The Taboo on Bingeing

Ok, so I promised that this entry was coming. I just want to take a second to talk about a specific myth/taboo/stigma that really irks me. Ok people, lets talk about the BINGE!

*insert ominous music here*

Ok, so a binge is officially defined as eating an abnormally large amount of food in a short period of time, but really it varies per person. What may be a binge for an anorexic may be much smaller than what a bulimia or someone with binge eating disorder would consider a binge. However, it is still just as psychologically devastating.

We don't really like to talk about bingeing. For people with EDs, it's much more "admirable" to restrict or overexercise than it is to binge and purge. Bingeing is a very shameful thing that we tend to hide and not want to talk about. It's very raw, emotional, and primal. For people without EDs, a binge may or may not be a good thing. I know it drives me crazy when my boyfriend says it's ok that I binged because at least I was eating. No, it's not ok, it's still a disordered activity.

For example, binge eating disorder is a disorder that doesn't get mentioned very often. Many sufferers are somewhere from a high weight to overweight. But you don't have to be thin to have a legitimate mental illness and devastating problem with food. BED is just as emotionally and psychologically damaging as Ana or Mia.

There are a number of reasons why an individual may binge. Someone who restricts may binge because their body makes them (this is the type I am). Literally, your body will get to the point where it will make you eat food because it needs the energy so badly. Remember that you're fighting a core self sustaining instinct here, and those instincts can become VERY strong.

People also may binge for emotional reasons. It's how they numb out and replace what they are feeling in their head and the emotional pain they are feeling with food. This is very common as well. Often, once the emotional pain is dealt with, the bingeing abates.

I have always been very open about my bingeing because I know it is a part of the disorder that needs to be addressed. I feel crappiest after a binge, whether or not I purged, and it's what is most likely to lead me to other behaviors such as overexercise, cutting, or suicidal ideation.

If all this is the case, why is bingeing such a "hush hush" topic?

Why is it so much more noble to restrict than to binge?

Why is there so much shame and stigma that goes with bingeing?

Because it makes you fat instead of thin?

Because it's losing control instead of having control (and just for the record, restricting does NOT mean you are in control).

We need to talk about this and erase the shame that goes with it and maybe work towards helping people who struggle here!

And stop shaming. It doesn't help.