What type of binge eating do you do?

Binge eating is not a one-size-fits-all behavior.  Binge eating can look and feel different from one person to the next.

Figuring out why and how you binge can aid you to develop individualized strategies around your feelings and food in order to protect against those “triggers” in the future.

Do any of these sound like your typical binge style?

The Hunger Binge – is triggered by physical hunger after under-eating, dieting, or going too long without eating.   Occasionally we intentionally under-eat in an attempt to lose weight or even to offset for a previous binge.  At other times we may unintentionally under-eat during the day due to being busy, or we really didn’t feel hungry earlier in the day. But running on fumes by the end of the day can trip your biological hunger into overdrive and encourage loss of control eating by the end of the day.

The Stress Binge – this is used to cope with or improve our mood, unwind, relax, or avoid/distract from stressors.  Also called “emotional eating” or “stress eating,” this binge may happen at the end of the day as a way to self-reward or self-numb after a long day, or it may show up as grazing throughout the day to take the edge off your anxiety.

The Opportunity Binge – driven by access to privacy and time alone to binge. We may feel like certain foods are off-limits when we’re in public or around certain people, so we take advantage of an occasion to let loose with food when we think we can “get away with it” and hide our behavior from others.

The Vengeful Binge – is driven by feelings of anger, hostility or a need to self-punish. This type of bingeing could be in answer to anger focused at oneself as we use excessive eating to beat ourselves up.  Alternatively, we may use this binge to relieve feelings of anger that we have toward others or toward the idea of weight loss as a whole.

There are several more binge eating types. It can be useful to gain awareness regarding emotions and situations that tend to trigger your binge impulses.  This is the first step in the recovery process.  You can learn ways to build a new relationship with food and your body. If you need help changing these behaviors, call me at 402-325-0117 x7 or book online now.  I can help you begin the healing process. Help is available and it’s never too late to reach out.