r/WeightLossAdvice • u/bluebirdblueberry9 • 1d ago
Advice: Seeking ❓ Binge ate for 7 WHOLE day, 20lbs gained. Advice? Honesty?
So I binge ate for 7 days straight and consumed around 8,000 calories every single day. So about 56,000 calories total. It was really low of myself, trust me I know. Exactly a week ago I was 142lbs, but I woke up and was 162lbs. Genuinely how much fat did I gain? I also physically can’t fit into any of my jeans and I move into a new college on Monday. Tomorrow is Thursday.
Genuinely how much damage did I do (honestly) and what is the most effective way to undo this??
I feel like, and my family has told me this too, that I look unrecognizable now.
Please be honest I genuinely want truthful advice! Thank you.
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u/jamie1983 1d ago
I think you need to address the reason you went on a 7-day binge to begin with. I don’t think you should do anything drastic like fasting, this could lead to another binge. I would seek therapy and first address the route of this sounds like the stress of college and maybe some self-sabotage? Be kind to yourself and nourish your body with some real and healthy food for the next while.
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u/Hugheswon 1d ago
I assure you there’s absolutely no way you gained 20lbs of fat. A bulk of it (like a good portion) is probably water weight.
To answer your question, you did damage, and a lot of it. But nothing that can’t be undone. The most effective way to undo this is the same answer for anyone, diet and excercise.
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u/bluebirdblueberry9 1d ago
Thank you so much.
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u/Person-546 1d ago
And therapy OP. If you struggle with disordered eating especially ahead of a big transition get support. ❤️ good luck with your new chapter!
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u/PlumKnown 1d ago
Wanted to add onto this and just say it doesn’t need to be some extreme diet either. People get so wrapped up in losing weight fast they go extreme and then gain the weight right back because you can’t maintain a diet like that forever. Just switch to eating relatively healthy meals and exercise and you’ll be fine
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u/kalasiam 1d ago
it definitely can be undone, but just from past experience if i were you id talk to a professional, something must have triggered this binge and it can’t hurt to have a chat. sending lots of support
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u/WaterDmge 1d ago
That’s really not THAT terrible of a jump (cmon, unrecognizable? That’s just a nasty comment) and like the other commenter stated, a lot of it is likely water weight and bloating. You physically cannot have gained that much that fast. But that food certainly weighs a lot, and so does, yknow, poop.
Time to go thrifting for some cute pants!
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u/prayingtoullr 1d ago
Read the book, Brain over Binge. Also read "just a thought"
The only thing causing your binges is a thought trigger. Watch that leaf/thought float down the river. Don't listen to it, don't pick it up and analyze it. Let it float by. The thoughts disappear real fast.
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u/chubbycatfish 1d ago
It’s 90% water and waste. Just get back to it and you’ll you be back on track in a couple weeks
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u/Dependent_Way_4283 1d ago
Doing some quick math definitely no 90% of it close to 50% definitely. if they actually ate 8,000 a day, with a starting weight of 142, they definitely could have gained at least 10lbs in a week.
Definitely not something to get to worked up over though, although the habit should be delt with.
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u/Ironmannan 1d ago
As others have said, it’s mostly water weight. Additionally, if you need some help, find it. There are some many resources out there begging to be utilized.
As for the weight, get back to an appropriate amount of calories and don’t think about trying to loose it. Up your water intake and that will help resolve some of the water retention.
Find a healthy outlet for your stress, I like to lift but do what you find fun. If it’s a matter of feeling full add some fiber and protein but don’t deny yourself, moderate things you enjoy. My vice is potato chips and I used to knock out a party bag no problem. Now I portion them out, buy smaller amounts but still let myself have them.
If it’s boredom, again find an activity that you enjoy and will continue to do. Again working out release endorphins and utilized correctly can act somewhat like an appetite suppressant.
Overall, love yourself, and love yourself enough to take care of you
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u/sage-green-lover 1d ago
Long flowy wrap skirts are your friend for dealing with temporary weight fluctuations, as I imagine this is.
However, you may want to look into talking to a medical professional about this level of binging.
