mini rant for those of you who "binge"

ebgbjo

I find it sad that anyone here would belittle someone else's feelings on what they consider a "binge" just because it doesn't line up with their "binge".

I am in college to become a Registered Dietitian and have never learned about binge eating being tied to an amount of calories one must surpass in order for it to be a "binge" It is about compulsive overeating which can vary from person to person, whether it be 400 calories or 4K and generally happens for at least half a year or more a couple times a week and the "binge" is due to an external stimulus (angry, sad, bored, happy), but not because you are actually hungry

Someones 500 calorie binge could have consisted from going from twinkies, chips, cookies and a whole other mix of food. I have had my own battle of binge eating, when I was younger, eating cramming everything I could find within 30mins into my face and then not eating for two or three days. It isn't pretty, but I would never tell someone else that their issues with food are not as important as mine. How childish

ThinUpGirl

Bump for later

suziecue66

Do most huge binges involve purging?

Most that say binged a whole box of cereal go over their calorie amounts for the day but don't usually purge?

cjpg

When you look at another person in this life it's important to accept them for who they are. When you project your personal past experiences onto their actions you are condemning it without seeing it for what it is - one single person's act.

The unfortunate truth is you appear the type of person to project your own sensitivities into many aspects of your life. This does not make you 'crazy', 'right' or 'wrong' - it is simply the core of the problem here.

Do not project your past experiences onto other people's actions that stem from their personality. It's called a personality for a reason - specific to each person.

moniquelessard

I couldn't agree more. I binge on at least 3000 in the least (in one sitting). 500 calories is nothing. So shut the **** up if you don't know what it really means to binge.

you obviously didn't read any of the actual intellectual responses in this thread. I'm embarrassed for you..

animatorswearbras

I wouldn't get wound up too much about the word binge, it's just people throwing around a descriptive word that's not meant to take away anything from anyone else. It's just the strongest word they think of to describe their situation. Have you never over exagerrated? "My foot is killing me" "I'm such an imbecile" (or worse) "I look like a cow today" (ever said that and a larger friend of yours has rolled their eyes at you) dya see what I mean.

I do consider myself a binger and I've had 3-4k a day binges and less than a thousand cal binges, these are easily done if you've made an entire stockpot of low cal soup to do you a few days then end up binging on the entire thing till you can't move, just caus the entire pot is under a thousand doesn't mean anything it just means that now I'm dieting my binges tend to go on low cal food, because I don't keep high cal junk in the house because I know what I'm like. However I don't really give a damn if people use the word to describe a couple of donuts, we all do it.

LiddyBit

Do most huge binges involve purging?

Most that say binged a whole box of cereal go over their calorie amounts for the day but don't usually purge?

No, absolutely not. In fact, binge eating disorder is its own separate DSM diagnosis from bulimia (which is binging with purging).

suziecue66

Do most huge binges involve purging?

Most that say binged a whole box of cereal go over their calorie amounts for the day but don't usually purge?

No, absolutely not. In fact, binge eating disorder is its own separate DSM diagnosis from bulimia (which is binging with purging).

Thanks for answering.

kissedbytheocean

just putting this out there to set the record straight; it makes my skin crawl to see some people logging a 400 calorie snack attack as a an "OMG massive, disgusting, binge." there is a DIFFERENCE between someone who overeats a few hundred cals (usually because theyre depriving themselves) and someone who gorges themselves on a few THOUSAND calories because of emotional reasons. for someone like myself who's had 3k-5k emotional and horribly compulsive binges, its a slap in the face when i see people who call these ~under 1000 calorie meals~ "binges." its just overeating. i feel like theyre totally misinformed, saying they have a problem that is actually very serious for other people.

am i crazy or am i right? i see it time and time again.....

I don't agree. For me, a binge is very much emotionally defined. If I feel like uncontrollably eating 400 calories of cheese or peanut butter, or 1500 calories of healthy food in one sitting and feel the usual guilty, self-hating feelings after either, I qualify them both as a binge. Sure there's a difference in calories consumed, but not in the psychological aspect.

