mini rant for those of you who "binge"

skinnylove00
skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
in Food and Nutrition
just putting this out there to set the record straight; it makes my skin crawl to see some people logging a 400 calorie snack attack as a an "OMG massive, disgusting, binge." there is a DIFFERENCE between someone who overeats a few hundred cals (usually because theyre depriving themselves) and someone who gorges themselves on a few THOUSAND calories because of emotional reasons. for someone like myself who's had 3k-5k emotional and horribly compulsive binges, its a slap in the face when i see people who call these ~under 1000 calorie meals~ "binges." its just overeating. i feel like theyre totally misinformed, saying they have a problem that is actually very serious for other people.

am i crazy or am i right? i see it time and time again.....
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Replies

  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    am i crazy or am i right? i see it time and time again.....

    stop worrying about everyone else. let me do me and you do you.
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    its the emotion and the compulsion that makes it a binge, not the quantity. its the loss of control. not the number of calories. i think a lot of people do mistake over eating and feeling guilty with a binge though. but i dont see how the amount of calories you eat determines weather its a binge or not.
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    Didn't realize the amount of calories someone is over directly correlates with your weight loss...

    And for the record...I feel like *kitten* when I eat 2000 extra calories just like I feel like *kitten* when I eat 500 extra calories. And it's not emotional for me. It's an addiction to junk food which I'm fully aware of and doing my best to work through. But judging other people because they aren't binging as much as you are is just flat out stupid.
  • mandasimba
    mandasimba Posts: 782 Member
    its the emotion and the compulsion that makes it a binge, not the quantity. its the loss of control. not the number of calories. i think a lot of people do mistake over eating and feeling guilty with a binge though. but i dont see how the amount of calories you eat determines weather its a binge or not.

    Very well said. How are we to know what their psychological state is or what they are feeling inside during and after a binge.

    Also, for a lot of people, binge is just a generic term for overeating at that one point in time, it doesn't have the same clinical meaning that it does to others.
  • BubbleGumKisses
    BubbleGumKisses Posts: 156 Member
    bump- totally agree with you, i find myself deleting those friends....
  • Ellas_Time_4_Change
    Ellas_Time_4_Change Posts: 171
    Didn't realize the amount of calories someone is over directly correlates with your weight loss...

    And for the record...I feel like *kitten* when I eat 2000 extra calories just like I feel like *kitten* when I eat 500 extra calories. And it's not emotional for me. It's an addiction to junk food which I'm fully aware of and doing my best to work through. But judging other people because they aren't binging as much as you are is just flat out stupid.

    This. Well said!
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
    its the emotion and the compulsion that makes it a binge, not the quantity. its the loss of control. not the number of calories. i think a lot of people do mistake over eating and feeling guilty with a binge though. but i dont see how the amount of calories you eat determines weather its a binge or not.

    Very well said. How are we to know what their psychological state is or what they are feeling inside during and after a binge.

    Also, for a lot of people, binge is just a generic term for overeating at that one point in time, it doesn't have the same clinical meaning that it does to others.

    what these guys said :)


    also, maybe they were upset that they had to eat back their exercise calories.
  • AprilRenewed
    AprilRenewed Posts: 691 Member
    its the emotion and the compulsion that makes it a binge, not the quantity. its the loss of control. not the number of calories. i think a lot of people do mistake over eating and feeling guilty with a binge though. but i dont see how the amount of calories you eat determines weather its a binge or not.

    Agreed. There's a huge difference between me eating too much at dinner and losing control late at night. Even if losing control means binging on only 400 calories.Because it doesn't matter if I'm eating 3 bags of frozen broccoli or 3 bags of chips. That's binging.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
    I completely agree. I get pissed off when people get suicidal over a measley 300 calories, when just yesterday I probably binged on a good 6 thousand... and yes, that's happened to me many times before.

    Anyways... we all just need to learn how to not let it hinder us, put it behind us and focus on a new day. :) Two days ago I had 3 huge slices of disgusting, greasy pizza... not so much because I was hungry, but because that's what I'm so used to doing (cause it tastes so damn good lol)... and pizza is one of the many foods that just call to me. My weakness! But I'm learning to just forget about it and focus on tomorrow, which will be better. Mistakes will be made; we're only human. :)

    Love and Alohas,
    Ihilani Kapuniai
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    am i crazy or am i right? i see it time and time again.....

    stop worrying about everyone else. let me do me and you do you.

    this. OP why are you trying to dictate how other people should feel? honestly if other people's feelings about their food choices affect you that much that it gets you angry then i think you're focusing on the wrong things...

    sorry but some of y'all obviously need more things to worry about in your own lives. get more problems of your own and you're guaranteed to not be upset about the choices other people make
  • reese66
    reese66 Posts: 2,920 Member


    And for the record...I feel like *kitten* when I eat 2000 extra calories just like I feel like *kitten* when I eat 500 extra calories. And it's not emotional for me. It's an addiction to junk food which I'm fully aware of and doing my best to work through. But judging other people because they aren't binging as much as you are is just flat out stupid.

