What's the difference between overeating and bingeing?

Most of us have experienced that feeling of uncomfortable fullness that comes after overindulging. For many of us it is an annual ritual at Christmas, Thanksgiving or other special occasions, but some people overeat on a daily or weekly basis, and for a small number of people this behaviour is such a frequent occurrence that it can become an eating disorder. Occasional overeating does no harm, but frequent overeating and bingeing can be a physical and emotional health risk. So, where do you draw the line?

While some people know that they are bingers, others aren’t sure whether they are simply overeating or stepping across the line into bingeing. I’m often asked to define a binge in terms of the quantity or calories consumed, but it isn’t that simple. Bingeing is a subjective experience, and relies on the individual’s own descriptions of their experiences and feelings.

According to the DSM-IV, a diagnostic manual for assessing mental health disorders, the criteria for bingeing is eating a large amount of food in a short period of time (about two hours), and feeling unable to control your eating or feeling that once you start eating, you are unable to stop.

Simply overeating is not enough to qualify for a binge. I’ve talked to dieting teens on very strict diets who are worried that a muesli bar and an apple constitute a binge, because they’ve broken their diet. However, eating more than you plan isn’t necessarily a binge. The exact amount will depend from person to person. This means that for one person a binge may be eating an entire packet of chocolate macaroons, but for another it could be a jumbo pizza, and a tub of ice cream with a beer chaser.

Other indications of bingeing are three or more of the following:

1. Eating faster than normal
2. Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
3. Eating large amounts of food when you are not physically hungry
4. Eating alone or hiding eating to avoid embarrassment
5. Feeling ashamed, disgusted, depressed, distressed or guilty about overeating.

You may have a binge eating disorder if you binge frequently – an average of two or more days per week for a period of six months. According to Carolyn Costin in The Eating Disorder Sourcebook binges which form part of an eating disorder can last not just for a few hours but for several days.

Although the research is scarce, it suggests that approximately 20-33% of people who present for treatment of obesity meet the criteria for binge eating disorder.

The key to assessing whether your eating is a binge, is to notice whether you ate past the point of fullness, and felt powerless to stop yourself from eating. The out of control feeling, or compulsion to eat, followed by feelings of shame or distress, is what separates a special occasion overindulgence from a serious problem that requires attention.

Additional resources:
The Eating Disorder Sourcebook by Carolyn Costin
100 Q&A about Eating Disorders by Carolyn Costin
Breaking Free from Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth
Something Fishy Eating Disorders Website