What do you consider a 'binge'?

I was having difficulty with my type of binges for about a year and a half recently (thankfully I've ended that pattern) and for me, it was getting super excited about eating ALL the foods, planning for it, ordering takeaway food when I wasn't even hungry, and then eating past the point of fullness in order to satisfy something else inside me (boredom, depression, stress). While I was doing it, it felt good, sort of naughty and rebellious, like saying f*** you to healthy eating and dieting. But I would wake up in the morning with awful regrets. So I don't put a calorie amount on it, but for me it was around 2000 calories (above what I normally/should be eating in a day), but it was more the feelings surrounding it that made me label it a binge. Also, I was keeping it secret from people.

Is when a person goes on a complete eating frenzy until they can't eat anymore and then either forgot they did or tries to.

So, it's not necessarily a number, but more of a mindset. It's when I'm doing it, I can't stop, and I don't care about the consequences.

There's more than one person here who's said the same thing, but this is the one that resonates most with me. If I have that piece of cheesecake or extra slice of pizza because I want it, then it's not a binge. But if I find myself stuffing my face with anything, even though I don't need it and don't necessarily want it, then that's definitely a binge.

Luckily, not so much any more - I'm better at self-control these days.

A personal example for me would be fast food then chocolate/crisps/those types of snacks afterwards in big quantities. Now that I think about it, that hasn't happened

I would consider a binge as maybe 500+ calories with in an hour or less.

I would consider a binge as maybe 500+ calories with in an hour or less.

LOL. no.

At least 1000+ calories over maintenance.

I consider it a binge when I eat an entire something within a couple of hours that is meant to serve more than one person (large pizza, pan of lasagna, pie, etc.) Thankfully that doesn't happen much anymore.

Me too. I haven't had a day like this in a while but this is a binge for me.

A dozen krispy kremes. A tray of baklava.

Eating crisps without thinking of calories.

Or just eating bad foods all day, without thinking of any consequences.

eating excessive amounts of food that have little or no nutritional value - I used to do this frequently but now I find that I don't crave the junk anymore really - but some days there is just delicious food around so exceding my calorie goal is now considered a binge for me.

Binging for me usually involves secrecy. Since joining MFP and making a general decision in my life to be smarter about food, I've avoided binging for the most part. I do enjoy myself at parties where there is an array of yummies, but I don't consider that a binge because I try to keep it moderate and don't eat to the point of guilt or sickness. I just like the foodz and don't want to be stuck thinking about that one thing I wanted to eat but didn't.. that is where my binges come from, wanting something and not giving it to myself, then something snaps and I go overboard after dreaming about it for several days.

An example of a binge for me would be buying a 2 pound bag of twizzlers, box of 12 peanut butter bars, or a huge costco bag of snap pea crisps, or getting not just one but a collection of candy bars, knowing full well I do not need or even necessarily want them (compulsive action) and just face-stuffing them over the course of a an hour or more (alone, of course) and then hiding the empty bag under other trash so no one will notice it, or walking down the street and disposing of the bag in a public trash can to entirely get rid of the "evidence." I would even mentally pretend as I went through the checkout lane that I'm getting all this stuff for other people since I already felt guilty/self-conscious.

I used to binge in this way a lot, especially when I lived alone, wasn't holding myself accountable, and didn't worry about people seeing my trash. Heh. Now I am my own witness (diary!) and this self-accountability/transparency helps tremendously. Even if I don't tell anyone about it, I will still put it in my diary if I eat it.

I would consider a binge as maybe 500+ calories with in an hour or less.

I hope you meant to add an extra zero in there because oif not that's really sad.

When my stomach hurts, and I keep eating. Usually with absolutely no regard for how the food I'm shoveling in my mouth will affect my future self.

feeling like I can't stop eating, even past the point of fullness. Usually happens within a short time frame and usually trying to do so without anyone else seeing/knowing about it. It's emotional too, lots of anxiety leading up to the binge (will I, won't I? What will I eat?...), numbness during the binge, disregarding all consequences, and then severe guilt, shame, self hatred and depression afterwards (not to mention the physical sickness/pain from eating so much at once). Binges for me are usually in the 800+ calorie range (this is on top of my regular eating for the day). I've had binges well over 2000 cals before....these suck, though I know I am not the worst case out there. I've heard of people eating 5000+ cals in a binge.