What is binge eating? How do I stop it?
Author: Hadley Gordon, MS, RDN, (she/her)
Hello reader,
Before diving into this blog post, I would like to invite you to read these words at least twice to yourself and take a slow, deep breath:
What you are experiencing is NOT your fault
You are exactly where you need to be
You are not alone in what you are experiencing
Now that you have given yourself the space and time to arrive here fully, please be patient with what is to come. Some of this may feel familiar to you, but other points may be new. Sometimes when we hear new information, our instinct is to challenge it. I would like to invite you to be open to the words below… they just might help you find YOUR answer to the question: “how can I stop binge eating?”.
What is a binge?
The diagnostic criteria for Binge Eating Disorder is very specific; however, if you have found yourself on this blog post, it is likely that you have experienced what you perceive to be binge eating. Perceived binge eating is truly just as valid as diagnosed binge eating, in that the manner in which you are eating is likely creating a sense of dis-ease in your relationship to food, body, or lifestyle. Some general characteristics of binge eating can include: a perceived lack of control during eating episodes, increased speed while eating, eating until you feel discomfort from fullness, eating without an associated feeling of hunger, eating differently when alone versus with others, and/or a feeling of shame or guilt upon completion of the eating episode. Rest assured that whether or not you fall into the diagnostic criteria for binge eating, if you feel lost or out of control in your relationship to food, there is hope for a peaceful future for you!
Why binge eating may be happening...
(Disclaimer: it is impossible to cover all of the roots behind binge eating experiences in one blog post. The following examples are general and common experiences that are seen in counseling sessions that may be relatable to your individual experience.)
Example #1: Unintentional Restriction
Your body requires a certain amount of energy in order to function daily. These functions include pumping blood through your body, sending messages through neurons to allow you to think thoughts and speak words, as well as break down the food you eat. The energy that your body utilizes can be thought of as gasoline for a car, except the body’s fuel is food! On top of your daily bodily functions, if you choose to walk your dog, take the stairs, pick up your baby, go to the gym, or do work in your garden, your body needs even more energy/food!
With busy schedules and life’s many stressors (financial, interpersonal, societal, global, etc), people can find themselves in situations where they forget to prioritize eating food and/or have a hard time feeling calm enough to eat in general. Both of these instances can lead people to a space of restricting their food intake, thus not meeting their daily energy requirements.
When people get to that point of not meeting their daily energy requirements, their bodies are SO brilliant that they begin to increase the drive to meet those needs through any means necessary. The real kicker here is this: even though someone in this situation needs to “make up” the missing calories from the day to meet their body’s total needs, the physical space in their stomach is often not large enough to hold all of the food that it would take to complete that task. This experience, rooted in trying to meet one’s bodily needs, can then look like any mixture of characteristics that make up the previously discussed “perceived binge”.
In this binge eating example, the root cause was not eating enough - yet the outcome was a negative experience of feeling out of control with eating plus the discomfort of feeling overly full afterwards.
Example #2: Intentional Restriction
Because of the society we live in, oftentimes people find themselves pressured to restrict their intake with the goal of achieving recognition, love, respect, or acceptance (among other things). This restriction can take many forms, including: dieting, calorie counting, intermittent fasting, removing whole food groups, removing specific foods, or even an obsession with “healthy” eating (spoiler alert: if the desire to be healthy turns into a compulsion, obsession, or need… it has most likely stopped being a healthy behavior and nutrition therapy is always an option).
This intentional restriction leads to a similar outcome as the above example, where a person’s body typically will drive them to meet their energy needs in whatever means necessary. Once again, the body is using its innate wisdom to get its needs met in order to keep you alive and functioning. Albeit, the manner in which it achieves this goal can lead to discomfort and a lack of peace within food and body spaces (such as through “out of control” eating of foods that have been restricted leading to feeling uncomfortably full or like your body is against you).
BINGE/RESTRICT CYCLE
An important piece to include here is that oftentimes people do not recognize that their binge episodes are related to under-eating throughout the day. When that happens, they can feel shame associated with misunderstanding their body and their current seemingly “uncontrolled” behavior around food. This shame can lead to trying to restrict in order to “make up” for the binge, which as you can now imagine, only fuels the body’s drive to make the binge happen again! Breaking the cycle can be difficult, but with support is definitely doable!
