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How long can most people go without binging?

I'm talking about both binge eating and drinking. I know most responses will say that normal people don't binge at all on either food or alcohol but they do, almost everyone has days where they're hungrier than normal or get more cravings than normal and end up eating or drinking way too much. I can usually go a few weeks between food binges and about a week between alcohol binges. Is this normal? I know loads of people go out every weekend and get drunk or go out for a meal and eat too much fairly often, the only difference is I'm giving in to my cravings alone. On a normal l day I aim for under 1200 calories and have a strict limit of under 1400 calories then on a binge day I probably eat and drink 2000-3000 calories. I'm far from overweight (current weight is 6 stone 10) so it's not affecting my health. I just don't know if it's normal to have irresistible binge cravings this often.

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It's not very normal. The main difference is not being able to resist I think. To be fair most people eat or drink more than they intended occasionally, but it's not in a problematic way and they could have chosen to consume less.

Honestly it sounds like you're over-restricting yourself on your normal days. Assuming you're at least like 14, if you're 6 stone 10, it's not healthy for you to lose weight, and 1200-1400 calories is not enough to subsist on. A normal, healthy amount is 2000 for a woman or 2500 for a man, or more if you're a highly active person.

You're probably feeling urges to consume more on your binge days because you're not getting enough to eat generally and your body is forcing you to compensate for that.
Reply 2
Original post by anosmianAcrimony
It's not very normal. The main difference is not being able to resist I think. To be fair most people eat or drink more than they intended occasionally, but it's not in a problematic way and they could have chosen to consume less.
Honestly it sounds like you're over-restricting yourself on your normal days. Assuming you're at least like 14, if you're 6 stone 10, it's not healthy for you to lose weight, and 1200-1400 calories is not enough to subsist on. A normal, healthy amount is 2000 for a woman or 2500 for a man, or more if you're a highly active person.
You're probably feeling urges to consume more on your binge days because you're not getting enough to eat generally and your body is forcing you to compensate for that.

I'm 21 but I'm 5'0 so that is a healthy weight for my height
Original post by Anonymous
I'm 21 but I'm 5'0 so that is a healthy weight for my height

Your BMI puts you in the underweight category.

To answer your question, I never binge eat now that I have recovered from my ED. I overindulge sometimes, but there is no feeling of being out of control like there was with binging. I have never binge drank alcohol.
Reply 4
Original post by Anonymous
Your BMI puts you in the underweight category.
To answer your question, I never binge eat now that I have recovered from my ED. I overindulge sometimes, but there is no feeling of being out of control like there was with binging. I have never binge drank alcohol.

According to the BMI calculator I use, my BMI is 18.5 which is exactly on the border of healthy weight
Original post by Anonymous
According to the BMI calculator I use, my BMI is 18.5 which is exactly on the border of healthy weight

If you’re exactly on the border of being underweight and experiencing irresistible binge cravings, what does that tell you?
Reply 6
Original post by Admit-One
If you’re exactly on the border of being underweight and experiencing irresistible binge cravings, what does that tell you?

Because of my body type and the way my body stores fat I look heavier than I am so a BMI of 18.5 for me is the same as a BMI of maybe 22 for anyone else
Original post by Anonymous
Because of my body type and the way my body stores fat I look heavier than I am so a BMI of 18.5 for me is the same as a BMI of maybe 22 for anyone else

that's what everyone with an eating disorder thinks
Most people don't really binge as such, slight excess isn't the same thing, and this is one of those deals where if you're opinion is already "I know most responses will say that normal people don't binge at all on either food or alcohol but they do" - then it's pointless, you're already trying to distort other peoples experiences to talk down your own, it's not in any way subtle.

