What do binge eating episodes have in common?
Not all binges look the same. And I say that despite the DSM-5 criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the US. It is characterized by recurrent and persistent episodes of binge eating. The episodes feel out of control. They are also associated with binge-related distress and 3 or more of the following:
• Eating much faster than normal
• Eating until you feel uncomfortably full.
• Eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry.
• Eating alone out of embarrassment at the amount of food eaten.
• Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or guilty afterward.
In bulimia, the above behaviors are often followed regularly by compensatory purging. But purging behaviors are absent or only used sporadically in binge eating disorder.
Granted, aside from the diagnostic criteria, I have observed different types of binge eating, both in my clients and in the participants of my doctoral research study.
Some episodes fit the criteria with absolute precision. Others vary, perhaps in the amount of food consumed or the “speed” with which it is eaten. Or sometimes in the time it takes for the binge to occur.
That last variation allows me to include a phenomenon I call a “drunken day.” Participants in my PhD study kept food logs and were instructed to circle anything they considered binge eating. Several of them, at various times, put a circle around the entire day’s food log. That was a binge day.
What about binge days?
The amount of food throughout the day of binging was typically quite large, but at no particular time of day did they binge by standard criteria.
However, these days happen too often and with too many attendees/customers to ignore.
What do binge days have in common with DSM-5 binge episodes? Eating feels out of control.
And here’s what I’ve observed in my study and practice: Binges, “traditional” or not, are often triggered by sugar consumption.
Participants in my low-sugar group improved more than either the low-fat group or the controls in terms of the number of binge episodes, the amount of food eaten, the number of cravings, and the intensity of the cravings.
If you are having trouble with binge eating episodes, the best thing to do is to stop eating sugar.
