View Full Version : The consequence of post show binge eating
smudge86
10-12-16, 6:34 pm
After lurking for long enough, i thought it was time to pipe up and contribute and share my shitty experience of binge eating post show. Im sure this topic has been covered before, but i just wanted to share my experience to hopefully prevent other people from doing the same.
This year i competed for the first time, i did 2 shows with 20 weeks of strict prep. Placed 2nd in both shows, came away with positive feedback and areas to work on for next year. After My second show i made a huge mistake. Instead of reverse dieting, gradually building myself back up to an offseason diet.....i ate everything in sight! burgers, donuts, pizza, sweets, ice-cream etc etc. I basically ate like a pig for the week following the show.
By the following friday my ankles swelled up really bad.....no big deal i thought, just a bit of water retention...it will go down soon. Then they started to ache, then a few hours later it was painful enough to make me walk with a limp. A couple more hours later and i was in agony!! i couldn't have anything touch my feet or ankles because of the pain. The locally pharmacy took a look and told me to go to hospital straight away.
By the time we got to the hospital my wife had to help me walk in. They asked me if i had been short of breath and funnily enough i had been for a couple of days so i said yes. Straight away they took blood to be tested, had me on a bed having an ECG test of my heart, then went to x-ray to have a chest x-ray.
I was left for a while, until all the results had come back......in this time i was in panic mode!! why the hell were they checking my heart and lungs!? When the doctor came back he reassured me that there was nothing wrong with my heart or lungs and the cause was gout!! By eating so much shit in a short period of time i had given myself gout in both ankles!!
All in all, i spent about 6 hours in the hospital on a friday night (and my 1st wedding anniversary......the Mrs wasn't impressed). Had to take a week off from the training and couldn't wear anything on my feet for about 4 days........all because of my own greed!! The worst thing is, i knew to reverse diet.....i just chose not to. i will never make that mistake again.
Hopefully 1 or 2 people might have found this read useful ......on what not to do!
Aggression
10-12-16, 10:56 pm
Fuck dude. I guess it's a good thing t was only gout. When I did my show, that was something preached numerous times; don't overindulge right away. I was actually so worried I'd screw up/get fat again quick that I went right back on a legit diet a day or two after the show
smudge86
10-13-16, 2:45 am
Fuck dude. I guess it's a good thing t was only gout. When I did my show, that was something preached numerous times; don't overindulge right away. I was actually so worried I'd screw up/get fat again quick that I went right back on a legit diet a day or two after the show
I know, lesson learned. I thought the only consequence might be that id get a bit fat......didnt think anything like that could happen. It was a shitty experience that i won't be going through again
Aggression
10-13-16, 2:47 pm
Chalk it up an a learning experience and then next time around, keep that in mind. Glad to hear you're all good.
smudge86
10-13-16, 3:40 pm
Chalk it up an a learning experience and then next time around, keep that in mind. Glad to hear you're all good.
That i will. cheers mate.
Markangelini
11-02-16, 6:12 pm
Wow that's a amazing story! Thank you for you information man!
Just a question: how many days did you eat so dirty and how many times? currently I have my first contest on Saturday, can you gave some eating tips in the days to follow the show apart the cheat day on Sunday?
LayzieBone085
11-02-16, 7:37 pm
Wow that's a amazing story! Thank you for you information man!
Just a question: how many days did you eat so dirty and how many times? currently I have my first contest on Saturday, can you gave some eating tips in the days to follow the show apart the cheat day on Sunday?
Let's back track: during your peak week, likely you will do some sort of carb loading, or calorie ramp up.
On show day you'll probably graze on things during the day, have a burger after pre-judging and have a celebratory meal at night after the show day is done. The next day you'll probably go out to brunch and have pancakes. You'll probably eat junk all day, have dinner somewhere you have missed with family or friends, and all of that is OK. But think about what is going to happen next.
