What is binge eating?

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"Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating.

During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food.

Most people who have eating binges try to hide this behavior from others, and often feel ashamed about being overweight or depressed about their overeating."

The above best describes my own binge eating episodes. I'm shamed and disgusted with myself after and I often eat alone.

Does this decribe you?

If not, how would you describe binge eating in reflection to yourself?
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Replies

  • sausageface24
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    That is soooo me! I try to lead a fairly healthy lifestyle but I reckon once a week at the min I will have a massive binge.....usually triggered by something stressful and then that leads me down the path of being terrible (eating way to much of stuff I shouldnt have too much of) for the next few days. Its a really bizarre urge, like an addiction in some way. I find the last few weeks of being totally accountable on MFP is kinda helping though. BUT NO BINGE NOVEMBER sounds great I'm in and quite glad you seem to have created a forum to talk about it and possibly encourage people (me) to be more mindful and try to break the awful cycle. This is a challenge i certainly want to accomplish! Thanks.:flowerforyou:
  • VanillaBeanSeed
    VanillaBeanSeed Posts: 562 Member
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    Its a really bizarre urge, like an addiction in some way.

    Very true!
    Sometimes the urge hits, and I cant concentrate on anything else. I cant sit down and just be.. I have to eat.. its a terrible feeling.
  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
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    I'm like this too but to make it worse I have 2 types of binge eating... the one where I eat and next minute the packet is empty. Like a gremlin has been helping me!!! Or the type where half my brain is screaming 'nooooo don't do it! Think of the goal think of the goal nooooooo' but I eat it anyway... like the sausage sandwich I had this afternoon, this time I had the calories to cover it but even if I don't I try to log it anyway... accountability!
  • Sunshine70Smith
    Sunshine70Smith Posts: 97 Member
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    Yup, it absolutely describes me and I have definitely been in denial about it. The worst time for me is when I get home from work. I'm starving, I'm by myself and I have to be in the kitchen. I shove whatever I can in my mouth and by the time my husband is home and dinner is ready, I'm not hungry and feel sick. But I can't tell him what I've already eaten and can't not eat supper. So I eat even more and feel even worse, physically and emotionally.

    Boy, just typing and reading that shows me what a mess I am. :cry:

    Jen
  • VanillaBeanSeed
    VanillaBeanSeed Posts: 562 Member
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    I'm like this too but to make it worse I have 2 types of binge eating... the one where I eat and next minute the packet is empty. Like a gremlin has been helping me!!! Or the type where half my brain is screaming 'nooooo don't do it! Think of the goal think of the goal nooooooo' but I eat it anyway... like the sausage sandwich I had this afternoon, this time I had the calories to cover it but even if I don't I try to log it anyway... accountability!

    Sometimes during a binge.. I dont even like what Im eating. but I keep eating it.. whats with that? LOL
  • harleyjax
    harleyjax Posts: 109 Member
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    I always say I'm "just snacking" lol but I end up eating way more than a meals worth of needed calories. It's usually right before I go to bed, then the next day I'm like, damn, that was stupid! This week though I've been doing my workouts at night and that's been helping me, I only over ate one day and it wasn't really binge eating cause I was way under in calories and treated to free La Madeleine....you can't say no to La Madeleine.
  • Lovelygirl1975
    Lovelygirl1975 Posts: 26 Member
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    I am so glad I found this group. I so understand about binge eating and the need for accountability. It is truly an addiction for me and I always feel like crap afterwards. I do it completely in shame, but yet have a hard time stopping something that makes me feel so bad. For me bingeing is sometimes eating until it hurts...waiting for more space then eating more. Or it is that was so good why not have another one and another one. Even though I then stop I had originally only planned one, needless to say this is something I am working on.
  • sandeerah
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    I like to hide or sneak food to binge. Sneak into the kitchen when the kids are downstairs. I have been eating peanut butter by the spoonful lately.

    I eat until whatever it is, is all gone. I eat until I am so full I feel ill. I eat, yet my brain is screaming NOOO!
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
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    Yep, just about sums it up for me too. I have been a binge eater for over 15 years. It used to be every weekend, or more! But over the past few years I've managed to get some control over it and it's once every two to three months where I just eat non stop and feel so sick and if I could make myself vomit I probably would :( When I'm stressed or bored it hits hard, and I usually wake up in the morning with zero resolve, zero motivation and a complete I don't care attitude. I binge on potato chips and I don't keep any of that stuff in the house, so I have to make a trip to the shops to get them, you'd think that'd be enough to give me some time to talk myself around, but nope!

    I've been trying to lessen the impact of the binge by not having chips and having a big bowl of popcorn instead, still a binge but it's not as heavy. I'm looking forward to challenging myself to zero binges for November and really trying hard to figure out what's going on in my head when I feel like binging and stopping this addiction cold turkey.
  • Lovelygirl1975
    Lovelygirl1975 Posts: 26 Member
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    I like to hide or sneak food to binge. Sneak into the kitchen when the kids are downstairs. I have been eating peanut butter by the spoonful lately.

    I eat until whatever it is, is all gone. I eat until I am so full I feel ill. I eat, yet my brain is screaming NOOO!

