The most stigmatised and misunderstood eating disorder is binge eating disorder (BED). The eating disorder is frequently viewed as less serious because it is linked to loss of control, overeating, and larger body weights. Even worse, it’s sometimes written off as a lack of willpower when, in reality, BED is a severe mental illness that may have a terrible effect on the lives of those who suffer from it.
BED characteristics:
- Frequently occurring episodes of binge eating, which is characterised by consuming a big amount of food in a short amount of time while also feeling out of control.
- Three (or more) of the following are linked to binge eating: feeling utterly disgusted, depressed, or ashamed afterward; eating more quickly than usual; eating while not physically hungry; eating alone out of embarrassment.
- Significant distress or severe embarrassment due to binge eating.
- Over the course of three months, the binge eating typically happens at least once every week.
- The binge eating does not only occur throughout the course of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or avoidant/restrictive food intake illness, nor is it linked to the recurring use of incorrect compensatory behaviour (for instance, purging).
You deserve support if your relationship with food is affecting your quality of life, whether or not you have a formal diagnosis of binge eating disorder. Here are four things regarding binge eating disorder you should know before seeking treatment:
A component of binge eating disorder is restriction:
Although bingeing is a feature of BED, there is a case to be made that the condition is actually a restrictive eating disorder. No one goes on a binge in a vacuum. There is a cycle called restrict-binge whereby restriction encourages behaviours like binge eating. Even though some people may overeat without control (either physically or emotionally) as a trauma response or in response to strong, painful feelings, this is rare to happen.
Any size person can have binge eating disorder:
Although binge eating disorder is linked to heavier weights, it can affect people of all BMI ranges (remember that BMI is completely arbitrary, although that’s what most researchers use). Despite the fact that many people do gain weight as a result of bingeing, not everyone does, or doesn’t gain enough to be considered “overweight” or “obese.”
Instead of learning how to remove binge foods, treatment entails learning to consume them:
Although sadly many clinicians still manage binge eating disorder in this manner, treatment for the condition does not involve learning how to successfully diet. Learning to consume the foods you binge on effectively and focusing on giving yourself complete permission with those meals are both part of the treatment for binge eating disorder. It’s challenging to consume a dish without experiencing tension in the present if you have any anxiety that it won’t be available in the future.
There are other options for treatment than dieting:
Everyone’s course of treatment is unique, but from a dietary standpoint, it entails learning how to provide your body with enough food throughout the day, typically with a flexible meal plan that includes 3 meals and at least a few snacks. A dietitian will assist you in reintroducing binge foods, dispelling beliefs about food, nutrition, and weight that encourage eating guilt, and lowering physical and emotional restriction. If you’re interested in working with a dietician, in weight loss, Dr Sher Bovay in Toronto, serves clients professionally.
