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making up for overeating with two long runs

i posted this in my log and decided that i'd check in with the whole PT crew to see what you all think.

yesterday i had a great 53 min run but then totally sabotaged my diet efforts and ate more choc than should be humanly possible. i litterally almost ate an entire bar of dark choc. and 1 cup of low cal ice cream.

and today, i'm still having the damn craving. i want more choc.

and while i want to blame it on this time of the month, really there's no good excuse. this is insane. why can't i just find balance? some weeks i do so damn well and then others i totally cave. last week and this seem to be caving weeks.

and now, today, already, i've already caved. i had a bigger breakfast than normal and then at 10, had choc rice pudding and a piece of dark choc.

so the question is, how can i make up for all this? am i allowed to go for another 53 min run today to make up for all this binging or am i going to injure myself?

can i go to the gym and try to bike for an hour (i'll never last that long inside byt it's about to rain and so i'd have to be inside) and then lift?

HELP! suggestions? calming mantras? anything?

carrieanne


Mon. Apr 9, 2:08pm

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Go work out again if it'll make you feel better. Your muscles may need to repair themselves from a 53-minute run, so you may not want to do that again if you're not used to training that hard, but maybe you could go for a 20-minute run, and then ride the bike once it starts raining, or something like that. Just listen to your body; if it is tired or sore, don't work it too hard.

But, really, take a look at what you ate extra - a dark chocolate bar is probably 150-200 calories, and the lowfat ice cream is probably about 300 cals (I'm figuring it's 150 cals in half a cup, but it could be less), so you're talking about going over your daily intake by less than 500 calories. If that happens only once in awhile, it's hardly a binge.

If you just cut a couple hundred calories from your evening tonight, you'll have made up for the slip this morning. Then a couple hundred tomorrow and you've made up for the slip yesterday too, and you're right back on track, even w/o the extra exercise.

I don't think you're doing badly at all, especially considering that yesterday was Easter, and the chocolate was probably everywhere! The cravings will subside if you resist them though.

Good luck!

jilli10582

Monday, April 09, 2007, 2:14 PM

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I'd say gauge how many cals you actually are eating, with the sweets, and see how much you have to "make up." You might be pleasantly surprised.
But also, sometimes you need to just let yourself have the ting you want without guilt. The guilt might be the thing making you want more of it more often.

Monday, April 09, 2007, 2:30 PM

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you call that a binge? you dont even want to know how i 'let loose', but i can tell you that it has to do with a plate of bread pudding with ice cream for my entree and a half a cheese cake for dessert.

i fall off the wagon about once every two weeks and the way i see it, as long as i get back on it the next day, within a day or two i'm back to where i was. my problem was that for a while my binges depressed me into thinking 'what's the use of even exercising after i did that last night', getting back on the routine is the best thing.

besides, binging is the best part of dieting, right?

Monday, April 09, 2007, 2:37 PM

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THROW OUT THE CHOCOLATE!

Monday, April 09, 2007, 3:11 PM

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I deal with a diet/nutrition professional who monitors my reasons for exercise. First, there's the concern that I could start using the gym as a way of purging (called exercise bulimia, I think). The other concern is that I will begin to see working out as punishment for overeating, thereby giving the gym all kinds of negative associations which will make it psychologically difficult to enjoy the time, the benefits, and the endorphin high.

And to 2:37 -- bingeing isn't about the quantity you eat, but the "frenzied" feeling that you're out of control whether you're ploughing through a bowl of fruit salad or the entire contents of your freezer.

Monday, April 09, 2007, 3:26 PM

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Rome wasn't built in a day. One binge isn't going to make you fat or skinny. If your burning more calories than you are consuming on a regular basis than don't worry about it. I actually think its insane not to allow yourself to cheat once and a while. Enjoy life in moderation.

Monday, April 09, 2007, 4:31 PM

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Been there. Done that. Many times.

While I agree that you might want to do something extra to try & make up for the calories, there comes a point where it's just plain physically impossible to burn enough calories through exercise to offset a real binge.
Believe me, I've tried the same thing in the past.
The problem for me was that if it "worked" and I didn't end up gaining any weight, then I had NO reason to not just keep doing the same thing again!

It's really really hard for some of us to find that balance and all I can say is we just need to keep trying till we find what works for us.

So one suggestion is to REALLY make sure you know what your goal is.
Is it to never eat chocolate? To stay within a daily calorie limit? To just not gain weight?

I realized (again!) that my goal was NOT to just lose weight. It was to be healthy, fit, strong and lean. I was too focussed on the scale and when I overate and it showed, I beat myself up. That made me try to find ways to do exercises that burned more calories (running) but perhaps didn't help me get any stronger (weights). And then of course I figured I could enjoy even more treats since I was using all those extra calories!
So now I've decided to only focus on what I AM DOING to reach that goal.... not on what I shouldn't do.
What I'm trying to do now is ask myself when I'm going to eat something will it help me reach my goal.... and answer yes, no or neutral.
--If the answer is yes, then go for it.
--If the answer is no, then I really have to decide if I'm willing to make that sacrifice for this item... almost how much pain am I willing to live with once I eat it (the pain of still not reaching that goal)
--If the answer is neutral, then I still need to ask myself if I really want it.

