Soooo,....what do you think really constitutes a binge?

stephanne13

Just as the title says.. I started the day with biscuits and sausage gravy, sausage patties, & over easy eggs with a side of ketchup. Later on, a couple bites of cottage cheese, a little bit later, couple bites of homemade coleslaw (mostly on the low fat side..except for the sugar) some pretzel m&m's...which are pretty decent fat & calorie wise.. a low carb mission tortilla (with 13g of fiber, btw) with less than 2oz of jalapeño cheese sausage, .95oz of pepper jack cheese, and 1/2 tbsp of low fat spicy tomatillo guacamole, several (4-5) shots of titos, & 1 shot of sailor Jerry's spiced rum. Is this a binge, or a very once in a while Sat night? I mean, at least I don't have any ice cream in the house.. I've been really good with my workouts this week. I know I'll get back on track, and ultimately, I'm gonna say I'm not really sorry. I didn't log today, so I'm just putting it out there that this was my day.

Gallowmere1984

To me, a binge has nothing to do with quantities consumed. It's all about the loss of control with the intake, regardless of quantity. I have occasional days of 7000 calories or more, but it's done within the structure of what I am consuming overall.

cityruss

This is a really good question...

Binge is defined as;

"a period of excessive indulgence in an activity"

"an occasion when an activity is done in an extreme way"

"a period or bout, usually brief, of excessive indulgence"

"a brief period where you do too much of something"

I wonder at what point does "going over your calories" and overeating become a binge?

What is excessive, 100 calories over your goal? 1000 calories over, 10,000 calories over.

I've always equated a binge with a total loss of control and an all out smash every piece of food in the house in to my mouth type affair.

It would be interesting to hear from someone with a diagnosed binge eating disorder as to what point overeating turns in to a binge.

zyxst

cityruss wrote: »

I've always equated a binge with a total loss of control and an all out smash every piece of food in the house in to my mouth type affair.

Same. I'd call it binge when it's done in excess in a very short time.

Rincewind_1965

"Loss of control"
is something that I miss in the list.

cityruss

So...

"Oh dear, that lovely huge cheeseburger at lunch and that slab of chocolate cake at dinner has taken me way over my calories for the day" = overeating

"In the previous hour I have lost all sense of control and reason in regard to intake and eaten two tubs of Ben and jerrys, 4 giant white chocolate soft cookies, a tub of honeycomb crunch peanut butter, a packet of children's cereal with chocolate milk, and 4 toasted sandwiches made with jam, peanut butter, banana and bacon, I'm about to pop" = binge

Alatariel75

I agree with the above, a "binge" is as much to do with your mental state at the time as the amount you eat.

I can spend all day with my bestie cooking up a 4 course meal with appetisers and a cheese plate and eat until we can barely move, and that's not a binge.

But I can lose control, eat a pack of cookies, a couple of chocolate bars, a bag of nuts, a bunch of cheese... that's a binge, because the eating is compulsive and uncontrolled.

PixelPuff

I previously had Binge Eating Disorder, which I believed I had "fixed" when I began counting calories to lose my weight when obese.... Only for it to morph later to bulimia, which still has 'binges' in the issue.

Definitely defined by a lack of control in the overeating. And this isn't just an accidental splurge of a larger/calorific meal, this is... Mindless eating. Literally eating as quick as possible, as much as possible, it consuming you.

For me, that is a 'binge'. Incredibly hard to stop.

Rebecca0224

True binge eating is less about amount/type of food and is more about the mental state of the individuals. I can binge eat chips and candy just as easily as I can binge eat carrots and celery. I can binge eat til I'm vomiting and only consume 400 calories. Binge eating is about the compulsive behavior.

nrbutton

I can't even fathom the calories in some of my binges, not that I care when I'm in that self-destructive mindset and doesn't stop at "full". In fact I can reach the "I'm too full to eat anything else" and still not be satisfied. While I'm waiting for my body to process all the food I just bombarded it with, I could be planning what I'm going to indulge on when I can eat again.

I agree with other pp, it's the loss of control that really sets a binge apart from a normal relationship with food.