I know all the signs and symptoms of compulsive eating. I'm a beginner at dealing with this problem, and after years of black and white thinking: this is bad, that is good, not much in between, I'm having problems determining if I'm truly having a binge or if I've just made bad choices and eaten too much.
I know I need professional help in dealing with this -- it's a complex issue that doesn't just effect my eating -- but I have a couple of weeks before I can get in to see someone, and I thought I'd try talking it out with the ladies here.
For instance, I KNOW it's a binge when I've cleared out all the cabinets, the fridge, and driven to McDonald's 20 minutes away in the middle of the night, and go to bed so full I could vomit (but don't, I HATE throwing up). But what about those nights I go over my target for the day by a good margin, but without feeling that out-of-control sensation? When I've eaten way too much that I didn't need to eat, but not so much that I'm sick? Where is the line between a "bad day" and a binge day?
Or I guess I should ask, where is your line? I'm sure everyone's is different.
(Please don't recommend OA -- not my scene, but thank you.
I'm kind of going through something similar, today in fact. I guess for me I consider it a bad day /poor choices when I can look back on it and see where I stopped. Like yes, I ate the trail mix at work because I was ravenous ( for real, stomach growling, honest hunger ) and some triscuits and some mints....but I didn't go to subway annd get cookies, nor did I go to the gas station and get candy on the way home from work.
I consider it a binge when I've exhausted all my resources.
As I type this, I"m full. My stomach is kind of upset but more so from what I've eaten ( those mints ) and not the amount.
I know all about the black and white thinking.. in some ways I think it helps me in other aspects of my life, like my job, but it stinks when it comes to dieting sort of htigns.
So, for me, it's a binge when I'm pretty much in a food coma and about to hurl if I move just a little too quickly, and it's a bad day when I can look back on it and say yeah, that wasn't pretty, but it could have been worse.
ive always wondered if there is different types of binging because before i made "the change" i normally go grab something to eat if im bored. is eating cause your bored considered binging?
I consider it a binge when I go back time and time again and just keep grabbing more and more to eat to the point where my stomachs so distended it hurts. And also I consider it a binge if I have the attitude "I just don't give a crap" whereas normally I'd be very aware of what I'm eating and how many calories it has.
I wondered the same thing then I realized that I have different types of binges. They vary from full blown binges when I eat everything in sight until I'm so full I want to vomit to a small binge where I eat a bag of chips, can of nuts, or a half gallon of ice cream. If I can put the fork down but choose not to then I'm not binging. But if I feel compelled to eat then I'm binging. It's a fine line for me. So fine that one uncontrolled bite can send me over the edge.
I'm still amazed at how much power food has over me, how strong the urge is and how it can distort reality.
Just wanted to say I agree with the idea that the " I don't give a crap." attitude is a big part of it. If I care, then I stop the self destructive behavior.
I agree with Nooch and everyone that said that the "I don't give a crap" feeling is a big part of it.
I think that it's different for everyone. A binge for you might just be overeating for someone else.
For me, a binge is never with other people--I never binge in front of others, it's always always alone. It's secret eating. And it's more than just overeating, it's this compulsive drive to feel full. It's not "oh, this food is so good, I just want a few more bites even though I've had enough". It's more "I need to eat whatever I can find so that this empty feeling goes away." When I binge, there's a hole that I'm trying to fill, and I can eat more than usual before I start to feel full.
I consider it a binge when I feel out of control, like I couldn't stop if I wanted to. Or, if I'm knowingly doing it to ignore or cover up negative feelings.
I've had "binges" as small as 3 granola bars, or 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Other people might not count them as binges, but they fit my definition. I've also overeaten by 4000+ calories (hello, Christmas dinner!). Again, some people might call that a binge, but I don't.
Yep. For me bingeing is when I am not in control. No matter how small the amount is. When I eat 5 crackers and I wasn't hungry to begin with and then I go back for more. That I call a binge.
It's also a binge for me when I eat something I know is going to make me feel sick. Like I know one flour tortilla will give me heartburn and I eat it anyway.
Sometimes it includes "I don't care". Sometimes it is other negative self talk. "What does it matter?" "No one cares."
Thanks for starting this thread. It's important to know what we mean.
Last edited by inthemidst; 10-04-2009 at 03:00 PM.
For me it's a binge when I lie about it and keep it a secret. It's also a binge if I think about the food, strategize, and then lie to go and get it. It's also a binge if I feel so guilty afterwards and try to justify it. I shouldn't have to justify eating.... that's not normal... that means it's a binge.
For me, it's the 'I don't care anymore' mentality. It's when I'm not even thinking about what I'm eating, or how much of it. It's just mindless. Like others said, it doesn't matter what size it is. Could be a half box of cookies, or ten boxes. Their are degreees of binges, I guess.
For me, a binge 'feels' different than overeating. When I'm on a binge, a different part of my brain takes over. I don't think about what I'm eating, I just shovel it down as fast as I can for as long as it's there for.
Overeating does not have that out of control feeling. It's just not controlling my portion sizes well and feeling that, even though I might be full, the food was so good that I want 'just a little' more (be it one more bite or one more serving). Unlike binging, I'm making a choice to eat that other bite, it's not compulsive the way binging is.
I think you're right when you say it's different for everyone, but hope this helps a little!
When is it a binge...
