how much is 'binge'?

had an interesting conversation with a friend yesterday about binge eating

after telling me about her "massive binge" i went on to ask her what it was she ate..

i think it was along the lines of "an icecream and a biscuit" WHICH made me completely embarrassed to even start to admit what a binge of mine encouters..

question guys, how much is a "binge" ? i guess it differs from person to person.. im REALLY trying to stop it, and usually when i do it i eat so much i cant even remember what i had

today i had a weak point..ate about 5 brownies in a row..is this a binge?

because if according to my friends definition i binge ALL THE TIME!

any thoughts?

well i dont have a certain limit of food that i classify a binge. i classify a binge as when i begin to eat and simply cannot for the life of me stop.

personally i think my binges come from lack of willpower and self control,but for me anythink that would come under 2000 or a little bit over calories for the day i wouldnt call a binge and my maintainece on here is spose to be 1500 =) and yeah there have been days at 8,000 calories for me... lucky i dont gain weight easily =S =O

From research that most could benefit just doing themselves:

"Binge" eating is an EATING DISORDER! It can be identified by

a) frequently eating large amounts of food ( I don't think 5 brownies qualifies)

b) frequent feelings of not being able to control what you eat or how much

I also found this interesting. I came across a medical website that said people who suffer from binge eating are normally obese for obvious reasons. It said that people truly suffering from a binge eating disorder should not try to diet because this will only worsen their condition. An unhealthy relationship with food is at fault and treatment such as therapy could help them. Actually a lot of websites listed dieting as a cause of binge eating.

 "Eating a lot of food does not necessarily mean that you have binge eating disorder. Experts generally agree that most people with serious binge eating problems often eat an unusually large amount of food and feel their eating is out of control." from the website http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/binge.h tm#howdoes 

Thanks Vmc,  Ithink people throw the work binge around alot on this website...ok i will say it but its mainly the underweight teenagers..ok after that said... i think you have discribed it very well. 
it has really developed into slang in our language, when its actually serious.  I even tried to stop saying "I am straving"  ok I am not starving I have access to food and i am very hungry,  people in Africa Starve...I dont starve"

I would say your friend definitely did not have a bona fide binge, unless she ate the entire carton of ice cream or something like that.  I would say your five brownies probably don't count either, unless you weren't even really hungry or didn't even really enjoy eating them but ate them anyway.  The site vmcbutterfly posted sounds about right to me.

If I wouldn't have left my abnormal psych notes back in PA, I could answers this with the correct answer.

However, you would be correct in thinking your friend's "binge" was not truly a 'binge' at all.  The true definition of a binge is not even very definitive, but it goes something like if you eat more in one sitting than the average person would/could eat comfortably.  Often adding to an excess of 3000-5000 calories. 

Psychologists do not have a very good definition of it at the moment.  Just keep in mind there's a HUGE difference between overeating and bingeing.  There's a large mental factor in there too

Considering I have an exam tomorrow in my Psychopathology class, I actually have my Abnormal Psych book right in front of me.  And the author's definition of a binge is:

a relatively brief episode of uncontrolled, excessive consumption, usually of food or alcohol

For me, if I were to eat five brownies in a very short amount of time, I think that would be qualified as a binge.  But I think it depends on the person too...if your friend had an ice cream and a biscuit and wolfed it down really fast and felt repulsed and guilty afterwards, she could consider that a binge as well.

"Ithink people throw the work binge around alot on this website" - completely agree. the term has become broadened...people use it all the time even if its just that they ate a little over "what they're supposed to"

interesting point aswell by leelee, i guess theres alot more behind a binge than just the 'physical symptoms' or how much you eat.. alot of mental stuff too like the guilty feelings and inability to stop once started..

thanks for the opinions guys :)

I definitely agree that many people use "binge" too lightly. It's gotten to be the same as people saying "I'm starving" when they get home from work and are hungry for dinner. They aren't really starving, it's just an wild exaggeration.

Having had binge eating disorder, having read many scientific definitions, having gone through several sessions of therapy, and having done a great deal of studying about the issue, I can honestly say that it includes two things to binge:

1. A binge involves being completely, unbearably, and almost unconsciously out of control. The eating really isn't about the food. It's a mechanical action that is simply a result of some pure and overwhelming internal pain and struggle. Some people who binge are almost unaware of it happening. It's painful, frantic, and terrifying, and the person binging is extremely secretive about such behavior. Being discovered is a horrifying thought, and binging is mixed up with massive amounts of shame. Having a bad day at work and coming home and eating a bag of chips or overindulging at a birthday party on cake you've been denying yourself while dieting is not the same as an official episode of binge eating.

2. Binge eating involves massive amounts of (highly caloric) food. The person who binges will eat so much that it will become physically painful. Food is not really tasted while being eaten, but instead is swallowed without pleasure. A massive amount of food, often carbohydrates and fats, has a numbing effect upon the mind and body, and often people who binge fall asleep shortly after binging. Binges typically involve anywhere from 2,000-10,000 calories in one sitting, swallowed in an eating period of perhaps minutes.

To me binging is when I eat one thing after the other when I wasnt hungry to begin with. For example I have cheetos, then a nutty buddy, when I was not hungry to begin with. To me it is also when the foods I eat like that are not veggies. If I go from carrots to green peppers to celery back to back, I don't count that as a binge.

When I was in 5th grade I binged frequently. Ainedb's description sounds dead on and I agree 100%.

I went through a depression (luckily I have a good relationship with my family that helped me through it) and I would just eat and eat and eat. I'm not talking about having a second helping of dinner, but I mean sneaking a tub of cookie dough upstairs and eating until I felt sick. Brownies, whole packages of cookies, whole family sized bags of chips...I can't even remember all that I would find to consume. And yes, the thought of being "discovered" was horrifying. I'm still finding spoons and containers from years ago that I would hide to conceal the evidence. It's an awfully hard thing to break. I didn't have any idea what I was doing at the time, but looking back, that was binging.

So, no, I would say that eating 5 brownies because they tasted good and you just couldn't help taking another bite isn't a binge, but if you did it because the emotions inside you took over and you felt you just had to do something to get your mind off the world and the brownies just happened to be there, then it just might be. It really depends on why you do it, I guess.