Over eating vs. Binge eating vs. Emotional eating

I think we can all agree that we've grabbed for the chocolate bar or [insert other sweet or savoury delicious food here] when we're having a rough time; food is a great soother! So what can we do if this starts becoming a habit? And how is this type of emotional eating different to overeating or binge eating? Let's have a look...

First, let's get the record straight about emotional eating. I don't need to tell you that nutrition can get confusing! So, instead of giving you a tonne of information you don't need, I have listed the important points here so that you can know exactly where you sit and what you can do.

Emotional eating looks like:

• Usually in response to an emotion or a situation provoking an emotion (positive or negative)

• Can be used as a coping mechanism or distraction and provides short-term comfort. 

• You might pay attention to the taste initially and then zone out.

• May or may not leave you with feelings of shame and/or guilt. 

Emotional eating can be addressed by:

• Identifying the emotion and aim to sit in the discomfort for a few moments.

• Recognising that it is the emotion that you are trying to address, not a problem with eating.

• Asking yourself, 'Is there an action I can take that will truly help this situation or make me feel better?'

• Paying attention to the language you use to describe foods. Is it negative?

Over-eating and binge eating might sound similar but each look different and so are the ways to deal with them. The major difference is that binge eating usually involves some sort of food restriction before or after bingeing, which creates a cycle between the two (bingeing and restricting) AND has more mental health impacts than over eating. Check out the table below to see if either sound familiar:

I'm guessing you've read this far because you are interested in how to improve your relationship with food; good on you! If you're looking at one (or both) of these descriptions and thinking 'Yes, that's definitely me', have a look below for some starting points:

Do you find yourself relating to the signs of binge eating in this post? Please be aware that this post only skims the surface of the complexity of eating patterns, particularly binge eating, and should not be construed as individual nutrition advice or the complete picture of emotional, binge or over-eating.

Having someone in your corner to guide you in the right direction can help you reach freedom a LOT quicker. Get in touch with me and let's chat about what support option would be best for you!