Mindless eating can allow the dieter to take in far more calories than they planned to consume in a day. However, it is the dieter’s response to an episode of overeating that can determine their future response – “I’ve blown it, so therefore I may as well continue eating.” “I made a mistake, but I will make better choices from this point forward.” Or, even, “I’m making a conscious decision to overeat.”
What is Binge Eating?
There is a fine line between overeating and binge eating. However, most people tend to define a binge as eating a forbidden food that they don’t feel in control of consuming and tend to eat in a large quantity. A binge is subjective – one person may feel guilty after a slice of cake whereas another person is bothered by eating the entire cake.
Roger Gould in Shrink Yourself (Wiley, 2008) says that a binge can involve feeling torn between the desire to stay in control of one’s diet and the powerless feeling of overwhelming stress that the dieter feels can only be alleviated with food. Some binges are unplanned while others can be planned. In either case, in The Appetite Awareness Workbook by Linda W. Craighead, PhD (New Harbinger Publications, 2006), she defines a binge as a temper tantrum.
Types of Binges
There are three different types of binges. They are:
- deprivation binges – A food deprivation binge usually occurs after dieting for a period of time. The feeling of being restricted becomes overwhelming and the presence of forbidden food can trigger a binge.
- frustration binge – A frustration binge occurs in response to not getting something that is desired. This could be related to one’s body, relationships, work environment, and so on. The individual feels powerless and expresses their emotions by overeating.
- leftover binge – An initial emotion may have encouraged an individual to eat a forbidden food. The leftover binge is the continuation of the binge, now that “permission” has been granted, to continue eating even though the emotions have been dulled.
Thoughts that Turn Overeating into a Binge
Craighead lists a variety of thoughts and feelings that push the dieter from eating to the point of fullness and stopping to eating beyond fullness toward discomfort. These thoughts include "all-or-nothing" thinking where the dieter thinks in opposites – good food/bad food, success/failure. Magical thinking involves the suspension of rational decisions – “Eating dessert just this once won’t make a big difference.”
Denial involves avoiding thoughts for stopping a binge. Feeling hopeless or angry can also trigger the thought that overeating doesn’t matter because the dieter’s situation won’t change.
Understanding Emotional Eating
Emotional eating is an attempt to feed a psychological need. Although food may have been recently been consumed, the desire to eat becomes stronger the longer the dieter tries to avoid eating the forbidden food. Craighead suggests that emotional eating can actually halt a binge but only when food is consumed consciously.
Although she suggests trying other techniques first (journal;ing, gardening or walking, for example), sometimes the calming effects of food are too strong. At this point, she recommends eating consciously, consuming a small portion of a forbidden food to avoid feelings of deprivation. Pay attention to the taste of the food and the feeling of it in the stomach. Return to another calming technique to reduce feelings of stress when the food ceases to be pleasant.
Learning the difference between bingeing, overeating, and emotional eating can help dieters determine why they are eating more than what they planned to consume. By becoming more aware of what they are eating, they can eat consciously while acknowledging their emotions.
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