All About Binge Eating Disorder
Of the three main eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder), binge eating disorder is the most prevalent. In fact, up to 30 million people will experience an eating disorder at some point in their life, so it is more important than ever that people receive proper treatment for their health.
What is Binge Eating Disorder?
Binge Eating Disorder is a fully diagnosable eating disorder, which differs from compulsive and emotional eating. Binge eating disorder involves a greater volume of food and greater distress than other unhealthy eating behaviors. While many of us are familiar with compulsive and emotional eating, we often do not realize how unhealthy these behaviors can be.
How do eating disorders start?
The loaded gun theory states that while our genetics make each of us vulnerable to developing an eating disorder, environmental factors stimulate its development. Environmental factors include family, society, personality, trauma, cultural factors, and psychological factors. If a family member is struggling with dieting and an eating disorder, this can influence their other family members. Personality is also an important factor, as many ED patients struggle with perfectionism.
Dieting is a gateway behavior. The world of dieting promises us health, wellness, balance, regeneration, and all good things of that sort. In reality, dieting is unsustainable and has proven to be ineffective. However, a person’s desire to achieve their health goals can be so strong that they give in to societal pressure and embark on an unhealthy diet. In some cases, this can lead to the beginning of an eating disorder.
What is the Binge-Restrict Cycle?
An individual begins with a goal to improve their health through dieting. So they start restricting certain foods from our diet, and sometimes they start eating less than normal. This leaves them feeling hungry and thinking about food constantly. As these feelings continue to mount, they may feel pressured to “give in” to their cravings. This can lead to eating more than usual and feeling out of control when they do so. As a result, they may feel guilty, ashamed, and regretful of their actions. They feel that their willpower to abstain from food has failed them. But in reality, bodies are NOT set up for this unhealthy binge-restrict cycle, so it was never our bodies’ fault.
The day-to-day food intake of patients with binge eating disorder is different than the normal routine we would expect. Individuals with BED start out their day not so hungry because they likely overate the night before. This can lead them to have a midmorning snack or to skip breakfast altogether. As the day continues, BED patients will typically engage in a “light” lunch such as salad with diet soda. By the time dinner comes around, the patient’s body is hungry and has not consumed much energy yet. This is where binging can begin, which leads to out-of-control eating and overconsumption. This can lead to an increase in weight over time and the fear of future physical health concerns.
What is happening inside the BED brain?
At the beginning of the day, the patient is not hungry as their blood sugar levels are very high. As they continue their day without eating much, they are starving by nighttime, so the signals from the brain are looking for food. And the brain is not looking for any food; it looks for something that is calorically dense because it is extremely in need of energy. Additionally, the BED brain thinks about food, calories, and body image for 75% of the day. This makes it extremely difficult for a patient with BED to partake in regular, everyday activities. Furthermore, many patients with eating disorders also have other mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, and impulse control disorder.
How is binge eating disorder treated?
Practicing more balanced eating patterns instead of the binge-restrict cycle is the first step toward recovery. To give a sense of routine and organization, we can follow the Rule of 3s. This rule says that BED patients should eat 3 meals a day and up to 3 snacks as needed. Patients are often resistant to eating this much food daily, so legalizing all foods gradually is very important. Removing the “good” and “bad” labels from food helps patients discover what foods they actually enjoy and often leads to a reduction in binging.
Recovery takes time and does not happen overnight. It is possible, but it must occur in stages. As ED patients start to interpret their bodies’ hunger cues, there is a significant reduction in anxiety around food. Remember: you are not alone in your eating disorder. If you suspect that you or a loved one may be struggling with binge eating disorder or any other eating disorder, you deserve help.
Sources:
Rogers, Melanie. “Eating Disorders 101: All About Binge Eating Disorder.” YouTube, uploaded by BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center, 17 September 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVO4xXQmQek