You've been over eating essentially for 2 full days, your fluid balance is likely to be out of whack if you loaded water, or tapered water, or took OTC diuretics to dry out. Your body is going to be thrown out of whack and you'll most likely find yourself up several pounds and smoothed over a bit, and again, this is OK.
What is NOT OK, is to freak out and then go off and do 2 hours of cardio a day, frantically trying to lose water weight or buy into the fear that you have gained fat! No, you have not, and stressing your body more is the last thing you want to do.
While there are many different ways to go about handling the days immediately following your show, here is what I always SUGGEST:
1. Enjoy 24 hours of eating whatever I want, without counting, tracking, or weighing a thing.
2. Go back to whatever meal plan or macros you were on prior to beginning any peak week manipulations of carb loading, tapering, etc. For me, this means going back to macros Before Peak Week
3. Keep water intake high so your body is encouraged to flush itself out. At least 1.5 gallons per day (men and women I would say).
4. Keep cardio in, but at about 50% of your prior levels. So if you were doing 60 or 90 minutes, cut it down to 30 to 45.
5. Optional, but if you want to hit the gym you can, and do maybe 2-3 days of very light full body pump work and stretching.
6. You should go back to your pre-show day weight within a week of doing all of that, give or take 1-2 lbs. You'll be tight and lean and have a clean slate to work with for your offseason. Your mind and body will have begun to recover.
7. Begin adding carbs and fat back into your diet, most likely carbs first since they have a stronger effect on Leptin. Add about 25-50g back, going lower end for females and higher end for males.
8. Monitor weight, strength in the gym, body temp, sex drive, and use those as your compass to adding more carbs. As long as your weight doesn't skyrocket, keep adding and adding until you finally see slow movement on the scale and a fuller, healthier look.
There it is. Simple. Again, the goal post show is to get your body back to normal as quickly as possible and have a clean slate to ramp up with and build upon. You should not prolong the process by taking a long time to do this. This process is literally 5-7 days to clear water weight off and then you start increasing food as mentioned above.
Markangelini
11-03-16, 8:23 am
Let's back track: during your peak week, likely you will do some sort of carb loading, or calorie ramp up.
On show day you'll probably graze on things during the day, have a burger after pre-judging and have a celebratory meal at night after the show day is done. The next day you'll probably go out to brunch and have pancakes. You'll probably eat junk all day, have dinner somewhere you have missed with family or friends, and all of that is OK. But think about what is going to happen next.
You've been over eating essentially for 2 full days, your fluid balance is likely to be out of whack if you loaded water, or tapered water, or took OTC diuretics to dry out. Your body is going to be thrown out of whack and you'll most likely find yourself up several pounds and smoothed over a bit, and again, this is OK.
What is NOT OK, is to freak out and then go off and do 2 hours of cardio a day, frantically trying to lose water weight or buy into the fear that you have gained fat! No, you have not, and stressing your body more is the last thing you want to do.
While there are many different ways to go about handling the days immediately following your show, here is what I always SUGGEST:
1. Enjoy 24 hours of eating whatever I want, without counting, tracking, or weighing a thing.
2. Go back to whatever meal plan or macros you were on prior to beginning any peak week manipulations of carb loading, tapering, etc. For me, this means going back to macros Before Peak Week
3. Keep water intake high so your body is encouraged to flush itself out. At least 1.5 gallons per day (men and women I would say).
4. Keep cardio in, but at about 50% of your prior levels. So if you were doing 60 or 90 minutes, cut it down to 30 to 45.
5. Optional, but if you want to hit the gym you can, and do maybe 2-3 days of very light full body pump work and stretching.
6. You should go back to your pre-show day weight within a week of doing all of that, give or take 1-2 lbs. You'll be tight and lean and have a clean slate to work with for your offseason. Your mind and body will have begun to recover.
7. Begin adding carbs and fat back into your diet, most likely carbs first since they have a stronger effect on Leptin. Add about 25-50g back, going lower end for females and higher end for males.
