Last updated on March 4th, 2024 at 03:16 am
It can be difficult to know when you’re eating if you’re simply having larger than normal portions or if it’s truly a binge. This binge eating quiz can help you map out if you’re having symptoms of bingeing.
It’s important to distinguish between:
- Extreme hunger
- Overeating
- Binging
- Binge Eating Disorder
You might feel guilty when you eat past your level of fullness and feel uncomfortable. Or if you’re eating and it seems like a lot more than other people would eat. However, neither of these two things alone constitutes a binge.
If you feel like you have no control over the food, and that you literally could not stop eating if you wanted, this would qualify as a binge versus overeating.
This quiz will explore exactly what a binge is, when binge eating becomes concerning, and when it might be best to seek help for binge eating disorder.
This quiz is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a diagnosis. It does not constitute as a provider-patient relationship. If you are concerned you may have binge eating disorder, it is critical you speak with an eating disorder dietitian, therapist, and medical doctor.
What Is A Binge
A binge is when you consume a very large quantity of food (more than most people would eat at one time) accompanied by feeling a lack of control and food guilt.
Binge eating often comes from a place of intense fear of gaining weight and body loathing.
Characteristics of a binge include:
- Eating until I’m uncomfortably full
- Rapid eating
- Eating large quantities of food without actually feeling hungry
- Eating alone because you might be embarrassed by your choices or the amount of food
- Having large quantities of food when you’re not physically hungry
- Uncontrollable urgency to eat
- Feeling out of control with food at night
- Intense food cravings
- Extreme guilt after eating
- Feeling Unable to Stop eating
- Have to finish the whole bag/portion
- A Binge/restrict cycle
It’s important to note that many people can have “binge episodes” without having binge eating disorder. However, all binge episodes will likely leave a person feeling helpless, out of control, and completely immersed in the experience of consuming food.
It’s also important to note- that sometimes if we are severely restricting nearly all food intake might feel like a binge even if the quantity is very small.
Take this binge eating quiz to determine if you have symptoms that align with binge eating and what to do about it.
How To Recover From A Binge
If your quiz results indicate you may be binge eating, here are some things to try:
- Break the binge restrict cycle by eating regular meals and snacks
- Check out these eating disorder recovery books for additional support
- Challenge fear foods or break up your food rituals and eat dessert first
- Stop counting calories
- Stop body checking
- Eat even when nothing sounds good
- Try urge surfing
- Have the appropriate tools to respond to unsolicited food and weight comments by body and food shamers
Living binge free is possible. If you are noticing symptoms of binge eating disorder, it’s important to seek health from a qualified healthcare team and work to create a plan for binge eating recovery.
© 2022 Peace and Nutrition
- What Is A Non Diet Approach - January 27, 2025
- 5 Reasons Body Perfection Is A Lie - January 25, 2025
- Switch Witch: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - October 18, 2024