Is this binge eating?

[SSYMONDS]

I think about weight a lot, always have, and I am definitely happier when I am slimmer. I start every week eating 1200 cars pr do a day - I am currently 9.11 and look better a stone lighter, I eat lots of veg, not much carbs, but eat too much and drink too much alcohol at the weekends. I've been putting on and taking off the same 4 or 5 pounds since Xmas and it's getting me down.

I've been reading threads on here and wondered if I'm actually binging? I can eat a huge plate of pasta and have seconds, or maybe eat two or three mini magnums. I know it's not crazy proportions, but compared to how little I eat in the week, maybe that's where I'm going wrong? Why can't I eat consistently?

Any insight?

1200 calories is too little for you at the moment. What you've done is taken a huge leap and then you keep taking steps backwards.

Start with a more reasonable target first, say 1500-1700 a day and go from there. There are probably a tonne of other factors, are you eating carb heavy foods?

They don't satiate (fill you up). If you remove/lower sugar and the same for simple carbs and have a more reasonable goal you will build a better habit and be healthier for it.

Are you doing any exercise? The problem with heavy calorie restriction is it slows down your metabolism, especially if you use carbs for energy.

Overall switching to a keto focussed diet might be the saving grace here along with some regular exercise - again start light i.e. 1 gym class a week

You're binging - you're not giving your body the nutrients it needs and so its going mental. 3 mini magnums is around 600 kcal's. Ive been through this ( recovering bulimic) and its a really hard cycle to get out of. Up your Kcal intake from FRESH food, cut down on filling up your ( say 1,500kcal) with white carbs and nutrient deficit foods and start paying your body back what it needs. Im not saying salad everyday but lean protein, mushrooms, roasted veggies, soups and nuts. try weighing out portions and using MyFitnessPal and most of all if you REALLy want to knock that stone off : cut out the booze. Ive been a heavy drinker for a few years and within 2 weeks of limiting myself to only one drinking day i've lost half a stone - booze is so so so high in kcal's.

Two REALLY helpful responses, thank you!
So you think I'm not eating enough? I was starting to wonder if it was that - not eating properly when being 'good' then going off the rails after a few days.

If I up the nutritious calories though, do you think I can still lose weight? I've become a bit scared of eating normally... when I'm mindful of my weight, I eat very little, only when I'm in a fuck-it state of mind do I eat a lot.

The tip about drinking is a good one but I don't know how easy it will be to follow! I have a hunch that I wait until I'm drinking as a chance to be less controlled and catch up on my eating so it becomes a cycle. Has anyone else experienced this?

I will swim tomorrow LA, and will look up keytones

Have you tried factoring in your exercise? You can do it on MFP. I used to do it and it worked for me before I got obsessed with fitbit.

It means you can eat 1200 cals PLUS any additional calories you accrue through exercise. So if you overeat a bit you can use exercise to offset all or part of the overeat.

Example: you've used all your 1200 allowance but also gone for a swim for an hour. You burn an extra 200 cals, say, which you add on to your 1200 giving you an extra 200 cals to play with.

The more active you are, the more cals you burn, and the more you can eat.

I've recently started watching chris and Heidi Powell on Extreme Weight loss and Heidi says her key to staying on track is to have a healthy protein shake first thing, then every day she has a morning bun (guessing that an American pastry Cinnabon type thing?). She said that you should eat your treat food (daily or weekly) in the morning but after you've had protein. That will then keep you going and you'll know you've had your treat.