You feel out of control with food and it’s exhausting. Here’s the good news: You can feel in control of food and stop binge eating.
You feel like you can’t stop binge eating and this has been going on for a while. Sometimes it feels compulsive, like something that you have to do. At times you do “good” and don’t binge, and then you get off track. And when you get off track it feels like you can’t stop eating.
You received tons of advice on how to stop binge eating. You’ve tried endless diets, weight loss programs, and fitness memberships to help control your binge eating, but these remedies honestly seem to make it all even worse.
You won’t even bring certain foods into the house now because you know that you will eat them all. You feel like when your emotions are “off” you find yourself eating too much. Then, you feel gross afterward. As a result, you start to doubt your body image.
You keep thinking there might be something wrong with you. And you wonder why you can’t do food “right.” You see how binge eating is portrayed in this culture, but you don’t know how to escape it and how to do things in a different way.
You keep thinking there might be something wrong with you. And you wonder why you can’t seem to do food “right” like everyone else. Your complicated relationship with food has led you to feel isolated, alone and at a loss for what to do.
Our dietitians can offer help for binge eating disorder
There is so much misinformation out there about how to navigate binge eating disorder. Most support or advice will have you thinking that the experience of binge eating is your fault. And guess what, it’s not!
Diet culture and fatphobia are to blame! After years of dieting and/or restricting your food intake, a very common outcome is binge eating. The truth is, binge eating disorder is a restrictive eating disorder despite what you may have been told!
During binge eating disorder nutrition therapy, your nutritionist will help you understand the connections between restricting, dieting and binge eating. You will learn that you don’t lack “self-control” or “willpower”, and you will be able to understand why the binge eating disorder started in the first place.
What is binge eating disorder?
Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by:
Eating, in a discrete period of time, an amount of food that is “larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances” (*note that the current clinical definitions of binge eating can add more confusion to your experience because they are still quite subjective. Don’t let this stop you from reaching out to get help for binge eating!)
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode
Bingeing episodes must happen at least one time per week for at least 3 months
Binge eating disorder is associated with three or more of the following: Eating much faster than normal; Eating until feeling uncomfortably full; Eating large amounts of food even when not physically hungry; Eating alone out of embarrassment at volume of food being consumed; Feelings of shame, guilt, or embarrassment following the episode.
Other signs and symptoms of binge eating disorder include:
Consuming food at a rapid pace
Eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific time period
Feeling uncomfortably full but continuing to eat anyways
Eating large quantities of food even when you’re not hungry or needing energy from food
Finding secret places to eat such as in the car, a locked room, at a gas station, etc.
Feeling grossed out, disgusted, ashamed, guilty or depressed after eating
Feeling completely out of control around food
Frequent dieting or restriction especially the day after a binge eating episode
Having the sensation that once you start, you cannot stop eating
What’s the difference between overeating and binge eating disorder?
Understanding the complicated semantics of overeating, binge eating, emotional eating and binge eating disorder can feel hard! The truth is - "overeating" is very hard to define! A quick google search of overeating provides you with this definition: “to eat too much”. But how much is “too much” and who defines this is important to question. The difference between overeating, binge eating and binge eating disorder is confusing. While the binge eating that happens with binge eating disorder occurs frequently and consistently, binge eating can still cause distress when is more sporadic in nature. Binge eating can develop into binge eating disorder if the bingeing persists longer than three months and begins to happen as often as once a week.
It’s important to note that binge eating can happen as a result of other eating disorders and sometimes binge eating disorder is given as a diagnosis because of weight stigma and eating disorder stigma. For example, it is common for individuals in larger/ fat bodies to express concern around binge eating and then are given a diagnosis of binge eating disorder only to find out later that they had anorexia and not binge eating disorder. This is why it’s important to get a proper assessment from a registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders, and specifically binge eating disorder.
Our dietitians can help support you.
There are ways to feel less shame and blame when it comes to binge eating and binge eating disorder. Our dietitian nutritionists in Seattle, WA are here to help support you and assist you in gaining a sense of control with food. We understand what you’re feeling, and we will help you change your relationship with food so that you feel empowered and in the driver’s seat of your own experience.
Binge eating disorder is exhausting, isolating, and never-ending. But you don’t have to figure things out on your own, and you certainly don’t have to struggle with this forever. You deserve support now so that you don’t have to keep repeating the cycles that you’ve been stuck in. There is a way out of this.
At Bravespace Nutrition, help for binge eating disorder and frequent binge eating looks like:
Unpacking your dieting and binge eating history to uncover food patterns.
Learning about ways to nourish your body separate from dieting.
Understanding the “why” of your binge eating and identifying emotional triggers that lead to your episodes of binge eating.
Learning about the impact that food restriction has on eating patterns.
Challenging diet/wellness culture myths and working on consistent nourishment.
Getting to know how binge eating may have served you or helped you get through really hard things in your life.
Uncovering how the binge eating may have actually benefited you at certain points in time even if it has also caused harm and distress
Healing your relationship to your body and how weight stigma/fatphobia has impacted you.
What can you expect after doing binge eating disorder nutrition counseling with our dietitians at Bravespace Nutrition?
Freedom to enjoy all aspects of life, even those involving food.
More food spontaneity and not more dieting
Know how to nourish your body to be sure it’s getting what it needs every day
To have an intuitive relationship with food that is guided by you that helps to decrease binge eating
No more “food hangovers” and waking up feeling guilt, regret and dread for what you ate last night
More headspace freed up for other areas of your life, including family, friends, work, hobbies, and more.
A positive, peaceful relationship with your body
A newfound sense of self-compassion that will extend into other areas of your life beyond food.
Being back in the driver’s seat and regaining a sense of control of food in your life!
Reducing, and sometimes eliminating entirely, shame around food and the eating experience.
More consistent and sustainable glucose levels (relevant to those with diabetes or those with a familial history of diabetes)
Want more support? Consider joining our body image support group.
Here at Bravespace Nutrition, our belief is that a nourished life begins by stepping into a brave space. This led us to found the Body Image Badass Support Group. This is a body image support group designed for women ages 18+ who are in recovery from an eating disorder, disordered eating, binge eating, or chronic dieting.
In our support group, you will collaborate with other women and build a positive sense of self-worth that is not based on your body shape or weight. You will learn new tools to help you appreciate the body you have. And best of all, you will be supported by your peers and a caring therapist along the way!
Get help for binge eating disorder in Seattle, WA
You deserve to enjoy your relationship with food. If you’re struggling with binge eating or binge eating disorder, are concerned that you’re overeating, or if you’ve felt invalidated in your complicated relationship with food by people or medical practitioners in your life, our dietitians at Bravespace Nutrition in Seattle, WA want to help support you.
Our Seattle, WA-based nutrition therapy practice is happy to provide the support you deserve and our caring dietitians would be honored to help you stop binge eating for good. To start your journey towards healing, follow these simple steps:
Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation by clicking the button below.
Meet with one of our anti-diet dietitians.
Get help for an eating disorder and live a fuller life!
Other Services Offered at Bravespace Nutrition
Online binge eating disorder treatment is not the only service offered at our nutrition clinic based in Seattle, Wa. At Bravespace, we offer a variety of services including support for eating disorders, body image, intuitive eating, Bulimia treatment, Anorexia treatment, teen/adolescent eating disorder support and chronic dieting. We also offer a body image support group and business coaching. For more information, please feel free to visit our blog, FAQ, resources page, or contact us now!