8. Monitor weight, strength in the gym, body temp, sex drive, and use those as your compass to adding more carbs. As long as your weight doesn't skyrocket, keep adding and adding until you finally see slow movement on the scale and a fuller, healthier look.
There it is. Simple. Again, the goal post show is to get your body back to normal as quickly as possible and have a clean slate to ramp up with and build upon. You should not prolong the process by taking a long time to do this. This process is literally 5-7 days to clear water weight off and then you start increasing food as mentioned above.
thank you so much, you saw to me a lot of triks.
Flash419
11-11-16, 8:40 am
At my first show I remember an old master class vet warning everyone not to completely go off the wagon after the show.
His advice.. Eat half of what you think you're going to want to eat. Drink lots of water. And enjoy and relax with family and friends. After a half hour or so, and you're still hungry. Have a little more.
Hope this helps
In this case I have to thank my OCD nature. I have never experienced anything like this in my competitive career.
smudge86
11-21-16, 4:35 pm
Let's back track: during your peak week, likely you will do some sort of carb loading, or calorie ramp up.
On show day you'll probably graze on things during the day, have a burger after pre-judging and have a celebratory meal at night after the show day is done. The next day you'll probably go out to brunch and have pancakes. You'll probably eat junk all day, have dinner somewhere you have missed with family or friends, and all of that is OK. But think about what is going to happen next.
You've been over eating essentially for 2 full days, your fluid balance is likely to be out of whack if you loaded water, or tapered water, or took OTC diuretics to dry out. Your body is going to be thrown out of whack and you'll most likely find yourself up several pounds and smoothed over a bit, and again, this is OK.
What is NOT OK, is to freak out and then go off and do 2 hours of cardio a day, frantically trying to lose water weight or buy into the fear that you have gained fat! No, you have not, and stressing your body more is the last thing you want to do.
While there are many different ways to go about handling the days immediately following your show, here is what I always SUGGEST:
1. Enjoy 24 hours of eating whatever I want, without counting, tracking, or weighing a thing.
2. Go back to whatever meal plan or macros you were on prior to beginning any peak week manipulations of carb loading, tapering, etc. For me, this means going back to macros Before Peak Week
3. Keep water intake high so your body is encouraged to flush itself out. At least 1.5 gallons per day (men and women I would say).
4. Keep cardio in, but at about 50% of your prior levels. So if you were doing 60 or 90 minutes, cut it down to 30 to 45.
5. Optional, but if you want to hit the gym you can, and do maybe 2-3 days of very light full body pump work and stretching.
6. You should go back to your pre-show day weight within a week of doing all of that, give or take 1-2 lbs. You'll be tight and lean and have a clean slate to work with for your offseason. Your mind and body will have begun to recover.
7. Begin adding carbs and fat back into your diet, most likely carbs first since they have a stronger effect on Leptin. Add about 25-50g back, going lower end for females and higher end for males.
8. Monitor weight, strength in the gym, body temp, sex drive, and use those as your compass to adding more carbs. As long as your weight doesn't skyrocket, keep adding and adding until you finally see slow movement on the scale and a fuller, healthier look.
There it is. Simple. Again, the goal post show is to get your body back to normal as quickly as possible and have a clean slate to ramp up with and build upon. You should not prolong the process by taking a long time to do this. This process is literally 5-7 days to clear water weight off and then you start increasing food as mentioned above.
Good advice. Thanks
smudge86
11-21-16, 4:37 pm
In this case I have to thank my OCD nature. I have never experienced anything like this in my competitive career.
I haven't come across many people that have and i don't wish it upon anyone either, bloody painful experience.
npcdusty
11-22-16, 4:09 pm
I once gained 25lbs in about 4 days after a show one year. I had to cut my socks because my ankles had swollen so bad. I was miserable and vowed to never let that happen again.....
