What is excessive eating?
"Excessive eating" is not a medical term. That means there is no medical definition of excessive eating. Even casually, the phrase is open to interpretation. Everyone likely has a different idea of what counts as "excessive."
One of the reasons it’s so difficult to define “excessive eating” is that people's nutritional needs can greatly vary. Different bodies have different hunger cues, different daily caloric needs, and different metabolisms, among other considerations, and these all depend on a number of interdependent factors, from a person’s regular activity level to their genetics.
Without an official definition to work from, it can also be difficult to discuss any causes of excessive eating. But in many cases, eating more than one is expected to can be linked to emotional distress, or more long-term concerns such as anxiety.
In cases where excessive eating is frequent and is routinely driven by anxiety, depression, or consistent mental, emotional, or social "triggers," it could be a sign of something more serious.
Excessive eating vs. binge eating
Many people may compare excessive eating to binge eating. But, while excessive eating is not a medical term, “binge eating” is medically defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), which is the list of all officially recognized mental health conditions. It exists as part of the definition for both binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN), which both involve the behavior.
According to the DSM-5, a binge eating episode is defined by eating, within a distinct period of time (usually two hours), an amount of food that is "definitely larger" than what most people would eat in that time, under similar circumstances. They also involve a sense of loss of control over how much or what is consumed.6
Further, a binge eating episode is characterized by at least three of the following symptoms:6
- Eating much more rapidly than normal
- Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
- Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
- Eating alone, to hide the true amount one is eating
- Feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty after eating too much
To be officially considered part of binge eating disorder, binge eating episodes must occur at least once a week for three consecutive months.6 And to be considered part of bulimia nervosa, they must occur at least once per week, alongside compensatory purging behaviors, including self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, or laxative misuse.7
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Physical consequences of excessive eating
Again, without a clear medical definition or known causes of excessive eating, it can be challenging to attribute the behavior to specific issues. However, regularly eating an excessive amount of food can contribute to certain health complications.
It's possible for someone who regularly consumes "excess" food to be at a greater risk of developing:8
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Certain types of cancer
- Affect disorders, such as depression and anxiety
- Suicidal ideation
- Trouble sleeping or sleep disorders
- Digestive issues
- Muscle and joint pain
When someone experiences binge eating, they're at risk of similar medical concerns. Some binge eating episodes can add anywhere from an additional 5,000-15,000 calories to a person’s daily total.1
Tips to prevent excessive eating
While there are established ways to treat binge eating disorder, the most common eating disorder in the United States, there are not as many clear-cut treatment routes for excessive eating.1
These tips might help you or a loved one develop a deeper understanding of excessive eating and what could drive it, and give you tools to help regulate the behavior.
Practice mindful eating
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment, from a non-judgmental perspective.
Mindful eating involves paying attention to every aspect of the eating experience in an open and non-judgmental way.
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Eating mindfully involves considering the taste, texture, and smell of every bite, rather than rushing through a meal, eating while on the way to somewhere else, or eating without thinking about what you're doing. The practice also encourages letting go of thinking about the calories, carbs, or fat content and focusing instead on the pleasure of eating.
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Bringing this type of presence to mealtimes is thought to promote self-compassion, self-trust, patience, and acceptance, which can help curb disordered eating patterns and some of the mental and emotional issues behind them.
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Practice intuitive eating
Intuitive eating shares with mindful eating the idea of eating without judgment. But rather than focusing on the sensations of eating, this concept asks followers to simply respond to their body's needs.
Intuitive eating is the practice of eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. It also includes eating the types of foods your body is asking for, even if they're foods you think you "shouldn't" have.
It can be tricky to balance intuitive eating against excessive eating or even binge eating. It involves the ability to walk away from food once you feel full, which can be hard. But when done right, the concept involves tuning into your body's own hunger and satiety cues and cravings and honoring what your body is asking for without judgment. When it works, the eating behavior represents a beneficial and very healthy relationship to food.
Learn your hunger cues
Before you can tune into your hunger cues, you must learn how to hear them. This can also be a tricky process at first. Most people have long followed an eating schedule dictated by society, involving roughly set times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many others experience false hunger signals, which can be triggered by factors such as fatigue, stress, boredom, or even advertisements.
You can start to tune in to your natural hunger and satiety cues by understanding when you're truly hungry, or when you're just experiencing the idea of hunger. Some tips to tell the difference include:
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- Distracting yourself with something other than food, then seeing if you’re still hungry.
- Drinking water, then seeing if you’re still hungry.
- Pausing to ask yourself if you’re actually hungry, and trying to be honest.
- Doing a head-to-toe body scan to evaluate your general physical state and mood.
Intuitive eating practices can also help inform you of what your body wants and separate your inner cues from outside noise. Using the
hunger/satiety scale can help you keep track of when your body is ready to start and stop eating.
Maintain a healthy diet and routine
Eating consistent, healthy, and adequate meals is another way to combat the urge to eat excessively. Nutrient deficiencies have been linked to food cravings, the sense of "not getting enough" to eat, and binge eating behaviors.3 Likewise, sleep disorders and sleep deprivation have been tied to binge eating disorder, specifically, and binge eating in general.2
Maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet can help ensure you get the appropriate nutrients to stay full throughout the day. Protein is especially helpful for staving off hunger and cravings.3 And good sleep hygiene can be similarly helpful.
Keep a food journal
Keeping a food diary can be helpful in a number of ways. It can help you track how much you're eating, how you're feeling when you eat, and the circumstances that happen around eating, which can all be used to help you establish and track potential triggers.
One exercise to help you do this involves making two columns. In the first column, include:
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- What you eat
- What time you eat
- The mood you were in when eating
In the second column, make sure to mark down your “triggers,” or what “caused” you to start eating. This can include:
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- Seeing a commercial that made you feel hungry
- Feeling bored or tired
- Feeling stressed
An interrupted day, including one where you were traveling a lot
Something habitual, like eating while you make coffee in the morning
Once you've done this for a few days or weeks, start to look for patterns. If you notice that you regularly eat a snack right after work, when you're feeling stressed, you can start preparing for that by having a healthy snack ready or by choosing other activities at that time to help with stress relief.
De-stress
Excessive eating is often tied to emotional distress and situations that cause stress or anxiety. Food can have a number of comforting effects on an emotional and physiological level, and it becomes a natural thing for many people to reach for when they're not feeling they're best.
But there are many other ways to help manage or reduce stress. Some common methods include:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Going for walks
- Talking or hanging out with a friend
- Engaging in a hobby
- Journaling
- Listening to music
- Gardening
- Dancing
Finding other outlets for stress can not only help curb excessive eating, but introduce a whole host of other benefits to mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
Seek therapy
Therapy can be a helpful tool, whether or not you're struggling with a diagnosed eating disorder. If you're experiencing excessive eating on a regular basis, it may be especially important to understand the emotional and mental drivers of this behavior.
There are many types of therapy that can help you recognize and change these eating behaviors and offer healthier coping mechanisms, including:
Support groups are another good source of connection and support if you're struggling with your eating behaviors and/or related stressors. These groups are often made up of people going through similar situations, and can give you advice, comfort, and perspective on your situation.
Finding help for excessive eating at Within
At Within, we don't judge anyone's eating behaviors, but we understand that everyone needs help from time to time. If you're concerned about the frequency that you or a loved one are experiencing excessive eating or noticing symptoms of binge eating disorder, it's important to seek help.
Our team of experts comes from a number of backgrounds related to mental and nutritional health, and they can work with you to create individualized eating and treatment plans.
Contact us today to see how we can help you start moving toward a life free from an eating disorder.
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