Binge Eating and Overeating: It’s More Common Than You Think

If you’ve ever been on a diet, odds are that you’ve had an encounter with overeating and/or binge eating. Maybe it’s devouring a bag of chips, eating a second helping of dinner, revisiting the pantry for more snacks, or even eating to finally satisfy yourself in complete secrecy. Whatever the behavior, the end result is usually the same: guilt, shame, a wave of anxiety, and a feeling of failure. Maybe the thought, “Why can’t you just stick to your diet?” crosses your mind. And maybe a second thought: “Tomorrow you will just double down and eat less to make up for tonight.” And the cycle continues. 

The cycle, aptly called the Restrict-Binge Cycle, is as common as rain in the springtime, because bingeing is the body’s predictable way of responding to food deprivation and restriction. For anyone with even the slightest history of dieting, overeating or bingeing  is bound to happen to some degree.

In fact, when prospective clients contact me and mention out of control eating behaviors, the first question I ask is, “Do you restrict any foods? Are you on a diet?” The answer, 99.9% of the time: YES. 

Binge eating and overeating are way more common than you think because diets are so pervasive in our society. Let’s unpack what binge eating and overeating mean, why we do it, and ways to move forward and find balance.

Binge Eating vs. Overeating 

Binge eating occurs when you eat large amounts of food (larger when compared to a similar time and circumstance) in a relatively short period of time until you are painfully full. You feel you’ve lost control during that period, eat faster than usual, and may not necessarily even be hungry for the food. You might also eat alone and in secret, followed by shame, disgust, or guilt.

Overeating is a common tendency for many where you eat past the point of fullness. This happens for a few reasons: you’re not a perfect eater (no one is) so it’s normal to occasionally miss the fullness mark, or you choose to eat past fullness for pleasure because the occasion calls for it and you’re simply enjoying the moment and the food. Overeating can be eating birthday cake even though you’re full from dinner, or pushing beyond fullness because you only get your grandma’s potato casserole once a year and it’s super yummy. 

Binge eating can feel like you're not in the driver’s seat and you can’t control yourself to stop. Some refer to it as an out of body experience. Whereas, with overeating you’re mainly aware it’s happening, no matter the situation, and you do have the conscious ability to stop yourself - although a history of dieting can make this trickier 

There’s a useful concept called Interoceptive Awareness, which is your ability to sense physical sensations in the body. Feeling hunger, a headache, or the urge to pee are all examples of us being aware of our body’s physical cues. Sometimes, after years of dieting, we lose this ability when it comes to our awareness around hunger and fullness, It can take some trial and error to return to this awareness, and overeating is often part of the learning process.

One additional thing to note: just because you binge doesn't mean that you have binge eating disorder. The definition of binge eating disorder is when someone binges generally, at least once a week for 3 months, with the absence of  unhealthy compensatory actions like purging to counter the binge. And more importantly, there is no restriction involved; ie: no diets.

 You can binge eat and not have the diagnosis of binge eating disorder just like you can  overeat and be uncomfortably full without it being a binge.

Why You Binge Eat and Overeat

Our society doesn’t make it any easier on you when you feel like you over consumed or lost control around food. There’s always the notion floating around that you should be satisfied by a small portion. You can mention how little you eat  with a sense of pride and people will likely validate you and ask you what your secret is. But, when that willpower morphs into eating a pint of ice cream, box of cookies, and bag of cheetos after dinner, that pride quickly turns into a shameful secret. Or maybe it’s not this explicit; maybe it’s bingeing on “healthy treats” or concoctions that vaguely resemble dessert (mashed banana with cocoa powder, peanut butter, and granola). Maybe it’s devouring the only satisfying thing in the house: an entire jar of peanut butter.  

A binge can also be subjective. For someone  with a history of dieting or restriction, it’s a very common occurrence to feel like you’re overeating/binging simply because you’re eating more than you “should” be eating. You might eat two cookies and feel like you binged. Odds are that it’s a very reasonable amount, but because the portion is breaking a food rule, it still comes with a side of guilt and shame attached to it.. 

So, why is all of this happening? There are two possible culprits: physical restriction and emotional/mental restriction. If you put your body through restriction causing it to go without the proper amount of food it needs, your body is going to make up for it somehow. The same concept applies to mental restriction (ie: wanting a brownie but convincing yourself that an apple will suffice.) Think of a pendulum, swinging from one side (or extreme) to the other. When we restrict, physically, mentally, or both, we swing to one side… and when it becomes too unbearable for the body or mind, we inevitably swing to the other side, right into a binge. 

“But wait - I’m not restricting, I’m just eating healthy! Why am I still bingeing?”

Because bingeing stems from both physical hunger and mental hunger, sometimes the healthy foods we are eating aren’t quite satisfying us. Other times, many “clean eating” plans involve eliminating various food groups (gluten, dairy, refined sugar) until there’s not enough food left to truly keep us full and nourished with adequate energy. When you’re depriving yourself in any capacity, you can almost always expect a bigne to be right around the corner.It’s a restriction problem, not a bingeing problem. 

Binge eating can come with BIG feelings. In addition to feeling embarrassment and shame due to the stigma associated with “eating too much, you’re also feeling uncomfortably, sometimes painfully full. It’s important to remember that there’s absolutely no shame in your body doing what it needs to do for you to survive. It’s genius that your body is demanding more food when it has been deprived of valuable energy - the resource it depends on for survival. 

How to Move Forward and Find Balance

The goal is to not get stuck in the continuous cycle of bingeing and restricting. If you don’t respond with extremes, the pendulum won’t push so far to either side. Sitting with the uncomfortable feelings and anxiety about how much you just ate and the “consequences” that pop up in your head is necessary because it will ultimately bring you to a true balanced place of eating. 

Bravely decide to give up restriction and allow yourself unconditional permission to eat even when knowing that it’s possible your body may go overboard with food for a while. It will feel super messy and hard to navigate because your body is craving food that was off limits for so long. Your body is learning to trust you again and making sure you’re not going to deprive it. 

Instead of “undoing the damage” just keep moving forward. Respond to your hunger and eat what your body is asking for despite the fact that it will feel harder than dieting. By regularly eating enough food to satisfy your body’s needs you’re reducing the likelihood of what feels like chaotic eating, while also making your overall experiences with food much more enjoyable. 

 Continuing to be fluid with your eating will bring about balance as you become more in tune with your body since you’re not as famished anymore. You will recognize that eating past fullness doesn’t feel that good and it will seem natural to pass on food sometimes because you just don’t want it. The truth is that when you have a well fed body, there’s no need for your body to seek extra food if it knows enough food is available and will always be coming.

Binge eating and overeating will become less and less frequent. They won’t last forever. Using them as a sign to listen to what your body is saying is truly the best thing you can do for yourself. There is normalcy, food freedom, and a happy medium waiting for you! 

If you feel overwhelmed about your eating and don’t know where to start, we hear you and you are not alone. As weight-inclusive nutrition therapists, we are here rooting for you and we’re ready to chat when you are!