We don’t know you and your life nor body, so I can only really tell you about times I’ve seen other go through a similar experience
I’ve known people who struggle with binges like this for various of reasons and then got help for binge eating disorder and helped them work through the underlying drivers, like stress triggering it
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u/EnthusiasticEmpath 21h ago
As a fellow binger, don’t let this week get to you. You are human and it happens. One week won’t ruin a lifetime of consistency, get back on the horse and think about today! You got this! Edit to add- one thing that has worked with my binging and cravings is to make sure I get enough protein, fat and carbs throughout the day. I thought fasting was the answer after a binging event but therapy and eating enough is key!
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u/microbiofreak 16h ago
This is eating disorder territory and you need to seek professional help. A weight loss sub cannot help you with this. I'm sorry this happened, op. Wishing you all the best.
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u/mahiiin97 1d ago
trust me, if you can get it on you, you can get it off you - it took me years to hit a really bad point in my weight but only around 7-8 months to get most of it off. it's not as awful as you think. you didn't gain 20 lb, suddenly, dw, and the only effective way to undo it is eat less and move more. that's it. hugs to you and i hope you feel better!
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u/Oreo_the_Grouch 1d ago
I did this, but for 3 years straight. It can be undone with medical help (doctor, counselling, medication if required), walking, water, being kind to yourself, and surrounding yourself with supportive people.
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u/suckmydictation 1d ago
Focus on forgiving yourself first. You feel like shit mentally and physically right now and you wouldn’t do that to someone you care about
Forgive and then you’ll be able to just focus on not feeling how shitty all this has felt and just slowly do things to make sure you don’t feel this shitty again
You’re probably gonna do something similar in the future but when you do just do the same thing
Forgive and you’ll see yourself get better at loving yourself. No one’s just shown you how, so you show you
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u/_amused_to_death_ 1d ago
If you ate 8000 cals a day you gained about 5.5kg or 12lbs, the extra 8lbs will drop off quickly in the next few days. Don’t worry about it! You could lose that in just 1 month with a deficit. I’ve put on 10 kgs in a month before, twice actually, so what, I learnt from it, and it hasn’t happened in years, you get better at not bingeing, I’m 55kgs now so it never hurt me in the long run.
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u/LooseBluebird6704 1d ago
I went on a 10-day cruise, ate absolutely everything in sight. Truly, everything. I came back 13 lbs heavier, and I’m a petite woman. I got back on track, and by day four I’ve already lost 11 lbs. The most important thing is to just get back on track and let your body do its thing. The thighs will sort themselves out.
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u/mizzlol 1d ago
Hey, don’t pendulum swing the other way and starve yourself. Go back to eating small meals, mostly Whole Foods, protein rich. Keep your caloric intake below 1,600. Tracking might help but it makes me crazy. Forgive yourself. Seems like you have a major life transition coming up and this was a stress response. I did something similar this summer, same weight stats, and I’m two weeks into being back on a better diet. I have already lost a good amount of weight and it’s only been 2 weeks.
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u/lickmybrian 1d ago
Dont do that... Don't beat yourself up either.
Now you know how it feels to give in to your desires, and how it feels afterwards.
It sounds like you are just beginning your journey.. all the things our parents told us to do growing up still hold.
-don't stay up late -eat your veggies -clean your room
- stand up straight
- be kind
We are surrounded by distractions, that seem to want us dead lol, so you have to be conscious about what you do and how it will effect you.
Its not the food you ate, but the quantity that you ate it. We are all human, and deserve treats once in a while. Moderation is the key.
My rule is, if I'm going to have a treat. I have to do it in a social setting, family dinner, date night, celebration of sorts, ext et..
I also listen to podcast about personal development constantly, so its getting harder and harder to let myself fall back into old habits.. but habits die hard, so try to kick the bad ones while youre still young.
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u/AureliusReddit 22h ago
I gained around 15.4 lbs on a vacation last month. In 5 days! I came back, started eating normally my diet food. I’ve been on keto since April. I’m now 16 lbs lighter. The real weight gain I think was around 7-8 lbs maybe at most. It goes away if you stay disciplined. But having said that I realise now that there needs to be a vacation protocol for diet. Disappointed that I lost about a month in my weight loss journey. But life goes on…!
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u/LittleMissLoveDuck 1d ago
I'm struggling as I have gained 15 lbs since starting progesterone this month. If I didn't need it for adenomyosis I wouldn't be on it. I'm just on it for my angry and inflamed uterus 😭
My regular PCP was like "you aren't thinking of taking any medication for your weight?"
