How do you define "binge?"
ab6046
Posts: 371 Member
What constitutes a "binge" for you? I think it varies a lot, so I would be curious to see what you have to say. For me, a binge:
- Involves a major loss of control
- Involves Intense feelings of guilt
- Involves very large quantities of foods
- Usually range from 3,500-12,000 calories give or take
- Are usually not confined to one episode. Like once I start for the day, I binge the rest of the day.
- Are very different from overeating
- Are not necessarily huge quantities of anything. For example, I could eat ten pounds of carrot and I would not considering it bingeing, although I would consider it to be eating more of that food than I should be.
I am a big believer in binges being subjective. When I struggled with anorexia, I often felt the way that I do now when I am bingeing when I would "binge" on two cantaloupes, for example. In my opinion, bingeing is far more about the feelings of guilt and especially the intense loss of control, and not so much the volume of food.
This is the link with the definition for binge eating according to NEDA: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/binge-eating-disorder
I did not mean for this to be so long-winded. What does a binge look and feel like for you?
- Involves a major loss of control
- Involves Intense feelings of guilt
- Involves very large quantities of foods
- Usually range from 3,500-12,000 calories give or take
- Are usually not confined to one episode. Like once I start for the day, I binge the rest of the day.
- Are very different from overeating
- Are not necessarily huge quantities of anything. For example, I could eat ten pounds of carrot and I would not considering it bingeing, although I would consider it to be eating more of that food than I should be.
I am a big believer in binges being subjective. When I struggled with anorexia, I often felt the way that I do now when I am bingeing when I would "binge" on two cantaloupes, for example. In my opinion, bingeing is far more about the feelings of guilt and especially the intense loss of control, and not so much the volume of food.
This is the link with the definition for binge eating according to NEDA: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/binge-eating-disorder
I did not mean for this to be so long-winded. What does a binge look and feel like for you?
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Replies
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The quantity of food varies for me, but for me, a binge always includes loss of control, major feelings of guilt afterwards, and an entire container of something (ice cream, chips, cookies, etc). Oh, and it always happens at night.
I have to keep reminding myself that two granola bars is NOT a binge, even if it does throw off my calories for the day. It used to be a lot worse. But whenever I find myself eating in the middle of the night, no matter what it is, it always feels like I can't control it and I always feel like crud the next day.0 -
For me it is this urge that I begin to feel growing in the back of my throat. It keeps growing and gaining power until I finally give in and break down, than anything I eat during that time frame I consider a binge. Basically where I feel like I have no control over what and how much I am eating.1
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It's hard for be to define binging because at the weight I am now, my maintenance calories are relatively high (~3500) due to my activity level but if I eat over 3000 it's usually due to binging. I've started binging on healthy stuff, which I'm not sure where to draw the line between overeating/binging....Binging puts me between 3000 and 8000 (new all time high) for the day, I never really add up what was binging and what wasn't but if I start early in the day it doesn't stop. It's like I get one taste of something "bad" and then I'm out of control. I'm just stuffing my face and it's really rare that I ever feel full, just super guilty. I've eaten thousands of calories in minutes but still not felt full.0
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If my eating is emotional, it's a binge. When I eat because I'm hungry, then I will eat and stop. If it's a binge, there does not seemto be a finish line. A binge, for me, can be as few as 500 calories. It's eating that is out of control. I stood in the kitchen last night towards the end of my binge and thought, "You don't have to do this. You CAN stop." And then I crammed another hot dog in my mouth.
It's not just about the volume of food, it's my frame of mind, my stress level, my level of "on". As in, am I feeling, tasting, enjoying this food or am I eating by rote?
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It is the feeling of not being in control when I eat. I sit there watching myself almost like an outsider, not having the power to stop shoveling food into my mouth. Or when I hide in secret shame in my car or late at night, or lie about what I had eaten, then I know it is a binge. Basically when I am ashamed of what I ate and do not want to tell people.
Which reminds me I have to go share something on the daily check in. BRB0 -
For me a binge is also about the loss of control. Negativity builds up in my mind and I convince myself the only way to stop the thoughts is to eat. Then it's like a train deraiing, I can't stop. I scramble to eat anything and everything I can find in the house. Sometimes I even pack up my child and drive to the store or a drive thru. Most of the time I am not even tasting the foods I'm eating. I totally disconnect from myself. It's not really about quantity to me, though a binge for me rarely comes in under 2000 calories.0
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Msty, it's frightening. It really is. While in the middle of it, I am usually not thinking about what I am eating. I'm thinking of what I can eat next. I'm totally checked out. Then when it's over, I feel physically ill and just so ashamed, disappointed, and defeated.
I don't like any of those feelings. None of them. But it's where I turn to escape. I need to find a new escape.0 -
When my cravings cannot be satisfied. Ex. One time I ate an entire box of Italian wedding cookies, then downed 3 lox + bagel sandwiches.0
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For me binges almost always follow the same pattern.
-healthy breakfast
-pre packed reasonably healthy lunch
-get home from work and plan on a snack of fruit and cheese or something similar
-proceed to eat a dozen cookies, a quarter block of cheese, peanut butter out of the jar, olives in an attempt to solve the craving, yogurt because "maybe some protein and fat will help", and other random bites of things while I cook supper for my family that I eat as well. I usually end up in pain but still wanting to eat.
It is usually after a busy work day when I am tired but I am not sure how to solve this. When the kids are in school I move directly onto a walk/run/workout to distract myself, but I have to spend some time with them if I get home and they have beat me here. I cannot just move on and ignore them and that seems to get my mind out of routine.0 -
youngmomtaz - this is exactly what I go through but I go through it after dinner. It's so frustrating.0
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And it is so defeating because my goal is to do the workout or walk later in an effort to have time with my family. I don't want tho exclude them from time together because I have to go do something that they don't enjoy. But in reality how connected am I when all I am thinking about is food, how to get it, and how to avoid the kids seeing my disfunction? All in a effort to have them grow up "normal". Thankfully summer is close and we can all go bike riding again. Two birds-one stone!0
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Like with most things the definition of an individual's binge is on a sliding scale. A slim healthy person who generally eats healthy may call an extra serving of chips a binge. For someone like me who has been known to consume over 20'000 calories within hours in one long binge session the definition changes a bit. If I were to eat an extra serving of chips I would not call that a binge, I would call it a warning sign that maybe I might spiral in to binge eating. For me a binge is eating 2 days worth of food or more in one day or eating a whole days worth of food in one sitting and it being junk food that I have usually hastily acquired and ram down my throat at great speed barely tasting it.0
