What qualifies as "binge eating"?

HealthyHappy619

So I frequently see people referring to "binge eaters/eating". Is there a consensus on what qualifies as a binge? I tend to have a few days each week where I go over my calorie goals by a significant amount. I don't worry about it too much since I get back to a healthier lifestyle after a day or two (and most importantly I am still losing), but I was wondering if this pattern qualifies as periodic binge eating...

Kalikel

No consensus. To some people, it means you must eat a TON of food. Some go by the type of food. Some go by amount. Some go with calories and there are different totals there. Anorexics might be devastated by their binge if they ate 1300 calories.

No one definition.

InfoomaousTete

For myself, I consider binge eating any time I go over maintenance calories for more than a few days. I have had weeks, months and years of binge eating and that is why I am here...lol.

janejellyroll

Official definition:

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal.
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa."[5]

DeguelloTex

It often involves claiming to be out of control when eating. There's not a sufficiently specific general definition used here, so far as I can tell.

dawnna76

for me binge eating is when i have an oncontrollable appitite. the days where all you do is eat all day long, i usually go over calories by 1000+ calories on those days. it will be look something like breakfast of eggs and toast, then a little later cereal, then a little later chips, then a little later lunch, then a burger, ...........and so one. it literally is unctrolable eating. your full but you cant stop. it happens to me every couple months. when in the moment i know its wrong but yet i cant seem to keep my cool and literally eat all day

Unknown

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magerum

janejellyroll wrote: »

Official definition:

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal.
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa."[5]

I guess I have a binge eating disorder. Fortunately my exercise disorder balances the scale.

#goldfishlyfe

HealthyHappy619

Thanks for the input all!

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magerum

shell1005 wrote: »

magerum wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Official definition:

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal.
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa."[5]

I guess I have a binge eating disorder. Fortunately my exercise disorder balances the scale.

#goldfishlyfe

Most people can't and shouldn't self diagnose.

minties82

I have had binge eating disorder for 18 years. For me it is:

Uncontrollable and overwhelming need to eat and eat and eat
Doing it in secret
Feelings of self hate and loathing
A period following the binge where you fast or plan to make up for it in some way
Panicking at any little amount of food over your alloted amount
Obsessive counting of hours or days between binges
A binge can also last days, it's not always just one huge meal

For me these are the "highlights".

MamaBirdBoss

magerum wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Official definition:

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal.
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa."[5]

I guess I have a binge eating disorder. Fortunately my exercise disorder balances the scale.

#goldfishlyfe

I don't binge, butttttt goldfish? Yeah, I'll eat 2000 cal of goldfish for 2 days instead of any other food....

Goldfish are the devil. LOL. I don't buy them!

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85Cardinals

An official binge has at least 1000 calories consumed within 4 hours.

lautour

So a milkshake?

MakePeasNotWar

85Cardinals wrote: »

An official binge has at least 1000 calories consumed within 4 hours.

How is that a binge? For many active men, that's "a meal". I eat an 1100 calorie seitan club sandwich sometimes; is that a binge, even though it fits my calories and I am in no way out of control or ashamed?

Where did you get this definition?

999tigger

Already highlighted that for me there would be an out of control element for a significant amount of calories, so a bing would really be 2000 and more likely 3000+ calories. Anything less is just a bit of overeating or a pizza. A truly out of control binge would last for a sustained period.

Calling it a binge when you are still within your calorific allowance or its less than 500 or even 1000 calories is ridiculous imo, but soemthing you often see on MFP. People are all too ready to demonise or over dramatise their food consumption.

Timorous_Beastie

MakePeasNotWar wrote: »

85Cardinals wrote: »

An official binge has at least 1000 calories consumed within 4 hours.

How is that a binge? For many active men, that's "a meal". I eat an 1100 calorie seitan club sandwich sometimes; is that a binge, even though it fits my calories and I am in no way out of control or ashamed?

Where did you get this definition?

I'm not a man, but a 1000 calorie meal isn't all that unusual for me, either.

rosebette

Does that mean if you go out to dinner and have a big meal at a restaurant, it's a binge? Many restaurant meals are well over 1000 calories. (Check out the calorie counts at the major chains!) If a binge is eating 1000 calories more than you need for the day, than someone like me would be "bingeing" if I ate 2200 calories in an entire day.

Zombieinkpot

A binge, for me, is usually gathering a large quantity of food which I eat as quickly as possible in secret, usually to the point of feeling so sick that it is difficult to force the food in. My logged binges range from 1000 - 6000 + calories eaten in about 30 minutes. It has nothing to do with hunger. Obviously feelings of self loathing, uncontrollable behaviour and subsequent restricting apply.

fulltimelife

janejellyroll wrote: »

Official definition:

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal.
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa."[5]

For me, exactly this. Life-long. Currently two months without binge, but it lurks in my mental shadows. I feel its presence, and I keep ducking around the corner trying to stay ahead of it. Thanks for finding the textbook definition, think I will add it to my profile.

Zombieinkpot

fulltimelife wrote: »

For me, exactly this. Life-long. Currently two months without binge, but it lurks in my mental shadows. I feel its presence, and I keep ducking around the corner trying to stay ahead of it. Thanks for finding the textbook definition, think I will add it to my profile.

Congrats, that's some achievement. I'm ten days without binging today.

fulltimelife

Zombieinkpot wrote: »

fulltimelife wrote: »

For me, exactly this. Life-long. Currently two months without binge, but it lurks in my mental shadows. I feel its presence, and I keep ducking around the corner trying to stay ahead of it. Thanks for finding the textbook definition, think I will add it to my profile.

Congrats, that's some achievement. I'm ten days without binging today.

Thanks. I'm not sure how I've gone this long. It hasn't been too hard on me (I don't know why?!), so I am rolling with it as long as I can. However, I flirted with it a couple of times, and felt like a warrior for bypassing it somehow- it felt like that much of a victory! Good for you on ten days. Knowing what it is like, that too is an achievement.

FatStephanie15

janejellyroll wrote: »

Official definition:

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal.
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa."[5]

^^ That is pretty dead on my normal behavior. For years and years. It is without a doubt completely out of control.

jvs125

I try to always stay a bit under my calorie goal, which I easily accomplish when I workout (resting now due to injury so my workouts are less intense and shorter, burning less cals)... These days, not working out, I usually manage to stay at my goal or slightly above but still at a deficit. To me, whenever I eat above maintenance level is what I consider "bingeing".. Because it's a lot of food compared to my usual day.

Usually happens days prior to TOM...

Merkavar

I have wondered the same.

I see people claim they binged but remained under their calories. And it got me confused.

minties82

I think a binge is not the same as a binge eating disorder. The word gets thrown around a lot.