really confused - is this a binge?

ok so last week i binged majorly and i can see i've got bigger... really worried about that cos i don't want people to be shocked at my weight gain when i go back to college
and i know i need to get back on track and lose some weight before then but... this weeks been kinda weird, dunno if i've binged or not :/ especially today:
Woke up and had fruit and a yoghurt and then 1 slice toast with about 2tbsp beans and lite cream cheese
had fruit and stuff during day and then
a plateful of chicken and chilli pesto pasta with salad
followed by a yoghurt
then this evening i had a bit more pasta and a couple of bananas
then late at night i had a slice of bread with lite cream cheese and a big bowl muesli with extra dried apricots and raisins?

I don't know if this is a binge or not, it felt like one but looking at it it doesn't look like one! Aggghh confused. I know i won't lose weight on it which is a worry but to be honest i can sacrifice losing weight if i don't binge again!

Heya

missmoo wrote: i binged majorly and i can see i've got bigger... really worried about that cos i don't want people to be shocked at my weight gain when i go back to college

Firstly i think i should correct you here...i know you may look bigger when you look in the mirror, but this is just bloating and will go away after a while. It feels like you've put on about 5 kilos in one go, but this is impossible. You'll only 'look bigger' until your body has gotten round to digesting the food. And don't worry, no one will be shocked at your weight gain! Gaining weight is a gradual thing, it's impossible to gain weight instantaneously, because it takes time for fat to be formed. So dont worry!

As for the other question...I dont think there's a concrete definition for what qualifies a 'binge.' Me, i tend to consider anything a binge which is more than i had intended to eat. Looking on your food for the day, i'm gonna assume you probably woudln't consider it a binge because it's all quite healthy food right? And there's not that many calories in what you ate - it's not as though it was cookies and cakes right? But for me anyway, a binge can consist of anything. In fact more of the time, i find a binge starts with things like dried fruit, cereal or salady things - things which i feel 'its ok to eat as much as i want' - which then turns into a massive binge.

Ultimately its up to you whether you think it's a binge or not. But having 'a bit more pasta' AFTER you had had your dinner, and in particular the late night snacking on what should be a breakfast - this sounds a LOT like my own binges, and speaking from experience, i would associate these things with a loss of control - which does imply a binge. However, as binges go, this is a mild one, and i wouldn't worry about it in the long term.

missmoo wrote: to be honest i can sacrifice losing weight if i don't binge again!

- i like your attitude! one that i should adopt too, i think
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Thanks... but now I'm even more confused. Especially as I had two slices of toast this morning and a bowl of muesli and went straight back to bed... then for lunch i had tuna pasta... then for dinner, chicken, mash and veg and stuffing, then an ice cream... Do NOT understand. It doesn't look like a binge at all! Agh but it feels like one! What is this?! Oh I also walked 6 or 7 miles and went on the trampoline... so it's not like all i did was lie around...

Oh and just to clarify, i have gained weight from last week when I was MAJORLY BINGING. Like, thousands of calories at a time. And so I have got bigger... :/ aw well...

Hi Missmoo,
From your screen name I would guess that you might be a little like me in that the issue is far more what you are telling yourself about your body, about the size, weight, the proportions you need to be and how you fit into the rest of the world as a whole.
Miss, are you in therapy with someone who works with or has some knowledge of eating disorders? That would certainly be a suggestion. Talking here as much as you need to or want can be helpful as well. I just don't think there is an exact description of what a binge is universally.

The diet that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is on is absolutely monstrous . He is not someone who would be considered to have an eating disorder. He does what he needs to keep his body at a top performing level.

We really can't tell you what is too little or too much for you. Your body tends to let you know. Your doctor will start to nag if it gets too bad.

Have a good day.

Cat

Phelps' diet - which involves ingesting 4,000 calories every time he sits down for a meal - resembles that of a reckless overeater rather than an Olympian.
Phelps lends a new spin to the phrase "Breakfast of Champions" by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.
He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/i ... z1JXJgsf3S

You should check out what Ray Cronise has to say about that.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/n ... d=12000983

I think binges aren't solely eating a lot of food. For me, there is typically the feeling of a loss of control or powerless involved. Did you ever feel like you wanted to stop eating but just couldn't stop? Was there some compulsion involved? If not, and you walked 6 or 7 miles (that is a lot!), you're body may just be replenishing its stores. Also, you may still be growing, women don't stop growing until they are about 22 years old, so your body may need the extra nutrition. I would try to not look at what the number says on the scale, numbers are deceiving. Go with how you feel. Do you feel like you've put on an unhealthy amount of weight? It doesn't sound like you're an unhealthy weight with all the exercise you do. You just sound like an active individual.

Yeah i think that's definately true. Sometimes i may just have 3 or 4 pieces of fruit, and while i know that's rarely going to be considered a 'binge', it can feel like one because the reason i ate them wasn't because I was hungry or needed vitamins. It was because I felt an overwhelming compulsion to eat something. I couldn't prevent myself from eating them, just because i wanted to be chewing something. That's not healthy at all, nomatter what it is i'm eating.

It's true what they say - eating disorders really have nothing to with 'food' or 'eating.' It's all about what's going on in your mind. It's totally a mental thing
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