What do you consider bingeing?

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JoanneC1216
JoanneC1216 Posts: 166
in Food and Nutrition
or is it spelled binging?

Anyway, is binging eating something until you are sick or just overeating more than the amount you're use to consuming?

So lets say I eat 4 reese's big cups in a row, is that binging?

Replies

  • weightliftingdiva
    weightliftingdiva Posts: 522 Member
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    Sometimes I'll plan to go over by 100-200 calories. so that isn't a binge. For me, binging is going over my calories on foods I didn't plan to eat, usually in a large quantity. I'm at 2000 calories per day, but this past week at night I ate 2800-3000 calories, the extra being unplanned. I typically binge on carbs and fats. (Last night it was blue corn chips and guac... at least I got some nutrition!!) Some of it I didn't log because I was too annoyed with myself to see what I've eaten. Hoping this weekend will be a good reset.
  • ebayaddict0127
    ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
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    I personally consider bingeing eating until I'm stuffed. Losing control. Eating a whole bag of chips. Eating a whole bag of Reese's. Eating half of a pizza. Eating 3000+ calories.

    I think it's bingeing.. although spell check marks it.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    bingeing, as in the definition used medically for disorders like bulimia or binge eating disorder, is eating a huge amount of food (like thousands and thousands of calories) in a completely uncontrolled manner. If someone chooses to eat a very large high calorie restaurant meal, it's not a binge. If someone eats a normal sized serving of food in an uncontrolled way (e.g. they start eating a pack of popcorn and can't stop until the pack's empty) then that's not a binge either.

    Overeating is eating more than your TDEE, or eating so much of one kind of food (e.g. carbs) that you can't get enough of something else you need (e.g. protein) without going over your TDEE. Most of what people call bingeing is just overeating and not bingeing. Overeating is only a problem if you do it regularly.

    The word binge gets overused... sometimes it's hyperbole, and well, everyone uses hyperbole sometimes so that's just how people use language............. but in some cases when people use the word "binge" to describe eating a normal amount of food, then that's indicative of a problem with their relationship with food, e.g. excessive guilt over eating normal amounts of food or over one incident of overeating.
  • JoanneC1216
    JoanneC1216 Posts: 166
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    Interesting answers here. So maybe I don't binge after all. Maybe just overindulge?
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    Yah I definitely think there's a big difference between overinduging and actual binging. For me, binging was eating and eating until I was physically ill, and then continuing to eat (...and eat). I've been on MFP for 17 months now and although I've had many days where I've eaten lots of foods that I enjoy, I haven't experience an actual binge like I used to.
  • ebayaddict0127
    ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
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    Based on the caveman's post, I suppose I've never binged!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    yeah sounds more like overindulging.... and nothing wrong with overindulging every now and then so long as it's not to such an extent that it hampers your progress
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
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    I overindulge whenever possible, and oftentimes when it is not.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    For me, it's eating more than you should of something. Could be a third cookie when you only planned for two, even if you can afford it. Could be eating that whole piece of cheesecake even though you stopped being hungry after eating half of it.

    I'm still guilty of both of those. That's why I need a food diary.
  • princ3ss21
    princ3ss21 Posts: 5
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    That is certainly not a binge! Binge eating is much more excessive, to the point your stomach is ballooned out. You feel extremely uncomfortable but continue eating until it's becoming physically very difficult. It's often triggered by emotional upset, or excessive stress.
    Overindulging is completely different and it's frustrating g when people consider 100-200 extra calories a binge. I wouldn't even say 4 Reese's cups is excessive, then again I'm an addict :P
  • PeaceHappinessBalance
    PeaceHappinessBalance Posts: 75 Member
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    For me binging is about control. I can go over 500 calories and not consider it a binge because I plan it (if not just the day of) and have a mental cut off (whether it is calories or a food) when that happens. If I can't stop eating even after I tell myself, "this is the last bite or cookie", then that is a binge to me. This usually results in my eating a bunch of junk food after that point which would definitely be a binge.
  • Tanya949
    Tanya949 Posts: 606 Member
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    That is definitely not a binge. I have binged in the past many times... an entire large bag of chips, a few cans of pop, 6 plain cheese buns, a block of cheese, a bag of hersheys kisses... now that's a binge. You feel physically sick or uncomfortable, but still keep eating. Ugh.. I haven't done that in a few months, and I never want to do it again.
  • Lexandrei
    Lexandrei Posts: 38
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    Binge-eating is identified by your mental state. When I was recovering from an ED I'd literally shove down thousands of calories worth of food until I couldn't move from pain. I'm not talking about 3 cookies, I'm talking about like, boxes of poptarts and granola bars along with more stuff. You don't even taste the food and you can't make yourself stop even if it physically hurt to keep eating. Afterwards you're consumed with thoughts of panic, self-hatred and severe depression.

