Budgeting Your Calories

There's nothing like diet deprivation to make you crave the foods you've had to cut out, but binging on them can wreak havoc with your weight control and carefully counted calories.

Binging simply means you have temporarily lost control over the amount and type of food you planned to eat. So if you're rocking along with your fruit- and veggie-rich diet, but hear your child's birthday cake calling to you from the fridge, you're probably on your way to a binge breakdown. Here's what you can do to help protect your weight loss plan.

Better Weight Control:

Budget Calories Even occasional binging adds unwanted calories to your diet. The key to weight-loss success is to be aware of your weaknesses and actually make room for them in your diet. A generous slice of gourmet carrot cake could contain as many as 1,400 calories, an entire day's worth of calories for many women. The desire to binge on such a treat would be lessened if you allowed yourself a smaller indulgence. Smart dieters find ways to adapt this strategy to their diet plan and achieve the right balance of calories. The cheat day isn't a binge, but more of a maintenance day — no calorie reduction, but no excess calories taken in either.

Better Weight Control:

Managing Temptation Another balancing option is to avoid temptation entirely when you're at home, and have strategies for when you eat out. In other words, simply don't buy food that will sabotage your weight-loss strategy.

Look for healthier alternatives or "light" versions of favorite snacks. But be sure to read food labels carefully — some reduced-fat treats have more added sugar and are not lower in calories.

Better Weight Control:

When You Need Outside Help Even though the occasional binge adds calories to your day and is a threat to your weight-loss goals, it isn't usually unhealthy. However, when binging becomes a way of life, it may signal an eating disorder that requires professional help to overcome:

*Binge-eating disorder is when you binge frequently and feel shame or embarrassment, but cannot stop doing it. People with this disorder are often overweight or obese. Because it is associated with anxiety and depression, it can be treated with some antidepressants.

*Bulimia nervosa is when you binge and then try to "purge" or get rid of the calories by vomiting, taking laxatives, fasting, or exercising to an extreme. People with bulimia often appear to be of normal weight, but are obsessed with weight gain or loss, unhappy with their body, and ashamed of their binging and purging. These eating disorders are more common in women, but can also be a problem for men and boys. If you are binging frequently and feel anxious or ashamed, seek help from your doctor.

For the occasional binger who wants to stop the overeating-dieting cycle, you should be able to avoid binging by budgeting calories to include the treats you love. When you find a way to balance these calorie-dense foods with better nutritional choices, you won't be as tempted to overindulge.

source: www.everydayhealth.com