How do you define "binge?"

To be it may be healthy food and it may be a realitely small amount. The important thing is that's it's eaten quickly, often not really enjoyed, and definitely out of control.

Fo instance. I may have had egg on toast and a yogurt for lunch but then stuffed down another yogurt and two satsumas. That's a binge for me. However going for a meal out and having a big three course meal but eating it slowly and enjoying it has loads more calories, but isn't a binge.

I think Im doing that right now.

3 Turkey Meat balls w/Red Sauce
Rice Cake & Pb
Cinnamann Toast Crunch w/1% Milk
String Cheese and Cheeze Itz
I think I'll move onto the Doritos Next

I dont consider eating fast to be binging at all. Afterall, what is a protein shake? I slam those. I stuff my face for calories all the time. Im after a number, if I enjoy getting there than so be it. If I'm not hungry, I'm still hitting that number, period!

Can I have your "number" Im all out of Calories and Im still hungry

Eating when/amounts/things I know I shouldn't be eating.

The DSM4 defines binge eating as so;


1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating characterized by BOTH of the following:
a. Eating in a discrete amount of time (within a 2 hour period), an amount that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar time period.
b. Sense of lack of control over eating during an episode.

2. Binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:
a. Eating much more rapidly than normal.
b. Eating until uncomfortably full.
c. Eating large amounts of food when not hungry.
d. Eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating.
e. Feeling disgust with oneself, depressed, or guilty after overeating.

3. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.

4. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months.

5. The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g. purging, fasting, compulsive exercising).

Depending on the counsellor you are seeing, this is what they should be following...(yes i realize there is difference of opinion, this just the professional standard used in diagnosing disorders)

For me a binge would be anything high enough over maintenance that it will require a substantial cut in calories over the next day or three in order to maintain my weight.

That would probably be 600 or more calories over maintenance for me, so around 2500.

It's usually an unplanned rapid sequence of meals near the end of the day when it's too late to work into calories. Although it can be any kind of food it's usually high in sugar, refined carbohydrates and fat.

Eating until it feels uncomfortable. Significantly more than you'd normally eat in a meal. Feelings of being out-of-control of yourself.

a binge to me is anything where you've eaten SO much that you're disgusted and so full that you cant move. I have a friend who is a binge eater. She will sit there telling you that she is so stuffed that she's in pain and yet she KEEPS EATING. That's bingeing!

To me, a binge is eating over my calorie limit when I know I shouldn't be eating what I am eating. I don't typically have problems binging except every other month during TOM. At that time, I crave food...all kinds of food, and a lot of it...and can double my calorie goal for a day in one durn meal. That's a binge to me.

Where I eat so much I want to be sick!!!!!!!!!! Then I beat myself up for days

The DSM4 defines binge eating as so;


1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating characterized by BOTH of the following:
a. Eating in a discrete amount of time (within a 2 hour period), an amount that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar time period.
b. Sense of lack of control over eating during an episode.

2. Binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:
a. Eating much more rapidly than normal.
b. Eating until uncomfortably full.
c. Eating large amounts of food when not hungry.
d. Eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating.
e. Feeling disgust with oneself, depressed, or guilty after overeating.

3. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.

4. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months.

5. The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g. purging, fasting, compulsive exercising).

Depending on the counsellor you are seeing, this is what they should be following...(yes i realize there is difference of opinion, this just the professional standard used in diagnosing disorders)

This! It sums it up rather well, and match what I consider my own symtoms of binge eating.

If you look at the term on it's own a "Binge is any behaviour indulged to excess" now this is the intersting part because the term "excess" will always be subjective. Your excess may be smaller or greater than my excess so what I think is a binge may not translate to another person.

However, I like to take a scientific aproach to most things so my definition of a binge is taking your behaviour way past the point where you are getting any real benefit.

take binge eating for example, every week I calculate the daily macros I am going to consume and split them down for each meal. currently I am consuming 2500-2800 kcals a day sometimes a touch more and sometimes a touch less, if I was to eat say 3000kcals in a day I wouldnt be particularly bothered but if i was to eat say 4000kcal in a day I would consider that way in excess of what I need and therefore a binge because my body will only take those excess kcals and store them as fat and not use them for what I need.

the same goes for alcohol consumption, I very rarely drink alcohol but when I do I generally end up getting drunk, I know when I am drunk and therefore know my own limit. If I was to carry on past this limit and keep drinking I consider that to be a binge because I have already got the desired effect from the alcohol.

So I suppose really, my definition of a binge is taking your behaviour beyond the point where you get any real benefit from it.

To be it may be healthy food and it may be a realitely small amount. The important thing is that's it's eaten quickly, often not really enjoyed, and definitely out of control.

Fo instance. I may have had egg on toast and a yogurt for lunch but then stuffed down another yogurt and two satsumas. That's a binge for me. However going for a meal out and having a big three course meal but eating it slowly and enjoying it has loads more calories, but isn't a binge.

Yes! Out of control-- you can't stop yourself. You trudge back to the kitchen yet again with a sad face on because you know you should stop and want to stop but can't. Doesn't matter what the food is, it's a feeling. IMO.

For me, a binge is when I uncontrollably just stuff food in my face. It doesn't matter whether it's healthy or not - I see a binge as being the process of mindlessly eating quickly, regardless of whether I want the food or not. In fact, when I'm 'binging' I frequently tell myself that I don't want the food, that I'll regret it after and that I should stop, but I don't listen to myself. It's almost like I have no control, like an external force is physically forcing my hand to pick up the food and put it in my mouth. (I know that it is all down to me, that I am the one who willingly eats the food, but that's just what the experience feels like to me).

Thankfully I don't binge all that often, but when I do I try to at least keep track of the calories I'm stuffing in my face. Usually it turns out that I haven't done quite as much damage as I think I've done. The other day I'd had a very healthy day, I'd eaten around 1400 calories of 'clean' food and was sitting watching TV after my tea. Then suddenly I just felt myself stand up, go to the fridge and start eating everything in sight! I couldn't stop for some reason, so I counted the calories and it came to about 2200 for the whole day. Before, if I'd had a binge I would have given up, thought I was a failure, and carried on my unhealthy lifestyle. But by keeping track of the calories I realised that I had eaten the same amount that TDEE calculators predict I burn in a day, so in reality I shouldn't have really done any damage.

For me it's just eating a rediculous portion size because the food tastes so good. A few nights ago I sat down and a small tub of mustard potato salad. It should have been 4 servings but it was so good that I ate it all at once. I don't feel guilty about it because I think it's a waste to eat food if your not going to enjoy it. I usually realize what I'm doing, put that on the list of things I shouldn't buy for a while, then eat away. I find that once I actually started enjoying my binges, they didn't happen as often. When it did, it would be the one thing that I was eating and once that was gone it was done. If I let myself get all upset about it, I always ended up finding more food and making the situation worse.