    This
  • BiscuitsNDavy
    BiscuitsNDavy Posts: 212 Member
    Most of the girls who say they "binge" are already on a massive caloric deficit, when they eat anything under 1k, it is fuel that their body can USE. A real binge in terms of the disordered binge is a massive intake over which the body can naturally utilize in the course of a day, within their TDEE. So yes, a binge does have a threshold of calories before it can be considered one. The "compulsion" is not a compulsion as it is someone eating to refuel their body. A binge is a compulsive eating in which surpasses hunger AND what the body can naturally process/utilize in the course of a day, accounting for your BMR and TDEE.
  • Hoppymom
    Hoppymom Posts: 1,158 Member
    I don't think you are crazy; just more sensitive to the idea than others may be. A binge for you may be three-ten times more than it is for another person yet both of you feelbadly about going over. I guess we are just all on our own journeys here and need to support each other the best we can. Hugs:flowerforyou:
  • Anyaaaa11
    Anyaaaa11 Posts: 242 Member
    Idk, this is a pretty complex subject. Some people actually feel like they're binging when they go over their amount by a couple hundred but personally, when I see some say "omg I just binged" to see a 1400 cal net really makes me wonder!
    I've had some very bad binges & I'm talking 3000-4500 cals in a day and was because of emotional eating. So when people say they've binged on a couple hundred, it really makes me feel like they don't understand. Binging is when your to the point where You CAN'T stop eating no matter how hard you try. You literally eat until you can't physically eat anymore. I don't understand why someone would actually claim to be a binge eater! It's absurd. As for the ones who obsess about going over a couple hundred, they clearly don't have a true binge problem. It's sad to see people talking about how they binged as if it were a joke.
    It's a serious psychological problem!! When i see some post aomething like that i always just laugh to myself cause they really don't know the half of it.
  • BiscuitsNDavy
    BiscuitsNDavy Posts: 212 Member
    A lot of people who are saying there's no difference between a 500 calorie snack and a 5000 caloric binge is grossly mistaken and should reconsider/educate themselves on what Binge Eating Disorder really is. People who say they binge on 500 calories are insulting those who really struggle from the disorder.
  • Anyaaaa11
    Anyaaaa11 Posts: 242 Member
    buscuitNdavy: couldn't have said it better!!
  • dotmertsky
    dotmertsky Posts: 43
    You seem to be the judge and jury - stop judging others and keep attention on your goals, etc. Every time you point a finger at someone there are 3 pointing back at you. If you judge others there will be a heavier judgement on you one day.
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    sorry but i disagree. all of you are entitled to your opinions just as well as i am entitled to mine. everyone overeats on an occasion, but i truly believe there's a line where it turns into binge-eating disorder and it becomes a *regular occurrence*. as defined by the mayoclinic, binge eating disorder is "serious eating disorder in which you frequently consume unusually large amounts of food" (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/binge-eating-disorder/DS00608)

    emphasis on "unusually large amounts of food."

    but, like i said, you are entitled to ALL of your opinions, and you all have the RIGHT to voice them just as well as i am entitled to voice mine. this is an open forum after all.:flowerforyou:
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    Those of us with binge-eating disorders are so used to extremes that it's hard to grasp the concept of a small binge. To me, a 400-calorie binge would be a success.
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
    It's relative with myself eating around 4000 calories a day 500 each isn't really that much but to someone eating only 1500 maybe it is.
  • Lovely_Doll
    Lovely_Doll Posts: 72
    Binging is also when you eat so much that you feel uncomfortably full, when you eat even if you're not hungry, when you just keep stuffing your face for the sake of trying to fill up that empty void inside you, even if the food is something you hate. Considering that my intake is usually very low (watch me get lectured, but it's usually around 200-300, but I've increased it lately), something like 500-600 calories is A LOT for me. My last binge was at least 1500 calories and I nearly threw up (not on purpose) because of how much food I actually had in me.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    A 4-500 calorie binge is horrible. for me. I used to eat thousands of calories for emotial reasons. It has taken me years upon years and a husband who doubles as a therapist to get to where i am now. Regardless of how many calories it is, it still makes feel horrible and dirty and guilty. without the amount of self control i have built up, it would lead into a cycle of self-destructive eating. So yes, i will complain. I will feel bad. And i will pick myslf up and try again.

    Eating 500 calories extra makes me so full i could throw up. And yet i still do it. Less than i used to, but it does not make me feel any better.

