Binging After Fasting – (Effects, Tips, And What To Do After).

Binging after fasting/binge eating after a fast is the act of consuming a large and excess amount of food specifically after a period of fasting.

While binge eating disorder can develop independently as a disorder even in people who do not necessarily fast, people who fast are more likely to binge after fasting.

Some studies have shown that when under strict diets that mimic the effects of starvation, the body may be preparing for a behavior pattern where you consume large amounts of food in a relatively shorter period ^(1,2).

But let’s be honest, not all people who binge after fasting or on their Intermittent fasting cheat day have binge eating disorder, most make a conscious decision to “celebrate” their fasts or “compensate” for all the hours they went without food.

Whether you make a conscious decision to binge after a fast, or it happens accidentally, this article is for you.

We will discuss everything you need to know about binging after fasting; what qualifies as a binge, whether it’s okay to binge after a fast, what happens when you binge after a fast, what to do after the binge, and tips to avoid binges after fasting.

What Qualifies As A Binge?

Binges can be described by the amount of food consumed.

Most binge eating episodes will entail consuming about 1,000 – 1,500 calories in a single meal, which is almost double the recommended number of calories per meal.

I know you think 1,000 – 1,500 calories won’t do any harm, besides, you are from fasting, right? Not really.

As you’ll see in the next section, these “post-fasting binges” can have significant negative effects.

What Happens If You Binge After A Fast?

The immediate happenings when you binge eat after a fast will be dramatic spikes in insulin and blood glucose levels which can consequently cause headaches and nausea, binging can also cause digestive disturbances like bloating and constipation.

When you make binging a habit, the frequent spikes can cause weight gain and damage vital organs like the kidney.

Is It Bad To Binge After Fasting?

Having a binge episode after fasting is bad because not only does it have the potential to reverse your fasting progress, but it can also affect your general health negatively.

As pointed out earlier, these effects can go to the extent of damaging your kidneys and causing the development of other diseases like obesity and diabetes.

Will You Gain Fat After A Binge?

Yes, you are likely to gain fat after a binge, and that is true especially if you binge eat frequently. Binge eating introduces excess calories in your system which are stored as fats causing weight gain.

If you were fascinated with the idea of having binges after fasting, now you should be thinking twice.

You will be better off taking a regular, unrestricted diet than having intermittent fasts that are sprinkled with unlimited episodes of binges.

So.

How Much Should You Eat After Fasting?

After fasting, stick to the recommended 2000 calories a day for women and 2500 calories a day for men unless you are on a special calorie-restricting diet even after you end your fasting period.

These numbers might slightly vary for different kinds of fasts and you should slightly adjust them to your fitting depending on whether you do prolonged or intermittent fasting.

Sticking to the recommended calories might be a walk in the park for some, but for most, it won’t be easy.

Here’s…

What You Should Do If You Binge After A Fast.

Here are 6 things you should do after binge eating:

1. Understand why it happened.
   
   So many things might contribute to your binging habit.
   
   Understanding what caused it is the first step to preventing its recurrence after your next fast.
   
   The next section will point out some of the things that can make you binge eat after your next fast.
   
2. Stay physically active.
   
   Staying physical will help you burn off some of the energy that was stored after your meal.
   
   It also helps you get rid of the discomfort that comes with a full stomach more quickly.
   
3. Hydrate enough.
   
   Getting enough water helps with digestion, and while it can make you feel more full in the short term, it helps you clear your belly quicker.
   
4. Rest your digestive system.
   
   Your digestive system has to work extra hard to deal with the excess food you consumed, while a tired digestive system might not complain, frequent overwork can predispose it to several undesired conditions.
   
5. Plan your next fast.
   
   No matter how much you fast, binging after fasting can reverse all the progress.
   
   You should therefore plan how you are going to get back into fasting and above all avoid the “binging-fasting” cycle.
   

Even though these tips might help you quickly overcome the effects of your binge-eating episodes, you need to make sure that binges become a thing of the past.

The next section will help you with that.

How To Avoid Binging After Fasting.

Here are 5 tips that will help you prevent binge eating after a fast:

1. Drink some water before your post-fast meals.
   
   Water has zero calories, but when you drink a glass or two, it gives you a temporary feeling of a full stomach.
   
   If you drink some water at least 20 minutes before your meal, the feeling might help you stop eating more than enough.
   
   
2. Avoid distractions when eating/breaking your fast.
   
   Activities such as using your phone or watching TV while eating might distract and disconnect you from how you feel about the food you’re eating.
   
   Before you remember that you were eating, you might already be several calories past the amount you are supposed to take.
   
   
3. Slow down your eating.
   
   It might take time before you realize you are full, slowing things down makes sure when that time comes, you have not already consumed tons of calories.
   
   
4. Do not get more food than you need.
   
   Out of sight out of mind, right? And maybe we could add out of mouth too.
   
   If you prepare and put on the table more food than you should be consuming, chances are you will be tempted to throw everything into your belly.
   
   
5. Summon your discipline.
   
   While I do not advocate harmful fasting practices, I am still going to remind you that fasting is a game of discipline.
   
   Learn how to stick to your routines and fasting plans and how not to heed your food cravings.

Conclusion.

Binging after fasting is a common practice among ‘fasters’, especially for those who do not know the ins and outs of fasting.

This article provided a clear picture of what happens when you binge after fasting.

Hopefully, it has cleared all your questions, provided you with practical tips on how to get over an episode of binging after fasting, and taught you how to avoid falling back into it.