Eating & Body Image
Binge Eating Disorder
Recurrent episodes of eating a large amount in a short time with a sense of losing control, without purging, followed by distress.
What it can feel like
- Eating much faster than usual, past fullness
- Eating alone because of embarrassment
- Binges followed by guilt, shame or disgust
- Feeling unable to stop once started
- Weight gain and a history of dieting
Not everyone has every symptom, and you do not need a label to deserve support.
Things that help
Drop the diet, build the pattern
Restriction triggers binges. Regular, satisfying meals reduce the urge far more effectively than another diet.
Find the emotion before the food
Notice what you were feeling ten minutes before. Binges are usually coping, and the feeling is the thing to treat.
Ride out the urge with a timer
Urges peak and pass. Sit with one for ten minutes, doing something absorbing, and record what happened.
Want to actually do these? Save them to your practices and tick them off as you go.
Add to my practicesWhen to reach for more support
Binge eating disorder is treatable with CBT and guided self-help. Speak to a GP without shame, it is common and well understood.
Often looked at together
Anorexia Nervosa
Restriction of food intake driven by fear of weight gain, leading to significantly low body weight and an intense focus on control.
ARFID
Very limited eating driven by sensory sensitivity, low appetite or fear of consequences such as choking, rather than by body image.
Bulimia Nervosa
Cycles of binge eating followed by purging through vomiting, laxatives or over-exercise, usually with shame and a normal body weight.