Clinically, a binge is defined as eating—within a time period of two hours or less—an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat under similar circumstances. People diagnosed with binge-eating disorder binge two or more times a week.
In defining a binge, the context in which the eating occurs is important. What would be considered excessive consumption at a typical meal might be normal or average during a holiday meal or a special celebration. On the other hand, eating a meal-size portion of food as an in-between-meal snack would be considered excessive.
A single episode of binge eating does not have to be restricted to one setting. Consider the case of Joan. As a veteran dieter who never had been successful at losing weight because of her binge eating, Joan read a magazine article on binge eating and came to me for help. One of her recent episodes of binge eating illustrates the point that this behavior need not be confined to one location.
It was a Saturday and Joan and her husband were scheduled to go to a dinner party that evening. She had gained 30 pounds over the past six months and had been avoiding social engagements out of embarrassment.
At four o'clock in the afternoon she tried on the one dress she knew would still fit her and would also help to hide her extra pounds. Disaster! The dress wouldn't fit1 Not even close. She couldn't even zip it up. She felt devastated. "What's the use?" she thought. She was alone in the house since her husband was out playing golf so she went straight for the refrigerator. She took out the ice cream, put a large portion in a bowl, covered it with chocolate sauce, and proceeded to eat it all. After finishing off another large bowl, she felt depressed, guilty, and angry with herself. She not only had "broken" her diet but she would have to go to the party in one of her larger-sized outfits, one that she felt made her look like a "tank."
Once at the party, she overate hors d'oeuvres and even had dessert. She felt self-conscious the entire evening and couldn't relax. Upon returning home, she stayed up later than her husband to watch television. She felt so miserable and embarrassed that she ended up eating a whole bag of chocolate chips that she had bought a few weeks earlier to make cookies.
Joan's overeating had begun in the afternoon, continued at the party, and kept going upon her return home. While this pattern is considered binge eating, frequent snacking on small amounts of food throughout the day would not be called bingeing. |