Example #3: Meeting a Deeper Need through Food
Humans thrive off of having their needs met; however, we don’t always have the tools to recognize what we need, communicate our needs, or even meet those needs at all times. Human needs can include: connection, understanding, love, acceptance, peace, safety, appreciation, and many others that are all valid.
The experience of food is first and foremost providing fuel for our body; however, second in line is the pleasurable experience it can create for us on our taste buds, in our brains, and even in our hearts. There is so much beauty in the satisfaction we receive from food, from the bite of cake shared between newly weds at their wedding to a toddler’s first experience with a sour and crunchy apple slice … the enjoyment of food is something so wonderful about being in a human body.
Because of this, food can be used to meet those previously mentioned unmet needs. In the absence of the tools to get our needs met, it is absolutely understandable why people reach for the pleasure they derive from eating. When awareness is brought to this truth, people can begin to recognize their deeper needs, validate their experience with choosing food to bring pleasure, and move towards finding more tools to utilize to meet their needs more adequately. It is important, however, to recognize that using food for pleasure is not a problem; rather, there is a possibility of including more tools to more appropriately meet all of your very valid needs.
Example #4: Inconsistent Access to Food
When people experience food insecurity, whether throughout their childhood or in their current life, their brain and body tend to develop a distrusting relationship with food. When the brain and body do not feel confident that food will be available to them, this can lead to the body acting in a protective manner when it is around food. This can look like anything, from eating all of the food in the house so it isn’t able to go to waste, to finishing all of the food on their plate even when they are no longer hungry.
While the experience of eating in this manner may feel erratic, it is a biological protective mechanism where the body is trying to stock up on resources out of fear that they may not be around forever.
Addressing food insecurity can involve many different action steps and can sometimes feel daunting. Food banks and other donation centers can be really helpful for providing adequate amounts of food to have on hand. Additionally, SNAP programs can provide assistance for affording food. A psychotherapist can also be beneficial in talking through the trauma inherent in a history of food insecurity -- even if food is now present in adequate amounts, the body and brain may still be living in fear of scarcity. Until these underlying roots are addressed, binge eating may continue to occur.
Example #5: Coping with and/or Reacting to Real Trauma, Emotions, and/or Pain
Some human experiences are unexplainably painful and require protective mechanisms in order to cope. Two coping mechanisms pertinent to this discussion are numbing and distracting. Food is one tool that can be utilized to aid in both of these coping tactics. A separate response to trauma, which is more reactive, can include intentionally hurting oneself, in this case through forcefully eating to a state of painful fullness.
It is quite common for humans to adopt coping mechanisms that achieve the outcome of coping with the trauma, emotions, or pain, but also bring along their own negative side-effects. Working with a psychotherapist to safely dive into the trauma, emotions, or pain at the root of the coping or reacting mechanisms is necessary in order to address the use of binge eating behaviors. With that support, one can be able to develop alternative coping strategies that do not have their own negative effects.
How to stop binge eating
By now, it may be more clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to stopping binge eating. Instead, it is necessary to find the root cause of the binge eating experience, whether perceived or diagnosed, in order to understand why it is happening. The understanding that the body is frequently taking measures to sustain life and is not just acting out of control can be so freeing for some people to learn.
Nutrition therapy can be a really helpful tool in finding your own unique root cause of your binge eating experience. Psychotherapy can also be a great adjunct, as food experiences are rarely solely about the food. With the support of providers, you can take a deep dive into topics such as diet culture, societal standards/expectations, body image work, trauma, emotion regulation, and more!
Steps to take:
Utilize compassion and curiosity to identify the root cause of your binge experiences
Avoid shaming the binge and utilize it is a piece of data that is informing you of a deeper issue that needs to be addressed
Explore regularly eating previously restricted foods, consistent and adequate eating, and food security programs if applicable
Develop a toolbox for meeting your deeper needs
Consider your body image and how that may be playing a role in your eating experiences
*We recommend taking these steps under the guidance of a care team (oftentimes involving a Registered Dietitian, Psychotherapist, and Primary Care Physician), as this work can be overwhelming to take on by yourself.
Where to start if you can’t obtain support at this time
If finances, scheduling, or other lifestyle factors are getting in the way of you successfully obtaining support for your binge eating, there are helpful resources online that can help get you started. Some of our recommendations are below. We also recommend making sure to vet your sources and ensure that they are coming from nutrition and mental health professionals, so you are getting accurate and science-based information!
