I agree with the posts above. It's partially a state of mind. I don't associate shame with overeating as I do with bingeing. Bingeing is something that I hide and do behind closed doors. It involves wanting to keep the emotional response going from the foods that I'm consuming. With overeating, I think it's just not being able to stop yourself from eating a normal portion. But bingeing involves a complete emotional response and at the time of the binge is uncontrollable. It's amazing some of the things that I've eaten during a binge. I'm too ashamed to even list it out although listing it out would probably help. In the end they both suck. But I don't think overeating is as detrimental to your emotional state as bingeing is.

When I overeat, its mostly about the food. However, when I binge it has almost nothing to do with the food, its a behavioral pattern that consists of me numbing some emotion or feeling that I don't wish to feel.

This behavioral pattern is the thing I've struggled with since I was a child and its what I'll struggle with for the rest of my life.

When I overeat I might feel guilty afterward for, "making a mistake," but during and after a binge I feel total shame, that's why I have to be alone during one of these episodes. How many hours I've sat in my car in some car park stuffing food into my mouth is shocking and very sad.

For me, there is a world of difference between overeating and binging.

I won't purge after I've overeaten vs I will purge, restrict, laxative, diuretics, etc...after a binge to counteract it.

The difference for me might not be in the number of calories, but in the food. I can overeat at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner but everything was good for you food and I'll be stuffed full and still find room for a Christmas orange.

But a binge is always certain junk food, barbecue chips, assorted candy, a fast food meal, chocolate milk, pizza, chinese, etc...whatever I'm really craving and I'll eat a week's worth of calories in a few hours. I'd also never ever binge in front of someone else, whereas overeating typically happens around other people.