Binge eating disorder can leave you feeling caught in a painful cycle with food. During a binge, you may eat a large amount of food in a short period while feeling unable to slow down or stop even when you are uncomfortably full.
Not every binge looks or feels the same. You might binge in response to anger or frustration, boredom, loneliness, stress, sadness, or feeling emotionally overwhelmed. At other times, binge eating may follow a period of dieting, skipping meals, or trying to follow strict food rules. Some binges may feel impulsive and intense, while others involve feeling numb, disconnected, or like you’re on autopilot.
Afterward, you may experience guilt, shame, physical discomfort, or promises to be more restrictive with food. Unlike bulimia, binge episodes are not regularly followed by behaviors such as vomiting, misusing laxatives, or excessive exercise.
Binge eating is not a lack of willpower or a personal failure. Treatment can help you understand what drives your particular binge-eating patterns, reduce shame, and develop a more consistent, flexible, and trusting relationship with food and your body.
Binge Eating (BED)
What this can look like
Recurrent Binge Eating
Eating a large amount of food within a relatively short period of time often more than you would typically eat in a similar situation.
Lack of Control
During a binge, you may feel unable to stop or control what and how much is being eaten.
No Compensatory Behaviors
You may feel guilt or distress after binge eating, but you don’t regularly try to compensate for what you ate through behaviors such as vomiting, fasting, or excessive exercise.
Distress
After a binge you may be distressed, guilty, or ashamed.
Eating Alone Due to Embarrassment
Finding yourself eating large amounts of food, sometimes without feeling physically hungry, and wanting to eat alone or in secret because you feel embarrassed, ashamed, or worried about what others might think.
Eating Rapidly
During a binge, you might find yourself Consuming food faster than usual.
Your relationship with food and your body doesn’t have to stay this way
Eating disorder patterns can become so familiar that it’s hard to imagine things feeling different. Treatment can help you understand what’s keeping you stuck and begin building more flexibility, freedom, and trust around food and your body.