I guess my other suggestion is to just keep asking for help when you think you need it!

creative1

Monday, April 09, 2007, 6:10 PM

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thank you all

ah! you peertrainers rock! thanks everyone.

i found some balance today and did as jill suggested: i ran outside (the rain never came) and then headed to the gym. so i'm not feeling so bad. but it's only 7:48.

with regards to creative's comments, thanks for giving me a little focus. over the past three years i've been saying that my main goal is to get healthy and fit, to be able to use my body to its best ability (ie: if i want to hike up a mountain or ski down it, my physical ability is there to let me enjoy it). and, clearly, i got there. i can hike up most mountains (save everest) and can ski down most as well.

so, now i think i've got a new goal. i really want to see if i can drop another 10 lbs and get below 140. i litterally cannot remember ever seeing that number on a scale. which means i've really got to be disciplined. when i eat 1200 i lose weight. the second i go above 1200 i plateau or gain (yes! i've the slowest freaking metabolism on the planet). which is why i beat myself up for having so much chocolate yesterday). for the record the whole bar of candy was 460 cals.

so, for the next month i've got a new goal. i want to stay at 1200 cals and see if i can get below 140. if i really stick with 1200 cals a day and don't get below 140, i'll readjust.

sound smart to everyone?



Monday, April 09, 2007, 10:55 PM

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under 140 only sounds smart if it keeps you at a decent body fat. If you can hike up mountains, you probably have muscle on you. Decreasing your calorie intake *could* also decrease your muscle mass- food is still fuel, and some body's need more fuel than 1200 cals would allow. You could lose fat, but also lean mass.

Ask yourself if you're willing to give up muscle just to get to 140. And if so, ask yourself why the number on the scale is more important than healthy muscle.

Honestly, I fail to understand people's obsession with a number on the scale. It means nothing. I'm 5'6. This summer I was wearing a size 10- and not an old lady fit size 10, but a regular size 10, and weighed 175lbs. If I ever got to 125, my doctor would hospitalize me. But I know there are women here who want to get to 125 and are taller than me- and for some of them it's still healthy and reasonable. A number on the scale is not an indicator of health or happiness or good looks. It doesn't tell you how much fat you have, how healthy your bones are, how well you're digestive system is working, or what size of clothing you wear.

Your goal of being healthy is a fantastic goal. Getting to 140 may be a good goal, but just make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. And ask yourself if you want to be that disciplined about food and exercise- those 10lbs aren't likely to affect your health, so are they worth the struggle? And could you fall into the trap of not being happy unless you lose those 10lbs?

Also, you *kinda* sound like the, "I've accomplished my goal, now I need a new goal" which is fantastic, but maybe a new goal unrelated to weight could be fun- decide to learn a new talent/trade/sport/hobby, or join a charity and help see a project through to completion.

But hey, if this is all old hat to you, good luck with those 10lbs :)

Monday, April 09, 2007, 11:32 PM

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managing binge eating

i find not beating urself up over a binge/ unplanned food to be good... even though it is hard. getting back on track and eating as normal is also good... planning ur meals and planning treats as part of ur daily intake is v effective for me.... as its no longer a forbidden fruit and therefore is enjoyable without feeling deprived. Im trying hard to find other ways to cope with binges, which are usually triggered by stress... any suggestions?
tanx everyone for all ur comments... nice not to feel alone in the struggle.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 12:15 AM

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in response to the 11:32 post

first, let me say thanks for your thoughful comments.

I know that a number on the scale is not indicative of how healthy i am. one of my biggest accomplishments was when i went to the dr. last year and while she was listening to my heart she said, "wow, you must workout quite a bit. you're heart sounds great." seriously, that made my month.

and i know that getting below 150 might be impossible for me if i want to keep training at the level i am currently training. so, in other words, you're right. I need to think more clearly about my goal.

and really, my goal isn't to get to 140, my goal is to lose what i see and feel is excess weight. though i am really quite fit, there are still parts of my body that are flabby bits. and i'm not being crazy here and talking about the bits of the female body that are supposed to be round and succulent. what i am talking about is flab on my tummy. i am talking about my love handles and the barm (part arm/part breast) fat and the fat that i can grab on my upper thighs (both inside and out).

in other words, i've not reached the right numbers in terms of body fat. i've got excess weight on me. and it's GOT to go.

so, it's not really about hitting 140 at all. it's about getting trimmer and being psyced to walk around in a bikini or in my underware.

problem is, there's no way to numerically set this goal. i could, i guess, take measurements, but i don't really know what numbers i am aiming for here. i could say i want to be a size 6 but i don't know that that is a true size for me: i have hips.

all i know is that i simply don't want fat left on me.

though really, that's not all that simple now is it? if it were, i'd be there already.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 2:42 PM

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1200 calories sounds awfully low to me.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 2:48 PM

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