What do binge eating episodes have in common?

What do binge eating episodes have in common?

Not all binge eating episodes look the same. And I say this despite the DSM-5 criteria for binge eating disorder.

Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States. It is characterized by recurring and persistent episodes of binge eating. The consequences feel out of control. They are also associated with distress related to bingeing and with 3 or more of the following:

• Eating much faster than normal

• Eat until uncomfortably full

• Eat large amounts of food when you are not physically hungry

• Eating alone because you are embarrassed by the amount of food eaten

• Feeling disgusted, depressed or guilty afterwards.

In bulimia, the above-mentioned behaviors are typically followed regularly by a compensatory flush. But cleansing behavior is either absent or used only sporadically in eating disorders.

Apart from the diagnostic criteria, I have observed different types of seizures, both in my clients and in the participants of my thesis.

Some episodes meet the criteria with absolute accuracy. Others vary – perhaps in the amount of food eaten or the “speed” at which it is eaten. Or sometimes in the time it takes for the binge to occur.

This last variation allows me to capture a phenomenon I call a “binge day.” The participants in my thesis kept food logs and were instructed to circle anything they thought might trigger a seizure. Some of them circled around the entire food log for the day several times. That was a binge day.

What's wrong with binge days?

The amount of food consumed throughout the binge day was usually quite large, but at no particular time of day were they binged according to standard criteria.

However, these days happen too often and for too many participants/customers for me to ignore them.

What do these binge days have in common with DSM-5 binge eating episodes? Eating feels out of control.

And here's what I've observed in my study and practice: Bingeing - "traditional" or otherwise - is often triggered by the consumption of sugar.

Participants in my low-sugar group improved more than the low-fat group or controls in the number of binge episodes, amount of food eaten, number of food cravings, and intensity of food cravings.

If you're struggling with binge eating, the best thing you can do is to stop eating sugar.

Inspired by Joan Kent