Bingeing/starving

Question
I am a 16 yr old girl, going through some rough times emotionally. I am having trouble with social anxiety, (although that is improving), low self-esteem and also depression and all sorts of insecurities about my self and my future... I am also very, very busy (I don't spend much time at home and I am in a rigorous honors program at school, and spend 2-5 hours of every day doing/teaching taekwondo) anyway, as a result my nutrition is rather sub-par. I do eat lots of fruits and veggies... and drink 1 L of water a day, but other than that, ugh. My calorie intake ranges anywhere from 1000 calories to 2800 calories, I get very cranky when I am hungry, I crave sweets (and lots and lots and lots of peanut butter) a lot and therefore snack a lot. If I eat an apple instead of going for cookies or whatever, I eventually eat the cookies anyway. And there are also days where I am not jungry at all and have to force myself to eat anything, usually I try to eat lighter foods like salad or a bit of yogurt since they go down better but I don't eat much else. I also eat a lot when I am bored...
Being busy, I eat at home only on weekends. I need to carry with me or buy most of my food daily. (I don't always buy the best things.)
I would like to be able to stabilize my food intake and blood sugar and not feel the need to eat even when I am not hungry. (especially sweet wise)

Answer
Hi, Elise

I am sorry to hear that you are going through so much.  I can see that although you are busy, people expect a lot from you and that makes you uncertain about your own abilities.  I've certainly been there!

I also have the same problem with making sure that I eat properly and on schedule as I am hyperglycemic.  So, if I miss a meal, my blood sugar takes a nose dive and it could become an emergency.

As a trainer, I knew that I should be eating 5-6 small meals per day and have them every 3-4 hours.  The problem was that I wasn't prepared to eat when I wasn't at home or knew I wasn't going to be at home for awhile.

So, I tried different coolers and such, but I guess I wasn't really getting it.

So, I bought this product called the Stax System.  You can buy it at bodybuilding.com.

This product is like a large cooler that can hold foods for four meals and has a spot for a ice gel pack (included).  The containers are labeled for proteins, carbs, vegetables, and fats.  The guide that comes with it describes the combination of the above to use based on your goals (weight loss, maintenance, or your own program).  It also comes with a timer.  So, the most important part here is that you have containers to measure your food, something to carry it in, and a timer to remind you to eat.  All you have to do is remember to fill the containers.

The booklet also contains lists of what food belongs in what category, how to do a quick-measure, and how to eat in special situations, like in a restaurant.

It's worked very well for me as I keep busy and I don't need to skip any meals.  I think that once you get your eating schedule under control, you will feel much better about other things.  Fluctuations in blood sugar can cause so many things to be out of sorts.

I truly think that if you can at least follow a schedule of 5-6 small meals every 3-4 hours will help you tremendously.

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