    I identify it as the mentality I'm in. If I eat an unplanned microwaved PB+banana+honey/cinnamon sandwich (my favorite!) but feel completely in control of my thoughts and can stop, that's not a binge for me. However if I'm wolfing down say, fruit as quickly as possible all the while feeling desperate and out of control, I'd consider that a binge. Fruit is healthier but it's the state of mind that makes the difference.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    I ate 20 pieces of bacon this morning. I considered that binging...lol.
  • JoanneC1216
    JoanneC1216 Posts: 166
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    I ate 20 pieces of bacon this morning. I considered that binging...lol.

    :bigsmile:

    My example of 4 reese's big cups was just an example. I can sit and eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's peanut butter ice cream topped with hot fudge and that is AFTER dinner. Now that's binging, right?

    However, it's good to know that what I normally do is indulging not binging.
  • Jett_05
    Jett_05 Posts: 95 Member
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    bingeing, as in the definition used medically for disorders like bulimia or binge eating disorder, is eating a huge amount of food (like thousands and thousands of calories) in a completely uncontrolled manner. If someone chooses to eat a very large high calorie restaurant meal, it's not a binge. If someone eats a normal sized serving of food in an uncontrolled way (e.g. they start eating a pack of popcorn and can't stop until the pack's empty) then that's not a binge either.

    Overeating is eating more than your TDEE, or eating so much of one kind of food (e.g. carbs) that you can't get enough of something else you need (e.g. protein) without going over your TDEE. Most of what people call bingeing is just overeating and not bingeing. Overeating is only a problem if you do it regularly.

    The word binge gets overused... sometimes it's hyperbole, and well, everyone uses hyperbole sometimes so that's just how people use language............. but in some cases when people use the word "binge" to describe eating a normal amount of food, then that's indicative of a problem with their relationship with food, e.g. excessive guilt over eating normal amounts of food or over one incident of overeating.

    ^^^^ this.
  • ChrisS30V
    ChrisS30V Posts: 157 Member
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    I'm not sure if it would be considered binging, but back when I was overweight/had less healthy eating habits, I would routinely eat to the point of physical discomfort at dinnertime. Instead of monitoring portion sizes, that bloated feeling was my way of knowing that I had eaten enough. Stupid, yes, but I didn't know any better.

    So, that would probably be my definition of binging (using this term very loosely) or overeating: eating until you are physically uncomfortable. And by uncomfortable I mean like hard to breathe because your stomach is so full uncomfortable.
  • MB2MN
    MB2MN Posts: 334 Member
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    I ate 20 pieces of bacon this morning. I considered that binging...lol.

    :bigsmile:

    My example of 4 reese's big cups was just an example. I can sit and eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's peanut butter ice cream topped with hot fudge and that is AFTER dinner. Now that's binging, right?

    However, it's good to know that what I normally do is indulging not binging.

    That's not necessarily bingeing either. It's a lot more about your mental state at the time than it is about what you eat. Bingeing is really just a loss of control that leads to eating, not for pleasures sake, but to fill some other void. If you have dinner and then eat a pint o fice cream, if you're conscious of what you're doing and enjoying it, I doubt it's bingeing. It's eating more than you need, but everybody does it and it can be good for the soul on occasion.
  • amychantel
    amychantel Posts: 52 Member
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    I was once asked by a doctor if I ever binged and I asked him what that meant. His reply was "3 or 4 large plates of food". I haven't really done that, but I also think eating two meals back to back would qualify. I am not proud to say that I have done that before in my life, although it was a long time ago. Like McDonald's followed by Taco Bell or something similar. :-(
  • Agathist
    Agathist Posts: 13 Member
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    For me, my daily routine of "accidentally" finding myself in a supermarket, then buying large amounts of food - always had to be the same amount of sweet and savoury foods strangely (usually 3 sweet items, 3 savoury) and the whole lot would generally add up to 3000 - 4000 calories per day. This was bingeing.

    Somehow using a fitbit, logging every single calorie that goes in, and taking up running has broken my cycle. I haven't binged for 9 weeks now, and I concentrate more on feeding myself properly (except for last week when I was on holiday, still no binge though!)

    The only time I've found myself wandering the aisles of Sainsbury's I bought plain roast chicken and counted it in so it was just eating healthy :)

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