Binge Eating

Hey everybody,

I lost 50 pounds in 2011 from working out 4 days per week for around an hour with mixed cardio/weights. Since early this year, I have pretty much completely stopped going to the gym, but I have only gained and lost a couple of pounds on intervals.

I am 6'1", ~190 lbs, a little above average.

I've noticed that when I don't work out or do any exercise (my life has been pretty much completely consumed by classes, studying and homework this year) I have a bad habit of binge eating. I'm not hungry I just really enjoy tasting food and it is something that helps me pass the time when I'm bored. On the worst days I may consume 3500 calories. I would really like to keep a daily limit of 2000 calories, but I find that I am never satisfied when I keep it that low. Lunch feels almost insulting when I think that it has to hold me over for 5-6 hours, but I know that it may only keep me full for one or two. I am legitimately jealous when I watch other, fitter people eat very small portions at mealtime and apparently not be bothered by hunger for much of the day.

I guess I just want to know if anyone else has binge eating problems and what they have/plan to do about it. I want to start going back to the gym when summer classes are over, because hard exercise definitely curbs my appetite and makes me feel better when I'm done, no matter how much I dread doing it beforehand.

Eat more protein and complex carbohydrates. These take much longer for the stomach to digest, therefore you are fuller, longer. If you must eat more often, reduce how much you eat but continue to eat just as often. 5 or 6 small meals a day is actually suggested for those trying to lose weight because it breaks up the carb load and also tricks the body, to a degree, into thinking there is no shortage of food supply, so it converts less glycogen (what simple and complex carbs and protein eventually break down to as an energy source for the body) into fat for storage. It also keeps you from getting hungry as often, eating that many times a day. If you still get hungry, it's much less likely to be as intense as it would be if you were alternatively eating 3 large meals in a day, making coping with it more managable. Perhaps give it a try?

a high fiber diet may help. so would eating your meals very slowly.

Quote:

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I'm not hungry I just really enjoy tasting food and it is something that helps me pass the time when I'm bored.

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maybe you have an obsession with food.
when your bored and have that urge to eat try doing something different. like going for a walk or doing push-ups and sit-ups, or drawing pictures, etc.

If you're eating to pass the time, I suggest more drugs.

Update: Started doing the CoolRunning.com Couch to 5k running plan (I haven't run in months). Days 1 and 2 were successful. I feel good.

Drink some water; maybe your mind is just telling you that you're thirsty, but you think you're hungry. If you drink something, and you *still* feel hungry, then, OMG, EAT SOMETHING!

Here's my diet:
Go for much protein, don't care too much about fats. Beware of Carbohydrates such as Sugar. If you need to have them get them through oats and bananas. If you're in for a competition, go for carbohydrates on that day only. No fats, and proteins!

I've had the same kind of obsession most of my life, and during busy semesters I cant control myself! I cant stop eating and i don't even dare count calories, for me i think its mostly about stress so find another way to cope with stress and fear, exercise of course is great so try to go back to that, drinking a lot of water and eating less refined carbohydrates is another good way and check out a glycemic index table, foods with low glycemic index wont spike the sugar levels in your blood so that'll help with avoiding cravings, meditation as cliche as it sounds is a great way also, anytime you have an urge to go and just stuff your face with food take time out and find your preferred way of meditation (try searching google for weight loss meditation, it can't hurt)
for me being on a low carb high protein high fat diet is amazing, i completely forget about my obsession to munch all day long but i have not tried doing a diet like that during frantic school weeks, i imagine ill be tired. but my plan for next year (first year of uni) is kinda log everything on myfitnesspal and keep motivational pictures and quotes nearby, hope that'll keep me from becoming a savage beast.