This might sound like a bit of a strange or ignorant question, but what do you consider a binge to be? Is it eating more than a certain amount, and if so, how much? Is it eating when you aren't hungry? Is it eating a lot of a particularly "bad" food? Does it just happen with snacks or do people binge at mealtimes too? Are binges always done in secret or do you binge with other people, or when other people are present? Do you class something as a binge for the way it makes you feel emotionally, or the volume of food you consume? I'm sure binges are different for different people, but I'd really be interested to read what characterises a binge for you.

When I think back to the times where I was putting on weight as a teenager, I think a lot of it was down to binge eating. I never really considered this at the time. I just thought of it as "snacking", but perhaps, in hindsight, there was more to it. Now as I'm starting to begin losing weight again, I'd like to try and better understand some of my eating habits, and understanding binge eating is part of that.

Growing up, although portion sizes in my house were fairly big, we ate healthy and wholesome home-cooked food, and my family never bought in snacks like crisps and chocolate, and we never ate any frozen or "convenience" foods. I haven't done this for years, but when I was living with my family and was going to school, sometimes I would come home and eat four slices of white bread, toasted, slathered in melted butter and sprinkled with salt. I always used to do it secretly, before anyone else came home, and I used to make sure that everything was put back where it was so no-one would know. I also remember secretly stopping off at the village shop after school and buying two packets of crisps and two chocolate bars, and eating them in my bedroom.

More recently, before I made the decision to break through the plateau I was at with my weight loss, I used to do a lot of eating after my evening meal. It wouldn't necessarily be a vast quantity of food, but to give you an example, I might have a bowl of potato crisps/chips (maybe 40-50g), then a fairly large cookie, then another sort of salty snack like a 30g bag of crisps, and then perhaps a few squares of chocolate. There would be intervals of half an hour to an hour in between each "stage" of this eating, but it felt almost continuous, and I'm wondering if it is actually a sort of binge.

A couple of small bags of crisps and a large cookie, whilst trying to stick to a healthy eating lifestyle, seems like loads. However, I actually don't think it seems like a crazy off-the-scale unhealthy amount if it's all the unhealthy snacks someone not watching their diet has in the day. However, it reminds me of what I was doing as a teenager: eating whilst not really being hungry, consuming a fairly steady stream of food. As this is something I've been doing within the last six months or so, I'd like to try and get to the bottom of it a bit better, and understand why I've been doing it.

So with all that said, I'd really like to hear about your own feelings and experiences of what a binge is for you.

For me a binge is when I can't control myself from not eating something unhealthy. If I choose to eat something unhealthy (like some chips or KFC) it's my choice. If I can't stop myself from putting a chip in my mouth, that's my binge.

For me, it's eating a ridiculous amount of something and still being on the hunt because it wasn't the right thing.

Eating The Whole Thing because it's there. That could be 5 cookies, or 3 candy bars, or going back and cutting a slice of cake every hour until it's gone.

When im telling myself NO youve had enough STOP but my hands keep reaching for more food.

Generally a binge is classed as eating a lot more than an average person would in a small ammount of time. However, people with binge or eating disroders tend to suffer low self esteem or have bad self images, and so really can blow things out of perspective - meaning they can consider two chocolate bars as a 'binge' which leads to an even bigger binge.

For me the loss of control is a binge, or eating untill I'm physically uncomfortable.

Same here -- it has more to do with the lack of control than the calories or junkiness of the food. I've definitely binged on diet coke, blueberries, mushrooms, carrots, grapes, bell peppers, and other things that won't likely lead to weight gain!

eating what would be a ridiculous amount of food in one day. i see overeating and binging as different. i haven't binged in quite a while, thank goodness.

I see overeating and binging as different

agreed! It's usually a very short amount of time and usually when I'm alone.

For me it could be healthy or unhealthy food. Any time that i eat an excess of food when 1. I know im not hungry and 2. I feel like puking afterwards cause im so full. A binge is not being able to just say no and put the food down. For me a binge is usually brought on by sad/angry emotions

ETA: I agree that over eating and binging is different. I think that over eating can be controlled and that sometimes you just overeat cause it tastes so good and you think 2 more bites wont hurt. Or you eat too fast and dont give your body time to register that you are full.

binging for me is standing in the kitchen and eating everything i can get my hands on... and not enjoying a single minute of it. And making sure no one else knows what I'm doing.

not a fun time.

Overeating on the other hand -- well that can be done when people are around. Negative feelings not laced into it and instead of feeling shameful, just feel full.

For me, it is when I just had a meal less than an hour ago and I keep eating stuff until I'm about to puke, and then beat up myself and feel sh*tty about it!!! I just can't stop this cycle .... God help me!

A lot of my binges are planned ahead of time. Not like DAYS beforehand, but maybe I'll think to myself, "I'm gonna be alone at home tonight so I'll order loads of food delivery" and then as soon as my bf goes out the door, I'm on the phone with the Chinese place. There's really no turning back at this point. Or I'll go to the shop with a binge in mind.
Of course, I suffer from impulsive binges as well. In that case, anything in the cupboards is game... but yeah, the total giving up of control, accepting that I am going to binge, and the zombie-like trance I fall into when I'm hardly tasting anything that I'm shoving into my mouth.... all that spells B-I-N-G-E for me. How unpleasant.

The key for this question to me CONTROL.
When you have no control about what you are eating.
It is like the food has control over you and you just stop when the food is gone. Sometimes not even that can stop you because you can always find/buy more food. You not hungry and can even eat something you don't like, just for the heck or eating it. Your mouth has to keep moving. It doesn't really matter which kind of food is it: healthy, unhealthy, salt or sweet.
In my point of view, it can happen alone or not. You can start binging with friends at dinner, for example, and keep going when you get back home.
Actually for me some events can get me going, because after I eat something very bad I just say: Whatever, I already ruined my diet, so I don't care about any food plan anymore and put myself in an eating mode. Can't turn the OFF button.
And the felling terrible part is just because you are aware of what you are doing and you know the consequences. It make you feel the last person on earth.
I know all about that. Done it so many times in my life and I don't think I can promise it will never happen again. But one thing I know for sure, if it happens again, it will be a lot less often.

For me a binge happens when I buy something sweet, because sweets are my binge food, and it has more than one serving in a package. I am fine when something comes in a single serving, but anything more than that and I can't handle it. I just continue to eat until it is gone. Even if I don't even want it.