I haven't come across many people that have and i don't wish it upon anyone either, bloody painful experience.
A friend of mine once binged so badly that within a couple of hours the fluid retention rose to a level where it clammed of the nerves to his lower body. Meaning, he ended up completely paralyzed from the waist down and had to get hospitalized. After they had pumped him full of diuretics and installed a catheter to basically drain him, he regained control over his lower limbs within a couple hours.
I once gained 25lbs in about 4 days after a show one year. I had to cut my socks because my ankles had swollen so bad. I was miserable and vowed to never let that happen again.....
Thatīs a funny story, too.
C.Coronato
11-23-16, 10:53 am
A friend of mine once binged so badly that within a couple of hours the fluid retention rose to a level where it clammed of the nerves to his lower body. Meaning, he ended up completely paralyzed from the waist down and had to get hospitalized. After they had pumped him full of diuretics and installed a catheter to basically drain him, he regained control over his lower limbs within a couple hours.
wow. That is no joke. I'm sure he never did that again.
npcdusty
11-23-16, 3:17 pm
oh damn, thats no joke..
A friend of mine once binged so badly that within a couple of hours the fluid retention rose to a level where it clammed of the nerves to his lower body. Meaning, he ended up completely paralyzed from the waist down and had to get hospitalized. After they had pumped him full of diuretics and installed a catheter to basically drain him, he regained control over his lower limbs within a couple hours.
oh damn, thats no joke..
When he talks about it now itīs actually very funny.
Before they called the ambulance he had to take a piss. Like I said, he couldnīt walk. So, his girlfriend had to roll him on a rug and sled pull him into the bathroom :D
wow. That is no joke. I'm sure he never did that again.
Naahhh... donīt be so sure about that... haha
BigChrisF
11-26-16, 2:15 am
With the amount of fluid retention that you were experiencing, they were checking you for congestive heart failure, bruh. That's why all the heart and lung tests. It's not as bad as it sounds until it kills you. Then it's a problem.
With the amount of fluid retention that you were experiencing, they were checking you for congestive heart failure, bruh. That's why all the heart and lung tests. It's not as bad as it sounds until it kills you. Then it's a problem.
Chris is right.
smudge86
11-28-16, 4:33 pm
A friend of mine once binged so badly that within a couple of hours the fluid retention rose to a level where it clammed of the nerves to his lower body. Meaning, he ended up completely paralyzed from the waist down and had to get hospitalized. After they had pumped him full of diuretics and installed a catheter to basically drain him, he regained control over his lower limbs within a couple hours.
holy shit! guess my experience wasn't too bad then haha.
smudge86
11-28-16, 4:38 pm
With the amount of fluid retention that you were experiencing, they were checking you for congestive heart failure, bruh. That's why all the heart and lung tests. It's not as bad as it sounds until it kills you. Then it's a problem.
yeah, I'm not going to lie, it scared the crap out of me at the time....then i felt so stupid after
smudge86
11-28-16, 4:41 pm
I once gained 25lbs in about 4 days after a show one year. I had to cut my socks because my ankles had swollen so bad. I was miserable and vowed to never let that happen again.....
I have vowed the same! your right though, it does make you miserable.
holy shit! guess my experience wasn't too bad then haha.
I think in bodybuilding you can be sure that there is always someone out there with an even crazier story than yours... haha
yeah, I'm not going to lie, it scared the crap out of me at the time....then i felt so stupid after
Sounds like you learned your lesson. At least thatīs a good thing.
smudge86
11-30-16, 3:37 pm
Sounds like you learned your lesson. At least thatīs a good thing.
Correct haha. The whole prep was a learning experience to be honest.....looking forward to doing it again next year, correct some mistakes and chase that 1st place!!
Correct haha. The whole prep was a learning experience to be honest.....looking forward to doing it again next year, correct some mistakes and chase that 1st place!!
Awesome! Go get it, brother!
