Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder, commonly referred to as BED, is a serious mental health condition where people eat very large quantities of food without feeling like they are in control of what they are doing in a short period of time. BED can affect anyone of any gender, age, ethnicity or background. You may feel guilty or ashamed after binge eating.

Binges are very distressing, and people often find it difficult to stop even if they want to. People sometimes describe this as feeling disconnected from themselves and may even struggle to remember what they have eaten. Characteristics of binge eating can include; eating faster than usual, eating till uncomfortably full, eating despite not being hungry and eating alone or in secret.

BED is not about choosing to eat large amounts of food or overindulging in food!

In the first instance, a guided self-help programme is offered in treating BED. This often involves working through a self-help book based on therapeutic materials and strategies to support and overcome BED. This is inline with the NICE and NHS guidelines.

If self-help treatment alone is not enough or has not helped you after a period of time, you may also be offered psychological treatments aimed at treating the root causes behind the BED, and its maintenance.

It is worth noting, that BED treatments will have a limited effect on body weight, and that weight loss is not a therapy target within treating BED. Additionally, medication is not offered as the sole treatment for BED, but could be considered in relation to other difficulties identified, such as depression or anxiety if felt appropriate.

This is a really big and important question, but can be difficult to pinpoint and understand exactly why people may feel the urge to binge. The exact causes of BED are unknown, but there are some reasons which may make you more likely to develop BED including:

¨ Family history of eating disorders, depression or substance use.

¨ Worried about body image

¨ You have experienced trauma or a stressful event.

There are 3 main causes that maintain and contribute to BED.

Rigid dieting

Strict food rules and limiting when, what and how much food you are allowed to eat can significantly increase the risks of developing BED.

Dieting has become a normalised part of society and is often a go to option to loose weight. However, when this is done in an unsafe and problematic way, it can have serious impacts on individuals.

* Dieting this way, can lead to intense feelings of hunger over time, and the body’s natural response is to crave and seek out foods you have deprived yourself of.

* Having multiple strict diet rules also increases the chances of “breaking” them. When this happens you may be left with feelings of guilt and blame yourself, feeling that you are a failure. In turn, you comfort yourself by bingeing.

Low Mood

Difficult or overwhelming feelings, such as feeling angry, excited, sad or anxious may increase the urge to binge, and may be driven by a sudden urge, such as to numb emotions, manage uncomfortable feelings or being alone. Binge eating can help people to escape these feelings and seek comfort foods, that can bring instant pleasure and release of these feelings.

This is a natural bodily response, that everyone feels at some point. However, by not embracing these feelings and accepting them we can become stuck in a cycle of bingeing and often feel worse off, rather than better.

Overvaluing Your Body

It is easy to get caught up in the way that we look and how much we weigh, especially when we compare ourselves and have increased access to social media. However, when we place too much importance on this, our view of self can become warped. Our self worth can decrease as we place too much emphasis on what we see on our scales or in the mirror, and we develop a negative view of ourselves.

This ‘overvaluation‘ on weight and shape can drive binge eating, and can reinforce the above causes, leading to a vicious binge eating cycle which can feel difficult to break without the right support.

Self awareness around your eating means being able to recognise and identify times when the urge to binge occurs and the feelings you have around this. It is important to know exactly what your current eating habits are. The best way to do this is by keeping a detailed food diary of what and when you ate, how you felt, hunger level and other relevant details.

This may feel overwhelming and you may be tempted to stop writing after a binge. However, it is important you write everything down, to help you understand and identify any patterns, such as you only binge when you feel bored. Don’t be discouraged and keep going!

Once you have completed your food diary for a week, it is now time to think about next steps. People who binge usually have chaotic and unpredictable eating habits. Bringing in structure and routine can help alleviate these cravings and help you get control back over your eating.

Regular eating (not going more than 3 hours without eating) is an important step to reduce cravings and tackle binges. Eating this way also helps to eliminate the negative forms of dieting often attempted by those with BED, which can increase likelihood of bingeing and then feels self-defeating when we are unsuccessful.

Try and think of this change as a necessary life change, rather than just another diet, to help improve your health and develop a sense of self not controlled by food.

Emotional self-care is an important step in helping you to recover from an eating disorder. People with BED often find themselves bingeing during times of high emotional states; such as after a bad day at school, feeling bored or when receiving bad news. Binge eating acts as a coping strategy or escape mechanism for people when experiencing negative feelings. You may feel better for a short time, however, nothing will get solved by doing this and you’re back at square one. Learning to deal with emotions effectively involves understanding and connecting with them as they arise.

When a problem arises or you feel the urge to binge consider the following:

Step 1: Identify the problem

First, identify what the issue is. What is causing you to feel this way? What is making you want to binge? Was someone mean to you at school or do you feel bored because you’re home alone? Name it, define it and describe it. You might find it helpful to write these down or say them aloud, expressing as much detail as you can and the impact this is having on you. This can be a powerful way of releasing your emotions.

Step 2: Thinking of Solutions

You have now identified the problem, and need to think of solutions to solve it and reduce the negative feelings.

