Define binge eating!

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DiabolicBooger
DiabolicBooger Posts: 198 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Please define binge eating, in a single meal not as a total daily calorie consumption, as it applies to you in mathematical terms.

For instance...

I have determined that I should eat about 2000 cals per day and if I eat more than 700ish calories in one meal I consider it a binge because I know I don't need more than 700 calories at any single sitting because, "what will I do with that much food energy/food fuel?"

So to sum it up 700 divided by 2000 = 35%

So as defined by me a single meal binge is - Eating more than 35% of my daily intake in one meal/one sitting.

What's your mathematical definition of a one meal binge???? Do tell!

Replies

  • PamPeekeMD
    PamPeekeMD Posts: 11
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    There is no official caloric intake for Binge Eating Disorder, the new addiction included in the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5. The Mayo Clinic lists the following symptoms for BED:


    Eating unusually large amounts of food
    Eating even when you're full or not hungry
    Eating rapidly during binge episodes
    Eating until you're uncomfortably full
    Frequently eating alone
    Feeling that your eating behavior is out of control
    Feeling depressed, disgusted, ashamed, guilty or upset about your eating
    Experiencing depression and anxiety
    Feeling isolated and having difficulty talking about your feelings
    Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss
    Losing and gaining weight repeatedly, also called yo-yo dieting

    Part of the definition of an addiction is increased tolerance, so one binge eater may experience these things after a pint of ice cream while another inhales 7,000 calories on a spree. Like alcoholism or cocaine addiction, there is a wide spectrum of consumption. The question is whether the individual is impaired, physically and/or psychologically, but partaking of his or her substance of choice.

    The real question is not how much but what does one do next. What is called for is a addiction plan that integrates personal empowerment, spirituality, along with whole food nutrition and restorative physical activity. Shame, blame and guilt must be neutralized with compassion, empathy and then the tools of self-empowerment.
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
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    I consider way more than that binge eating!!!
    For me 35% more is normal and I do this at least once or twice a week. Then I try to even it out a bit on other days.
    For me, this attitude keeps me positive.
    If I eat a 1000 calorie bag of potato chips and then a high calorie meal and feel very sick after, I may call that a binge:)

    If I did the above frequently, then I would consider that binge eating.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    Binging is an emotional result from a trigger that involves uncontrollable eating. The person has no control over how much they eat or when they stop and will often eat to extreme excess, sometimes making themselves sick.

    Eating over your calories doesn't make it a binge. You can overeat without binging if you're just eating more. Binging is part of disease though.
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
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    the emotional feeling with it, not being able to stop and having to eat as much as possible in as little time, then the remorse and self hate that follows
    i wouldn't say there is a calorie amount tied down to it. some people consider 300 calories a binge. it's part of a mental disorder, where you may feel out of control or, maybe the only way to have control is with food. it's different for each person.
    i disagree that there is a mathematical equation with it, or any defined amount of food that qualifies as a binge. this is my professional opinion as being a counselor in the mental health field, and also my personal opinion from having had an eating disorder
  • FJcntdwn2sknyluv
    FJcntdwn2sknyluv Posts: 651 Member
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    the emotional feeling with it, not being able to stop and having to eat as much as possible in as little time, then the remorse and self hate that follows

    this to the tune of 2000-5000 calories in one sitting!... I used to do it, but I managed to conquer it:)
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
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    the emotional feeling with it, not being able to stop and having to eat as much as possible in as little time, then the remorse and self hate that follows

    this to the tune of 2000-5000 calories in one sitting!... I used to do it, but I managed to conquer it:)

    that's great! it can be very hard to overcome and awesome that you did
  • FFfitgirl
    FFfitgirl Posts: 369 Member
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    There is no official caloric intake for Binge Eating Disorder, the new addiction included in the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5. The Mayo Clinic lists the following symptoms for BED:


    Eating unusually large amounts of food
    Eating even when you're full or not hungry
    Eating rapidly during binge episodes
    Eating until you're uncomfortably full
    Frequently eating alone
    Feeling that your eating behavior is out of control
    Feeling depressed, disgusted, ashamed, guilty or upset about your eating
    Experiencing depression and anxiety
    Feeling isolated and having difficulty talking about your feelings
    Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss
    Losing and gaining weight repeatedly, also called yo-yo dieting

    Part of the definition of an addiction is increased tolerance, so one binge eater may experience these things after a pint of ice cream while another inhales 7,000 calories on a spree. Like alcoholism or cocaine addiction, there is a wide spectrum of consumption. The question is whether the individual is impaired, physically and/or psychologically, but partaking of his or her substance of choice.

    The real question is not how much but what does one do next. What is called for is a addiction plan that integrates personal empowerment, spirituality, along with whole food nutrition and restorative physical activity. Shame, blame and guilt must be neutralized with compassion, empathy and then the tools of self-empowerment.
    ^^this
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Binge is when you start eating and can't stop. Like, instead of having one square of chocolate, you're going to eat the whole bar. Or eat the whole pint of ice cream. Or finish the box of cookies. Or the three at once.
  • calculustiger
    calculustiger Posts: 39
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    I haven't given this a huge amount of thought, but I think it would depend on the situation. For example, if I went to get a 200-calorie snack, and instead sat down and ate multiple times that amount, that would probably be a binge (though a relatively small-scale one). However, if I had planned to eat a larger meal (say 700 calories) and instead ate 900, I don't think that qualifies.
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
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    I would consider bingeing as eating more than you plan to eat (because you can't stop yourself). If your family orders pizza and your plan is to eat one slice and you eat 2 or three slices, that might be be a small binge (especially if there was still leftover pizza, it could also be normal eating if you recaculate your plan for the day and decide you'd rather have an extra slice or two of pizza instead of something else of equal calorie count); if you scarf up the entire pizza by yourself, after deciding to stop at one slice, that would be a major binge to me.

    A side question to this is, is it binge eating or not if you keep mindlessly "dipping" into a bag of chips over a period of time (like driving home) with no sense of how much you have actually eaten? (not doing this anymore has been one of the keys to my weight loss - didn't do it every trip or even every day, but... looking back, the extra calories definitely mounted up to a surplus)
  • Wantingtolose1
    Wantingtolose1 Posts: 139 Member
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    I consider binge eating when I can't stop eating and feel out of control of my eating. In the binge though I feel extremely hungry and nothing I eat seems to feel me up so I keep eating and eating everything in site. I feel like I have lost all control and all I can think about is my next fix of food and how I'm going to get it. I don't consider overrating as binging as my emotional state is very different when I binge and when I overeat. Usually binging occurs for me when I diet or I keep my calories extremely low

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