Jay Nera
07-31-17, 11:37 pm
I think in bodybuilding you can be sure that there is always someone out there with an even crazier story than yours... haha
This just makes me want to hear some crazy stories
LayzieBone085
08-01-17, 7:09 pm
This just makes me want to hear some crazy stories
Go find your typical popular instagram person who has a huge following. watch them plan their food for weeks in advance for after their show. Then see them talk about how they gained 10-15-20 pounds in a matter of 2-3 days after bringing packs of poptarts, tons of junk food, donuts, bars, candy. Then look at their face, ankles and see how much water they truly are holding.
Not only is that horrible for your metabolism, not only is your body prone to gaining tons of fat after dieting down to a very low bodyfat level. It is also a huge low blow when that person after a long prep wants to suddenly reverse all the damage and hard work they did to just eat a ton of junk because well i competed so i can eat. No. Just no.. If your plans of competing are just to get off stage and have a donut you need to learn moderation. Blows my mind some people chase the stage just so they can go on a food frenzy, and then make a WORSE relationship with food.
At least I have seen it way too many times, more so with female competitors, and them holding boxes of donuts backstage, or posting images of pancake and waffle stacks when they are like 6-8 weeks out and posting about how they are dreaming of having some sugary carbs, or dirty foods.
ChrisTuttle
08-02-17, 6:58 pm
With the amount of fluid retention that you were experiencing, they were checking you for congestive heart failure, bruh. That's why all the heart and lung tests. It's not as bad as it sounds until it kills you. Then it's a problem.
yeah they were ! If he told them he binged eat they would not buy into it causing that much water retention.
ChrisTuttle
08-02-17, 7:01 pm
Yes, I knew a dude who almost died from binge eating post show. Combo of dehydration and over eating led to him having re-feeding syndrome and could not even stand up Sunday afternoon. Mg and K+ were super low in the blood. The docs were so impressed they called in the whole student team to learn. For they have not seen a re-feeding syndrome case ever. Esp in a 1st world country.
MRmichael.hooker
08-03-17, 2:39 pm
Yes, I knew a dude who almost died from binge eating post show. Combo of dehydration and over eating led to him having re-feeding syndrome and could not even stand up Sunday afternoon. Mg and K+ were super low in the blood. The docs were so impressed they called in the whole student team to learn. For they have not seen a re-feeding syndrome case ever. Esp in a 1st world country.
THIS. I didn't almost die, but I remember feeling like I wish I would. It wasn't for a show, but I dieted extremely hard last year for an Army pt test. I was recovering from an injury, so I wanted to make sure I came in at a good, lighter weight and dieted really hard for quite some time. After I was done with it, I had some chicken & fries for lunch and then some pizza later for dinner. Granted, I could only eat a few pieces of pizza because I just couldn't physically handle a large quantity of food after 18-20 weeks of dieting, but later I was absolutely miserable. It was like my body didn't know how to digest food anymore. I was laying in bed in extreme agony that night because my stomach/intestines hurt so bad. After that, I just started slowly adding food back in. Say if I was eating 4oz of chicken in a meal, I'd bump it up to 4.5. Then 5. Etc. It was a much better approach and made me feel a lot better
Another thing to consider and always keep in mind is this:
Many competitors take "Dyazide" to dehydrate themselves before a show. They od course also restrict sodium and water intake.
They get on stage looking dry and hard, everything is great and after the show they start drinking and eating again. Many times high sodium foods and loads of water.
Problem is Dyazide works on water and sodium. So reintroducing both in large amounts while the Dyazide is still in your system you are potentially going to get into some real bad trouble. Especially when youīre going to bed right after.
