I told a coworker a few weeks ago that I had gone on quite a binge over the weekend. She said she had too: she ate ten mini Heath bars. I didn't say it, but I was thinking "you call that a binge??? I call it an appetizer."
But it got me thinking about what really is a binge. In my mind, a binge is eating everything in sight, taking in massive amounts of food to the point where you don't feel well. I'm talking a whole bag of Heath bars, possibly followed by a pizza, or donuts, or something else.
I don't think it's a set amount; I think it kinda depends on typical eating habits. For me eating 10 candy bars, even if they are mini, would be a binge. Really, anything more than 2 servings for me would be. Eating a lot in one sitting has never been a problem for me. It's the grazing that gets me.
I believe a binge is when a person over-eats out of obsession, beyond the point of being full, and like you said, to the point where they feel ill.
Does two out of three count? I've never felt ill from a binge, even a 5,000+ calorie bingeathon. My stomach can take a lot of abuse, which is definitely a double-edged sword. I've also never binged on junk food, unless you count Belgian chocolate and fat-laden French cheeses as junk. Obsessive and overly full -- that I've been on many occasions.
I can sit down and eat a BAG of chips with candy bars and 2 liter of soda and dont get me started on white cheddar cheese-its . This is after I have eaten dinner. I feel like binge eating is eating way to much junk for no apparent reason. I mostly do this at night. I really feel for people who have this problem.
To me, there's a definite difference between a binge and overeating. I have a friend who struggles with her weight and she overeats a lot but she never binges. I, on the other hand, rarely overeat. However, I can binge frequently. I feel sick, I almost don't taste the food beyond the first few bites. I end up feeling ill. I've had binges that only lasted a short period of time (5 minutes) where I inhale the food very rapidly. I've also had binges that would last 6 months. That means I'm stuffing my face with massive quantities of food every chance I can be alone. Most of the time, I fall somewhere in between. To me, your friend's description doesn't sound like a binge but I guess a binge is in the eye of the beholder.
Oh geez... scarfing all that food sounds really gross...
But anyway, what defines binging is a very good question. I agree with Nikel1979 in that it just depends on how each individual actually eats. I know when I was a freshman and sophomore in high school, I would get home and just eat a bag of Cheetos and a granola bar, or whatever small stuff was lying around. I wasn't trying to stuff myself, I was just eating useless calories. According to some people, I've possibly never binged, but some people think eating like that is too much.
I think it's more about the feelings than what you're actually eating. I can over eat and be perfectly happy with my decision to do so (with friends, nice meals etc) but I could binge on anything. Eating when I don't want to, feeling bad while doing it, not enjoying it, feeling out of control, feeling sick and painfully full. It's more about the stuffing than anything. If I feel like I'm going to cry and I'm still stuffing stuff in there (whatever it is - gherkins that one time) then I'd consider it a binge.
I don't think the quantity really matters on whether the amount of something can be called a binge or not. I consider eating 5 biscuits a binge because it's eating more than I should. At most I can eat 5 or 6 slices of pizza at a time. I think the size of people's stomachs vary a lot.
I consider it eating huge amounts of something and not feeling satisfied....not because of hunger but because of some other type of psychological "need" to feel satiated. It could be a package of oreos, it can be five hot dogs like i had last night..whatever it is it is not normal or healthy.....it isnt a healthy relationship with food. It doesn't make me feel good about myself afterwards.
I think for some people, overeating and binging are used interchangeably. For myself, the difference between overeating and binging is control. I can choose to eat more than I should (out with friends, big craving for pizza, one too many beers, stuff like that). If I'm binging, I'm just roboticly going through the motions, unable to stop, because it numbs me and I don't have to deal with my emotions of the moment.
A binge - A feeling of out of control eating, obsession, fixation. Shoving food and not feeling satisified. Doesn't matter the quantity.
Overeating - Most often I DO overeat when I binge. But it can happen accidently and without any sort of out of control feeling, like just having too many extra bites at dinner just because it's on the plate and I'm not paying close enough attention to my hunger cues.
For me- like many others seem to notice- it's a loss of control. Thanksgiving (as a normal) person, wouldn't count as a binge, but an indulgence.
When I binge, it is always accompanied by extreme anxiety, like I can't get enough food in my mouth fast enough. Binges for me are also followed by an extreme sense of guilt and self-loathing. I hate binges- but in the middle of them I trick myself into loving the disgusting amount of junk I eat.
"When I binge, it is always accompanied by extreme anxiety, like I can't get enough food in my mouth fast enough. Binges for me are also followed by an extreme sense of guilt and self-loathing. I hate binges- but in the middle of them I trick myself into loving the disgusting amount of junk I eat."
This is like me. For me, I overeat on healthy, clean meals frequently and I am not concerned about that. I am concerned about the loss of control and horrible back and forth feelings I will have sometimes around sweets and fast food. My binge might "just" be a large number two, and then stop at that, but the problem is that I am not including it in my life by choice and with satisfaction at eating something I enjoy. I am feeling sad or mad or bored and I go through the drive through to both punish myself and to take myself away from my feelings, then I feel like **** afterward, both guilty and ashamed usually.
If I am going to go through the drive through, I want to actually ENJOY the experience as a choice I am making, not be on autopilot and watching myself from far away.
Bingeing is something totally different for me. For me it has to do more about lying - like telling my husband I'm going to the mall but then going to eat food alone instead. Then I come home and have the proper dinner.
I also plan around food, so I'll leave early to go to work so that I can go through a drive-thru. Everywhere I go I know all the restaurants/fast food in the surrounding area and make time to go there.
I hide food (quite easily as it seems my husband takes no notice of food.)
Bingeing is done in complete solitude and is accompanied by feelings of extreme self-loathing and guilt. I don't eat a lot during these times, it's more about the planning, conspiring, and lyiing.
What do you consider a binge?
I hate binges- but in the middle of them I trick myself into loving the disgusting amount of junk I eat.
