Binge Eating Support

People with Binge Eating Disorder may also have the following symptoms:

 

• Preferring to be alone when binge eating.

• Feeling numb, checked-out or on “auto-pilot” during binges.

• Preoccupation with food, dieting, weight and/or shape.

• Difficulty describing feelings in detail to others (known as alexithymia).

• Having tried many diets in the past, but struggling to control eating despite a strong desire to.

• Having grown up in an abusive or neglectful environment.

• Having had/having other substance abuse problems (aside from food).

• Difficulty controlling impulses in areas of your life other than eating.

• Often feeling depressed, angry or irritable.

• Having rituals surrounding eating or binging- your food must be “just right”.

• Feeling like you are addicted to food.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions about Binge Eating Disorder

 

 

What is binge eating?

 

 

Episodes of binge eating, or binges, are episodes of eating large quantities of food in one sitting.  During a binge, someone with Binge Eating Disorder feels he is unable to control how much or what he is eating.  Negative emotions typically follow, such as disgust, sadness, frustration and self-loathing.

 

 

Everyone overeats from time to time, even people who are not overweight.  They may even eat an exceptionally large quantity of food.  However, binges are different for people with BED. 

 

In BED, binges are frequent- at least 1-2 times per week.  They are also accompanied by extreme distress, a feeling of lack of control, obsession with food, diets, weight or shape and other problems. 

 

 

Do I have Binge Eating Disorder? 

 

 

You may have binge eating disorder if you have its symptoms:   

 

 

• You have recurrent episodes of binge eating (where you eat an amount of food that is definitely larger than the amount an average person would eat in one sitting).

• You do not vomit, misuse laxatives, fast or exercise excessively after binging (These behaviors are, however, associated with other eating disorders).

• You eat faster during binges.

• You feel you cannot control what or how much you eat during binges.

• You eat in response to emotions you find uncomfortable.

• You hide your binge eating or binge foods.

• You often eat well past the point of feeling full, sometimes until you feel sick.

• You feel embarrassed or ashamed of your eating habits.

• After a binge, you feel guilty, angry or depressed.

• You are distressed about your binge eating.

 

 

How can I tell if I have Binge Eating Disorder?

 

The best way to tell if you have BED is to discuss your symptoms with a professional who specializes in eating disorders.  Someone with a background in eating disorders will be able to determine whether the symptoms you are concerned about are related to binge eating disorder, a different eating disorder or another cause entirely. Therapists and psychiatrists are two examples of professionals that might specialize in treating eating disorders. Dieticians may also work with clients who have eating disorders.   

 

 

For informational purposes, you can take the Binge Eating Disorder Quiz here.    

 

 

 

Why do people binge?  Why don’t they just stop eating?

 

 

There are different reasons people with BED binge.  Most often, binge eating is a coping mechanism to manage negative emotions.  Binging distracts a person from their feelings.  Usually, people with BED do not have many coping skills for handling negative emotions in healthy ways. 

 

 

A person who has BED is not able to “just stop eating”.  In fact, that is a major component of the disorder- a loss of control over what and how much one is eating.  This loss of control causes extreme distress because a person with BED is usually obsessed with dieting, weight or shape and is extremely distraught about their inability to control their eating. 

 

 

 

Is binge eating disorder really a medical condition?

 

 

Yes.  Binge eating disorder is listed in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition).  The DSM-5 is the reference for doctors and other medical professionals to diagnose mental disorders.  Just as depression, post traumatic stress disorder and anorexia are disorders involving mental health, so too is binge eating disorder. 

 

 

 

 

Do all obese people have binge eating disorder?

 

 

No.  Many people become overweight or obese without having BED.  If a person regularly overeats, he/she will likely gain weight.  However, overeating and/or gaining weight are not the same as having an eating disorder. It is quite possible for a person to gain weight- sometimes large amounts of weight- without binge eating on a regular basis. Someone without BED will also have control over what and how much she eats.   

 

 

Someone with binge eating disorder has certain characteristics that others (even other overweight or obese people) do not have:

 

 

• People with BED have recurrent binges in response to negative emotions, not real hunger.  A person who doesn’t have BED can become overweight or obese by eating or drinking excessively, but this eating could be spaced throughout the day or could be due to eating meals with more calories than their body can use (but those meals could still be considered “normal” and not binges).  Overweight people who do not have BED have gained weight because of a reason other than repeated binge eating.

• People with BED feel extreme distress over these binge episodes.  Despite a strong desire to control their eating, they often end up eating abnormally large quantities of food.  During binges, they feel they cannot control what or how much they eat.  Those without BED may not have binges, or they may not feel distressed because they maintain control over what and how much they eat. 

• People with BED have binges in response to strong emotions they are trying to soothe.  People with healthy eating habits may sometimes eat for emotional reasons or even binge, but they do not have frequent binge eating episodes where they feel a lack of control.

 

 

 

Can thin people have binge eating disorder?

 

 

Yes.  Whether a person has BED has nothing to do with his weight.  Binge eating disorder is an unhealthy relationship with food where a person binges regularly.  In most cases, repeated binge eating will result in gaining weight, so most people with BED are overweight or obese.  However, there are circumstances that would allow someone to have BED even though she is a normal weight.  For example:

 

 

• His metabolism is very high.  He may lose control and binge often in an attempt to deal with negative feelings, but his body burns up all the calories before they can be stored as fat. 

• She is very physically active.  Tennis star Monica Seles is an example of an athlete who has dealt with BED. 

