Why Binging is Not the Problem...

 The DSM-5, otherwise known as the official diagnostic manual used by clinicians when making a diagnosis, defines Binge Eating Disorder using the following criteria:

1. Recurrent and persistent episodes of binge eating

2. Binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

   • Eating much more rapidly than normal

   • Eating until feeling uncomfortably full

   • Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry

   • Eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating

   • Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating

3. Marked distress regarding binge eating

4. Absence of regular compensatory behaviors (such as purging).

Though these details can be important if there is a need to make a diagnosis, the criteria fails to explain some very important details associated with this disorder. 

Binge Eating Disorder… the full picture:

Binge Eating Disorder is associated with eating large amounts of food alongside distress. In order to fully understand why this happens we have to back up a few steps… As we all know our bodies were built to respond to life threatening situations. When we hear something that scares us our fear signal gets turned on starting in the part of the brain called the amygdala, this allows us to fight, take flight, or freeze. Much like animals, the human body was built to respond to sex in a positive way to promote reproduction. When a person is in a life threatening situation and their body gets severely injured it releases adrenaline so that it can respond and react before it deals with the pain from the injury. All of these are examples of how our body’s were built to survive in the world that we live in. 

Just like these examples, the body has also been primed to respond to famine. Years ago, and still today within certain communities, the body has had to live through famine and starvation. Therefore, when the body goes into a time of famine it shuts down, preserves and when food is next presented, it stocks up with the idea that this could be the only time, for quite some time. 

You can probably guess where I am going here… the body responds to restriction through the act of binging. It is your body responding in the way that it was built to do. Restriction can come in many forms. You might be thinking… I eat plenty and I still binge? Well, this could mean a few things. To name a few:

1. You could be restricting certain types of foods that your body craves, as a result those foods have been placed on a pedestal. This is no different than when a child has a room full of toys and only wants to play with their parent’s iphone. Of course they want the shiny, untouchable, desirable object! It is only natural. Deeming foods good or bad is a type of restriction. It is also a type of behavior that will lead to a restrict-binge-cycle, only leaving you more confused because you perceive yourself to be eating enough food

2. You could be restricting food and not even know it. This is incredibly common in society today. Society has made the claim that thinness is desirable. Therefore, claiming that individuals are in control of the ability to be thin. This is incorrect. Your body is your body and it is going to need the resources that it needs to fuel its uniqueness. If you are eating based on what or how much you think you should be eating in comparison to… you are not listening to your body. Within my practice clients often explain that they are eating enough. Once we have had the time to really look into this idea of enough, it is discovered that the version of enough has been based off of another person or an idea rather than listening to their own hunger cues

The complicated relationship of shame and binging

Many people approach binging as the ultimate problem. First, there is an incredible amount of shame wrapped up in this belief. As we continue to live in a culture that values thinness we are fed the idea that to overeat or to be in a heavier body is shameful. Meaning, it is something that you have done to yourself. This message is frustrating in so many ways. It does not give individuals the space to feel comfortable in their body’s, which in turn perpetuates the restrict-binge cycle, or any other attitude built off of diet culture. The problem is not the binge, the problem is the shame involved with the binge. Your body is responding in the way that it was primed to do, so in some regard it is doing exactly what it was built to do to keep you alive. The shame component? That is a societal expectation that has been fed to all of us from an early age. 

Binging as a coping skill… is it really what we think?

Certainly, we can classify binging as a coping skill. Although not in the way that diet culture trains us it is. This is the belief, “I was really stressed out and next thing I knew I was at the store buying a bag of donuts. Before I knew it I was in my car eating them all without even taking a breath.” Though it might seem as though the trigger is stress and the coping skill is eating a bag of donuts, this is only part of the bigger story. If we were to take three more steps back and look at the bigger picture of what is happening, there is a good chance that there are some additional details that contributed to this binge. Maybe they haven’t allowed themselves to have a donut in years? Maybe they have decided that donuts are something only to eat when there is a reason for reward? Maybe they were stressed all day, didn’t eat enough, and now the body is craving quick energy in the form of sugar? There are so many other factors that could be contributing to it. The fact of the matter that the behavior is a result of a bigger relationship with food. Not just the isolated incident of being stressed and eating a bag of donuts.

There is no need to deem good or bad foods. At the end of the day it leads to desire, regret, and a whole lot of confusion. If you give yourself permission that all foods are good it opens up the door to listen to your body and what it intuitively wants.

Reach out for support with Eating Disorder Treatment

If you are interested in seeking support I would love to work with you towards reaching your goals and redefining the relationship that you have with your body. If you are interested in learning more about how I work with body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating through eating disorder treatment or how I utilize online therapy I encourage you to read more. 

If you are interested in setting up a free 20 minute consultation please reach out!

-Ellie