ChrisTuttle
08-03-17, 8:22 pm
THIS. I didn't almost die, but I remember feeling like I wish I would. It wasn't for a show, but I dieted extremely hard last year for an Army pt test. I was recovering from an injury, so I wanted to make sure I came in at a good, lighter weight and dieted really hard for quite some time. After I was done with it, I had some chicken & fries for lunch and then some pizza later for dinner. Granted, I could only eat a few pieces of pizza because I just couldn't physically handle a large quantity of food after 18-20 weeks of dieting, but later I was absolutely miserable. It was like my body didn't know how to digest food anymore. I was laying in bed in extreme agony that night because my stomach/intestines hurt so bad. After that, I just started slowly adding food back in. Say if I was eating 4oz of chicken in a meal, I'd bump it up to 4.5. Then 5. Etc. It was a much better approach and made me feel a lot better
Well at least you choose fatty foods where the stomach would have a delay in gastric emptying. The dude who almost died did all junk /sugary foods! That was apart of the problem. HUGE rush in insulin.
I have to say though that feeling is horrible! IN the fetal position on the bed with a fan blowing on you! AHHA
smudge86
08-04-17, 3:29 pm
Yes, I knew a dude who almost died from binge eating post show. Combo of dehydration and over eating led to him having re-feeding syndrome and could not even stand up Sunday afternoon. Mg and K+ were super low in the blood. The docs were so impressed they called in the whole student team to learn. For they have not seen a re-feeding syndrome case ever. Esp in a 1st world country.
Holy shit! Well im glad my experience wasn't this severe!
ChrisTuttle
08-04-17, 7:23 pm
Holy shit! Well im glad my experience wasn't this severe!
HAHAH most peoples are not but some are not so lucky
HAHAH most peoples are not but some are not so lucky
Did I mention that one friend of mine who had to go to the ER because the water retention cut off the nerv supply to his lower limbs which left him paralyzed from the waist down for a day?
ChrisTuttle
08-07-17, 9:56 am
Did I mention that one friend of mine who had to go to the ER because the water retention cut off the nerv supply to his lower limbs which left him paralyzed from the waist down for a day?
That is scary but I believe it! Depleting yourself that hard and using diuretics then overeating is bad news! Very risky!
MRmichael.hooker
08-07-17, 10:57 am
I have to say though that feeling is horrible! IN the fetal position on the bed with a fan blowing on you! AHHA
YUP! At one point my wife asked if she needed to take me to the ER because she'd never seen me like that. I knew what was going on, so I told her no and that I'd be fine. Should've told her "Just let me die"
ChrisTuttle
08-08-17, 6:09 pm
YUP! At one point my wife asked if she needed to take me to the ER because she'd never seen me like that. I knew what was going on, so I told her no and that I'd be fine. Should've told her "Just let me die"
AHAHH! OH man! When I first started I felt like that post show. Not a fun feeling
Jay Nera
09-29-17, 11:49 am
Go find your typical popular instagram person who has a huge following. watch them plan their food for weeks in advance for after their show. Then see them talk about how they gained 10-15-20 pounds in a matter of 2-3 days after bringing packs of poptarts, tons of junk food, donuts, bars, candy. Then look at their face, ankles and see how much water they truly are holding.
Not only is that horrible for your metabolism, not only is your body prone to gaining tons of fat after dieting down to a very low bodyfat level. It is also a huge low blow when that person after a long prep wants to suddenly reverse all the damage and hard work they did to just eat a ton of junk because well i competed so i can eat. No. Just no.. If your plans of competing are just to get off stage and have a donut you need to learn moderation. Blows my mind some people chase the stage just so they can go on a food frenzy, and then make a WORSE relationship with food.
At least I have seen it way too many times, more so with female competitors, and them holding boxes of donuts backstage, or posting images of pancake and waffle stacks when they are like 6-8 weeks out and posting about how they are dreaming of having some sugary carbs, or dirty foods.
Man, watching some of the ladies hit that rebound is tough. They go from looking and feeling close to their best to looking and feeling close to their worst. Having so much of their self esteem tied to how they look and their focus for the past few months tied to that, and then when it all crumbles before them. Its just hard to be around.