Anatomy of a Binge

Anatomy of a Binge

Well it happened. My 3 week stretch of no binges ended last Thursday.

It was a busy day at work. Not really stressful, just super busy. We had a team meeting to discuss requirements for a new database. Everyone was on different playing fields. Various ideas on how to implement a new process. The problem is we have been debating this for days and we still do not have final requirements. I basically became bored with the whole process. It was mentally draining and I was tired.

I’ve been very compliant with my nutrition plan and have not had any issues with cravings. But, I found myself hungry in the afternoon after this meeting. I had grilled chicken and veggies for lunch, so I was a bit surprised by this. I had my snack – apple, cheese stick, and 12 (yes I counted them) almonds. Got in my car and drove home.

Walked into the house at 5pm to mayhem – major homework issues. My husband, Fritz, was working with our 10 year old, Katie, on her math problems. For some reason, she had a ton of homework and was struggling to get it done. My 4 year old, Michelle, was sleeping on the couch, but then woke up cranky. I tended to the little one so the homework could be completed. (I tend to do Katie’s homework instead of guiding her, so best I do not try to ‘help’).

Fritz had dinner duty and was planning on soup and salad. The hungry monster in me was airing its ugly head and all I could think of was, ‘ this is not going to be enough’. I’ve learned not to complain about his dinner choices because he is less apt to volunteer. He was still working on homework at 6pm and dinner was not going to be on the table any time soon. I decided to make a cheese crisp to get me through until dinner. Not something I would normally eat on my program because of the processed carbs, but I was hungry damn it! Dinner came – soup and salad.. boring! Decided I would have a fudge bar = 40 cals, 5gm sugar – not too bad. Should be OK, right? Still hungry! Managed to keep busy with a bath and then getting stuff ready for work the next day. Sat down at 7pm to watch TV with Fritz – still hungry. Could not stop thinking about food. What should I have that will not trigger an outright binge (too late – cheese crisp did it!). Soup and Salad is just not an adequate meal for a hungry person. What are my options? Went to Fritz’s coupon stock pile (yes, he is an extreme couponer). Pop tarts, cookie, chips. All were in there. No coconut milk, so cannot make a protein shake. Hummmm….. Cereal!!! Yes… Honey Nut Cheerios or Raisin Brand Crunch? (would not even consider the low sugar cereal options - blah). Raisin Brand Crunch– somewhat healthy, right? ( no) Full of fiber. That’s it! Big bowl – fill it up… eat fast… fill it up again. I start to feel sick half way through the second bowl … but I had to finish… so sick.. Put the kids down to bed and then I crawl in… so sick. Woke up 5am… still sick from the binge. Why did I do that last night? 6am… on my way to work… still feeling it! 7am at work. Gonna be a long day.

So how bad was it?

Entered into weight tracker – 51 points used for the day. Entered into My Fitness Pal to break down the numbers.

Goal /Result

Total Cal 1363 /2323 +960

Total Carbs 60g /286g +226 (this was such a carb binge!)

Total Fat 88g /84g - 4

Total Protein 83g/ 120g +37

There it is. Not as bad as I thought. It was a pretty short binge. It the past, binges would have lasted longer before I felt sick. Maybe eating clean for 3 weeks prevented me from really going over the edge. I also was able to get back on the wagon the next day.  Would love not to have to deal with Binges!