived or overly hungry.
It's not written in stone, but I can tell you I keep a printout of it right next to my place at the kitchen table, and I refer to it often as I
plan my meals and snacks
every day.
So, step one to avoid binging is to Make a Plan. You will have something to lean on, so to speak, so you never have to worry about what you'll eat or eating too much, or feeling like you're falling into a hole. You can always look at your plan and know you will be OK.
I'm also not saying your plan has to be like mine. I can get very detail oriented. That's how I feel secure. Even if you just made a plan that says - Breakfast - 350 cal., 10 g carbs, Snack - 100 cal., 10 carbs, etc. for example. Then every day, before you eat a single thing, WRITE DOWN what you plan to have for the day. Decide what lunch and dinner will be, before you even eat breakfast. You can even do this the night before.
I learned this in Overeaters Anonymous.
You will never have to worry about your food again. And you will always be prepared with good foods, not rummaging through the refrigerator looking for something to have. You will have peace of mind!
Now, I very strongly, most emphatically suggest that you include snacks in your plan. For two reasons. 1) You will never get so hungry at meal time that you will not be able to control yourself and 'fall' into a binge.
and 2) By eating every few hours you will actually increase your metabolism. As your body is burning up the food, you metabolism is always in high gear. You will never have the slumps you might get if you delay eating for a long time.
I imagine you are still young. By starving yourself and then binging for one or two hours, you are setting yourself up for some sort of blood sugar problems later. Your blood sugar falls when you don't eat, then rises when you do. If you are eating carbs, it will rise too high (your body can't process it all at once). Your body will then more easily convert the excess carbs to fat. Then you will have a drop in blood sugar. Once this continues for some time, the last drop will be too low, and you will crave carbs all over again.
Also, did you know that even too much protein at one time can adversely affect your blood sugar?
I absolutely, with most certainty agree that fasting and binging will harm your system.
I gathered from a couple of your posts that you liked the 2 hour binge because you could "eat what you wanted." My suggestion is to include something that you 'want' in your plan, and have a 'treat' every day. You will never have to over-eat when you feel like you can have what you want every day. Remember, we don't have to tell ourselves we can't have this or that. We just have to remember that we choose not to have this or that. Do you know what I mean? We are never really deprived. We are making healthy choices for ourselves, for our health and well-being.
BTW, I also suggest eating the best foods you can buy. Like Organic produce and whole foods. Try to avoid artificial sweeteners (for loads of reasons), and drink lots of water - you know the old story, at least 8 glasses a day. It works!
OK, Exercise. While everyone would love to lose weight without doing it, and some people do, I positively believe it will help prevent a binge. Why?
Because, first of all, you'll feel too good to ruin how good you feel. Also, your body is using all the wholesome foods you feed it and the exercise keeps your 'engine' burning.
You will normalize your appetite, blood sugar and metabolism.
I'm not talking about running marathons or bench pressing tons of weights. I recommend a 30 - 45 min. walk every day, or at least 5-6 days a week. And at least 2-3 days of weight exercises. Hand weights, to exercise your arms and do some lunges for your legs and tush. Not killer stuff. Just stuff to get you moving and sweat a little.
No one likes to sweat less than I do, believe me. But I sweat every day, and I've never felt so good! I sleep better, I'm losing weight, and I've had holiday meals that even surprised me that didn't turn into a binge.
That's right! I'm even surprised myself how these few suggestions are working! We had a holiday dinner this past weekend. I planned to have a small amount of certain things, and that's what I had. I, myself, was surprised that I didn't want to go on and on eating.
So, I can say, first hand, that these suggestions work.
It's easy to make excuses. It's hard to do the work. But the effort you put into avoiding a binge will pay off in a corresponding reward.
I hope this post helps someone. All I can say is, don't give up, keep trying, and every day, do whatever you can think of to avoid that binge.
You'll see, one day, it won't be hard at all!
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