over eating vs binge eating

skinnylove00

so many people talk about binge eating but actually they are just overeating...i have heard stories about people binge eating 15,000 calories at a time (dr. phil episode) now THATS a lot!

so what are YOUR personal definitions of both over eating and binge eating?

beckajw

Overeating--I have a third slice of pizza, then stop eating. I have a second helping of dinner, then stop eating. I've gone over my calories (not just dieting calories, but normal daily calories), but I recognize the feeling of fullness and stop.

Binge eating--I have a third, fourth, fifth slice of pizza, finish off the bag of doritos and the bag of oreos. Eat the jar of walnuts, then the box of wheat thins while dipping them in the jar of peanut butter. The wheat thins are gone, so I just scoop the peanut butter out of the jar. Once that's gone, I grab a handful of chocolate chips and start to feel sick, and out of it and realize I need to sleep. Usually wake up the next day with empty boxes and bags scattered around the kitchen.

MzMiller1215

Overeating--I have a third slice of pizza, then stop eating. I have a second helping of dinner, then stop eating. I've gone over my calories (not just dieting calories, but normal daily calories), but I recognize the feeling of fullness and stop.

Binge eating--I have a third, fourth, fifth slice of pizza, finish off the bag of doritos and the bag of oreos. Eat the jar of walnuts, then the box of wheat thins while dipping them in the jar of peanut butter. The wheat thins are gone, so I just scoop the peanut butter out of the jar. Once that's gone, I grab a handful of chocolate chips and start to feel sick, and out of it and realize I need to sleep. Usually wake up the next day with empty boxes and bags scattered around the kitchen.

Whoa! Very descriptive scenario! Glad I've never done that before.

Namaste1983

I think it varies. Some days I will eat so clean and lean and then at midnight i wake up ravenous and will make two rice cakes with peanut butter, banana and honey which puts me at around 5-600 over my calorie goal. I haven't had a full binge in a while. I used to go to Mcdonalds and get 2 double cheeseburgers, a chicken sandwhich, fries and a soda. Thank god it's been almost 2 years since that. To me over eating is going over cals for the day or volume eating. Binge eating is 1,000+ cals in a very quick time frame with the emotional damage that accompanies it. This is only my take on it.

omgitsgarry

I agree. Binge eating, to me, is the soul purpose and intent of eating a ton of food either because you are board/hormonal/upset or all of the above. I use to call that left over night. I'd clean the fridge out of leftovers, then I'd descend on the pantry and eat as much junk food without drawling the attention of someone upstairs. I'd be ashamed of it. Over eating is something you do on holidays or when company comes over, but you don't really do it on purpose. I also am not really ashamed of it, unless I do it to often. Two different frames of minds, yet the same effects.

akaChuck

Overeating--I have a third slice of pizza, then stop eating. I have a second helping of dinner, then stop eating. I've gone over my calories (not just dieting calories, but normal daily calories), but I recognize the feeling of fullness and stop.

Binge eating--I have a third, fourth, fifth slice of pizza, finish off the bag of doritos and the bag of oreos. Eat the jar of walnuts, then the box of wheat thins while dipping them in the jar of peanut butter. The wheat thins are gone, so I just scoop the peanut butter out of the jar. Once that's gone, I grab a handful of chocolate chips and start to feel sick, and out of it and realize I need to sleep. Usually wake up the next day with empty boxes and bags scattered around the kitchen.

Agreed.

Huskeryogi

Overeating--I have a third slice of pizza, then stop eating. I have a second helping of dinner, then stop eating. I've gone over my calories (not just dieting calories, but normal daily calories), but I recognize the feeling of fullness and stop.

Binge eating--I have a third, fourth, fifth slice of pizza, finish off the bag of doritos and the bag of oreos. Eat the jar of walnuts, then the box of wheat thins while dipping them in the jar of peanut butter. The wheat thins are gone, so I just scoop the peanut butter out of the jar. Once that's gone, I grab a handful of chocolate chips and start to feel sick, and out of it and realize I need to sleep. Usually wake up the next day with empty boxes and bags scattered around the kitchen.

I agree with this also.

Another factor for me. I tend to overeat when I'm at a gathering with other people. All the food is good and well prepared so I want to try some of everything.

Binge eating is when I'm at home in front of the TV by myself and it's trigger foods - grasshopper cookies, mac and cheese, tostitos, etc.

Biggirllittledreams

so many people talk about binge eating but actually they are just overeating...i have heard stories about people binge eating 15,000 calories at a time (dr. phil episode) now THATS a lot!

so what are YOUR personal definitions of both over eating and binge eating?

I go by the definitions over-eating and binge eating, as they are medically defined.

