3 Binge Eating Disorder Myths That You Need To Know
Binge eating disorder is the most common, yet least understood eating disorder.
Binge eating disorder affects three times the number of people who are impacted by anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa combined! Approximately 2.8 million people struggle with binge eating disorder in the U.S. Despite this, it’s the most misunderstood and stigmatized eating disorder.
Because of the stigmatization of binge eating disorder, there is a lot of misinformation regarding binge eating disorder pathology, treatment, and physical signs and symptoms. Before we dive into these myths and misconceptions about binge eating disorder, let’s review the clinical definition of binge eating disorder.
What is binge eating disorder?
Binge eating disorder is characterized by binge eating, which is defined as:
“Eating in a discrete period of time an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat under similar circumstances”
Characterized by a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode
Binge eating disorder was first added to the DSM-5 in 2013 and involves:
Ongoing binge eating episodes
Episodes described as 3 or more of the following characteristics:
Eating faster than normal
Eating past fullness or discomfort
Eating alone
Feelings of depression, guilt, shame, or embarrassment following the eating episode
Binge eating frequency of at least one time a week for 3 months or more
Binge eating occurs out of context with other eating disorder diagnoses
3 Myths About Binge Eating Disorder You Need To Know
Myth #1 - Binge eating disorder can be cured with dieting
One of the biggest myths about binge eating disorder is that it can be treated with diets. Sounds simple right, “eat less, binge less”? It’s not so simple after all. In fact, restriction leads to binge eating episodes and can worsen binge eating disorder.
When you restrict food (in both thought and action), your body enters the restrict-binge-shame cycle. When you diet, your body senses it’s in a state of energy deprivation, no matter your body size. You begin to obsess over the food, your cravings intensify, and you can’t seem to think about anything other than food. When you eventually allow yourself to engage with the food, your body goes into overdrive. Your brain thinks “I won’t have this for a long time, better go all out now”, and as a result, you binge. This causes you to feel intense guilt and shame, which leads to even more food restriction to compensate for the binge. It’s a cycle that repeats over and over.
The truth is that one of the best ways to overcome binge eating disorder is to allow yourself unconditional permission to eat food and avoid restricting foods and food groups. While having structure with food is helpful in binge eating recovery too, it’s important to also focus on not adding in more food rules. This may seem counterintuitive at first, but allowing yourself to eat all food without shame an d guilt is the first step in recovering from binge eating disorder.
Myth #2 - Only people in larger bodies struggle with binge eating disorder
The second myth about binge eating disorder is that only people existing in larger bodies experience binge eating disorder, but this also isn’t true! In fact, this myth is rooted in weight bias and weight discrimination. Binge eating disorder is not associated with a specific body type, and people of all sizes and shapes struggle with binge eating disorder.
Diet and wellness culture has taught you to believe that your body size is a reflection of what you eat and vice versa, and this belief can be hard to escape seeing that the messaging surrounds you. Despite these messages, the truth is that body size is much more complex than this, and influenced by many factors outside of what you eat including genetics, socioeconomic status, geographical location, physical access to food, and many more social determinants of health.
Weight bias, weight discrimination, and fatphobia are especially prevalent in healthcare settings. Because the pathology of binge eating disorder is so misunderstood, unfortunately many healthcare providers make assumptions about eating behaviors based on body size. This has caused binge eating disorder to be underdiagnosed, undertreated, and underrepresented.
Myth #3 - People with binge eating disorder just need more discipline
The third myth about binge eating disorder is that those who struggle with binge eating and binge eating disorder lack “discipline”. The belief states that if you could just “have more control with food”, then binges wouldn’t happen and you’ll lose weight. You may even believe this right now as you read this, how could you not considering the culture you live in? This messaging is pervasive and omnipresent. And, there’s so much missing from this stance that is largely rooted in stigma about body size and eating disorders.
Binge eating disorder is a diagnosable mental illness. In the same way that you can’t simply choose to not be depressed, you can’t simply choose to not have binge eating disorder because binge eating disorder isn’t a choice. Healing from binge eating disorder takes time and requires professional support from someone like an eating disorder dietitian. The things that you focus on in binge eating disorder treatment with your dietitian are:
Establishing Regular Eating Patterns: Developing a structured meal plan to promote regularity in eating habits, which helps stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce the likelihood of binge episodes.
Identifying Triggers: Collaborating to recognize specific triggers that lead to binge eating episodes, such as emotional stress, certain foods, or environmental cues.
Cognitive Behavioral Techniques: Implementing cognitive-behavioral strategies to challenge and modify negative thought patterns and beliefs associated with food, body image, and self-worth.
Intuitive Eating Practices: Introducing mindfulness techniques to increase awareness of hunger and fullness cues, as well as to cultivate a non-judgmental attitude towards food and eating behaviors.
Building Coping Skills: Teaching practical coping skills to manage difficult emotions and stressors to decrease the frequency of turning to food for comfort or distraction as the only tool.
Nutrition Education: Providing education on balanced nutrition, and the importance of fueling the body adequately with a variety of foods to support overall well-being without demonizing foods like sweets and carbs.
Addressing Body Image Concerns: Working on improving body image perceptions and fostering self-compassion and acceptance through therapeutic interventions and exercises.
Relapse Prevention Planning: Developing personalized relapse prevention strategies to anticipate and manage potential setbacks, including creating a support network and utilizing coping mechanisms.
Encouraging Self-Care: Promoting self-care practices that prioritize physical, emotional, and mental well-being, such as regular exercise, adequate sleep, and engaging in enjoyable activities.
It’s not your fault that you struggle with binge eating, and you don’t have binge eating disorder because you lack discipline. The shame and guilt associated with binge eating disorder is common and can get in the way of you reaching out for support and guidance. And, you deserve to live a life with freedom from binge eating, thinking about food all the time and being afraid of food.
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Get Help for Binge Eating Disorder Recovery & Start Your Binge Eating Treatment Journey Today
Binge eating disorder can feel isolating, but you aren’t alone. Many people endure the same struggle, and you deserve to feel supported, seen, and heard in your recovery journey. At Bravespace Nutrition, we understand how isolating it can feel to struggle with binge eating disorder. Our caring, nonjudgmental eating disorder dietitians have extensive experience treating binge eating disorder and are here to ensure you feel understood and are supported in your recovery from binge eating. We’re here to validate your lived experience and help you heal your relationship with your body and food. If you’re ready to start your recovery journey, schedule a free 15-minute discovery phone call today!