Binge eating - what is it and have you had experience with it?

minimyzeme

@Jimb376mfp mentioned the term "binge eating" in the LTL yesterday. It's a term I was not really familiar with until the last few months. I've seen it quite a bit in scrolling through Connect and a couple weeks ago a woman in our meeting said she was a binge eater.

As a scientist, I know that common names of trees, plants, animals, etc. can be confusing and lead to further confusion. My sister has taken a recent interest in various tree species and we go around and around because she does not know genus and species (aka Latin name) for the trees she's often curious about. Common names are OK, but there's usually more than one (often several) for the same tree thus they are really of limited value when trying to positively ID a certain tree.

I wonder if the same can be said for the term binge eating. When I've looked that one up, it seems pretty specific to a set of behaviors that are well outside the norm. Overstuffing at a meal would not seem to qualify as binge eating or at the minimum would be at the very low end of the spectrum.

I got curious about it with some of my own behavior because there are times I catch myself eating but being mindful, realize I'm just sort of driven to eat, but it has absolutely nothing to do with appetite or hunger. It's like I'm on auto-pilot unless and until I catch myself and pull myself off the track. I've come to realize that if I'm in that mode, stress or anxiety is usually at the heart of it. It's been really interesting to break it down and see what's going on. While it can feel out of control, I don't think I've ever reached the point of "binge eating" as per contemporary medical explanations of the term. Binge eating to me sounds like an extreme behavior that is very difficult to reign in. Mine doesn't meet that test.

The woman in my class who characterized herself as a binge eater talked about eating massive amounts of food in a very short time to the point of being so full she got sick and threw up almost every day . That seems to be more in line with the definitions I've read. I'm pleased for her that with the structure of WW and a therapist, she seems to be bringing that behavior under control.

If you're comfortable sharing your understanding and experience with binge eating, I'm really curious about it.

RedSassyPants

I am a recovering Binge eater. For the most part I am better, meaning I currently have it under control. However, I am very well aware that similar to an addict, I can easily fall off the wagon if the right set of circumstances present themselves

For me, it has to do with eating massive amounts of food UNTIL I make myself sick.
Then, I might actually go back for more and do it all over again.
This could go on night after night UNTIL the dehydration it can cause triggered a migraine which would send me into the ER (more for the dehydration than the headache)
This trip would typically snap me out of the cycle and I would fine until the next time I lost control. That could be months...sometimes years.

Yes, I have spoken to a professional about it. I have identified my triggers. I have distractions and diversions ready.

I'm in a great place now, and even though I sometimes eat MUCH more than I should,
I do not feel like I am tied to a runaway train.

I hope that answers your questions.
Please feel free to message me if you (or anyone) wants more information.

Al_Howard

Over eater, yes. Binge eater no.
I get in enough trouble with overeating.

Jimb376mfp

A couple weeks ago I ate a whole ocontainer of. Frozen SF Cool Whip! That was my Binge. As I ate it I felt guilty but told myself COUNT THE POINTS! I did and I won’t be doing that again.

I see my former bad eating habits as Mindless Eating, a term I learned here on GOAD. I could easily eat a large package of M&M Peanuts while watching TV. During Sunday football season I would prepare large amounts of food and stuff myself. I guess that could be considered a mini binge?

I quit drinking beer in 2005, I realized I had become a Binge Drinker. I read an article about drinking large amounts in a short period of time. They were talking about college kids but I knew that was me! I drank to get drunk. Not to be sociable. I quit drinking 12/31/2004,

But I did not control my overeating until joining WW ( again) in 2013. During those nine years I tried WW, saw a Dietitian, a Nutritionist and would lose/gain weight but I never changed my Lifestyle. I think when I hit the minus 100 Lb mark in 2015 I knew I had to keep going, never quit WW like in my past. At age 67 I finally changed!

So I have quit Binge Drinking and my one recent binge eating episode is not something I will repeat.

goldenfrisbee

No binge eating but continually snacking after dinner is what slowly puts the pounds back on.

Jerdtrmndone

I will eat my meal and a short time later be looking for something else. Some times I walk away, and sometimes I will eat even though I am not hungry. I don't make my self sick to the point of being sick, but I do feel awful. I use to eat massive amount's of food till I joined WW. My control is way better but not good enough and I could try harder.
The support here gets my mind to think more before I indulge and what my consequences may be.

minimyzeme

Thanks for your responses everyone. I think this is an interesting and honestly "sobering" topic for me. This thread confirms my suspicion that not everyone who talks about "binge eating" is really doing that. It also helps me establish that I don't do it. At the same time, I have more empathy for those who do really binge eat (or drink). I'll consider myself lucky and wish those who do continued success dealing with it.

Out_of_Bubblegum

I don't binge... Though I have been known to eat when not really hungry, or to eat some really large meals from time to time... it's nothing on the same magnitude as someone with binge eating disorder.

I have a person on my FL who is a binge eater.. he recently went through a bout, and was 100% honest and upfront about what was going on, what he was eating, and the downward spiral as it happened, and ... I have never seen anything like that before. He would go through 5000 cal meals, complain about how miserable he feels and how disgusted he is with himself, then post later in the same day that he ate another 6000 in less than 30 min.

Nothing anybody said or did could stop the spiral once it caught hold of him... Most of the people on his FL just abandoned him, and de-friended him rather than watch the self-destructive behavior.... at one point I realized that nothing people said would have an effect, so sent a message that I'd be here for him when he's ready, and let it be... and eventually it ran it's course.


He added 40 lb in just over 30 days to his body, and went up a shirt size and 3" on the waist... it was unreal.
Fortunately he did managed to find a bottom of that slide and is now working hard to undo the damage he did... and unfortunately though many people have talked to him about it, he does not seem to want to get professional help to learn how to manage it.

minimyzeme

Thanks for adding this @bwmalone . With all the eat-to-numb eating I've done, I feel fortunate it never transformed into something of this magnitude. What an eye-opener.

podkey

Very sobering. Yes I have eaten way too much but not binge. Hugs all around . My ddil had eating disorder when younger for sure. Extremely fit and races bikes these days but does occasional juice cleanses and doesn't weigh herself.

misterhub

Yes. I still have an issue from time to time. Mostly, it is under control.

Rachel0778

I was in out-patient eating disorder treatment for 6 months so sadly I know binge eating disorder very well. You are right, it is not the same as just overeating. I used to use it as a self soothing mechanism, but the soothing properties were temporary, but the feelings of shame and discomfort lasted long after.

My binge eating was often characterized my eating mass amounts of food in a short amount of time until I literally could not eat anymore. The "stuffed" feeling and the act of eating helped as a distraction because I had to focus on the physical discomfort and not the emotional discomfort that I was avoiding.

My binge eating was also "secret eating". I wouldn't do this around other people and I would hide the evidence of how much I ate because I was ashamed over my lack of control.

Happily my treatment was very effective and I've only had a handful of binges since I graduated treatment several years ago

minimyzeme

Thanks @misterhub and @rachel0778.