How do YOU define a binge?

BicepsAndBows

Many people use the word binge wrong/way too frequently in this society, and they are misusing it. It can be hard in this society that encourages over eating to define what a binge actually is, and it can very from person to person. As a general rule of thumb, a binge is NOT just overeating. It is eating uncontrollably, way past the point of fullness. It is taking in thousands of calories at once. It is usually the result of a severely restrictive diet, and also emotional and mental issues.

felblossom

For me, I rarely binge on food. Food I've got down to a tee, since I prepare all my week's lunches and dinners ahead of time. I binge on snacks. Especially the kinds where quantity control is hard... I guess that would be my definition of a binge: lack of control. If I have a big, open bag of chips/candy/cookies in the house, it's hard to not eat all of it. I don't really have a problem with cravings if I plan ahead, maybe buy ONE cookie, or a small piece of candy, etc. I pre-log it and fit it with my daily goal and all is well. But then there's that open container of something and I find myself stuffing my face... I try my best to log it afterwards and accept whatever damages were made. Usually you just have to shrug it off and not let it become a habit

pg1946

To me, going on a binge is eating very large quantities of something like a batch of cookie dough. I am talking about eating half the bowl of the raw dough. For me the urge to binge would appear with boredom or feelings of low self-esteem. Then when the binge passed I would feel so ashamed at my lack of self control.

My son helped me be more aware of what I was doing to myself. I have taken his lead in finding snacks that are appropriate when faced with the urge to eat wildly. A small handful of walnuts with some dried cranberries satisfies the urge for something crunchy and for something sweet. It is a learning curve for sure.

bbontheb

BicepsAndBows wrote: »

Many people use the word binge wrong/way too frequently in this society, and they are misusing it. It can be hard in this society that encourages over eating to define what a binge actually is, and it can very from person to person. As a general rule of thumb, a binge is NOT just overeating. It is eating uncontrollably, way past the point of fullness. It is taking in thousands of calories at once. It is usually the result of a severely restrictive diet, and also emotional and mental issues.

I have say it's not usually the result of restrictive diets. It's possible due to people being hungry etc. but not the cause of binge eating. It's often part of compulsive behaviour patterns (like OCSD etc)

Toadstool_

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I would call it a binge when your eating feels out of control. When it's no longer for hunger or pleasure and has become compulsion.

This sums it up well. Feeling an uncontrollable need to eat despite being full. And once you start, tending to be vast quantities that just end up making you feel sick and very guilty! I get really angry when I can't have that food. Silly really, I think its more out of habit than anything. Once I'm used to a healthy eating routine and i know there's no rubbish in the house, its not a problem.

JPW1990

Uncontrollable and unaware eating. You see the box of crackers, you are completely unaware of eating the crackers, next thing you know, you have an empty box.

JPW1990

bbontheb wrote: »

BicepsAndBows wrote: »

Many people use the word binge wrong/way too frequently in this society, and they are misusing it. It can be hard in this society that encourages over eating to define what a binge actually is, and it can very from person to person. As a general rule of thumb, a binge is NOT just overeating. It is eating uncontrollably, way past the point of fullness. It is taking in thousands of calories at once. It is usually the result of a severely restrictive diet, and also emotional and mental issues.

I have say it's not usually the result of restrictive diets. It's possible due to people being hungry etc. but not the cause of binge eating. It's often part of compulsive behaviour patterns (like OCSD etc)

This, it has nothing to do with diet, and everything to do with your brain.

970Mikaela1

I have been eating anything I want. Any quantity I want . for two weeks. I still don't call it bingeing. Its getting close now though as I'm at the high side of my maintenance range. Time to reel it in.

Pearsquared

No control. Lots of shame. Doing it even though my logical mind doesn't want to. I am coping well right now, but when I was in the thick of binge eating, it was like I was in a daze. Whenever I think back on that period of time, it feels surreal because I just didn't feel like myself at the time. I get a weird feeling whenever I go back to stores or restaurants where I would pick up my binge food. I wouldn't say I feel triggered when I visit those places, but I think back on how I used to calculate just how much I could eat that night, throw away the rest in the morning, and then start all over again that evening. It helps to talk about it, at least. I don't think my therapist quite gets just how bad it got for me. Maybe it's because I'm doing better now.

bbontheb

I've been there. I find that because we went down to one vehicle instead of two and less driving= less times to get fast food. I now know...absolutely know I don't have a choice to prep and pack TONS of food if I go out or else I will do the fast food route often. The only thing that is helping is that I have severe stomach issues now, and IBS and I was so sick after eating that I had to go on a low fodmap diet which forced me to not eat things that have wheat, lactose, etc in it and trying to prevent horrible stomach pain by eating things that won't make me feel like crap. I'm lucky for that because I don't know how else I would have stopped. I am trying to develop new habits-one little one at a time, not huge ones. Starting over is great but maybe it's too stressful for you ? Can you do something smaller like okay, I'm doing the fast food like norm but I'm going to commit to two prepared at home snacks or one meal or something that adds a tiny bit of "not bingey foods you like" in your day, and see if you can build slowly on that? Not worrying each time you are eating all those things but focusing on the small other goal you have during the day? Not sure that would work though.