Over-eating is eating more than you intend to.
Binge eating is over-eating, caused by reasons outside of your physiological hunger.

sarafischbach9

A "binge" is relative. To some people with an eating disorder, a binge might just be a couple cookies ( which may amount to 300 calories ). To everyone else, a binge is 15,000 calories worth of food.

To me, overeating is just eating till you are very very full and then stopping. Like let's say you are normally content at stopping at 2 slices of pizza. Maybe you eat 3 slices of pizza, a few cheesy breads, and a little bit of salad. To me, overeating is just when you feel stuffed, but it's nothing that a good night's rest can't fix. And it doesn't have any long term effects of weight; only if you do it everyday. The water weight you gain from a night out overeating will be gone the next morning and you feel normal again.

Binging is when you eat and eat and eat and can't stop. When I had an eating disorder, I would go on massive binges that would amount to 3000 calories in one sitting ( ending up with 5000 calories total for the day, because I would have had normal foods during the day ). One time it was an entire cheesecake and a few packages of poptarts. Other times it might just be regular foods--- one after another. Usually binges are a large amount of calories consumed in a short amount of time. If you eat a day's worth of calories ( let's say 2200 ) in just a half hour, then that would be a binge, even if you feel guilty and dont eat the rest of the day, or eat lightly teh rest of the day. ( I do not have problems with binge eating and purging anymore. This was a very very long time ago... circa 2006! )

Overeating is just eating an extra slice of pizza, or eating an extra dessert, and then stopping. But when you binge, you don't stop. It's one thing after another.

carolann_22

I go by the definitions over-eating and binge eating, as they are medically defined.

Over-eating is eating more than you intend to.
Binge eating is over-eating, caused by reasons outside of your physiological hunger.

I agree with this - I've overeaten and been way over my goal, I had a small binge the other evening and I still managed to end up UNDER my calorie goal (I was active ALL day, and didn't get to eat much until dinner) - but I was still stuffing my face with 2 donuts, jellybeans and 2 bowls of cereal (after 2 sensible slices of pizza for dinner) that had NOTHING to do with hunger and everything to do with stress because of a change of plan.

BetesBitch

Over eating to me is just going over a couple hundred calories above daily goal. Binging is when I eat really good and clean all day then say end up with a low blood sugar (T1 diabetic) and treat that but it's still not working fast enough so I go and eat 2 chocolate bars, couple poptarts, big bag of ketchup chips and some hard candies. Wash it all down with Diet Coke. Ooops!!! Now like 2000calories over TDEE for the day. I am never going to do this again. That's what Im telling myself every day.

JoRocka

so many people talk about binge eating but actually they are just overeating...i have heard stories about people binge eating 15,000 calories at a time (dr. phil episode) now THATS a lot!

so what are YOUR personal definitions of both over eating and binge eating?

I go by the definitions over-eating and binge eating, as they are medically defined.

Over-eating is eating more than you intend to.
Binge eating is over-eating, caused by reasons outside of your physiological hunger.

for working definitions- this is how I see it.

But that being said- I have no problem SAYING I went over board and binged on pizza this weekend- or at all you can eat and I "binged"
but for me personally in that instance- binging means I ate WAY over and beyond-

I have no problem with over eating- typically that's manageable for me- but in my life- there are days when I over eat- and then there are days when I OVER eat- and for me- I refer to that as a binge- while knowing that's not the official word... it's just more applicable than saying I over ate- because that just doesn't over it.

1pandabear

so many people talk about binge eating but actually they are just overeating...i have heard stories about people binge eating 15,000 calories at a time (dr. phil episode) now THATS a lot!

so what are YOUR personal definitions of both over eating and binge eating?

I go by the definitions over-eating and binge eating, as they are medically defined.

Over-eating is eating more than you intend to.
Binge eating is over-eating, caused by reasons outside of your physiological hunger.

Helpful!

mike_ny

The only difference to me is frequency.

Overeating is something many people do on a regular basis, whether that's every day or weekends or whatever. Binge eating is compressing that into a single sitting.

So, overeating is having that extra piece of cake you know you don't need, but binge eating is eating the entire cake and following it up with a tub of ice cream.

SoosannahK

My last memorable binge: A whole pack of golden oreos dipped in coffee in under 5 mins, one right after the other. (This is just under 2000 cals)

I was trying to quit smoking. Binges like these were a common occurance for me almost every day for a few weeks. This time around with the quitting I got a handle on my eating, got some medications to help quit and haven't had a binge at all and I am 2 months smoke free. I was channeling all my anxiety into food. Going to Walmart used to trigger binges too. Couple bags of mini donuts on the way home to relieve the stress and anxiety of my social anxiety disorder. Thankfully I have gotten better about that too.

That was last summer and haven't had binges like that since. Have had plenty of episodes of overeating and just feeling plain miserable though.

Binges for me are emotion related. Overeating is just because the food is so darned good or I am really hungry and eat too fast.