I hate when people try to own eating disorders and make them exclusive, like when you can't be considered "anorexic" if you have a healthy BMI.

And I think it's very telling if you (and anyone else who feels the same as you) are offended by other people having a "small" binge, I think that comes from your illness as well, because when I was bulimic I would probably agree with that, but now that I'm recovered, my perspective has changed.

This ^ ^ ^

fatchiick

Op you come off a little defensive like you own binge eating lol its quite odd...

I binged yesterday had about 2000 cals and it was only 5 items.. they were just calorie dense... so my question is it truly the amount of food or the cals....

I personally consider eating at 4am a drumstick(ice cream), ruffles and a turkey sandwhich a binge.. because of the amount of food consumed throught the day... even though I'm straving that 4th or 5th meal is a binge for me...

When you feel like you have very little control and don't care what you eat, you just want ur stomach full.. whether its 5 pounds and only 300 cals or 1 ounce and 1,000 cals, I feel like that's a binge or even as the Op says eating pounds of food which results in lots of cals lol e.g a large pizza with the works, wings and breadsticks..or panda express with 5 choices and egg rolls, shrimp and large drink on tje side....now I'm hungry lmao

Heyman09

Didn't realize the amount of calories someone is over directly correlates with your weight loss...

And for the record...I feel like *kitten* when I eat 2000 extra calories just like I feel like *kitten* when I eat 500 extra calories. And it's not emotional for me. It's an addiction to junk food which I'm fully aware of and doing my best to work through. But judging other people because they aren't binging as much as you are is just flat out stupid.

I totally agree with you!!! I mean sometimes you have to binge and it doesn't matter how much over you are.

kdeaux1959

I agree with the "state of mind" argument. Yet I see where you are coming from and a lot of people worry about 20 or 30 calories over... Hey, calorie counting is really not that accurate anyway (within 100-200 calories maybe) because of slight differences in preparation methods... 6.1 oz vs 5.9 oz as 6 oz etc. Mindset can be an issue. Emotional eating is very detrimental especially if it becomes a lifestyle.

ccadroz93

its the emotion and the compulsion that makes it a binge, not the quantity. its the loss of control. not the number of calories. i think a lot of people do mistake over eating and feeling guilty with a binge though. but i dont see how the amount of calories you eat determines weather its a binge or not.

Very nicely put, my dear!! I am a recover(ed) anorexic. A binge for me at one point in my life was 50 calories! Of course at that time I only weighed 107 pounds too. Now at a healthy weight of 135 (going down from 182) a binge is anything I would not normally eat that I consume more than two portions. It's different for every individual.

MeMyCatsandI

I don't think you are crazy; just more sensitive to the idea than others may be. A binge for you may be three-ten times more than it is for another person yet both of you feelbadly about going over. I guess we are just all on our own journeys here and need to support each other the best we can. Hugs:flowerforyou:

I agree with this. I also think the word binge is used inappropriately (aka incorrectly) quite often. Most of us do not binge in the true sense of the word. I'm surprised to see so many people attacking the OP about this. A few days ago someone complained about how people wait for a parking spot closer to the store and the majority of responses were to jump in and say how much that annoys them too. REALLY? This OP, who apparently has an ED, expresses her feelings about the overuse of the word binge and she is attacked. A different OP complains about parking and she has people coming out of the witness protection program to join in on her b^^ch fest. Perhaps you could take a moment to try to understand where the OP is coming from!

BobbieLee1959

are we really here to quibble about things like this? We all need support and for the OP, if you need to rant, feel free, but do so realizing that NOT EVERYONE here is going to understand because we all have our own take on food and nutrition.

You may have a perfectly valid reason for feeling the need to post, but because I have not suffered the same torment as you, or have put this behind me, your rant appears to be an over reaction to something someone else has said.

If you have joined MFP for support and encouragement, please give as you receive. By validating the struggles of other users, you and I provide encouragement. Belittling someone for recognizing and trying to overcome a weaknesses (no matter how insignificant it appears to you) is counterproductive and unneccesary. Why not play nicely together and help one another instead of criticizing?