smedleyj2

From my experiences (and still struggle with it), I would describe it as uncontrollably eating food for a period of time. When I started binging (after completing my first, very strict diet) on food I would simply taste any sweet food, then soon after will head to the kitchen and empty the fridge (without intentially doing so). Nearly two years later, it developed to the point where a binge eating session will be on my mind for most of the day and eventually give into the urge to eat. I am ashamed of eating in front of others and will go out of my way and consume a large amount of food in my car, or somewhere private. During a binge with me I tend to blank out and the only thing on my mind is shoving food down my throat. I estimate that I can consume 4000 calories in one binge session (3000 usually being minimum). Thankfully I have managed to prevent myself from putting on too much weight as I will also go periods of low calorie dieting, however this generally is short lived and will return to binge eating after a week of healthy eating.

I am now dieting again to return to my original weight before the binge eating began, however struggle with the temptation on a regular basis and find it very stressful. I have developed ways to cope with preventing a binge eat, however my stress levels will often be sky high if resisting the urge to binge. The best for me to keeping this under control is meal plans and monitoring calorie intake, and avoiding sugar.

BrittaniDirks

I would desribe binge eating as eating a large amount of food in a short amount of time/ eating everything you can,just because you can. like yesterday i had a "cheat day" i was mad i didnt lose any wight this week so i said f it, and started eating everything in sight. i ate like a whole bowl of homemade pudding, chips ad guacamole, i had soda for the first time in 3 weeks lol, just kept on all night

abetterluke

stephanieluvspb wrote: »

In my own experience, eating when your not really hungry, eating until I'm sick to my stomach, hiding shoving food in my mouth from others

This almost exactly. It's something I struggle with everyday. Grazing I would say is different (unless its uncontrollable and in abnormally large quantities). I definitely think they can coincide with each other though. A lot of times a little snack here or there for me turns into a binge and I can end up eating 2k/3k/4k in calories.

betuel75

like others have said, eating when im not hungry, shoveling it in until its uncomfortable and my stomach hurts but i still cant stop, constantly think of and looking for something else to eat. Usually for me it ends up being a 7k+ calories in a day. Had a two day binge of over 16k calories couple weeks ago. I go to sleep in pain. Then its 4 days of damage control...

demonelle

I used to be in a bad binge cycle. You have to break the habits and change your mindset over time. I found eating well prepared snacks that I can enjoy and planning my meals helped. Not removing too much of the things I enjoy. Not having a too large deficit helped me a lot. You have to just get into the habit of getting back on track as soon as possible.

Forgiving yourself and learning from every instance is important. Listening to your body after these binges, it most likely reacts quite badly when you check in with everything. Every time you say no to an opportunity to binge you get stronger everytime and reinforce breaking that habit.

One thing I have to say is, for me personally. I really enjoy doritos or a big bar of chocolate I can't usually just have a small bar or a small bag of them and I would rather actually plan to have the big size and make it fit. You often find it's just not worth making it fit and you have them much less often over time. I find if I have just a taste of these foods I will ultimately go and get more and my will power can go through the window. I have a day each week usually the day after my weigh in where I will eat my maintenance calories (I have a good dial in on this because I use a fitbit) and I will fit whatever I may have been craving in that set amount. It allows me a large portion of what I want but still a limit that is respectable that I can maintain when I reach maintenance. Hope this helps. x

Edit: I have also found on said maintenance days I actually rarely ever pick these foods anymore. I usually pick a good quality meal from a respectable restaurant instead.

SRH88

I would say a binge is eating more than I planned to, but in significant quantities and usually in a secretive fashion. eg polishing off a whole packet of biscuits and a big bag of chips, then disposing of the packaging in the outside bin so no one will know I ate them. I managed to get away from bingeing for a few years there, but have been slipping into old habits since starting a new job in March.

Bobbie63

Binge is eating 3-5000 calories in a day. This would be a package of fig newtons, a sleeve is a portion right? A few candy bars, a bag of donettes and all the regular food. It's eating with out regard to how much. Ive done alot of that and I hope to not do it any longer. But, come Oktoberfest, a schnitzel, a black forest piece of cake, an apple strudel, 2 liters of bier and a shot of schnapps later, I might be ready for a brat! *all rules are out the door ...well at least the bier rules.

jonrenly

All I can say is that when my ED was at its worst, and by that I mean severe, extreme calorie restriction for months at a time, I would spend every waking moment daydreaming about food and about what I would eat if only I felt like I was "allowed" to... and then, eventually, when I decided I just needed one day to eat a real meal, that meal turned into sitting in my room eating and eating and eating for hours straight, and never feeling full. I felt like I wanted to die, but I forgot what feeling full is like and to be honest I still can't really remember, even though I'm in recovery. Thats what bingeing means to me, in my own personal experience... making up for starving for so long by feeling like you NEED to have food in your mouth to even function... the idea of going more than an hour without consuming something to be unthinkable... and then after those few days of letting your food addiction completely destroy you, you let it destroy you in the opposite way by going back to starving yourself for weeks or months again.... and the cycle repeats