• His binge eating problem is relatively new.  If he has only recently started having out of control binges, he may not have gained weight yet. 

 

 

 

People can have BED even if they are not overweight. The criteria for BED are based on a person’s eating habits and emotional state, not weight.  However, most people with BED eventually become overweight as a result of recurring binges. 

 

 

Binge eating disorder is a pattern of dysregulated eating behavior and emotional distress.  Obesity is a common outcome of that behavior, but it doesn’t have to be present for someone to have BED.

 

 

 

 

Who is at risk for BED?

 

 

Anyone can develop BED, but there are certain characteristics that are common among those with the disorder. These include having been abused or neglected as a child, having depression, having a history of substance abuse and having had a different eating disorder.  You can read more about the risk factors for BED here.

 

 

 

I think someone I know has BED.  How can I help them?

 

 

It can be very difficult to have a friend or loved one who has binge eating disorder. As an outsider, you can see that this person has an unhealthy relationship with food. You may be concerned about their health and be eager to help. However, you have probably already noticed that solving this problem will not be easy.

 

 

The person you suspect has BED is unlikely to recover without the help of a doctor or therapist that specializes in treating eating disorders. Your friend or family member must be willing to seek the help of such a specialist. 

 

Click here to read more about how to help someone with binge eating disorder.

 

 

 

How common is BED?

 

 

Binge eating disorder is very common, affecting 3.5% of women and 2% of men. 

 

 

 

Can BED be cured?

 

 

Yes. The catch is that the cure is not a diet or exercise plan, which is what most people assume it is. Losing weight will not change someone’s disordered thinking and eating habits. If you have BED, you may not like hearing that the solution to your problem is not a diet or losing weight. You likely believe that losing weight would solve the problem entirely. But if the problem really was so simple, you’d have corrected it long ago.

 

It is possible to recover from BED and establish more control over food. The key is realizing a few things:

 

 

• The problem is your disordered eating behavior and obsession with food, dieting and weight. More disordered eating, dieting and obsessing will not solve the problem. It will only lead you further down the road you are on now- binges and emotional overeating that feels out of control and feeling bad about yourself.

• You must accept the help of others, such as an eating disorder specialist, to overcome binge eating disorder. Most people with BED don’t like asking for help and don’t like talking about personal matters with others. These things are necessary for you to recover. Those of us struggling with BED have to accept that we do not already have the magic answer that will banish binge eating. To find that answer, we must allow another person to help us.

• Recovering from BED will take time. There is no instant fix for a problem that took years to create.

• Overcoming BED will be hard. You eat to avoid painful feelings. The trouble is, you have to figure out and understand those feelings to overcome them. Facing the feelings you’re running from takes a lot of courage. If those feelings were easy to deal with, nobody would binge to avoid them.

 

Do not give up hope! You are not doomed to suffer from BED for your entire life! You have the power to change. Just keep in mind that the journey starts with information, outside help and the courage to face the pain that is hurting you.

 

 

What treatments are available for BED?

 

 

This is a complicated question. BED is often influenced by other conditions, such as depression or a personality disorder. Treating those disorders is very important for overcoming BED because they cause emotions that you manage by binging. It is a form of self-medicating.

 

There are natural, behavioral and prescription treatments for depression and personality disorders. These treatments can have a dramatic impact on disordered eating behavior and bring substantial relief from distressing feelings.

 

 

To treat BED itself, talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback/neurofeedback, exercise, mindfulness training and many other treatments are possible. On this site, we discuss these treatments so that people with BED can choose the best one for themselves.

 

 

 

Can children and teenagers have BED?

 

 

Yes.  Children and teenagers can develop binge eating disorder, especially if they have some of the risk factors for it.

 

If you suspect your child has BED, you are doing the right thing to seek out information so you understand the problem. Your child can overcome BED and lead a normal life if you help him/her receive the proper treatment. Take the time to browse our site and learn more about BED and compulsive overeating. Then seek the assistance of a therapist or doctor that specializes in treating eating disorders. With your help and commitment and a medical specialist as a guide, you can help your child.

 

 

 

What causes Binge Eating Disorder?

 

 

There are many factors that are associated with binge eating disorder. Most importantly, binge eating is a disordered way of coping with feelings that are otherwise intolerable.

 

 

People with BED likely do not have adequate skills for coping with stress in a healthy manner. Eating is soothing in and of itself, plus many foods are loaded with sugar and fat combinations or chemical additives that encourage addiction (even people with no eating disorder are left scratching their heads sometimes, wondering why they couldn’t leave some food alone…they always felt compelled to eat it again and again). 

 

 

Unfortunately, binge eating only helps a person feel better temporarily. And much like alcohol or drugs, over time a binge eater develops a tolerance to the positive feeling food induces, so they eat more to get the same effect. Much of the time, the foods chosen for binges are processed foods. When eaten regularly in large quantities, these foods encourage poor health, which exacerbates conditions like ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, etc.  These foods can also simply make a binge eater feel sick or tired. To cope with these negative feelings, someone with BED will just feel compelled to binge again. A cycle is created that is difficult to stop- and that’s only considering the impact of food additives.

 

 

Some people with BED have no history of abuse, but many do have physical, verbal or sexual abuse or neglect in their pasts. Whatever the cause, people with BED have not developed healthy coping strategies for negative emotions. Often, these emotions are constant and/or extreme, so the person with BED ends up using food to cope.