Is It Binge Eating, Emotional Eating - or Binge Eating Disorder?
It is Eating Disorder Awareness Week and I thought I would write about something I often see as a point of confusion around binge eating.
Some of the people I work with have been diagnosed with an eating disorder, but many haven’t. They are working with me whilst trying to make sense of patterns with food that feel distressing, confusing or out of character.
I might hear clients saying: “I eat one biscuit, I eat the whole packet”, “I lose control sometimes”, “I eat when I’m not hungry”, “I can be ‘good’ all week and then it all unravels”, “I don’t think it’s an eating disorder… but it doesn’t feel normal either.”
In this blog, I want to explore the line between disordered eating behaviours and a diagnosable eating disorder in relation to binge eating. However, this is not about self-diagnosis. If you are concerned about your eating, it is important to seek consultation with a qualified healthcare professional such as your GP, a psychiatrist or an eating disorder specialist.
The purpose of this piece is to build understanding of patterns and terminology so that when something feels off, we are more likely to seek the right kind of support rather than either minimising or over-pathologising the experience.
What Is a Binge?
Clinically, a binge episode involves two key features:
Eating what is considered an objectively large amount of food within a discrete period of time - typically described in diagnostic criteria as within a two-hour window
Experiencing a sense of loss of control whilst eating
That loss of control is considered the central feature. It is not simply eating when not hungry, or more than intended. It is the subjective experience of feeling unable to stop, even if physically uncomfortable and even if part of you wants to stop. People often describe it as being on autopilot, disconnected or as though something switches off. There may be a sense of urgency or compulsion.
A single binge episode does not automatically mean someone has Binge Eating Disorder. However, binge eating is often accompanied by distress - feelings such as shame, guilt, disgust or secrecy afterwards. When binge episodes are recurrent and associated with marked distress, this is when we begin to consider whether the pattern meets criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.
Many people struggle significantly with binge eating without neatly meeting every diagnostic threshold for Binge Eating Disorder - which I will outline below. However, that does not mean they are “ok” or that support would not be helpful. Ongoing distress around eating is a meaningful indicator that something needs attention.
What Is Binge Eating Disorder?
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a recognised mental health condition. According to UK clinical guidance and diagnostic criteria, BED involves:
Recurrent binge eating episodes (at least once a week for three months)
A sense of loss of control during those episodes
Marked distress about the binge eating behaviour
Many people also report eating more rapidly than usual, eating until uncomfortably full, eating alone because of embarrassment, and feeling intense shame, guilt or disgust afterwards. These emotional responses tend to form part of the distress that maintains the cycle.
BED is distinct from bulimia nervosa in that regular compensatory behaviours such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, fasting or excessive exercise are not a feature.
Contrary to popular belief, BED is thought to be more common than anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa combined. UK estimates vary depending on how it is measured, but BED is recognised as one of the most prevalent eating disorders.
Research also shows that among individuals seeking weight loss interventions, a significant proportion experience recurrent binge eating behaviours. This reinforces the importance of assessing eating patterns carefully rather than assuming binge eating is simply a matter of willpower.
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends structured psychological therapy as first-line treatment for adults with BED. Alongside psychological support, stabilising nourishment and addressing restrictive eating patterns are often important components of recovery.
There can be a lot of shame around BED, but it is not about greed, lack of discipline or simply “eating your feelings.” It develops through a complex interaction of biological vulnerability, psychological factors, dieting history, social context and sometimes trauma. Restriction and under-fuelling are particularly important factors to understand.
Whilst emotional vulnerability may play a role, not all binge episodes are emotionally triggered. For some people, the most significant driver is physiological - inconsistent or restrictive nourishment, the body’s physiological response to under-fuelling, sleep disruption or chronic stress.
BED can affect anyone. It is also important to say clearly that body size does not determine whether someone is binge eating. Eating disorders affect people across the full range of body sizes, a point emphasised by organisations such as BEAT Eating Disorders. And when diagnostic criteria are met, appropriate treatment is important.
What Is Emotional Eating?
Emotional eating is very common and is not automatically a disorder. It involves eating in response to feelings rather than physical hunger - stress, boredom, loneliness, overwhelm, and sometimes more positive emotions such as celebration or relief.
Whilst an emotional trigger can be present in binge eating, emotional eating also stands alone, and is different in a key way: there may not be a sense of loss of control. The person is often consciously aware that they are choosing food for comfort. They may eat beyond hunger, but they can pause or stop.
When discussing emotional eating, it is important to keep in mind that food is a legitimate source of comfort. Humans are wired to associate food with safety, connection and pleasure. Emotional eating often exists as part of a varied and flexible relationship with food, and most people will sometimes eat in response to feelings.
Emotional eating becomes problematic when it is the primary or only coping strategy, when it feels compulsive, or when it is accompanied by persistent shame and self-criticism.
Emotional eating does not automatically progress into an eating disorder. However, if it becomes a frequent, automatic response to emotional discomfort, is associated with a sense of loss of control, or is accompanied by significant shame and distress, further assessment may be appropriate.
What About Overeating?
Overeating is very common, particularly in environments where food is plentiful and distractions are high. It is a slightly controversial term because ‘over’ compared to what? Appetite naturally fluctuates and what feels like too much on one day may be entirely appropriate on another. However, the term can be simply understood as eating beyond comfortable fullness.
It might happen at a celebration, on holiday, during a festive period or after a long day without adequate meals. Many people make impulsive choices around food and eat beyond comfortable fullness. In most cases this is a conscious decision and is not automatically binge eating or emotional eating, although eating beyond comfortable fullness can be a feature of either.
If you have under-eaten earlier in the day - for example by skipping meals, “saving calories”, delaying food, or trying to be particularly restrained - your body and mind may drive you to eat more later. Appetite-regulating hormones respond to restriction and the brain increases its focus on food. This is biology driving eating behaviour and is not considered a pathology.
If You Are Unsure
If you recognise yourself in any of this, it does not mean you are weak, lacking discipline or somehow broken. Eating patterns develop for many reasons, and challenges with food can affect anyone.
There is still stigma around disordered eating and that can make people minimise what they are experiencing or feel hesitant to speak about it. But if your relationship with food feels distressing, secretive, chaotic or out of control, that is enough. You do not need to wait until things are “bad enough.” You do not need a formal diagnosis to deserve support.
Early intervention can be important. The longer patterns of restriction, bingeing or shame become established, the more ingrained they tend to feel. Addressing them earlier can make the work more straightforward and reduce the risk of the cycle intensifying over time.
In my next blog, I will explore why binge eating happens, including the biological drivers such as restriction and under-fuelling.
Take a nourishing step forward today
If this article resonated with you and you’re tired of feeling stuck between control and chaos around food, you don’t have to navigate it alone. I work with people who are ready to move beyond chronic dieting, disordered eating patterns or ongoing food anxieties, and begin rebuilding trust with their body.
You can explore my private programmes or book a confidential enquiry call to see if working together feels right.