    Worry about yourself, i will worry about me.
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    Most of the girls who say they "binge" are already on a massive caloric deficit, when they eat anything under 1k, it is fuel that their body can USE. A real binge in terms of the disordered binge is a massive intake over which the body can naturally utilize in the course of a day, within their TDEE. So yes, a binge does have a threshold of calories before it can be considered one. The "compulsion" is not a compulsion as it is someone eating to refuel their body. A binge is a compulsive eating in which surpasses hunger AND what the body can naturally process/utilize in the course of a day, accounting for your BMR and TDEE.
    ^this
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    Those of us with binge-eating disorders are so used to extremes that it's hard to grasp the concept of a small binge. To me, a 400-calorie binge would be a success.

    ^AND THIS
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    just putting this out there to set the record straight; it makes my skin crawl to see some people logging a 400 calorie snack attack as a an "OMG massive, disgusting, binge." there is a DIFFERENCE between someone who overeats a few hundred cals (usually because theyre depriving themselves) and someone who gorges themselves on a few THOUSAND calories because of emotional reasons. for someone like myself who's had 3k-5k emotional and horribly compulsive binges, its a slap in the face when i see people who call these ~under 1000 calorie meals~ "binges." its just overeating. i feel like theyre totally misinformed, saying they have a problem that is actually very serious for other people.

    am i crazy or am i right? i see it time and time again.....

    I don't agree. For me, a binge is very much emotionally defined. If I feel like uncontrollably eating 400 calories of cheese or peanut butter, or 1500 calories of healthy food in one sitting and feel the usual guilty, self-hating feelings after either, I qualify them both as a binge. Sure there's a difference in calories consumed, but not in the psychological aspect.

    I hate when people try to own eating disorders and make them exclusive, like when you can't be considered "anorexic" if you have a healthy BMI.

    And I think it's very telling if you (and anyone else who feels the same as you) are offended by other people having a "small" binge, I think that comes from your illness as well, because when I was bulimic I would probably agree with that, but now that I'm recovered, my perspective has changed.
  • amy12321
    amy12321 Posts: 57 Member
    Binges are different for everyone. Just because someone else has it worse, it doesn't make the other person's insignificant. Everyone's here to try and become healthier so all of our questions and problems are valid.
  • masmagra
    masmagra Posts: 1 Member
    I agree with what most have said, there is no minimum calorie amount to define a binge.

    Its the fact that you're eating your emotions, not out of hunger, just because you are bored/angry... Usually my binges are towards high sugar choices which I restrict due to health issues. They are stupid and uncontrolled and always happen when Im nervous abt something.

    Everyone is different and you shouldnt compare your binges to others or be affected by the fact that your binges are more calorie dense. In the end whethere its a 500 cal binge or a 2000, if it was uncontrolled, rapid, and makes you feel nauseated/sick/guilty, I consider it a binge and dont judge others definitions.
  • sarahsxt
    sarahsxt Posts: 66
    Aww I'm the same. My binges are 3k-5k. I am phasing them out of my life, though! I don't really get mad when people say "OMG i just ate 800 calories in one meal", I just think, I hope that will be my binges one day, because it is much healthier!
  • katmix
    katmix Posts: 296 Member
    just putting this out there to set the record straight; it makes my skin crawl to see some people logging a 400 calorie snack attack as a an "OMG massive, disgusting, binge." there is a DIFFERENCE between someone who overeats a few hundred cals (usually because theyre depriving themselves) and someone who gorges themselves on a few THOUSAND calories because of emotional reasons. for someone like myself who's had 3k-5k emotional and horribly compulsive binges, its a slap in the face when i see people who call these ~under 1000 calorie meals~ "binges." its just overeating. i feel like theyre totally misinformed, saying they have a problem that is actually very serious for other people.

    am i crazy or am i right? i see it time and time again.....

    Ahh, you bring out the schoolteacher in me... :wink:

    Look in your dictionary for the definition...it's a period or bout of over-indulgence. Nothing about the number of calories consumed, or that using this term lightly is likely to offend others.

    I agree with the posters who say that it is about the loss of self-control and not the calories consumed. That is one valuable tool that I have picked up from MFP - is that I need to be cognizant of what is going in my mouth. And when I listen to my body (admittedly sometimes I ignore its pleas) I do feel self-loathing regarding my lack of control. I would hazard a guess that many are on this site - because they have come to the same self-realization that they have "issues" with food.

    For me, it has nothing to do with the amount over...whether 50 calories over - or 500 over. Lack of self-control with food is MY issue.

    I looked at your picture you have posted - and you are very thin. If you are having 3-5k binges, you have some *serious* issues with food. And probably best for you not to be demeaning others - and even perhaps a good idea to seek help.

    12029845.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • Lovely_Doll
    Lovely_Doll Posts: 72
    I hate when people try to own eating disorders and make them exclusive, like when you can't be considered "anorexic" if you have a healthy BMI.

    About the anorexia comment, usually to be classified as anorexic you have to have a BMI lower than 18.5 and there's also the loss of your period. That's why there's EDNOS, for people that might be anorexic in the sense that they starve themselves but still have a healthy BMI/still have not lost their period.

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