Not all binge eating looks the same. And I say this despite the DSM-5 criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.

Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the US. It is characterized by recurrent and persistent episodes of binge eating. The episodes feel out of control. They are also associated with binge-related distress and 3 or more of the following:
• Eating much faster than normal
• Eating until you feel uncomfortably full
• Eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry
• Eating alone out of embarrassment over the amount of food eaten
• Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or guilty afterwards.

In bulimia, the above behaviors are often regularly followed by compensatory purging. But purging behaviors are absent or only used sporadically in binge eating disorder.

Okay, aside from the diagnostic criteria, I have observed different types of binge eating, both in my clients and in the participants of my doctoral research study.

Some episodes fit the criteria with absolute precision. Others vary, perhaps in the amount of food consumed or in the “speed” with which it is eaten. Or, sometimes, in the time it takes to binge.

That last variation allows me to include a phenomenon I call a “binge day.” Participants in my Ph.D. study kept food records and were instructed to circle anything they considered a binge. Several of them, on various occasions, circle the entire day’s food log. That was a binge day.

What about binge days?

The amount of food throughout the binge day was typically quite large, but at no particular time of the day did they binge according to the standard criteria.

However, these days happen too often and with too many participants/customers to ignore.

What do these binge days have in common with the DSM-5 binge episodes? Eating feels out of control.

And this is what I have observed in my study and in my practice: binge eating, “traditional” or not, is often caused by the consumption of sugar.

Participants in my low-sugar group improved more than either the low-fat group or the controls in terms of number of binge episodes, amount of food eaten, number of cravings, and intensity of cravings.

If you’re having trouble with binge eating episodes, the best thing you can do is stop eating sugar.