Signs It’s Time to Start Binge Eating Disorder Treatment
By Lindsay Hodgson, msn & Katherine Metzelaar, msn, rdn, cd
You feel like something’s “off” or “not normal” with you and food and you’ve felt like this for some time.
And, you might you feel there’s no way you could have binge eating disorder based on who you know develops eating disorders. But, you think you have a problem because you often feel out of control around food. You’ve downplayed these feelings for months, and maybe even for years or decades.
If any of the above scenarios describe your experience, I am so sorry you've had to struggle alone. Sadly the portrayals of eating disorders in the dominant culture (such as dangerously thin cisgender, able-bodied, white women), eating disorder stereotypes, arbitrary eating disorder diagnostic criteria, and weight stigma are all obstacles in seeking help for many people who need it, especially when it comes to getting treatment for binge eating disorder. Not to mention, there is very little education around binge eating disorder.
Despite Binge Eating Disorder being the most common eating disorder, it is often under-diagnosed and misunderstood, and most of this has to do with weight stigma.
The cultural presentation of the way eating disorders “look” harms everyone and it may have harmed you. Most people with eating disorders are not in very thin bodies with anorexia. In fact, this is an atypical presentation. Eating disorders don’t have “a look” and many are not diagnosed because of weight stigma and anti-fatness beliefs and attitudes.
What is binge eating disorder?
According to the DSM-5, Binge Eating Disorder is defined as the experience of binge eating that happens on a reoccurring basis. Binge eating is described as either eating a large amount of food in a short period of time and/or feeling out of control while eating said food. Binge eating episodes are often associated with feeling uncomfortably full, eating more quickly than usual, eating a lot of food even when not hungry, feeling shame and embarrassment for how much was eaten, feeling hatred or disgust for yourself after a binge and engaging with binges in secret.
Binge eating disorder is never diagnosed based on body size and weight is never, ever a diagnostic criteria. Because binge eating is so demonized in this culture and restriction is so upheld, it can often feel like your experience with binge eating is your fault. But your experience with binge eating is not your fault and you don’t lack control.
The reality is, even when you know that there is an issue or that you’re struggling, it’s hard to know when the “right” time to start treatment is and if you should wait or start now. So, here are some signs that it’s time to get support now and not wait until things get even worse.
Signs that it’s time to seek help for binge eating disorder are:
After a binge, your thoughts and behaviors revolve around food. This can show up in numerous ways. For instance, you experience a binge and then the next day you double down and try to eat “healthy,” “clean,” or be “good” with your eating. Or, it can look like skipping meals or going long periods without eating because you feel guilty about the past binge. At the same time, you might engage in no physical restriction with food but find you are thinking about food constantly and feeling guilty for the foods you’ve eaten. All of these are signs that support from a nutrition therapist could be beneficial.
You feel disconnected from your body signals, feel like you don’t fully taste or enjoy the food you’re eating, and the food you eat doesn’t seem to satisfy you. Maybe you don’t really know how to fuel your body adequately throughout the day because diet culture has distorted your sense of your nutrition needs. It’s a common experience after years of dieting and restricting your food intake to feel like you don’t know what’s going on with your body or know how to stop eating until you feel overly full. Nutrition therapy can help you reconnect with food and your body so food is more pleasurable and feels more nourishing, as well as decrease your experiences with binge eating.
You feel shame about your eating patterns, the quantity, or kinds of food you eat. You feel you cannot keep certain foods in the house for fear of eating the whole bag, carton, box, etc. The feeling of being “out of control” around food is real. It can be confusing, alarming, and shameful because you feel you lack willpower. Spoiler: it’s not about willpower and it’s not your fault. You deserve to explore these feelings with an experienced professional so you can start to reclaim your relationship with food and feel like food has less power over you.
You experience physical or mental symptoms that you cannot attribute to other aspects of your health or medical history. Some common ones are:
Lack of energy or fatigue
Headaches
Irregular digestive patterns
Trouble concentrating
Depression/anxiety
You regularly eat to the point of discomfort. Eating to the point of discomfort is a common experience for those with binge eating disorder. It can often feel like you cannot stop and even if you can stop, that you don’t want to. In fact, it’s common at times to feel like you want to eat to the point of discomfort and you want to feel the feeling if being overly full. Afterwards though, you will be flooded with guilt and shame for eating more than you wanted. You deserve support to be able to eat with freedom without freely overly full or uncomfortably full.
Why working with a dietitian helps with binge eating disorder recovery
Food and the relationship you have with food interact intimately with all parts of your health and well being. Getting support with binge eating disorder from a dietitian is not simply about taking a look at and addressing your relationship with food, but it’s also about addressing you as a whole person. This includes, but is not limited to, understanding what food was like for you growing up, what food beliefs you have, what ways you may be restricting food, what your relationship with your body is like, your dieting history, stress levels and so much more.
Working with a dietitian in nutrition therapy will help you to develop effective self-care and increased self-compassion when binge eating does occur which is also a critical part of binge eating disorder recovery. Additionally, eliminating foods does not lead to sustainable recovery and can very quickly turn into another diet which your anti-diet dietitian would help you to avoid doing!
The reality is this: You will never feel ready enough to get support around the experience that you’re having with binge eating, but you can’t let this stop you from getting support.
Also, you don’t need to hit “rock bottom” to seek help. The signs to start treatment are subtle, and may start to slowly affect your quality of life. Keep in mind that every body is different.
The bottom line is, if there is a little voice in your head or your gut is telling you that you could benefit from nutrition therapy, then that is the strongest sign to take the next step. If food feels like it’s running your life and it feels like it’s all you can think about, you deserve help.
There is no such thing as being sick enough for treatment or somehow qualifying for treatment. Trust yourself and please know you deserve support and deserve to get help for binge eating disorder.
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Do you want to stop binge eating for good and get treatment for binge eating disorder?
Creating a better, more intuitive relationship with food takes time especially when you have been binge eating for many years. The caring dietitians from our Seattle, WA-based nutrition counseling practice would be honored to help you heal your relationship to food. We offer a variety of services including support for eating disorders, body image, intuitive eating, Bulimia treatment, Anorexia treatment, and chronic dieting. We also offer a body image support group. For more information, please feel free to visit our blog, FAQ, resources page, or contact us now!