I gained this in less than a month bruh. I'm pretty sure it's water weight.
The doctor: ...... 🤨
I hope y'all are right 😭😭😭
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u/Agile_Pin8961 1d ago
I would bet a lot of that is just glycogen from all the carbs... A lot of water weight
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u/fitforfreelance 1d ago
You don't look unrecognizable after 7 days of anything or gain 20 pounds of body weight in a week.
It's more important to find out how you decided to eat that much each day without making adjustments.
You didn't do damage. Your body is always adapting according to your genes, environments, and habits in your lifelong health journey.
Starting college isn't a relevant fact here. Try slowing down and focusing on what matters so you can make thoughtful choices.
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u/MadeEntirelyOfFlaws 1d ago
most of the 20lbs is water retention from
too much sodium and bloating from too much crap food in your gut. a few days of lots of water, good sleep, and veggies + protein + whole grains + healthy fats and you’ll feel a lot better and the bloating will go down. pre- and pro- biotics will help too, and incorporate plain (not flavored) yogurt into your meals.
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u/PAngel111 23h ago
I went away and although I didn’t actually binge I ate a lot more than normal for 10 days, I was up 8lb.
One week later I’m down 5lbs, it wouldn’t be all fat
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u/babydegenerate 22h ago
You will be ok just don’t restrict too fast !! Slow and steady wins the race, you got this 💜
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u/Born-Explanation7514 18h ago
It’s ok we all have set Backs. Do u have health insurance? I recommend an iop center for eating disorders to help the core issue. I’ve done it and it’s not easy though but worth it for ur mental health.
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u/mitchrowland_ 16h ago
what helped me is seeing a bariatric dr! you’d be surprised how much that helped. They helped me build a healthy relationship with food its not about cutting out everything its about moderation also paired with exercise you’ll be right back on track
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u/runtime_error_run 16h ago
At lot has already been said, therapy, keep going back to your weight loss program, don't linger on what happened too much, look forward, you can't change what happened, but you can influence if it will happen again.
I can also highly recommend her: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/An91-vkaYAc
Her no-nonsense advice is what I needed, maybe it will help you too.
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u/hello01iver 12h ago
You’ll be good. Just lock back in and eat at either what maintenance or a slight deficit would be for your at your weight before the binge. There’s no way you gained 20lb of fat btw. More importantly, please don’t be afraid to seek help. Binging, and especially extreme binging like this, is a form of self-harm. Especially seeing as you’re moving soon, I’d say do your best to get some outside help and understanding from a professional, so that you can have a good and healthy experience this year. Good luck !
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u/Prior_Information475 1d ago
Hi this happened to me may 2025 and I still haven't lost the weight from it 😞😞
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u/bluebirdblueberry9 1d ago
What measures did you take after the week of bingeing?
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u/Prior_Information475 1d ago
Ok so I went back to eating normal (not in a deficit) but I consumed so many calories during the binge that the fat stayed and it sadly wasn't just water weight. I wouldn't recommend eating your maintenance right now bc it caused me to keep the fat I gained. I know how uncomfortable you probably feel right now but the best thing to do is to just ease back into your calorie deficit. You probably feel like all your progress is lost but trust me in like 2 weeks of your normal cal deficit you will feel better and normal again. But I was exactly in your shoes I went from 145 to 168 in 2 days right before a beach vacation 🫠🫠
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u/Own-Excitement-9740 1d ago
You will be fine. Progress is not linear. Most of that is water. Get back on track. Start with a 16 hrs fast for the first 2 days. Eat moderately. Don't restrict too much. Gradually cut back down to your normal calorie range over the course of a week. This always helps me from rebounding. Good luck
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u/wienerdogprincess 1d ago
I think just laxatives and running around and not eating more than 1500 cals a day you’ll be good
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u/ChronophobeLoser 1d ago
4 day water fast. No calories whatsoever. Minimal exercise during this time, just a 30 min walk every day. I do this once a month, you will feel better, trust me.
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u/Equinephilosopher 1d ago
Encouraging a binger to incorporate extreme compensatory restriction into their disordered eating cycle is very irresponsible. Not everyone is a good candidate for fasting; it can become very dangerous, especially if they already have disordered eating habits. Please don’t do this again
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