Binge Eating Vs Over Eating
Did you binge eat or just overeat?
Food behaviours are freaking complicated, and sometimes it can be hard to know whether you have just experienced something that should be of a concern and signifies an unhealthy relationship of food - or whether it's just all part of being human and enjoying the eating experience. 🫤
This is especially true when it comes to over eating. I'm sure you've all come back from dinner and felt uncomfortably full knowing you should have stopped eating way before you did. But does that mean you binged? I know it’s something in the past I have questioned.
But the answer is no. Because there are some pretty big distinctions between binge eating and over eating.
A binge will generally be done behind closed doors, alone with predictable food. It's done quickly, leaves feelings of regret and has an underlying out of control element to it. You are also more likely to try and compensate after the fact, either by purging, under eating or over exercising the nec day.
However with overeating it will generally be done with others and in a planned way. For example going out to dinner with a group of friends. Yo may try different food and get caught up in the moment not realising how full you are until after, but although you feel full you are able to move on quickly and not beat yourself up about it. The next day you continue on as usual without too much concern.
Overeating Example:
So let’s say for example you go out to dinner with friends, its planned and you’ve been looking forward to going to the restaurant for ages. You get there and everyone orders starters. Bread is bought to the table which you don’t normally have, so along with everyone else you eat some while laughing and chatting waiting for your food to come out. Dinner arrives and it’s an amazing pasta, something you don’t normally eat yourself but you want to enjoy. So you finish most of it and feel pretty stuffed. Then everyone suggests sharing a few deserts which you do. You go home feeling very full, knowing you overate but it was a good night. The next day is business as usual.
Binge Eating Example:
No let’s say you’ve had dinner as usual with the family but then everyone goes to bed. So you continue to eat alone. You don’t even realise you are doing it but before you know it you feel stuffed and full of regret. It’s all the food you usually eat, chocolate, crisps etc but you just couldn’t stop. You feel so guilty and agonise over it for hours. The next day you get up and don’t eat breakfast to compensate, followed by an extra gym session just to make sure you burn off the calories and the guilt.
Yes - both are a form of over eating and binge eating which is why they are used interchangeably but they are not the same thing.
If you are not sure what you have just experienced ask yourself questions about the event to help you establish which it was. The better able you are to identify the better able you are to work through the behaviour and identify triggers, of ears that aren’t serving you that you can get help and support with to overcome.
Ref: Break Binge Eating Course for Professionals
Want to improve your relationship with food? Project You is a self paced online course to help you do just that. Check out all the details here: Project YOU