Binging. Am I doing it right?

nowine4me

I say this tounge-in-cheek, because it's not my goal or desire to binge. Nor am I sure if what I do even qualifies. Is binging what you eat, how much you eat or how fast you eat? Maybe a little of all three? Are foods like yogurt, dried fruit or protein bars "binge" foods? If so, then at what calorie threshold?

Sp1tfire

In a disorder sense, binging is:


Characteristics

A unique characteristic of binge eating disorder is that the person eats large amounts of food in a short period of time and feels a sense of loss of control while eating. Most people overeat every now and then, and it’s not uncommon to feel occasionally that you’ve eaten more than you needed to. However, binge eating disorder is characterised by continuing to eat even when feeling uncomfortably full, on a regular basis, often alone and in secret, and is accompanied by a sense of shame and guilt. Bingeing often happens during times of stress, anger, boredom or distress, and is used as a way of coping with difficult emotions.
Common signs

Some of the common signs of binge eating disorder are:

feeling that your eating is out of control eating what most people would consider to be a large amount of food on a regular basis eating to the point of feeling uncomfortable eating large amounts of food, even when you’re not really hungry being secretive about what you eat and when feeling embarrassed by the amount of food you’ve eaten feeling disgusted, depressed or guilty about overeating.


According to ReachOut Australia.

diannethegeek

Binging has taken on a lot of different meanings, many of them are more colloquial and stray further and further from the original clinical definitions these days. But for me, binging is far more about the mindset than about the type of foods or how much. For me, I don't consider it a binge unless I don't feel in control of my own body any more. It's an almost out-of-body experience where I want to stop, I'm begging myself to stop because I feel awful (not just oh geez I ate too much but more my body cannot physically keep holding this much food), but I keep putting more food in my body. Again just for me, binging feels more like self-harm than overeating. I've binged on peanut butter, carrot sticks, protein bars, and fried eggs when that's all that's in the house. I've made poor choices when dieting and I've overeaten many times, sometimes too quickly, sometimes on foods that weren't even tasty. But nothing compared to my first binge where I was sitting on the floor of my kitchen, eating whatever I could find, and crying because I couldn't stop myself.

kommodevaran

The way I read the clinical definition, I would have qualified for long periods in my life. But I have never had an eating diorder or gotten any treatment for my disordered eating, I fixed it myself by reading and logging and discussing. So I feel Dianne's personal account is more on the point and describes how it really is to have an eating disorder. ED must be diagnosed and treated by professionals.

Hungry_Shopgirl

diannethegeek wrote: »

Again just for me, binging feels more like self-harm than overeating.

^^^This. Very well said.

kommodevaran

Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

Again just for me, binging feels more like self-harm than overeating.

^^^This. Very well said.

It is. But I experienced that too, regularly, and I didn't have an ED.

Hungry_Shopgirl

kommodevaran wrote: »

Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

Again just for me, binging feels more like self-harm than overeating.

^^^This. Very well said.

It is. But I experienced that too, regularly, and I didn't have an ED.

You experienced symptoms that are related to an ED but did not have an ED. Maybe you just had an undiagnosed ED?

Just asking, by the way, not implying that you did. I've never been diagnosed with an ED either but I've definitely experienced what diannethegeek is describing.

kommodevaran

Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

Again just for me, binging feels more like self-harm than overeating.

^^^This. Very well said.

It is. But I experienced that too, regularly, and I didn't have an ED.

You experienced symptoms that are related to an ED but did not have an ED. Maybe you just had an undiagnosed ED?

Just asking, by the way, not implying that you did. I've never been diagnosed with an ED either but I've definitely experienced what diannethegeek is describing.

I think there is a range from "normal eating" to "full blown ED", so that whether it's a disorder or just a nuisance, depends on how much the total symptoms affect the person, quality of life, his or her daily life and general functioning. I also think that eating problems rooted in body image or self esteem issues will be harder to solve, than just wanting to eat but feearing good taste, which was my reason for obsessive overeating. In my mind, a disorder needs treatment, a misunderstanding just needs education to fix. When I realized I was eating compulsively (I was harming myself, but not punishing myself, with eating, I that makes a difference too), I didn't just love sweet and salty and fatty treats too much, I could stop. When I realized I could eat whatever I wanted, as long as I didn't eat too much, I didn't have any reason to overeat anymore.

nowine4me

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I don't believe I have an ED, but I also dont any harm in seeking the help of a therapist. Binging and poor sleep quality are very closely tied in my case. And even the weather sometimes.

dawn_westbury

As a binge eater, it is pretty much all of the above and usually isn’t yogurt etc. it’s a feeling of “I’m so pissed off if I don’t eat a Whopper then a Big Mac, Chinese then a box of Poptarts I’m going to murder someone”. Then as your eating it all there is a this sigh of relief followed by wtf am I doing!!! And you NEVER eat a box of Twinkes in front of anyone, you will have 1 so show you’re capable of being in control but secretly your sneaking 6 more to eat when your alone! It sucks!

Niki_Fitz

Does it feel out of control? Irrational? Much like self-harm (well said, @diannethegeek)? Then I would say it's bingeing.

GottaBurnEmAll

I've had disinhibited eating that felt just "off the rails", but never felt like self-harm. Just like self-sabotage.

So I've never considered myself to have BED. Just some issues that needed sorting.

For me, the problem was an issue of macro balance (one time I wasn't getting enough starch, another I wasn't eating enough fat), and another issue I'm still dealing with is trying to find a balance with activity. I need to learn to rest better.

When I do everything right, I don't go "off the rails".

The thing is, I don't always do everything right.

Niki_Fitz

I can relate. Certain things get me out of balance and this is when I've historically had trouble with bingeing.