What is binge eating? Could binge eating be something that is affecting your life, perhaps even controlling it?
I remember the moment when I realized that my answer was “yes.”
I used to believe that when it came to food, it was a matter of self-control. If I could just dig up the willpower, find a sure-fire eating plan, and just stick to it already, I could get this food fixation under control.
Needless to say, I spent hours on the computer, scouring the internet in search of the perfect diet plan. The one that would free from feeling trapped within my own skin and out of control with the food that was supposed to nourish me.
Turns out that I was looking for those answers outside of my own inner wisdom. And not having much success.
There was one nasty binge that I remember. While it was happening, it was as if I wasn’t even myself. It felt like I’d been overtaken by an outside force, and I had NO control over my actions.
After a bag of chips and God knows how much else, I was back online, silently begging for help. I typed in a desperate plea on the search bar, “I can’t stop eating,” and hoped for an instant fix.
What popped up were a million ads for “binge eating disorder treatment.” And I admit I was shocked.
“Do I have an eating disorder?” I asked myself, fearful of the answer.
So I clicked on the top hit and read about what this “disorder” actually was. Here’s the binge eating disorder diagnostic criteria from the Binge Eating Disorder Association of America:
- Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
- Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
- A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).
- The binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:
- Eating much more rapidly than normal.
- Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
- Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
- Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.
- Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.
- Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.
- The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
- The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g., purging) as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa.
What I’ve realized though is that you can have “binge like behavior” without actually having the disorder, and I talk about that in this video here:
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What is binge eating?
A binge can mean consuming large quantities of food in a single sitting. I’d definitely had those moments. But I also had moments where I wasn’t eating the large quantities as much, but rather there was a compulsive pull towards it.
After my work with thousands of women struggling with this I’ve realized it wasn’t so much the amount of eating itself, but rather the energy behind the actions.
When I was struggling, I was experiencing a compulsiveness to my eating. Once I started eating, I couldn’t stop. Urges to eat became obsessions that I couldn’t control.
You might know just what I’m talking about. It’s that feeling of powerlessness with the very thing that is intended to nourish and enrich your life–your food.
That’s what I call “binge-like behavior.” And it can happen even if you don’t have a full-blown eating disorder.
We’re not talking about ordinary desires for a once-in-awhile treat, like walking by an ice cream shop and desiring a sundae. In this case, whether or not you want ice cream goes from a simple yes or no question to a gut-wrenching internal interrogation.
You might torment yourself with a dialogue that goes something like this…
“Should I have the ice cream? I can’t have the ice cream. Don’t have the ice cream. No, wait, I want the ice cream. I want the ice cream. I want the ice cream.”
Then before you know it, you’re going through the drive-thru. Getting the ice cream and mowing through it like it’s going out of style. And then wanting more.
It’s more than a simple craving for a special treat. It’s a fixation that can’t be controlled.
Sometimes the self-attack also includes negotiation. There’s intensive plotting, planning, and reasoning going on in your head. It’s almost like it’s coming from a voice that isn’t your own.
Like some outside negotiator trying to get you to take a plunge.
As in, “Eat this now. You can have it. You deserve it.”
Or, “Finish it all. You already ruined your diet, so just start over tomorrow.”
It’s not like allowing yourself to enjoy a special meal. It’s not like having a celebratory dinner out with friends or choosing an indulgent treat off the menu because it genuinely sounds good.
It’s a push-pull negotiation combined with plotting and planning. It feels like a power struggle between the true you and an overpowering outside force.
Other times, there’s no negotiation at all. You start eating on autopilot, and you don’t realize what you’re doing until your elbow-deep in a bag of chips.
Maybe you feel like you’re losing control every time you’re even around food that you’ve deemed “bad for you.” Perhaps you can’t get that blacklisted food out of your mind, no matter how hard you push it down.
The whole thing might make you feel guilt, shame, or embarrassment. Maybe it’s something that you keep a secret, even from your closest friends and family.
The biggest thing is the feeling of compulsion. It’s the pull to food that feels like it’s taking over your entire being (whether you actually eat the food or not).
It’s not food for pleasure. It’s a pull to behavior that feels out of alignment with your true self.
A binge can be on carrots or cake. It could be over a single piece of pizza or an all-you-can eat buffet. What you eat or how much of it isn’t the real issue.
It’s the energy behind the actions. It’s the feeling that you’ve lost control, your power, and your sense of self to the food on your plate.
If any of this strikes a chord, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have an addiction. It doesn’t imply that you’re a disordered person.
All it’s telling you is to bring awareness to the way you’re acting with your food and the way you’re treating your body.
There might simply be something in the internal wiring that is setting you up for binge-like behavior. But it doesn’t mean you’re doomed to repeat these patterns for life!
I’ve created a special gift for you that will get you on the road to peace with your body, mind, and food. I want to help get you on the path what I call Food Freedom Forever. You can take your first step to Food Freedom Forever, now!
Food Freedom Forever helps you find freedom, ease, and bliss in your relationship with food. It empowers you to make choices that are in alignment with your mind, body, and true self. And actually LOVE your body and your food again!
You can have one piece of candy without consuming the whole bag.
You can embrace foods that make you feel healthy, nourished, and alive.
And you can give yourself the gift of peace with your body AND your food.
If you need any support in this area, we are here for you!
Click the image below where I’ve got a special gift for you! We call them, “Craving Cards”, and they’re one of our most popular tools!
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Love,
Brittany
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