“the consumption of large quantities of food in a short period of time, typically as part of an eating disorder.”
that’s the factual definition, but for those who have or who are struggling with a binge eating disorder — it’s so much more than that.
I remember my restrictive / orthorexia eating disorder transitioning into a form of binge eating disorder after I was weight re-stored. Granted, this was most likely me and my body still healing, but I was recognizing that it was becoming a problem.
Because binges make you feel out of control. For someone who put so much emphasis on controlling every little thing that I ate, having binge episodes were a complete blur.
The point I’m trying to make there is that binge eating disorder isn’t just eating a big dinner and feeling uncomfortably full - it’s a feeling of
- feeling out of control
- feeling like you can’t eat in front of others
- feeling immediate shame or guilt afterwards
It can be triggered by many things too, whether it be
- an emotional response
- seeing certain foods you used to restrict
- conditioning food as a “treat” instead of a simple human necessity
- anxiety, stress, and depression
- social interaction triggers
Overcoming binge eating disorder is not as easy as just telling yourself you’ll “go on a diet and eat healthier” if anything, that can exacerbate the problem.
This is why I always say that mental health reigns over physical health — because many triggers that enable these binges to happen stem from our thoughts, skewed conditions we place on our body, and emotions dealing with the environment around us.
…so I can tell you is step 1 is to talk about it to get help. Whether this be with family, friend, doctor, …or hey, even me — because you can’t do this alone, and you shouldn’t have to.