Eating Disorder Question?

I am having a hard time eating normal foods. I lost a great deal of weight over the last year or so just by portion control. I ate normal food, just less of it. I got very used to eating this way. My weight is down to normal now.

I BELIEVED that I had not just crash dieted thin, but had changed my lifestyle, as far as the way I eat goes. I thought I had the problem under control by eating less. Unfortunately, my urge to eat 'mass quantities' is returning (after I deviated from my eating routine for vacation) and for the last 10 weeks or so, since vacation, I am binging on tons of dietary food -- low cal, low sugar, low fat foods that come from the diet section of the store. If I was eating "normal" food in the volume I eat this diet food, I would have gained all my weight back by now. This is killing my morale. I see I will never control my eating by normal means. I feel like talking to a counselor or doctor about this, but really hate to.

Has anyone else ever faced this problem?

You need more bulk in your diet. The way to get it is to increase the amount of raw vegetables in your diet. Most of these are calorie negative foods or close to it (ie your body expends nearly or even more calories digesting the food as the food supplies).

There are two biological sources of binge behavior...nutrient deficiency and refined foods.

Most nutrient deficiencies can be handled by increasing the amount of raw vegetables in your diet with one exception....protein deficiency. Some radical diets are poor in protein. This will mimic starvation in a person even if their caloric intake is high. The solution is to increase the amount of lean meat in your diet. You should have at least two small portions of lean meat a day, preferably 3, with meals to avoid this problem.

Refined foods cause binging by screwing with your insulin. Almost all "diet foods" fall into this category. This sounds like what is happening to you. You eat the food, your insulin spikes...and you binge. Add in the fact that most of these foods add in a large amount of MSG (a powerful appetite stimulant) and you have a recipe for disaster with binging. Diet food manufacturers are sick bastards that want you buying their products. They don't care squat about providing you with effective weight loss tools. That's why you should completely eliminate refined foods from your diet, including so called "diet" foods.

Instead, eat this:

http://www.gidiet.com/en-us/

This will increase the amount and quality of the food you eat while reducing the calories and glycemic index of the food. It will bring your binging back under control. This is what is effective in permanent lifestyle change.

The thing to be aware of is that binging is a biologically programmed behavior designed to address certain problems like what I described above. If you are binging, it means something is wrong and you need to fix it. For example, skipping meals will trigger a binge. That should tell you something about how your body feels about skipping meals, lol. Same deal with fasting.

The other thing to be aware of is bulimia Bulimia is extremely common in women. The identifying behavior of bulimia is binging, not barfing (only about half of bulimics barf). Typically, shame triggers the binge. Also, loss of control could trigger the binge. Some women feel all sorts of negative emotions and thoughts and the binge distracts them from this (the same way cutting does for certain girls). Left untreated, this is extremely dangerous and unlikely to stop. However, treatment is extremely effective. If this is you, go see an eating disorders specialist and get treated.

That is one of the biggest problems when dieting. When you give yourself a break for a holiday or vacation it is hard to get back on track. The guilt associated with the binging only makes it worse and harder to get back on track (vicious cycle). Just remember that a few screw ups does not make you gain all of your weight back but not getting back on track does. Remember that each day is a new day and a new opportunity for you to get yourself back together. Get rid of all of the junk that you bought, get back in the gym, and use that same inspiration that you used at the beginning of your weight loss whether it be an old picture or some skinny jeans you plan on getting in. Just don't allow a few setbacks to ruin your weight loss and healthy lifestyle.