To think most people don’t have huge ‘pig out’ days once a fortnight?

[Deeryme1]

Went for brunch with a friend earlier who, when we came to order, said she was still feeling full and bloated from her ‘pig out’ day yesterday. I asked what that was and she said ‘oh once a fortnight, DH and I have a complete pig out day, it’s great. We start off with bacon sarnies in the morning, followed by a McDonald’s for lunch and then loads of crisps/ chocolate/ sweets etc.

I was like oh right and she said ‘do you not ever have a day sometimes where you just eat anything and everything you want?!’ And I said no, not really. She rolled her eyes and said ‘no wonder you’re so skinny’

The thing is, I eat a bar of chocolate pretty much everyday and if I go out for a meal (once every 2-3 weeks) I’ll always get at least 2 courses, sometimes 3 and I don’t care what I eat on those occasions, so I’m hardly an Angel in terms of food. However, no, I don’t ever really let myself have a day at home where I just eat whatever the hell I want for a whole day. I WOULD put on weight.

She seemed shocked and like I was uptight for not doing so, but I don’t think a regular pig out day like that is the norm for most people, is it? Or am I just really uptight?

I'm not sure that "pigging out" on meat, salad and fruit is quite the same thing 😂

You sound like you have an unhealthy and obsessive relationship with food

So every 2-3 weeks you have a massive 3 course meal out, and you eat chocolate every day, but you think if you had a bacon sandwich, McDonald's and some chocolate once a fortnight instead then you'd put on weight? It sounds like over a month you'd likely eat more calories than your pig out friend anyway, so how would her way make you gain weight?
FFS live and let live who actually cares this much about how other people eat? Weird

I think it’s weird to schedule binge eating as a day out activity with your husband but most people are weird, I’m sure I do things that are normal to me but are someone else’s “WTF”.

I think it’s weirder to examine it through a lens of “should I be doing this?”

Why do you care? Typical Mumsnet competitive under eating thread again

I mean, I think that's much worse than having a bacon roll, McDonald's and some junk food twice a month, but there you go

I eat whatever I want every single day. The difference is that "whatever I want" wouldn't include things like McDonald's, crisps or three courses out. I'm not in great shape in the sense that I'm not fit and not at all toned, but I'm a healthy weight for my height (always been a size 8). All of this to say: I think what you eat probably matters more than how much of it you eat, and even how frequently you eat it.

Honestly I'd find it a bit gross to have a 'pig-out day'. Sorry. Seems gluttonous.

I love food. I love cooking it, eating it, talking about it. There's no meat, veg or fish I won't eat. And I have a McDonalds once a month, and a couple of pastries each week.

But the idea of absolutely gorging myself seems a bit disgusting. Plus, I'd feel sick.

It wouldn’t be for me. I’d rather have smaller treats, more often, than cram it all into
one day.

I’d be interested to know what ‘loads of crisps/chocolate/sweets’ actually amounts to. Im sure we all have different ideas here. A colleague admitted to me she had a 12 pack of Coke Zero, two share size bags of crisps with two pots of dips, a block of cheese and crackers, a big bar of chocolate and a tub of ice cream on a ‘cheat’ evening.

I’m not trying to go all ‘Mumsnet chicken’ here, but I was shocked that anyone could eat that much in one evening.

Meant to add, it seems somehow disrespectful to food.

@Ohthatsabitshit

lucky you 🙄
surely you must realise not everyone can do that

Hardly the same thing 😂. "I eat whatever I want, but of course I'd never want what other fat piggies choose to ram down their gullets".

You do have pig out days but you just don’t schedule them or call them pig out days.

I do schedule my pig out days else I’d end up overeating regularly and I do have to watch my weight.

I eat healthy and stick within a calorie limit 90% of the time but I allow myself a pig out day.
I’ll either schedule it when I’m going out for a birthday or bbq and know that I don’t have to worry about counting calories or I’ll save certain things that I can’t fit into my daily diet and it helps me stay on track and eat healthy the rest of the time.

I think you have a more healthy relationship with food than I do but I do what I need to do to maintain a healthy weight and a somewhat normal relationship with food.

I'd consider a chocolate bar a day excessive!! I probably have one a week!

And I certainly wouldn't do a fortnightly pig out day!! It may be fun at the time but I'd feel like crap the next day!

That’s way too much. It sounds like she had quite a severe eating disorder.

It sounds like your friend is depriving herself way too much and then going silly on her cheat day.
All of the calories she limits are probably eaten back just in that one meal.

Sounds like they misinterpreted "Cheat Day" which was for people on strict low-carb or paleo diets back in the days. If you have an average diet and then schedule a day where you eat extra-unhealthily then that does sound pretty disgusting.

It's the bread for me that makes it a pig out day

I hate the feeling of being over full- it’s so uncomfortable. I will leave food on the plate if I have become full- I am not food focused though.
I eat when I am hungry and don’t eat when I am not. Some days I seem to be hungry all day and then other days I don’t want anything.
alcohol is a different matter though🥴

I eat what I like every single day and I stay skinny. I don’t understand all these rules about food - just eat what you want and then do some exercise?

I didn't actually mean it that way but I see why it came across like that ! I meant there's a difference between depriving yourself and trying your best to eat as much as possible or make yourself feel sick for the sake of it, which it sort of sounds like what the OP means. I eat chocolate, cake, pizzas and chips, so not someone who avoids "flattening" food.

To ‘just eat what you want and do some exercise’ is going to look quite different for every individual.

Some people naturally want to eat more or less than others. Some people prefer vegetables to sugar. Some people plough through cardio, others think 10k steps is a huge amount.

I cycle and run quite big distances every week, I can get away with eating mostly what I fancy, but I still limit certain foods to smaller quantities than I would enjoy eating in order to maintain a healthy weight.

You have food issues and are projecting.

Judging whether someone eats 3 courses and describing it as pigging out when you have zero idea their diet the rest of the time, what they’ve eaten that day, and their exercise regime.

Yawn.

The only 'pig out day' I plan is the 25th December and the rest of that week

Obviously I meant “that I can afford and access” and SURELY you realise you can.

I think having a day dedicated to 'pigging out' sounds disgusting. Mind you it would be OH's dream come true.