This is just my 2 cents worth.

kissedbytheocean

I've reread this thread and there are many, many different opinions here.

To me, a binge doesn't have anything to do with calories. It's about the mindset. I binged once on about 500 calories. Some wouldn't consider that a binge, but if you saw me in my "trance", pacing the kitchen, eating everything left and right without a second though, even sticking my fingers into a jar of Better than Bouillon vegetable stock paste, for goodness' sake, pleading to myself in my head to stop, maybe you'd feel differently.

Someone who goes to a restaurant, orders a salad, and then decides to have a piece of chocolate cake for dessert, and later decides that it was a binge, because they feel so "naughty" for breaking their diet... that's not a binge, in my opinion. Absolutely not, because they had control. They just *chose* to have a 500 calorie piece of cake.

cheesy_blasters

Some really interesting responses in this thread.

From my perspective, I think both are right. I do agree that certain terms are used so lightly today. I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It basically destroyed a decade of my life. I will never get to experience the fun other people got to have in their 20s or having the best time of their life in university or college because I spent most of that time in bed or hiding in my apartment or worse.
And it does really bother me when people are bummed out or having a crap day and say they're depressed. It upsets me because they haven't lost what I lost and I still haven't forgiven myself for what I went through and it's like part defense mechanism, part jealousy, part anger at the fact I was (and still is) so sick and never getting the support and understanding I need. I think there's a lot of baggage that causes those feelings. I think so many people treat mental illness too lightly and when you experience your life crumbling, it destroys you to see someone showcase it as no big thing.

However, I think a lot of behaviour that people on the outside see is only a tiny piece of what's really happening. While some of those people complaining about their binges are just mis-speaking, I think others are really struggling with those feelings are shame of being out of control. While eating 500 calories shouldn't be a binge, there are so many habits we get into when we start hating ourselves and our relationship to food. I once had an anxiety attack at a grocery store because I didn't know which sugar was "right". Like, that's so messed up. It's just sugar. I use it a couple of times a week in coffee. Who cares? But I was so worried about making the wrong choice or doing something negative, it WAS a big deal. I think people see their calories like that. having a couple of chocolate bars shouldn't be a big deal. But it's the obsession with not being perfect or making a mistake that makes those couple hundred calories SO IMPORTANT. LIKE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER. And I think there's a always a fear that we're only a few hundred calories away from our "old ways" of junk food or being overweight or unhealthy or whatever brought you here in the first place. So people eat and feel out of control and shameful and embarrassed about it. It's sad but they aren't the ones at fault, it's our attitudes towards food eating.

I don't know if any of that makes sense but it's basically my thoughts on the subject. I see both perspectives, I guess.

bewitchinglife

binge (bnj)
n.
1. A drunken spree or revel.
2.
a. A period of unrestrained, immoderate self-indulgence.
b. A period of excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food or drink: an eating binge.
intr.v. binged, bing·ing or binge·ing, bing·es
1. To be immoderately self-indulgent and unrestrained: "The story is like a fever dream that a disturbed and imaginative city-dweller might have after binging on comics" (Lloyd Rose).
2. To engage in excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food or drink.


One can binge without having and eating disorder. Just because someone says they binged.. and ate less than what you consider a binge does not mean they didn't binge. Clearly the meaning of the word is heavily weighted to you because of your experiences, but this does not mean that the other people are wrong. This is a sensitive topic to you, obviously but I don't see how judging other is going to help anyone.

RainxPain

Anywhere from 500-3,000 calories are my binges. I have BED, but it's gotten better lately. Haven't had a huge emotional binge in about a month or so.

cloud2011

I think the issue raised by a few people here, who feel that others misrepresent binges or depression...is interesting. But here's the thing: you don't know what other people are going through. Just because you may have an ED or mental illness, or a broken leg, doesn't diminish someone else's experience or pain.

If you feel they are co-opting your terminology or language, that's a problem you'll have to deal with, because no one has control over other people. And, to assume that someone else doesn't qualify to be in the same category as you, for whatever reason, may just turn out to be wrong.

You NEVER know what's going on with someone else.