"BMI of 18.5 for me is the same as a BMI of maybe 22 for anyone else" - likewise, no, you don't get your own set of rules.
Reply 9
Original post by Anonymous
that's what everyone with an eating disorder thinks

Most doctors/mental health professionals won't even entertain the idea of someone struggling with disorder eating unless they're (usually pretty severely) underweight though
Original post by StriderHort
Most people don't really binge as such, slight excess isn't the same thing, and this is one of those deals where if you're opinion is already "I know most responses will say that normal people don't binge at all on either food or alcohol but they do" - then it's pointless, you're already trying to distort other peoples experiences to talk down your own, it's not in any way subtle.
"BMI of 18.5 for me is the same as a BMI of maybe 22 for anyone else" - likewise, no, you don't get your own set of rules.

I've asked people on fitness/weight loss forums to guess my weight/BMI or say whether they think I'm skinny, average or chubby and they nearly always guess that I'm at least a stone heavier than I am and say that I'm average rather than skinny
Original post by Anonymous
Most doctors/mental health professionals won't even entertain the idea of someone struggling with disorder eating unless they're (usually pretty severely) underweight though

Not true. Most people with bulimia are not underweight and are very much still acknowledged as having an ED. Sounds to me like you are just looking for excuses to not deal with your issues.
Original post by Anonymous
I've asked people on fitness/weight loss forums to guess my weight/BMI or say whether they think I'm skinny, average or chubby and they nearly always guess that I'm at least a stone heavier than I am and say that I'm average rather than skinny

I'm not saying your lying.. but this is internet randos, many of whom will not want to offend by given any answer other than 'averageish/good!' and they're going off a photo or two that you have chosen rather than unbiased measurements. Their opinions aren't worth a lot is what I'm saying tbh.
Original post by Anonymous
Not true. Most people with bulimia are not underweight and are very much still acknowledged as having an ED. Sounds to me like you are just looking for excuses to not deal with your issues.

I'm a healthy weight and eat 3 meals every day, no doctor is going to say I have an eating disorder just because these meals are relatively small and I sometimes over indulge/binge
Original post by StriderHort
I'm not saying your lying.. but this is internet randos, many of whom will not want to offend by given any answer other than 'averageish/good!' and they're going off a photo or two that you have chosen rather than unbiased measurements. Their opinions aren't worth a lot is what I'm saying tbh.

The unbiased measurements all say I'm healthy though. My BMI is 18.5, body fat is around 20% (I'm female), and waist-hip ratio is also in the healthy/ideal range
Original post by Anonymous
The unbiased measurements all say I'm healthy though. My BMI is 18.5, body fat is around 20% (I'm female), and waist-hip ratio is also in the healthy/ideal range

Just to be clear, when you say your 18.5 is on the border of healthy weight, that also means it's on the exact same border for unhealthy weight, correct?
Original post by StriderHort
Just to be clear, when you say your 18.5 is on the border of healthy weight, that also means it's on the exact same border for unhealthy weight, correct?

18.4 is underweight, 18.5 is the start of the healthy weight range
Original post by Anonymous
18.4 is underweight, 18.5 is the start of the healthy weight range

and yours is 18.36
Original post by Anonymous
and yours is 18.36

It's 18.5 exactly according to the NHS BMI calculator, I'm 152cm and 6 stone 10
Original post by Anonymous
I'm a healthy weight and eat 3 meals every day, no doctor is going to say I have an eating disorder just because these meals are relatively small and I sometimes over indulge/binge

Your three meals per day don't contain enough calories to sustain you.

The main criterion for an eating disorder in the mind of any right-thinking clinician is, are you finding the way you are eating problematic? If you weren't finding it problematic, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. We can quibble over the numbers, but what's obvious is that what's going on right now is not working for you or you wouldn't even have posted.

People on weight loss forums are the wrong crowd to talk to about this. You could be a skeleton and they would still suggest you should lose weight. Many of them have this exact same problem - it's a very unhealthy and corrosive social bubble to be in.

"Because of my body type and the way my body stores fat I look heavier than I am" - no, because of your poor self-image, you look heavier to yourself than you are. You don't need to work on your body, you need to work on how you relate to your body - how you think about it and talk to yourself about it - ultimately, to work on your capacity for self-love.
(edited 2 weeks ago)

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