The primary clinical feature of binge eating is the experience of loss of control over the impulse to eat rather than the absolute amount of food consumed. In fact, a sense of lack of control over the impulse to eat is a mandatory element in the diagnosis of this problem. Loss of control refers to a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating.
Indicators of impaired control over impulses to eat include:
- Eating very rapidly
- Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
- Eating to excess when not physically hungry
- Eating alone because of embarrassment
- Feeling disgust, guilt, or depression after overeating
You can feel out of control during a binge even if you planned it. At other times, overeating may be more spontaneous or impulsive, accompanied by a feeling of being "driven to eat." If you feel you are not able to prevent overeating from occurring or if you are no longer controlling your eating because you feel that overeating is inevitable, you have lost control over food. | 