Try and think of as many solutions as you can, even if they seem unrealistic and write them down. Then, review them and think if there are any consequences to the solutions. For example; watching TV might help with boredom. This may help for a short while but you might still feel the urge to binge after an hour as it’s boring sitting on the sofa watching TV. Whereas, calling a friend may be more helpful as they will help distract you when you laugh and joke together.

Think through the possible consequences carefully, to find the right solution for you.

Step 3: Implement Solution

Choose the most suitable solution—the one that will help reduce your intense feelings and urge to binge. Act on this solution and assess its effectiveness afterwards. Did it help to reduce your feelings? What would be better/helpful next time?

Overtime, these steps will become automatic and you will be less likely to act impulsively in an urge to binge.

Hopefully you have been able to think of some helpful solutions to the problems you have been facing. However, it is important to also remember that there will be days when you experience difficulties that perhaps feel too overwhelming and you end up binge eating.

If you have a setback or a slip, you might feel very tempted to abandon your meal plan for the day and not implement your strategies of support and continue bingeing. If this happens, try and take back control as soon as you can, STOP and THINK about what is happening. It might be helpful to leave that situation (if you can) and go outside for a walk or talk to a trusted person.

If something does go wrong, it is important to continue with your meal plan, and not use the slip as an excuse to continue bingeing or to skip your meal plan. You may be overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety, guilt and self-loathing. Know that these feelings are completely normal and are a natural part of learning experiences to understand yourself and your bingeing. New habits take time and will be challenging; there will be obstacles in the way. Remember to pick yourself back up and carry on, change doesn’t happen overnight.

 YOU CAN DO THIS!

Try and view setbacks positively—a chance to recognise the best way to move forward and if anything needs to change.

It is also important to consider any anxieties you may be having which are contributing to your relationship with food and lead to bingeing. This could be related to specific foods or thoughts around your body. Remember that avoiding certain foods is unlikely to lead to a loss of weight, and increases chances that you’ll end up craving that food and lead to a binge.

Try and remember that being healthy means we eat well balanced meals, are well rested and are able to think clearly (good brain functioning). It is not directly linked to how we look and our appearance. Your self-worth is more that your shape and weight!

People with eating disorders often place a high emphasis on their body, which can become their sole focus. Other aspects of their life can become challenging and reduced. After a while, your eating disorder becomes an automatic response, and bingeing may take over how you live your life and reduce the joy you feel on a daily basis.

Your BED may limit you by preventing you from completing activities that you used to love doing, or stop you from socialising with friends and family on a regular basis.

To try and help you take back control of your life, it can be important to try and discover new passions that will become a central part of your life, which will help to replace your bingeing habits.

In this step, it will be helpful to consider hobbies that you want to implement into your life. Try and think of as many activities as you can; maybe something you used to do and loved, or something completely new that you’ve always wanted to try.

Here are some examples you might want to consider:

• Join a book club
• Learn to crochet/Knit
• Go rock climbing
• Join a swimming club
• Set up a weekly game night with friends

When thinking of new activities for you to do, it would also be good to think of a range of hobbies that could be completed at different times and require various levels of energy.

We don’t always have the energy to do certain things, so activities that can be completed easily at home, such as playing a board game feels more achievable than going swimming after school when you’ve had a really long and busy day.

When you’ve found something you want to do, try and fully immerse yourself into that activity and spend time on it each week, rather than as a one off. Overtime, it will become easier and feel more natural, which will help to increase your self-worth and reduce the emphasis you may place on your shape and weight.

Remember that you might try a new hobby and not like it. That is OK and completely normal!

If this happens try and fill it with something else form your list, rather than slipping back into old habits. It takes time to learn new skills and change habits.

This could be in the form of mindfulness or other grounding techniques, which help you to check in and re-centre yourself in overwhelming and distressing times. A helpful resource can be found on the next page.

Regular eating is a central part of this self-help programme. Adding structure to your days can support this, and can also be beneficial as it makes you more aware of eating times and if any difficulties arise, how you could combat them. For example, if you have a really busy day, factoring in an additional snack before lunch may be helpful to reduce urges and intense emotions at stressful times.

Throughout your journey, you will likely experience some up and downs, and a range of emotions around your BED—this is normal. But it is important to remember why you are doing this. It might be helpful to put things into perspective and think of the reasons why you are seeking help and want to change. Writing a pro and cons list may help you to visualise this further, and help motivate you when things are feeling tough.

BEAT Eating Disorders

https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/about-eating-disorders/types/binge-eating-disorder/

0808 801 0677 (adults helpline)

0808 801 0711 (youth helpline)

Beat is a UK based service which offers excellent support for people struggling with eating disorders including; information, resources and online peer and carer support groups.

PEACE Pathway

https://www.peacepathway.org/

PEACE is a service for people with eating disorders and Autism, who have created a range of materials for individuals and carers to support with understanding of ED and Autism, and the links between them.

NHS Mindfulness

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/what-is-mindfulness/

This website offers some detailed and helpful mindfulness tips, guidance and resources to help you take control and feel present in the moment.