Can you help me define a binge?

[Kinkay]

I know I went overboard today with my eating. But I read that some people "eat alot" and still lose. I'm not sure if I'm just a big eater, or a binge eater. I've always had binge eating disorder (which is why I have to lose weight), but the thing is, I'm not even full.

Today I had:

1) A pat of butter with a beef patty on lettuce and mayo
2) A brand new 175 g package of deli smoked ham
3) A brand new package of pepperoni slices
4) A whole family sized can of salmon
5) 4 tablespoons of sour cream
6) 2 strips of bacon

I haven't had dinner yet, but I'm skipping it because I fear I'll end up gaining again.

I'm really worried about myself. This is how I eat when I'm at home. Can someone please tell me if this is normal? I'm 5"2, 19 years old, and about 130 lbs.

[Jeudrietr]

I've always thought of binging as eating a lot with the intention of not eating for a while. Or, eating a lot when you don't normally eat that much.

I had a similiar problem. I always felt hungry and I always wanted to eat. I had to sit there and think hard about whether or not I was really hungry. Most of the time, I was just bored.

Try having a glass of water or something. You'll realize that you're not really hungry. Something that helped me is eating like 8 meals a day. I just liked eating and wanted to do it often, so I did. It was tiny portions, though. I'd have 2 eggs at 7am, a small salad at 9, a 4oz steak at 12, etc. In the end, it added up to what I should be eating, but I never got bored and felt like eating since I was doing it so often already.

This is all just opinions and what I did in your situation. This might not be the, so to say, right thing to do.

[Sheshy]

Hi Kinkay,

That's a lot of protein and not much in the veggie department.

How are you spreading that food out over the day?

Are you eating in the morning and then every few hours? Or do you do most of your eating within a few hours?

Are you drinking at least 64 oz water?

You say you eat that way when you're home, are you bored/tired when you eat like that?

I know, a lot of questions.

[cleochatra]

Hey sweetknees! Were you hungry when you ate all that, or was it because you ate to ease some emotion like boredom? If you were honestly hungry then I agree with Shelly--you want a few more veggies in the mix. That's a lot of sodium, too, so you might have a wee bit of water retention. To offset that, drink some more water, and try for some eggs and veggies instead of processed meats a little bit more.

A binge is when you eateateat because you look fat in your shoes.

If you're honestly hungry when you ate that, it's not...but even if you weren't hungry you didn't eat donuts! That is AWESOME! Hang in there, sweetheart! I know you're doing great! And if you have some issues with emotional eating, we can work through those.

[Kinkay]

I just munch all day.
I don't designate "meals", because I eat constantly.
I always eat in the morning, and within hours, consume enough for lunch and then dinner.
I drink lots of water. I drink 9-10 cups a day in a 10 oz glass.
I eat because I'm bored.
I'm alone all the time, and yes, I admit that putting food in my mouth provides me with a little bit of comfort.
I didn't get full at all, but I wasn't hungry to start with.

OH NO!!! I AM A BINGE EATER, AREN'T I ?!?!?

I just don't know how to overcome this. I wish there were pills or something that "cures" binge eating.

[2big4mysize]

I eat because I'm bored answers your question that is not normal Atkins eating. On Atkins we eat only to satisfy our hurger and stop period even if you have room in your belly food on your plate or carbs in your budget. As soon as you get hungry again you can eat again ans stop when you are not hungry again.

Since you know you are bored reach for something other then food to occupy oourself with. rerad a book post on ADBB take a walk call a friend write a letter take up needlepoint or kniting anything to occupy your hands so you can't eat.

I used to jump on the treadmill and turn it on a slow walking spoeed grab the keyboard and run to chat when I was in my early Atkins days worked pretty good to cause you can't walk type and eat at the same time. find what will work of you or your Atkins will not work.

Happy low carbing.

[Elsie150]

HI Kinkay!
To me it doesn't look like LOTS of food. BUT if you really want to know what you are eating then you should go to www.fitday.com and enter your food there. It is free. Then you can see what your cal/carb/ratios are.

You didn't state what stage of Atkins you are at or how long you have been doing Atkins. If you are on induction you may want to do without the packaged meats (even if you aren't). Also if you add your 1 cup of vegies and 2 cups of salad to your day I think you will find a big difference. Salads take more time to consume and give you the satisfaction of a lot of chewing time if you are a grazer or binger in my opinion. Watch the sourcream as you are limited in that.

You can do this! Don't get discouraged. We are here to answer your questions!

[cleochatra]

I just munch all day.
I don't designate "meals", because I eat constantly.
I always eat in the morning, and within hours, consume enough for lunch and then dinner.
I drink lots of water. I drink 9-10 cups a day in a 10 oz glass.
I eat because I'm bored.
I'm alone all the time, and yes, I admit that putting food in my mouth provides me with a little bit of comfort.
I didn't get full at all, but I wasn't hungry to start with.

OH NO!!! I AM A BINGE EATER, AREN'T I ?!?!?

I just don't know how to overcome this. I wish there were pills or something that "cures" binge eating.

This was me, pre-Atkins. Proteins and fats are self-limiting. You'll find your hunger naturally deteriorates to a healthy level for your body as you stay on plan. Also, a book I've found that really helped me was Debra Waterhouse's book, Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell. Both she and Dr Phil in his book The Ultimate Weight Solution discuss eating for reasons other than hunger. Get these books cheap on ebay or at your local library. Trust me: they are worth the read!

If you are hungry, eat.
If you are tired, sleep.
If you are mad, write a letter you never intend to send.
If you are bored, come say hey! Email a friend. Find something to do. Go for a walk.
If you are sad, cry.

Allow yourself to feel these emotions without using food as a response. They'll always be there occasionally. Even when you're so skinny you have to hula hoop with a Cheerio.