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Last updated on March 4th, 2024 at 03:09 am
It can be difficult to know where to turn for support in binge eating recovery.
Recovery from binge eating disorder can be complicated because:
- The condition may be misdiagnosed
- Treatment programs may trigger symptoms
- Insurance may not cover the costs of treatment for binge eating
- Treatment centers may focus more on restrictive eating treatment
If you are struggling with binge eating, you are likely feeling completely out of control with food. You might feel like you’re not even experiencing fullness cues any longer.
You might feel like the only feeling you EVER experience when it comes to food is extreme hunger.
Let’s explore some of the binge eating treatment options available, and how to navigate seeking appropriate treatment.
What is Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder is characterized by:
- Eating large quantities of food in a short period of time (larger than the average person)
- Feeling a lack of control in the ability to stop eating when it comes to food
To officially be diagnosed with binge eating disorder you must also have three or more of these symptoms:
- Eating rapidly
- Eating past fullness
- Eating large quantities of food when you’re not hungry
- Hiding or sneaking food, or eating alone because you’re embarrassed about what you’re eating
- Feeling disgusted or guilty after eating
Someone with binge eating disorder may or may not experience purging after a binge. An official diagnosis of binge eating disorder happens when these symptoms are persistent for 3 months at least once a week. A diagnosis by a doctor or qualified mental health counselor is essential.
Even if you do not meet the official diagnosis of binge eating disorder, binge eating can be extremely detrimental to your quality of life. You deserve recovery. You can take the binge eating quiz to see if you are experiencing binge eating symptoms.
These tips may also be beneficial if you are in bulimia recovery and experiencing binges.
Biological Changes With Binge Eating
There are many biological changes that occur when it comes to binge eating.
Many of these changes actually are a result of the restriction piece of binge eating, which results in a binge restrict cycle.
Changes that occur when you binge eat include:
- Increased reward sensitivity and hedonism in response to food
- Increased hormonal and enzymatic response to visuals of food
- Increased sensory cues to taste, smell, and sight of food
These biological changes for someone with binge eating make recovery a difficult process. Someone with binge eating may also be experiencing weight loss rebound from former restrictive eating which can heighten biological responses to food.
Changes that will occur from the restriction that will make it more likely someone will binge include
- Increased salivary amylase in response to food
- Increased cortisol
- Increased Neuropeptide-Y which will cause you to crave carbs
- Changes in thyroid hormones
Helping the body to normalize eating will help to reduce the physical effects of both the restriction and binging behaviors during binge eating recovery.
Thought Process In A Binge
Most people that experience binge eating have a very cyclical pattern of experiences that tend to perpetuate and exacerbate binge behavior.
The common series of events that occurs for people that binge eat includes:
- Experiencing fatphobia or food shaming
- Constantly feeling fat
- Falling into diet culture to try to shrink your body
- Begin counting calories or creating food rules
- Begin feeling out of control with food
- Feeling like you hate your body or body dysmorphia
- Increased food restriction
The recovery process for binge eating will need to involve strategies for coping with each stage in this process. Recovery also involves grieving the thin ideal.
Types of Treatment for Binge Eating
In binge eating recovery, we MUST treat the food restriction piece simultaneously to working through a binge.
Binge eating recovery may include a mechanical eating meal plan uniquely designed to meet your needs by an eating disorder dietitian in order to normalize meals and snacks.
The most common types of eating disorder treatment for binge eating include:
- Outpatient treatment (patient sees therapist, physician, and dietitian on a regular basis)
- Residential Treatment (24 hour supervision in a facility)
- Partial Hospitalization Program (patient spends part of the day at a facility and part of the day at home)
- Intensive outpatient treatment (patient spends 2-5 hours daily at a facility and continues to recover in their home)
- Virtual Intensive outpatient treatment (patient engages in 2-5 hours of eating disorder treatment per day but does so virtually)
Steps For Recovery For Binge Eating
The goals of recovery from binge eating will include:
- Normalizing meals and snacks
- Getting rid of fear foods
- Stop seeking out zero or low-calorie foods
- Finding coping strategies for emotions aside from food
- Developing body respect
- Work through the fear of gaining weight
- Reducing the amount of time in the day spent thinking about food
- Normalizing hunger and fullness cues
It is important to remember that recovery is not linear. Everyone’s journey will be different. On average it takes between 1-3 years working with a qualified healthcare team to recover from binge eating. For some, the duration of recovery will be longer than this.
It’s important to have a list of things that give you motivation for recovery if things start to feel impossible or overwhelming.
Recovery Methods That Will Not Work For Bingeing
Unfortunately, when it comes to binge eating the most common types of treatment recommended will likely exacerbate the bingeing.
The treatment methods that wont work for binge eating include
- Dieting
- Cutting out food groups
- Overeaters anonymous
- Obsessing over food
- Excessive exercise
- Fasting after a “cheat day”
If you are experiencing any of these things during your recovery process, they may be eating disorder relapse signs. It will be a good idea to connect with your healthcare team.
Trying to restrict your food in any way will just lead to bigger more frequent binges, especially night time binges.
Barriers To Binge Eating Treatment
While binge eating is the most prevalent eating disorder in America, it has the most limited access to care.
Barriers to binge eating recovery include:
- High costs
- Insurance companies refusing to pay for appropriate treatment because of biased BMI criteria
- Being surrounded in treatment centers by people with thin privilege
- Treatment focusing on binge eating that neglects the restriction piece
- Treatment programs that restrict access to food
- Recovery programs for binge eaters focused on weight loss
If you are struggling with the symptoms of an eating disorder, you deserve help and should seek out the appropriate support as soon as possible.
You can check out these eating disorder recovery books to see stories of recovery for those with binge eating disorder.
You can also check out my anorexia story to see how I overcame anorexia and binge eating disorder.
On average it will take between 1-3 years to have a solid ground on recovery from binge eating. Recovery is nonlinear and may take much longer than this for some.
normalize meals and snacks, reduce the amount of time thinking about food, finding other coping strategies besides food, normalizing hunger and fullness cues, getting rid of fear foods and food rules
Barriers to treatment include weight bias, limited insurance coverage for binge eating recovery, and programs available for binge eating recovery
dieting, eliminating food groups, excessive exercise, food restriction
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