The Importance of Bingeing

Tim recommends that, as part of the plan to lose weight, you should take one day and, well, binge.

“HERESY!”

Fair enough. Usually, the words ‘Binge’ and ‘Diet’ normally don’t go together.

It’s like…(fill in whatever you think Jeremy Clarkson might say here..actually..please contribute in the comments section!).

The most common objections can be narrowed down to the following:

• Bad for health (fat, colesterol, etc)
• Negates previous effort
• Just plain crazy

In a normal diet, all the above would definitely be true. But we’re not on a normal diet aren’t we? We’re on the Slow Carb Diet, which has been designed with weight loss and sustainability in mind.

Let’s go straight into the benefits of bingeing.

Having Everything in Moderation

My interpretation for this is a little different from most people.

While the traditional view is that bingeing is an excess (er…hence the word binge), bingeing just once a week actually brings back a balance to the experience.

A lot of different types of foods, like white carbs, can’t be consumed while going through the diet on a normal day.

But let’s face it. We’re all human. Unless you’re a mind-numbed robot, there are foods that we all love that fall into the ‘sinful’ category and honestly, are not willing to let go. Binges solves this problem by allowing us to enjoy such foods.

Here’s the interesting bit: Because we can only do it once a week, we can’t have it as much!

So, the scheduled binge in the slow carb diet is really helping you archieve moderation by preventing you from having too much while allowing you to eat whatever you like!

It’s Psychological

One of the most common reason of diet failures is not following through.

Most people give up after a certain period of time. Some longer than others, some within a few short weeks.

Most attribute it to the fact that totally depriving themselves of their beloved food causes cravings and after awhile, these cravings become so strong that they go ,’ bah….sod it!’, break the cycle, lose momentum and fail to get back on again.

Not getting back on is fine. A lot of people also have to contend with the guilt that comes afterwards. Some handle it better than the others. Some don’t.

As previously mentioned, bingeing allows us to have what we love in moderation. There are also 3 side effects to this:

• You’re more disciplined, because you know you CAN have it, only later
• You don’t get anymore cravings because the need is fed
• You are guilt free!

Fantastic isn’t it?

It’s Physiological

There’s actually a practical reason for having a weekly binge while you’re on the slow carb diet.

You want to spike your calorie intake well beyond the normal range to ensure that your metabolism doesn’t downshift due to your body getting used to the lower and slower calorie intake due to the type of food allowed during normal days.

So, as opposed to conventional wisdom, having a binge once a week actually helps you to lose weight.

And you know what? It works.

I’ve got results AND feel good. I don’t feel deprived. In fact, I feel much more in control. Lots of people following the book are experiencing something similar. Just check out any of the guys from my blogroll.

 

Whadcha waiting for?

Bon Appetite!