Sian on binge eating, comfort eating and over-eating

Binge Eating

Binge eating can have similar behavioural conditioning as comfort eating, but will be more complex and, therefore, classed as a psychiatric disorder. Binge eating followed by purging (forced vomiting) is anorexia bulimia. People who just binge or who just have bulimia are people who are actually trying to lose weight. They may skip breakfast and lunch, thinking that they are saving calories, only to be driven by low sugar and electrolyte levels to buy excess food from the shop, smuggle it all up to a bedroom, hide it and, when alone, eat the lot. The person can even go into a light trance as they enjoy the sensations of consumption. There is a need to keep eating until they can’t go anymore, way after feeling extreme nausea, usually to the point of stomach pain. Then they are left with the guilt and shame to drive future binges. If you are in this category, I would suggest a chat with a professional.

What links all three?

The thing that they all have in common is the link with our emotions. We homo-sapiens (or I am more of a homo-nibblens?) are part of the animal kingdom. However, we differ from other animals because we have the ability to think about the past and the future, which we can deem negative, and these thoughts manifest in our physical sensations as we experience emotions. We don’t like negative emotions like anxiety, shame, anger, depression, guilt, hurt or jealousy, so we develop many strategies – including eating – to stop feeling bad. We even become upset about feeling bad.

When people come to me and want to lose weight, I will ask a number of questions, including:

• Is this a long-term battle they have been fighting?
• Have you lost in the past and regained more weight afterwards?
• Do you comfort eat?
• Do you eat when bored?
• Do you stress eat, and are you prone to worry or are a perfectionist? 
• How would you rate your confidence or self-esteem?

I will explain that unless we also look at the reasons why they find it difficult to lose weight, or stay at a target weight, they will be on the same merry-go-round for the rest of their lives – as their weight is most likely an indication of their coping mechanisms.

10 things to help you manage overeating:

1. Identify if you are feeling an uncomfortable emotion
2. Sit with that emotion. Notice it as if it were a gurgling tummy or a stitch in your side. It will wax and wane, it will pass.
3. If you have planned to eat healthily, be organised; don’t leave cupboards and fridges bare.
4. Set yourself up to succeed, not fail. Don’t buy in tonnes of sweets and carbohydrates
5. Rename treats ‘sabotages’, as that is what they are
6. Don’t have ‘all or nothing’ thinking. If you slip up and have a binge or over-eat, draw a line under it. You are human. Don’t say: ‘I’ve ruined it now’. Start again at your next meal. 
7. Make sure your portion sizes are within a normal range. Buy some scales. You can re-train yourself to eat smaller portions without being hungry
8. Tiredness, loneliness and thirst can be mistaken for true hunger. Notice the difference between hunger and a craving
9. Have a smart goal on how much you want to lose and how you will be continuing a maintenance programme
10. Remember: not many people can eat what they want when they want. You are not being deprived. 

If binges amount to excess food – along the lines of multiple packets of biscuits, cakes, crisps, family-sized chocolate bars and large pizzas all in one sitting – then this probably needs professional help, especially if there is forced vomiting. This needs to be addressed with the help of a professional.