    Yep, you described me except is the husband I am sneaking by.
  • besdais
    besdais Posts: 76 Member
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    I think what I do is binging, and I think it is one of my biggest roadblocks to losing. I do pretty good at eating healthy during my meals, but my problem is the middle of the afternoon. I buy fruits and other things to snack on, but when the time comes, I have no desire to eat fruit, and my body tells me I need something salty, so I eat pretzels, nuts, or whatever I can find. Then once I've started that, I can't seem to stop, and I will eat a lot of it, and then find other things to nosh on. Sometimes I will just eat a little of each thing, but I'm sure that by the time I'm done, it's enough calories for an entire meal. I've even bought things to use for juicing, but much of it has gone bad in the fridg while I'm eating things not-so-good for me. What the heck is wrong with me? Why can't I make myself eat the pineapple (which I love) that is staring me in the face??

    I have been really busy the last few weeks, but I have a fairly free week coming up. I have challenged myself to actually track my food and completely plan out my daily meals. I am going to start working on the no-binge this week. I am just starting MFP and this is my first group to be in, so I'm excited, as this is perfect for me. Thank you for staring this!
  • seren1ty74
    seren1ty74 Posts: 171 Member
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    its absolutely me. I binge when I'm bored, emotional (happy, sad, mad, nervous), definitely in secret, i eat until i am beyond sick (sometimes until i naturally purge) and it gets worse in the winter months when there is less sunlight. for what I believe to be the last 20 years. I am so ashamed and embarrassed. i hope to continue to challenge myself on the road to 40 and work through these issues. this may be a good place to start.
  • Tehya85
    Tehya85 Posts: 23
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    I liken my binging to a drug addiction. The adrenalin rush I get is amazing. I work away and often when I'm on the two hour flight home the whole way all I am thinking about is mentally walking the shopping aisles working out what I'm going to eat. I will buy a handful of items (full packs of biscuits, 2L icecream tubs, chocolate blocks etc etc) and go home with the biggest rush in the anticipation of eating. Sometimes I can barely get to the car before ripping open the pack and eating a full pack of biscuits before I get home.

    I am REALLY good with what I eat at work, only to ruin it ALL in a matter of minutes. It's so disheartening. But the worst thing is, I don't even want to stop. I LOVE eating. I LOVE the taste, the feeling I get and the satisfaction. But in the last two years I have gained 12kg and I just can't lose it.

    I KNOW the reasons behind it, yet I'm in constant denial and need to face the reality of it!

    This is going to be a great month!!
  • greylion1981
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    Hi everyone,

    I’m a binge eater too, usually when I am sad, stressed or angry. I can eat ridiculous amounts of food in one sitting – always alone.

    I lost about 18kgs between January and August, and then after a month or so ‘break’ (with numerous binges), I decided to get serious again and joined MFP. I’ve been back on track the last 3 weeks but it is a constant mental battle.
  • ploppersdf1
    ploppersdf1 Posts: 89 Member
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    I get really anxious when I'm hungry. I have never really in my life been hungry per say because I was usually always eating something.. So when I get hungry my body panics and I feel like I need food right that second or I will die. Couple that with being tired and thirty and you have binge city.. I have in the past like eaten and had no memory of the food I ate. Then I feel ashamed and awful afterwards because I know that I've eaten a lot because I feel how bloated I am. But I've been trying to let myself experience hunger and not panic. It's been hard but I have been ok so far.

    For me I allow myself Sundays as a break from the deficit. I allow myself to eat junk and stuff so that I will be less tempted to do it during the week. It also helps me loose weight. I cut it out for a while and fell horribly off track and stopped loosing weight. I don't go over maintaining on those days or at least not by much. I'm hoping with time I won't crave the junk anymore but for now it's working. Any day outside of that I will be posting any binges which I'm hopping will be little. Thank you for making this group because its nice to be with people struggling with a similar problem.
  • MsMischief
    MsMischief Posts: 32 Member
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    I tend to binge on chocolates, crisps or in case of anxiety/boredom - anything unhealthy in the kitchen. I also consider non-planned take aways as binging, especially when other food has been planned and bought. While I don't have massive binges, they're still bad for me and I need to normalise my relationship with food.
  • JustMeee333
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    Sometimes during a binge.. I dont even like what Im eating. but I keep eating it.. whats with that? LOL

    This is me too. Thank you for creating this group. :flowerforyou: My binge eating has been practically weekly at the minute, so really wanting to stop.
  • sirena715
    sirena715 Posts: 229
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    I binge all the freaking time, stress, boredom. I CAN"T STOP... I really need help most the time I binge on sugar. and the worst part is I'm pre-diabetic...
  • Tessyloowhoo
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    I think my other goal for november will be to attempt to eat some of the foods i binge on in moderation and log them in my diary(staying under calories of course).... I have all these "binge foods" i never eat because i see them as bad and dangerous...I want the stigma gone off these foods.

    i just want to be able to eat a fricken chocolate bar without eating half the kitchen cupboards afterwards and eating till i make myself sick.
  • VanillaBeanSeed
    VanillaBeanSeed Posts: 562 Member
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    I think my other goal for november will be to attempt to eat some of the foods i binge on in moderation and log them in my diary(staying under calories of course).... I have all these "binge foods" i never eat because i see them as bad and dangerous...I want the stigma gone off these foods.

    i just want to be able to eat a fricken chocolate bar without eating half the kitchen cupboards afterwards and eating till i make myself sick.

    This sounds like an excellent idea!

    I too sometimes restrict foods, and then when I do eat them... I let the whole day go to ****.