Could bingeing help you lose weight?
We presume the occasional binge ruins a diet. But in fact it could help you lose weight!
Bingeing is inevitable when you’re on a diet. All that restrictive eating is bound to get to you at some point: “I can’t stand doing without any longer!” and “I’m fed up of denying myself things I love. Sod it I’m going to have them.” Sound familiar? So you eat. And you eat and you eat and you eat. A red mist descends and you eat the entire contents of your ‘fridge, secret chocolate stash and bags of crisps. However, all is not lost if this occasionally happens to you.
I’ve tried to recognise what triggers a binge so I can try to avoid having one. Typical triggers for me are tiredness, sadness, stress and despondency with weight not coming off. But sometimes there’s no reason why you binge. You have a few squares of chocolate then think, sod it, I’ve broken the diet I might as well carry on. It’s human to err. We aren’t robots.
My last binge was two weeks ago and I felt very depressed about it. The remorse afterwards is horrible. It’s how I imagine a recovering alcoholic might feel after a bender. But as I understand it staying sober is incredibly difficult for former alcoholics and falling off the wagon from time to time happens. It’s not the bender nor the binge - nor that crafty cigarette when you’re trying to give up - that does the damage. It’s how you deal with it.
Chocolate
So many people who’ve tried to lose weight tell me that the binge killed it for them. “I had that bar of chocolate and that was it. I just gave up,” is something I hear a lot. But what if I was to tell you that bingeing could actually help your weight loss not hinder it?
After my binge two weeks ago I actually LOST weight a couple of days later. The day after my binge I gained only a pound and a quarter which really isn’t bad. And after that I didn’t go too strict which is tempting after a binge. I just got back on with my diet. And the weight came off.
Science
My theory based on absolutely no science is that a binge far from driving a coach and horses through a diet can actually help. If you’re sticking to a fairly restrictive form of eating your body gets used to fewer calories. So your metabolism slows down to allow for this. And it’s a real struggle to get any weight off as a result. A binge can act like a jump start. It shocks your body suddenly having far more calories than it’s used to. In fact I wonder if this is why the 5:2 diet and other forms of intermittent fasting is so successful for many dieters? It’s varying your calorie intake that makes it work as much as the reduced calories you’re eating overall. Your body never gets a chance to get used to fewer calories on a regular basis so doesn’t adjust your metabolism downwards. And the 5:2 diet does have some compelling science behind it.
I’m not recommending you binge on a regular basis. I certainly don’t want to. I hate the sense of failure even though I know it’s inevitable when you’ve been very strict. But what I am saying is if you do binge, if you fall off your diet once in a while, it’s not necessarily the end of the world. It could even help!
How to avoid bingeing
Even though a binge doesn’t necessarily spell the death of your diet I still think it’s best to avoid them if you can. So here are some tips to reduce binge attacks:
* keep a diet diary. That way you can pinpoint what may have caused a binge so you can try to avoid it
* be aware of your binge triggers. For example tiredness can make it difficult to stick to your diet. So try to ensure you get sufficient sleep
* don’t be too strict. It’s the semi starvation of a very strict diet that can cause a rebound binge. Better to lose weight more slowly than end up bingeing because you’ve been too strict
* don’t cut out favoured foods entirely. Incorporate some chocolate or whatever you love best into your diet. Forbidding foods just makes you want them more
* identify what causes you stress and try to find ways to cope with it that don’t involve comfort eating
* don’t stop going out or having a social life if you’re afraid you’ll over eat at a party or celebration. We need to socialise. Make room in your diet plans for the occasional event that includes food but don’t be too strict afterwards
* if you’ve binged try not to feel guilty or full of remorse. It happens to all dieters. Instead see it as a sign that the diet is working!
You covered it well. I am working on losing weight. It just isn't easy.